How to call others to Islam

HOW TO CALL OTHERS

TO ISLAM?

Just as the Qur'an explains to the believers the way to live and behave in this world, it has also
recorded the wisest means of calling people towards Islam. Examples from the Prophet (SAW) have
embodied these teachings of the Qur'an, remaining a source of inspiration and enlightenment for
Muslims throughout the ages. Emphasis is made on "wisdom" in Da'wa and the best possible way to be
adopted in dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims.

For example, see the following two verses, the second of which addresses the people of the Book in
particular: 

Invite (all) to the Way Of thy Lord with wisdom And beautiful preaching; And argue with them In
ways that are best And most gracious. For thy lord knoweth best, Who have strayed from His Path,
And who receive guidance. (AI-Nahl:125) 

And dispute ye not with the people of the Book, Except in the best way, unless it be with those of
them who do wrong. But say, "We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us in that which
came down to you; Our God and your God is One; and it is to Him We submit (in Islam).
(Al-Ankabut:46)

These two verses speak of the three most important components of Da'wa;

1.  Wisdom (AI-Hikmah)

2.  Good way of admonition.

3.   Arguing in the best possible manner.

Before applying anyone of these, the person needs to know about those he wishes to address.

Any evidence and arguments presented to an atheist would be different from those presented to a believer in God. An address made to the people of the Book would c~rtainly differ from the one made to a believer in a number of gods and goddesses.

Let us take in the following lines - examples of wise discussions in the light of the Qur'an, followed by
the examples of the Prophets of Allah and those who came after them.

A. The Qur'anic way of argument (Jidal)

1. Proving an unseen fact by something seen and witnessed by the people. A very common
example concerns the Resurrection. The dead soil becomes alive and thriving, once the
rainwater touches it. The same will happen to the dead bodies in the earth which will receive  the rain of life on the Day of Resurreftion. 

And (further), thou seest the earth barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred
(To life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).

This is so, because Allah is the Reality: it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who has
Power over all things.

And verily the Hour will come: There can be no doubt about it, or about (the fact) that Allah will
raise up All who are in the graves.

Another example is that if the creation in the beginning when nothing was in existence. If Allah is able
to create something from nothing, why would it be difficult for Him to recreate the same once again?
Allah Almighty said:

The Day We roll up the heavens like a scroll Rolled up for books (completed):- Even as We produce
the first Creation, so shall we produce A new one: a promise We have undertaken:

Truly shall we fulfil it.

It is he who begins The Creation; Then repeats it; and For Him it is most easy. to Him belongs the
loftiest similitude (we can think of) In the heavens and the earth: For He is Exalted in Might,
Full of wisdom. (Al-Rum:27)

2. To show the fallacy of the arguments advanced by the non-believers. It was a common belief of the rejecter's of the Hereafter (Akhira) that the people come to the end of their lives due to the passage of time. In other words, death is a natural resultlof old age, of the days and nights taking their toll on the human body. 

In Qur'anic words they are shown to say:  

 

And they say: "What is there but our life In this world? We shall die and we live, Andl nothing but
Time Can destroy us." But Of that they have no Knowledge: they merely conjecture: (Al-Iathia: 24)

Allah Almighty describes the stories of ancient people such as Ad, Thamud, people of Nuh and Moses, making it clear that they perished because of a heavenly chastisement due to their infidelity, rejection of faith and disobedience.

These events of the past also suggest that the reasons behind the rise and decline of communities is
neither economic nor political, but ethical and moral.

3. One of the Qur'anic pieces of evidence is to invite people to think about their own selves
(i.e. Nafs) 

And in heaven is Your Sustenance, as (also) That which ye are promised.
(AI-Zariyat:22) 

There is a tiny world hidden in man himself. Looking deep into which would reveal an endless list of
realities. Just take this one example known as the evidence of "greatness of one's ego". (Dalil ul 'Uluww ). 

