Da’wah

 Transcript of the Friday Khutbah delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on Jan 24, 2020

My dear brothers and sisters! In today’s khutbah, I intend to share with you some thoughts on the concept of da’wah in Islam. Da'wah is an Arabic word which literally means “making an invitation.” This term is often used to describe how Muslims share their faith with others in order to teach them about the beliefs and practices of their Islamic faith. Da’wah is an Islamic duty for believers are instructed in the Qur’an to invite people to the way of their Lord. 

ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

“Invite people to the path of your Lord with wisdom and good advice and argue with them in the most courteous way, for your Lord knows best who strays from His path, and knows best who is rightly guided.” (an-Nahl, 16:125)

Brothers and sisters! We must understand that while doing da’wah, it is not the responsibility or right of Muslims to attempt to convert others to Islam for Allah says:

لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ قَدْ تَبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ

“Let there be no compulsion in religion, for the truth stands out clearly from falsehood.” (al-Baqarah, 2:256).

We are to share with non-Muslims the universal message of all of Allah’s prophets and messengers -- the message of monotheism (tawheed) and its meaning and implications. We are to explain to them our faith in simple and effective ways. It is up to the invitee or listener to make his or her own choice.

Allah (SWT) has given us the ability to know what is good and what is evil. We instinctively like goodness and dislike evil. But this instinct is not sufficient to guide us in the very many complex aspects of our life on this earth. Hence in His mercy, Allah (SWT) has sent down Messengers with clear guidance to help live our lives in peace and harmony. This is also necessary because we are accountable for our conduct to Allah (SWT) on the Day of Judgment. We could plead ignorance if we did not know what the right path was. This is explained in the Qur’an as follows:

رُسُلًا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنْذِرِينَ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا

“They were messengers giving good news and warnings so humanity should have no excuse before Allah after (the coming of) the messengers. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” (al-Nisa’, 4:165)

Each Messenger was sent to his own people so that he would explain the message to them in their own language. But the Prophethood of Muhammad (SAW) was twofold. He was sent down to the people of Arabia as well as to all humankind. Now that the institution of prophethood has come to an end, the responsibility for conveying the message of Allah to all humanity till the end of time rests on this ummah.

وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا

“Thus We have made you an ummah justly balanced, so that you may act as witnesses for mankind, and the Messenger may be a witness for you.” (al-Baqarah, 2:143)

Also, there will always be at least one group in this ummah that will stand firm on deen and convey the message of truth. Thus, da’wah is not just one of the many good deeds to be undertaken but it is rather the prime responsibility of the ummah.

كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ

“You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong and believing in Allah.” (Al ‘Imran, 3:110)

The process of da’wah involves the message, the one who gives the message, and the one who is given the message. In order to protect the message and its continuous propagation, Allah (SWT) has undertaken upon Himself to preserve the Qur’an from corruption till eternity. Allah says:

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

“Indeed it is We who have sent down the Reminder, and indeed” it is We who will preserve it.” (al-Hijr, 15:9)

The message is to submit to Allah, which means to become a Muslim. There is a difference between simply being a self-satisfied passive Muslim and becoming a true practicing Muslim. Becoming a Muslim has two implications: First: to invite oneself to surrender to the will of Allah. Second: to invite the whole of society to live in submission to the will of Allah. These two processes continue simultaneously.

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ 

“And whose words are better than someone who calls ˹others˺ to Allah, does good, and says, “I am truly one of those who submit?” (Fussilat, 41:33)

The best words that any human being can speak are words of guidance inviting people to the purpose of their creation; the worship of God. This being the case, the reward for giving da’wah must be tremendous. Thus, it is no surprise to find that the Prophet (SAW) addressed the great reward for this righteous pursuit saying: “Whoever directs someone to do good will gain the same reward as the one who does good.” He was also reported to have said: “Whoever calls to guidance will receive the same reward as the one who follows him without any decrease in the reward of (his follower).”

