The Ruling Concerning Da’wah
The duty of calling to Allah was passed on from the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the Companions to those who followed them until today. This duty will then be passed on to the next generation of Muslims. Da‘wah is based upon certain principles and established upon pillars which are absolutely essential. If any of these pillars is missing, the da‘wah will not be correct and it will not produce the intended results. These pillars have been explained in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. The following is a summarisation of some of the most important points:
Sincerity:
It is obligatory upon the daa‘ee to have sincerity and pure intentions. Da‘wah should be given for the sake of Allah and should not involve the desire to show – off or acquire the praise of the people. Allah informs us that the Prophets said to their people:
{قُل لَّا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا ۖ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْعَالَمِينَ (90)} سورة الأنعام: ٩٠
“I ask of you for this message no payment. It is not but a reminder for the worlds.” (Soorat al-An’aam: 90)
Knowledge of Islam:
Allah said to the Prophet (Peace be upon him):
{قُلْ هَذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (108)} سورة يوسف:١٠٨
“Say, “This is my way; I invite to Allah with baseerah (knowledge), I and those who follow me.” (Soorat Yoosuf: 108)
Having knowledge is very important because the daa‘ee will face those who attack Da‘wah with doubts and baseless arguments in order to refute the ‘truth’. So if the caller is not armed with a sufficient foundation of Islamic knowledge, then he will become overwhelmed and make the truth appear to be falsehood and falsehood appear to be the truth.
Implementing whatever he calls others to:
Witnessing a good example is very important. Putting words into actions leaves no excuse for the opponents of the truth. Allah said that the Prophet Shu’ayb said to his people:
{وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَىٰ مَا أَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ ۚ إِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلَّا الْإِصْلَاحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ۚ(٨٨)} سورة هود: ٨٨
“I do not intend to differ from you in that which I have forbidden you; I only intend reform as much as I am able.” (Soorat Hood: 88)
A daa‘ee should not invite others to do something that he himself doesn’t do. At the same time, he should not do something which he forbids others from doing.
Being patient:
Giving da‘wah is not easy. It is full of hardships and hazards. The best example of this is the example of the Prophets and Messengers since they suffered the many types of abuse, degradation, and harm from their people while calling them to Tawheed. Allah mentions this in the following verse:
{وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُوا عَلَى مَا كُذِّبُوا وَأُوذُوا حَتَّى أَتَاهُمْ نَصْرُنَا (٣٤)} سورة الأنعام:٣٤
“And certainly other messengers were rejected before you, but they were patient upon their peoples’ rejection, and they were harmed until Our victory came to them.” (Soorat al-An’aam: 34)
In the same way, the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) are met with the same harms and abuse in proportion to their efforts in calling to Allah . They must remain patient and continue giving da‘wah in the face of adversity.
Calling to the truth with sincerity is one of the characteristics of the believers. They act upon what they call to, hasten towards doing good deeds and avoid things that are prohibited. Finally, they remain patient upon the hardships and difficulties that they face.
The Da‘wah of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
The last of all the Prophets sent to mankind was Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullaah (Peace be upon him). He (Peace be upon him) was the Messenger whom Allah sent as a mercy to mankind and the jinn, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. He (Peace be upon him) did not leave any good except that he (Peace be upon him) guided his Ummah and directed them to it. Similarly, he did not leave a single evil except that he (Peace be upon him) warned his Ummah against it.
The last of all the Prophets sent to mankind was Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullaah (Peace be upon him). He (Peace be upon him) was the Messenger whom Allah sent as a mercy to mankind and the jinn, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. He (Peace be upon him) did not leave any good except that he (Peace be upon him) guided his Ummah and directed them to it. Similarly, he did not leave a single evil except that he (Peace be upon him) warned his Ummah against it.The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) started his da‘wah in the same way that all the Prophets and Messengers began their da‘wah. He began his da‘wah by calling to Tawheed and inviting the people to direct their worship to Allah and none besides Him.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) started his da‘wah in the same way that all the Prophets and Messengers began their da‘wah. He began his da‘wah by calling to Tawheed and inviting the people to direct their worship to Allah and none besides Him.The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) began by calling the people to the shahaadataan (Ashhadu allaa ilaaha illallaah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar Rasoolullaah). The Messenger (Peace be upon him) of Allah thus began his da‘wah with this fundamental principle, until it became clear that his message is founded upon two important concepts; the concept that nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) began by calling the people to the shahaadataan (Ashhadu allaa ilaaha illallaah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar Rasoolullaah). The Messenger (Peace be upon him) of Allah thus began his da‘wah with this fundamental principle, until it became clear that his message is founded upon two important concepts; the concept that nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah.
He continued calling to the worship of Allah Alone throughout his time in Makkah, which was a period that lasted thirteen years. He did not become tired from his call. He remained patient upon all types of harm that he faced from those who opposed him. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) also taught people to show good manners towards relatives and to be truthful. In the tenth year of Prophethood the Salah was made compulsory upon the Muslims. However, the foundation of his da‘wah was always Tawheed.
When Allah revealed the first few aayaat of Soorat Al-‘Alaq, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) began to give da‘wah secretly to those who were around him . He gave da‘wah to his wife Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid . Then he gave da‘wah to his close friend Aboo Bakr , his cousin ‘Ali ibn Abee Taalib and other people from his family and those close to him. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) gave da‘wah secretly until Allah commanded him to promote his da’wah openly which Allah mentions in Soorat Al-Muddaththir. After this point, the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) da‘wah would extend to the streets of Makkah. He also gave da‘wah to those people who would visit Makkah in the period of Hajj.
The Hajj season was an excellent opportunity to spread the concept of Tawheed. The people who arrived for Hajj met with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and returned to their family, friends and community with news of what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) called them to. So they went back to their people and instructed them to worship Allah Alone. There are many ahaadeeth that mention the da‘wah efforts of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) during Hajj.
So the da‘wah of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) began with Tawheed. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) also began his da’wah with those who were around him . The Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not go to the people of Makkah first before going to his wife, family and close friends . Similarly, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not go to the people of neighboring cities before calling the people of Makkah.
Certainly in the Prophet (Peace be upon him) we have a perfect example as Allah says:
{لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا (21)} سورة الأحزاب: ٢١
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad ) you have a good example to follow for the one who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” (Soorat Al-Ahzab :21)
So let us follow his prophetic example closely whenever we attempt to give da‘wah and call the people to good.
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ICO’s Publications – Islamic Studies curriculum – Grade 8/ Part1