It goes like this:

The man, especially in the prime of his youth, or in the days of his worldly power, thinks that he is the
master of his destiny and strong enough to exercise his power and authority. Some people, like
Pharaoh's of the past and many tyrant rulers of the present, behaved to their subjects like gods.

Pharaoh did not hesitate to say:  "I am your supremeILord". They behaved so because

they were convinced of their own greatness and majesty.

Allah Almighty invites such people to look at their own beginning and end. Born as a weak and feeble
child, each one of them was dependent totally on his parents. He may not have survived if they had not
taken care of him in his infancy and childhood. The days of his youth are short. Once this youth turns
into old age, the man will be restored to his weakness for a second time. When a man realizes the
extreme helplessnes and fragility of his nature, he comes to know that his few days of strength lies with
his Creator, the All Mighty. This thought leads him to turn back to Allah and offer humility and
Subjugation to Him.

Worshipping Allah, thus, is not something forced upon him but embodied in his nature. The evidence
has been made clear in the following verse of Surah Al-Rum: 

It is Allah Who Created you in a state Of (helpless) weakness, then Gave (you) strength after
weakness, Then, after strength, gave (you) Weakness and a hoary head: He creates whatever He wills,
And it is He Who has All knowledge and power. (Al-Bum: 54)

4. Another Qur'anic way of argument is to invite the people to a dialogue on common grounds.
Addressing the Prophet, Allah All-Mighty shows him how to speak to the people of the Book.

Say: HO People Of the Book! come to common terms As between us and you: That we worship None

but Allah; That we associate No partners with Him; That we erect not, From among
ourselves, Lords and patrons Other than Allah." If then they turn back, Say ye: "Bear witness That
we (at least) Are Muslims (bowing To Allah's Will)." (Al-Imran: 64)

B. Example from the life of Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) 

Syyedina Thrahim is a good example of "arguing in a best way". The following three episodes of his life
show how emphatically he advanced his arguments.

1. With his father and the people:

Surah Maryam: 41-48

41. And (also) mention in the Book (Qur'an) (the story of ) Abraham. Verily! He was a man of
truth, a prophet.

42. When he said to his father: "0 my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, nor sees, nor can avail you in anything? 

43. o my father! Verily! There has come to me of knowledge that which came not unto you. So
follow me. I will guide you to a straight Path.  

44. o my father! Worship not Satan. Verily! Satan is a rebel against the Beneficent (Allah).  

45. o my father! Verily! I fear lest a torment from the Beneficent (Allah) overtake you, so that you become a friend of Satan."  

46. He (the father) said: "Do you reject my gods, 0 Abraham? If you stop not (this), I will indeed stone you. So get away from me safely before I punish you."  

47. Abraham said: "Peace be upon you! I will ask Forgiveness oJ my Lord for you. Verily! He is Most Gracious to me.

 

48. And I shall withdraw from you and that unto which you invoke besides Allah. And I shall call on my Lord. Perhaps I shall not be unblest in my invocation to my Lord."

Some points become clear from this section:                                              

1.  Ibrahim was declared a highly truthful (Siddiq) person and a prop~et of Allah.

2.  He endeavoured to dissuade his father from idol-worship.

3. He expressed his curiosity on worshipping objects devoid of benefiting those who worshipped them
as they were powerless in every aspect.

4.lbrahim, through the divine knowledge vouchsafed to him, could show his father the right path.

5. He argued with his father to stop worshipping Satan and not to follow his ways.

6. He also warned him of the chastisement of Allah if he kept on obeying Satan.

7. Angered by Ibrahim's advise his father warned him of corporal punishment if he did not stop

attacking idols.

8. Abraham decided to leave the idol-worshippers including his father in order to lead a Muslim life
elsewhere. He promised his father that he would supplicate for him asking Allah to forgive his father.
Ibrahim had a glimpse of hope in his father joining Islam but at one stage, he became totally
disappointed and he declared himself completely dissociated from his father.

This is revealed in the following verse:

HAnd Ibrahim prayed for his father's forgiveness, only because of a promise he had made to him. But
when it became clear to him that he was an enemy to Allah, he dissociated himself from him.

