The Way to Carry the Islamic Da‘wah

The Muslims did not lag behind the world due to their adherence to Islam. On the contrary, their regression commenced the day they abandoned this adherence to Islam and they allowed the foreign culture to enter their lands and the Western concepts to influence their minds. They abandoned the intellectual leadership of Islam when they neglected its da‘wah and misapplied its laws (ahkam). Therefore, the Muslims must resume the Islamic way of life if they want the revival (nahdah) to occur. However, they will not be able to resume the Islamic way of life unless they carry the Islamic da‘wah by carrying the intellectual leadership of Islam. The da‘wah should be directed towards establishing the Islamic State which, in turn, will establish the leadership of Islam by carrying the Islamic ideology.

It should be noted that carrying the intellectual leadership by carrying the Islamic da‘wah in order to revive the Muslims is performed because only Islam comprehensively and positively addresses the world. True revival cannot be achieved by the Muslims or others without Islam. It is on this basis that the da‘wah should be carried out.

The da‘wah must be carried to the world as an intellectual leadership from which all systems emanate. It is upon this leadership that all thoughts are built and from such thoughts spring forth the concepts that influence ones viewpoint in life without exception.

The da‘wah should be carried today as it was delivered in the past and should proceed in compliance with the example of the Messenger (saw), without the slightest deviation from its method in its general and specific details. No regard should be given to the differences in time, for these differences amount to nothing more than the means and forms. However, the essence and the reality of life, has not and will not change regardless of the passing of ages and changing of peoples and places.

Carrying the da‘wah demands frankness, courage, strength, thought and to challenge all that contradicts the fikra and tariqa (idea and method) of Islam by facing it and exposing its falsehood irrespective of the situation and its consequences.

Carrying the Islamic da‘wah necessitates that Islam alone should be recognised as possessing ultimate sovereignty, regardless of whether the masses agree or disagree or whether they accept it or deny it, or whether it is in accordance with the peoples customs or not.

The da‘wah carrier does not flatter the people, is not courteous to the authorities or cares for the peoples’ customs and traditions, and does not give any attention to whether the people will accept him or not. Rather he must adhere to the ideology alone and solely express it and no regard is given to anything except the ideology. It is not allowed to tell the followers of other ideologies to adhere to their ideologies. Instead, they are invited without compulsion to embrace the ideology (of Islam) because the da‘wah requires that there be no other ideology straddling alongside Islam and that the sovereignty be for Islam alone.

"It is He who has sent His Messenger with the Guidance and deen of Haqq, to prevail over all other religions even though the idolaters may abhor it." [9:33]

The Messenger (saw) came to this world with the Message and openly challenged the whole world. He (saw) believed in the Truth he (saw) was inviting the people to and declared an ideological war against the ‘red and black’, i.e., everyone, irrespective of their traditions, customs, religions, doctrines, rulers and masses.

He (saw) paid no credence to anything other than the message of Islam. He commenced the da‘wah by discrediting the false deities of Quraysh. He (saw) challenged them in their doctrines, discredited them while alone and isolated and with no helper and no weapon except his unshakeable and deeply rooted conviction in Islam to which he was inviting. He (saw) did not care for the Arab customs, traditions, religions, or doctrines. In this respect, he (saw) was not courteous nor gave them any regard.

Similarly, the da‘wah carrier has to challenge everything. This includes challenging the customs, traditions, erroneous thoughts and concepts, the public opinion when it is wrong even if he has to struggle against it, and the doctrines and religions. This is despite the fact the that the da‘wah carrier might be exposed to the fanaticism of their followers and the hostility of those who stick to their distortions.

