Author: Shukran Ahmadi
Da’wah’s Necessity and Method in the Modern World (The 8th and Final Part)
Principles of the Prophets’ Da’wah (Invitation)
1. The foundation of the prophets’ (peace be upon them) invitation was that they did not seek any reward from the people for their work. Their motto was:
«وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ»
Translation:
“O people! I do not seek any reward from you in exchange for my invitation; indeed, the reward for this task lies with the Lord of the worlds.”
The appeal and impact of their invitation were due to two forces: 1. Their independence and lack of need for a reward from people; 2. Their pure and righteous way of life.
From this, it is clear that the source of a preacher’s influence lies in their purity, independence from creation, sincerity, and devotion to God.
2. The second motivation and driving force behind the prophets’ preaching and invitation was their compassion and kindness toward Allah’s servants and their genuine concern for their well-being. When they observed the unfortunate state of the people, their hearts would ache for them. Their heartfelt desire was to see God’s servants reformed and guided to the prosperity of this world and the hereafter, just as a loving father or a caring mentor deeply wishes for their child to be guided and to attain success in both this world and the next.
As it is mentioned about the Prophet (peace be upon him): «فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَفْسَكَ عَلَى آثَارِهِمْ إِنْ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا» Translation: “So perhaps you would kill yourself with grief over them if they do not believe in this message, out of sorrow.”
«لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَؤُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ» Translation: “O Muslims! A messenger has come to you from among yourselves. It is hard on him when you suffer; he is anxious for your guidance and is compassionate and merciful towards the believers.”
3. The caller to Islam must always keep the principle of prioritization in mind. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) emphasized monotheism (Tawhid) and prophethood as the foundation of his invitation. When the Quraysh asked him, “What do you want from us?” he replied, “I want only one thing from you: if you accept the word of monotheism, the non-Arabs and Arabs alike will submit to your command.” In reality, monotheism and prophethood are the seeds of the invitation. If these seeds are planted correctly, the time will come when the sapling of the invitation will emerge and be adorned with leaves and the rules of Islam.
The order of the revelation of the Holy Quran is the best example and method of invitation. Hazrat Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “In the beginning, verses were revealed that softened hearts by mentioning paradise and hell and encouraging or warning. Then, when people inclined towards Islam, verses related to lawful and unlawful matters were revealed.”
It is evident that if the ruling on the prohibition of wine had been revealed at the very beginning, it is possible that no one would have accepted it. This hadith shows that the wisdom of invitation and propagation was considered in the revelation of the Quranic verses. When a delegation representing the people of Ta’if came to the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), they suggested that prayer be waived for them. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “There is no good in a religion that has no bowing (Ruku).” They then asked, “Do not take alms and Zakat from us, and do not send our people to war.” The Prophet accepted these two conditions and said, “When they become Muslims, they will also give Zakat and participate in Jihad.”
The scholars of Hadith say that prayer is an obligation that becomes immediately mandatory. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) showed no flexibility in this matter. However, Jihad is a collective duty that becomes obligatory at specific times, and alms and Zakat become obligatory after one year, and can be paid after some time. For this reason, the Prophet showed flexibility in these matters.
4. One of the principles of invitation and propagation is to present and introduce Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not wait for people to come to him; rather, he and his companions would go to the people and invite them to the truth. He traveled from Mecca to Ta’if, visiting the homes of their leaders and inviting them. During the days of Hajj, he would approach the tribes and convey the message of truth to them, not paying attention to their harsh responses.
After the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, when security was established in the Arabian Peninsula, Islamic envoys and emissaries were sent to Egypt, Persia, Abyssinia, Bahrain, and Syria to convey the message of Islam and engage in invitation and propagation. The companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would always go to different regions. Hazrat Mus’ab bin Umair (may Allah be pleased with him) went to Medina, and Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with them both) went to Yemen for the purpose of invitation and propagation.
During the blessed time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the teaching and learning circle of the people of Suffa was formed under the shade of the Prophet’s Mosque. They would collect firewood during the day for their livelihood, and at night they would take the opportunity to learn religious knowledge and benefit from the gatherings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). As needed, they would be sent to other areas for invitation and propagation.