For Ibrahim was most tender-hearted and forbearing. (9:114)

2. With the King Namrud, the King of Ur in Chaldea (Babylonia), the homeland of
Ibrahim

AI-Baqarah: 258

258.            Have you not thought about him who disputed with Abraham about his Lord (Allah),
because Allah had given him the kingdom? When Abraham said (to him): "My Lord (Allah)
is He Who gives life and causes death." he said: "l give life and cause death." Abraham said:

"Verily! Allah causes the sun to rise from the east; then you cause it to rise from the west."
So the disbeliever was defeated utterly. And Allah guides not the wrong-doing people.

Saying that he could give life and take it away the King referred to his sole power to condemn a
person to death or to set him free. Ibrahim knew the inherent weakness of his argument but instead of
challenging him on this point he gave him a powerful blow by arguing in this way:

"My Creator lets the sun rise from the East. Let it rise from the West if you claim to be the Lord."

Namrud failed to argue further.

3. His plea to Allah regarding the people of Lut. 

Ibrahim (A.S.) was visited by angels who were on their way to destr0r the people of Prophet Lut (A.S.)
because of their sins and rejection of the messages of Allah. Once they had left, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.)
starting pleading to Allah for their forgiveness. Allah Almighty said: 

When fear had passed From (the mind of) Abraham And the glad tidings Had reached him, he began to
plead with Us for Lut's people. (AI-Hut: 74)

This plea or [idal as mentioned by Allah is not given in detail by the Qur'an. However the Bible
narrates it in the following way:

"The men left there and went to Sodom while Abraham re5ained standing before Yahweh.
Approaching him he said: Are you really going to destroy the just ~an with the sinner? Perhaps there
are fifty just men in the town. Will you really overwhelm them, will Yyou not spare the place for the fifty
just men in it? Do not think of doing such a thing: to kill the just man with the sinner alike! Do not think
of it! Will the judge of the whole earth not administer justice?" 

Yahweh replied: If at Sodom I find fifty just men in the town I will spare the whole place because of
them.' Abraham replied: I am bold indeed to speak like this to my Lord, I who am dust and ashes. But
perhaps the fifty just lack five: will you destroy the whole city for five? 'No' he replied 'I will not destroy
it if I find forty five just men there.' Again Abraham said to him,' Perhaps there will only be forty there.' 

'I will not do it' He replied 'for the sake of forty.' Abraham said: I trust my Lord will not be angry, but
give me leave to speak: perhaps there will only be thirty there.' 'I will not do it he replied if I find
thirty there.' He said: I am bold indeed to speak like this, but perhaps there will only be
twenty there.' 'I will not destroy it, he replied 'for the sake of twenty.' He said: I trust my Lord will not
be angry if I speak once more: perhaps there will only be ten.' 'I will not destroy it' he replied 'for the
sake of ten.' (Genesis 18: 22-23, The Jerusalem Bible, 1968)

C. Example from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)

One of the Prophet's missions, according to the following verse, is to teach Hikma (wisdom). 

It is He Who has sent amongst the Unlettered a messenger from among themselves, to rehearse to
them His Signs, to purify them, and to instruct them in The Book and Wisdom_f- although they had
been, before, in manifest error;-, (AI-Jumu' a: 2)

The manner in which he taught Hikma, both in his speech and practice is well depicted in the
following:

There are a vast number of his own saying preserved by the Tradionists in the form of the Books of
Hadith. All these sayings, whether related to elucidation of the Qur'an or to his daily life, stand as pearls
of wisdom. Imam Shaf'i  rightly said that Hikma means nothing other than the sayings of the Prophet.

A few examples of his wise sayings, as manifested in the in the question - answer style, are given below.