Delivering the da‘wah requires a concern for the complete implementation of Islam without the slightest deviation. The carrier does not accept any truce nor concession, negligence nor postponement. Instead, he maintains the matter as a whole and definitively settles it without accepting any intercession which would obstruct the truth.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) did not accept the request of Thaqif’s delegation to be allowed to retain their idol, Allat, for three years before it was demolished, neither did he (saw) exempt them from prayer as pre-conditions for embracing Islam. He (saw) refused to leave Allat for two years or for one month as they had demanded. He (saw) refused this request firmly, and decisively, without any hesitation or leniency. This is simply because man has to either believe or not, after all, the result is either Paradise or Hell. However, the Messenger of Allah (saw) did accept their request not to have them demolish their idol through their hands. Instead, he asked Abu Sufyan and al-Mughira ibn Shu’bah to demolish it. He definitely did not accept anything less than the complete ‘aqeedah and the required implementation. As for the means and forms of carrying this implementation, the Messenger of Allah (saw) accepted them because they are not connected with the tenets of the Islamic ‘aqeedah. Therefore, care must be taken in delivering the da‘wah to preserve the completeness of its thought and implementation without any compromise in the fikra and tariqa. There is no harm in using any usloob (means) it demands.

Carrying the Islamic da‘wah necessitates that every one of its actions should be undertaken for a specific objective. The carrier should always be aware of this aim and work towards achieving it, exerting himself relentlessly to fulfil it. Therefore, the carrier would not be satisfied by thought without action and would deem it to be a hypnotic and fanciful philosophy. Likewise, he would not be satisfied by thought and action devoid of any objective, considering this to be a spiral motion which ultimately ends in apathy, no real accomplishment, and despair. Instead, the da‘wah carrier has to insist upon connecting the thought with action and uniting the two in working for a specific objective which will be fulfilled in a practical manner and be brought into existence.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) carried the intellectual leadership of Islam in Makkah. When he realised that the society there would not make Islam its system, he (saw) began preparing the society of Madinah. In Madinah, he established the State, thereby implementing Islam, carried its message, and prepared the Ummah to convey it after him and to proceed in the same way he had traced. Therefore, carrying the Islamic da‘wah in the situation where there is no Khaleefah, should include the call for Islam and the resumption of the Islamic way of life by establishing the Islamic State which implements Islam and carries its message to the world. Thus, the da‘wah is transferred from a call within the nation to resume and Islamic life to a call to the world carried out by the Islamic State and from a local da‘wah within the Islamic world to a universal da‘wah.

The call to Islam should clearly include correcting the prevalent doctrines, strengthening the relationship with Allah (swt) and providing solutions for the problems of the people, so that the da‘wah remains vivid in all fields of life. The Prophet (saw) would recite to the people of Makkah the following verses:

"Perish the hands of Abu Lahab." [ 111:1]

"This is verily the word of an honourable messenger. It is not the words of a poet. Little it is that you believe." [ 69:40-41]

"Woe to those who deal in fraud, those who when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure, but when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due." [TMQ 83:1-3]

"For those who believe and do righteous deeds will be gardens beneath which rivers flow; that is the great salvation (the fulfilment of all desires)." [ 85:11]

In Madinah, he recited:

"Establish prayer and practice regular charity." [ 2:110]

The way he (saw) recited:

"Go forth (whether equipped) lightly or heavily, and strive and struggle with your property and yourselves in the cause of Allah." [TMQ 9:41]

And he (saw) would recite:

"O you who believe, when you deal with each other in transactions involving future obligations for a fixed period of time, reduce them to writing." [TMQ 2:282]

"In order that it does not become (merely) a circuit between the wealthy among you." [ 59:7]

"Not equal are the Companions of the Fire and the Companions of the Garden. The Companions of the Garden are the victorious." [ 59:20]

Accordingly, the Islamic da‘wah should carry to the people the system by which they are to solve their daily life’s problems. The secret to the success of the Islamic da‘wah is that it is vivid and addresses man in a comprehensive manner as a human being, thereby bringing about a comprehensive and radical change in him.

It is impossible for the da‘wah carriers to carry the responsibility and to effectively discharge their duties unless the motivation towards perfection and completeness is rooted within themselves. They should constantly search for the truth, continuously scrutinising all that they know in order to purify their understandings of issues from any alien thoughts, and protect themselves from any alien idea that may penetrate. This will keep the idea carried and conveyed pure and clear. The purity and clarity of the thoughts is the only guarantee for Islam’s success and for its continuity.

The da‘wah carriers have to carry this duty as an obligation from Allah (swt), enthusiastically and happily embarking upon it and expecting the pleasure of Allah (swt). They must not look for any worldly reward or expect praises from people. They must acknowledge nothing except the pursuit of the pleasure of Allah(swt).