Who is the one who gives the message or the da’i? Every Muslim is a da’i. Some people say that if we ourselves are sinners how can we invite others to goodness? Some say that they are not learned enough to do da’wah. Remember the Prophet (SAW) said: “Convey from me even if it is one ayah.” Consequently, virtually no Muslim is excused from giving some da’wah. While giving his sermon on occasion of the farewell pilgrimage (Hajjat ul-Wida’), he said to his companions: “Let those who are present convey (the message) to those who are not present. It may be that some of those to whom it will be conveyed will understand it better than those who have actually heard it.” Thus we see from the lives of the companions (sahaba) that they conveyed this message to the farthest corners of the earth.

Who is the one to be invited to Islam? Actually, everyone should be invited to Islam as everyone is a potential Muslim. As each individual is different, we have to know the psychology of those whom we invite or give da’wah to. It is essential that we respect their feelings and avoid hurting their feelings. We have to choose the proper time and place to present the message. If someone argues, we should not try to win the argument by humiliating him.

Brothers and sisters! We must realize that da’wah is a long and ongoing process. It needs lots of patience and perseverance. Even then it may not bring any result. Thus, people often give up in despair. But we should realize that our duty is only to convey and we cannot change people’s hearts if they themselves do not want to change. It is only Allah who gives guidance to whom He wills. And His will is based on His absolute knowledge and wisdom. If we study the lives of the Prophets, we will see that many of them failed to change the hearts of their own family. Nuh (AS) preached for 950 years yet even his wife and his son did not accept Islam. The father of Ibrahim (AS), wife of Lut (AS), and Abu Talib, the uncle of Prophet (SAW) did not accept Islam. May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq to understand the noble deen of Islam and may He bless each one of us; ameen.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين

Brothers and sisters! How do we go about giving da’wah? We have to be friendly, respectful, and gentle and a living example of the truth and peace of Islam. It’s always good to have a dialogue rather than a monologue. The discussion should be conducted rationally, in a civilized and decent language, so that the ideas of the other person may be reformed. Our aim should be to appeal to the addressee’s heart, and to convey the truth to him. And not to be like a wrestler whose only object is to defeat his opponent.

وَلَا تُجَادِلُوۡٓا اَهۡلَ الۡكِتٰبِ اِلَّا بِالَّتِىۡ هِىَ اَحۡسَنُ

“And do not argue with the people of the Scripture except in the best manner.” (al-‘Ankabut, 29:46) We also have to choose our time and place for da’wah carefully. We should find common ground; and speak a common language with our audience.

آمَنَّا بِالَّذِي أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَأُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَإِلَٰهُنَا وَإِلَٰهُكُمْ وَاحِدٌ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسۡلِمُوۡنَ‏

“We believe in what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to you, and our god and your god is the same; to Him we surrender.” (al-‘Ankabut, 29:46)

We should also try to clear up some of the common misconceptions about Islam. Islam is a widely misunderstood religion, and many of those misconceptions have become even more firmly entrenched in recent years. Those who are unfamiliar with the Islamic faith often have misunderstandings and misconceptions about Islam's teachings and practices such as: Muslims worship a moon-god, Muslims don’t believe in Jesus, Islam is oppressive to women, Islam is a faith that promotes violence, Islam is intolerant of other faiths, the Qur’an was written by Muhammad (SAW) and copied from Christian and Jewish sources. There are other myths and misconceptions as well.

Also if one does not know the correct answer to a question asked about Islam or Muslims, one should be humble; and willing to say, "I don't know." Or “I can find out for you and let you know.” We should also try our best not to confuse between religious, cultural, and political issues. We should also provide follow-up and support for anyone who expresses interest in learning more.

Da’wah can be done individually or collectively depending on the circumstances. It is helpful to join a da’wah organization and support it with any skill that one may have through social media, print media, creating videos, writing articles…etc.  

May Allah may make us realize our duty of conveying the message of Islam and give us the faith and courage so that we take up this task as is required of us; ameen. 

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