A. Once the Prophet (S.A.W.) was in the company of a group of his followers. He placed this question
before them:

Narrated Ibn Umar: Allah's messenger said "Among the trees there is a tree, the leaves of
which do not fall and is like a muslim. Tell me the name of that tree," Everybody started
thinking about the trees of the desert areas and I thought of date-palm tree but felt shy to
answer. The others than asked "What is that tree, 0 Allah's messenger?" He replied, "It is the
date-palm tree. (Bukhari: 1:52)

 B.Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upoJ him) as saying: Do you know who is poor? They (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) said: A poor man amongst us is one who has neither dirham with him nor wealth. He (the Holy Prophet) said: The poor of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with prayers and fasts and Zakat but (he would find himself bankrupt on that day as he would have exhausted his funds of virtues) since he hurled abuses upon others, brought calumny against others and
unlawfully consumed the wealth of others, and his virtues could be credited to the account of one (who suffered at his hand). And if his good deeds fall short to clear the account, then his sins would be entered in (his account) and he would be thr0ln in the Hell-Fire. (Muslim) 

C. On another occasion he asked them:

"Whom do you count as a wrestler amongst you? We said: "He who wrestles with persons." He
said: "No, it is not he but one who controls himself when in a fit of rage."

(Reported by Abdullah b Mas'ud and transmitted by both Billmari and Muslim)

Hikma is not confined to speech only. It is required at the time of taking any crucial step in life, or even
when imparting the message of Allah to others. The Qur'an says,

"Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom And beautiful preaching; And argue with them In
ways that are best And most gracious" (An-Nahl:125)

The strikingly penetrating nature of the Prophet's way of advice is depicted in the following incidents.

A. Once a man approached the Prophet and asked him for a piece of advice which could help improve
his life as he was deeply immersed in a number of vices. The Prophet said to him, 'Do not lie', and asked
to meet him again on the following day. The man sighed with relief as this seemed a relatively minor
thing which would not impose any restrictions on any of his other evil practices.

That evening when he was about to drink a glass of wine, the man's mind was suddenly arrested by
a thought: "The Prophet did not forbid me from drinking, but what will happen tomorrow if he asks me
whether I drank alcohol last night. A reply in the affirmative will be a disgrace in front of all the
followers of the Prophet. And if I reply in the negative despite having tasted this alcohol, I will be going
against my pledge."

As a result of this train of thought, the man decided not to touch the drink. Again, during the small
hours of the night, his advancing feet were halted by similar thoughts. "Better stay at home than have
to tell lies to the Prophet tomorrow", he said to himself. This is how he acted whenever Satan inspired
him to commit an evil act and it became such a habit, that in a few days he was a completely different
man.

B. The Prophet (S.A.W.) was in his mosque in Madina when a bedouin entered the sacred place and
began to urinate in the courtyard of the mosque. Startled by this sacrilegious act, some of the
Companions began to shout at him while others ran to stop him. The Prophet however, gestured to them
to stop and said, "Do not interrupt the man." When the man had finished, the Prophet told him gently:

"These mosques are not meant for such things. They are for prayer and the remembrance of Allah." The
bedouin was highly impressed and left with a favourable opinion of the Prophet. Had those who
wanted to shout been allowed to do so, the man may even have seized by some illness because of the
sudden interruption while urinating.

C. All the steps taken by the Prophet to strengthen the newly established Islamic state of Madina show
his wisdom in leadership and planning. The following are some such/examples:

i) To create a peaceful society in Madina, he made treaties with the Jews soon after his arrival.

ii) He used to send reconnaissance parties around Madina to fully learn the activities of the
enemy.

iii) His first encounter with infidels at Badr, an area about 15 kilometres from Madina, proved
to be very successful from the point of view of the Muslims.

On the following similar occasion, had it not been for the persistent desire of some of his Companions,
he would have preferred to remain fortified inside Madina. The outcome of the battle at Mount Uhad,
outside Madina, showed the logic behind the Prophet's original plan to stay behind.

On a third occasion, the Prophet was able to hold back the enemy by digging a long trench outside
Madina which cut the expected route of the attacking forces. These examples from the life of the Prophet
(S.A.W.) are only a few from numerous similar incidents all of which abound in wisdom.