Islam is a religion of movement and dynamism. However, the current reality of Muslim life is such that it lacks the vitality and growth that the early Muslims and pious predecessors had, and Muslims have become lost in the noisy system of the modern world. When the Muslim Ummah was active in the path of invitation, it experienced its golden age, and when the Ummah stopped inviting and moving forward, intellectual stagnation and practical decline overtook the Muslims, turning their glorious past into an unattainable dream that only exists on the pages of history.
This does not mean that the Muslim Ummah will no longer progress; rather, now that the reasons for the Ummah’s backwardness and decline have been recognized, and everyone has realized that distancing from the pure sources of religion and the stagnation of the Ummah’s social invitation are the main causes of this regression, we can be hopeful for a bright future for this Ummah that is not too far away. This is because the blessed efforts and endeavors of the callers to the path of truth now give the Muslims the good news that the future belongs to Islam and the Muslims.
There is no choice but to take on the responsibility of invitation and propagation and the mission of the Messenger. We must embrace this responsibility and convey our message to those who consider themselves associated with Islam but know nothing of it beyond the name. Yes, we will deliver this message to those who have not received the pure and unadulterated invitation of Islam. In this regard, there is no option but to distance ourselves from the current disordered and corrupt state of the Muslims, who have become empty and distant from the original beliefs. Instead, we must clarify the truth and take on this great responsibility so that we may attain that high status which Allah Almighty has honored with the title of “the best Ummah.” Allah Almighty says:
«کنْتُمْ خَیرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْکرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بالله»Translation: “You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.”
The propagation of religion is one of the duties of every individual in the Islamic community, which the Quran identifies as a distinguishing feature of the Muslim Ummah:
«کنْتُمْ خَیرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْکرِ»Translation: In other words, the greatest quality of this Ummah is that the great mission of the prophets has been entrusted to it, and beyond that, the Islamic invitation serves as the foundation for forming the identity and the most significant means of preserving the life of the Islamic community.
Islamic invitation is mentioned in the Quran in various expressions such as invitation (da’wah), advice (nasihah), enjoining good and forbidding evil (amr bil ma’ruf wa nahi anil munkar), reminding (tazkir), and others. It is presented as an essential duty in the life of every Muslim. The noble Prophet (peace be upon him), in one of his teachings, likened the foundation of the Islamic community to a two-story ship. If the people on the lower deck, for the sake of convenience and to avoid disturbing those on the upper deck, decide to make a hole in their deck to obtain water more easily, and the people on the upper deck do not stop them, the lives of everyone on both decks will be at risk of drowning.
Therefore, the Islamic invitation is the guarantor of the protection of the Islamic community’s foundation, and remaining silent in the face of this invitation is considered to entangle oneself in turmoil from which no individual in the community will be safe.
«وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً»Translation: In no circumstance can neglecting the duty of invitation be excused, and it puts those who neglect it in danger—the danger of widespread turmoil that will encompass every individual in society.
Unfortunately, the failure to address and fulfill the duty of Islamic invitation has caused us to lose the foundation of Islamic societies. The intellectual and cultural invasion by the enemy, combined with their invitation to falsehood and corruption through all their material means, has led to the unwitting downfall of Muslim nations into the misfortunes of falsehood. It is believed that many years will be needed, during which all the capabilities of Muslims, both men and women, must be employed to curb this rampant corruption within Muslim communities. Otherwise, it will lead to extremely dangerous consequences.
In light of the above explanations, the need for invitation today is greater than in any other era, and it will only have a positive impact if conducted while observing the principles and conditions of time and place. In fact, one of the important duties of Muslims is to carry out this invitation. We hope that every Muslim becomes aware of their duty, places the invitation at the forefront of their priorities, and becomes a caller and a maker of callers to Islam.
References:
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2. Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Muhammad, Al-Jami’ al-Sahih, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya.
3. Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon.
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6. Usmani, Muhammad Shafi Usmani, Ma’arif al-Qur’an, Sheikh-ul-Islam Ahmad Jam Publications.
7. Usmani, Muhammad Taqi, Methodology of Invitation and Preaching, Nashr Ihsan.
8. Kandhlawi, Allama Sheikh Muhammad Yusuf, Hayat al-Sahaba, Lahore Edition.
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