In the later years of his mission in Madina a deputation from the town of Ta'if came to visit the Prophet,
led by Abdyalil, the leader of the Thaqif tribe. These were the very same people who had treated him so
badly when he had visited them in the early days of his mission, accompanied by his free-slave Zaid.

The Prophet hosted them in the Mosque where they stayed a few days. Inspired by the true teachings
of Allah, they eventually decided to embrace Islam. Abdyalil however, was hoping for some concessions
as some of the fundamental teachings of Islam sounded difficult to follow. He approached the Prophet
on behalf of his people and the following conversation took place between them:

Abdyalil: "0 Messenger of Allah! Is there a concession in the matter of the daily prayers? (It seems hard
to pray five times a day.)

The Prophet: "There is no good in religion in which there is no bowing (before Allah).

Abdyalil: "Could you allow us to make wine as we grow a great quantity of grapes in Ta'if?"
The Prophet recited the following verse in reply:

93. 0 ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (Dedication of) stones, And (divination by) arrows, Are an admonition, - of Satan's handiwork: Eschew such (abomination), That ye may prosper.

94.Satan's plan is (but) To excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling,
and hinder you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer: Will ye not then abstain?
(Surah 5)

Abdyalil: "What about usury as we deal in large quantities of merchandise?"
The Prophet recited another verse:

275.            Those who devour usury Will not stand except as stand one whom The Evil One by his touch
Hath driven to madness. That is because they say: "Trade is like usury," But God hath
permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who after receiving Direction from their Lord,
Desist, shall be pardoned For the past; their case Is for God (to judge); But those who repeat
(The offence) are Companions Of the Fire: they will Abide therein (forever). (Surah 2)

Abdyalil: "What about adultery as we often remain away from our families for long intervals during
wars or on commercial caravan journeys?"

The Prophet recited this in reply:

32.                Nor come nigh to adultery: For it is a shameful (deed) And an evil, opening the road (To other
evils). (Surah 17)

Abdyalil could hardly feel successful. He finally appealed to the Prophet that his people must not be
asked to destroy their large idol "Rabba" as they were to afraid of the revenge that it would take on
them. The Prophet agreed to this and commissioned one of his Companions, Mughira b. Shu'ba, to
accompany the deputation back to Ta'if and then destroy the idol. Mughira successfully completed his
task, demolishing "Rabba" down to its foundation.

D. Example from the lives of the Companions                                                                                           

The Companions of the Prophet (SAW) survived him for about a hundred years. They have left glowing examples of sincerity, wisdom and charity in the field of DJ'wa, but only a few examples can be given in this short paper:

1. When the first emigration of the Companions took place, during the Mekkan era, to Abbysinia
(Ethopia at present), they were well received by Negus, King of the land. Soon a deputation of the
Quraish, the non-Muslims of Makkah, followed them to persuade King Negus to repatriate them back
to Makkah. Their plea with the King was unsuccessful. So they tried to arouse his religious feelings
against the Muslims. They said to him: "Ask them about their belief in Jesus (AS). [afar bin Abi Talib,
spoke on behalf of the Muslims. With great wisdom, he chose the verses of Surah Maryam and read
them to the king. The description of Isa and his mother Maryam in this Surah, is so powerful that Negus
could not control his tears. He exclaimed: "Indeed, Isa and Muhammad come from the same source".

Not only did he protect the Muslims but he showed his allegiance to the new faith by embracing Islam. 

2. A jew litigated against Ali b. Abi Talib (RA), the forth Caliph about a shield which he claimed to be
his property. The matter was brought to the court of Qadi Shuraih. He asked "Ali" to bring his witness
proving that the shield belonged to him. The Caliph summoned his son Hasan and slave as witnesses
but the Qadi rejected both witnesses saying that Hasan was Ali's son and the other was his slave. The
Jew had not expected such a bold decesion against the ruler of the state himself. He knew that his own
claim was false. Impressed by this token of justice by a Muslim Qadi, he did not hesitate in announcing
his declaration to the faith of Islam.

3. During the Caliphate of Umar bin Khattab (RA), the whole land of Syria (Sham as known in Arabia)
was conquered. According to Islamic teachings, the Christian inhabitants of Hims (a town in Syria) were
asked to pay the [izya (poll-tax). They did so, but they were amazed when the new Amir, Abu Ubaidah
returned the collected Jizya, saying that he could not accept this money as long as he was unable to
protect the people from attacks by the enemy. This gesture from Abu Ubaidah won their hearts and they
entered into Islam willingly.

E. Later Examples

The long history of Islam preserves in its annals numerous examples of Da'wa based on wisdom and
the right approach. Here we record a few of them.

1. Once a famous Muslim cleric, Al-Izz b. Abdussalam led a deputation to one of the Christian courts of
rule. The Ruler, in his dialogue with the Muslim scholar, slandered Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (SAW),
saying that she was accused of fornication. Al-Izz bin Abdussalam confounded him by saying:

"In history, we find two great women who were accused of fornication - Maryam and Aisha. Among
both of them, Aisha was the only one who did not give birth to a child though she was accused of such
an abominable act, while Maryam did give birth to a child." The man was stunned by this reply and was
ashamed of his allegation against the wife of the Prophet (SAW).

2. During the onslaught of the Tartars on the Muslim lands, a Mughal prince Tuglaq Taimur Khan by
name, was out hunting when his soldiers captured a Muslim Sheikh, Jamaluddin by name. The prince
scolded him, saying: "You Muslims are worse than dogs." Jamaluddin replied: "We could have been
worse than dogs, had it not been our adherence to the faith of ISlam'''1

The man was amazed by this reply and showed interest in knowi1g more about Islam. The Sheikh
explained to him the teachings of Islam in a most lucid and convincing way and invited him to accept
Islam. The prince was willing to accept Islam, but only after completing his conquest of the land. He
asked the Sheikh to remind him of his promise whenever he returned as governor of that area.
Jamaluddin waited for that occasion and on his death bed, he entrusted this task to his son,
Rashiduddin.

The Sheikh's son had been following the news of princes expeditions until, one day, he heard that the
prince was coming to hunt. He went to see the prince but could ndt speak to him as the prince was
heavily surrounded by his soldiers. One day, when the prince was erlJoying sleep in his tent after busy
day, sheikh Rashiduddin came at a distance from his tent and caller the Azan loudly. the prince was
disturbed and summoned the culprit. Thus Rashiduddin was abl, to come close to the prince. He
reminded him of the promise he made to his father. The man remembered his promise and it did not
take him long to announce his Islam.

3. It is interesting to note that a vast area of the south-east Asia, including the Indian eastern and
western coast, countries east to India like Bengal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillipines and China were never
visited by any Muslim invading armies. They fell to Islam through the efforts of Da'wa of Muslim
traders who frequented this area for trade and business but their honesty in dealing, truth of speech and
piety of the character impressed the people who embraced Islam in masses. Even the countries invaded
by the Muslims, were not forced into Islarnr It was the just and kind behaviour of the invaders, which
won the hearts and souls of the indigenous people.

Finally, let us emphasize the fact that a right and convincing approach to Da'wa depends on many things including sincerity on the part of the caller to Islam, a good command of the language, selection of appropriate verses and the Prophitical sayings as well as choosing a suitable time and opportunity to Approach the people interested in Islam.  A good recitation of the Qur'an, a melodious voice of a mu'azzin calling for Azan, even a mention of a short but wise saying of the Prophet (SAW) has led many people to embrace Islam. Allah's ways to bring the people to Islam are many. One has to do his utmost, but the results rest with Allah alone. He guides whom He likes and He controls everything.  By Dr. Suhaib Hasan  Presented at The Annual Da'wa Conference of Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith in Birmingham - U.K. Shaban 1423 AH   October 2002 AD