Da'wa: Invitation to Discover Peace?

Blue Mosque, Istanbul (photo: iStock by Getty Images).

Category: Faith & Spirituality, Featured, Highlights Topics: Dawah (Outreach), Iman (Faith And Belief) Values: Peace Views: 33792
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It is important that all of us know the meaning and the importance of da'wa. Especially those Muslims living in the West need to understand the dynamics of da'wa and be an active participant in this process. It is the duty of every Muslim to explain what is Islam and to invite people to learn the essence of finding peace by submitting one's self to the Divine natural order.

The process of da'wa does not require us to convert people but it does require us to convey the message of 'submission to the will of God' through various means of communication and most importantly by being an example of our faith. Participation in the process of da'wa can be at various levels.

Every one of us has to bear witness to the truth before all mankind as Allah says in the Quran:

"And thus have We willed you to be a community of the middle way, so that (with your lives) you might bear witness to the truth before all mankind, and that the Apostle might bear witness to it before you". Quran 2:143

Under a rapidly growing influence of globalization, people are forgetting the meaning of faith, of religious practice and seldom think or speak about God. Following the example of the Prophet we should start with our family and relatives:

"And warn (whomever thou canst reach, beginning with) thy kinsfolk". Quran 26:213 

This means that every one of us, man and woman, brother and sister, must first pay attention to what is going on in our own family and among our relatives. It makes no sense to go around speaking about Islam whereas our own children are left behind, abandoned and lost.

We need to focus on the fundamental principles and the methodology of Dawa as a reminder to ourselves so that we can adapt these to our day-to-day life.

Following are some major principles we must not forget when we are speaking about da'wa:

First: To speak about Allah, Islam, iman, and truth are by no means to speak about something new even when we are speaking with people of other faiths who may know little or nothing about Islam. They may not have any idea of what the Islamic way of life is but deep in their heart, without sometimes being aware of it, the knowledge and the intimate feeling of tawhid (Oneness of God) is imprinted on every human beings conscious. This is what we find in the Quran:

"And whenever your Sustainer brings forth their offspring from the loins of the children of Adam, He thus calls upon them to bear witness about themselves: Am I not your Sustainer? to which they answer: Yea, indeed, we do bear witness thereto. Of this we remind you lest you say on the Day of Resurrection, 'Verily we were unaware of this" Quran 7:172 

Thus to speak about Allah, the creation and destiny is not to speak about something new but, on the contrary, it is to wake up and give a new life to a feeling which may be dormant. Allah says:

"O you who have attained to faith, Respond to the call of God and the Apostle whenever he calls you unto that which will give you life and know that God intervenes between man and his heart" Quran 8:24

Our call adds nothing new to our nature; our call needs to make people aware of something their hearts have forgotten. This must influence our way of speaking and dealing with people for we try to lead them to the origin and not to anything new. In Islam, to call is to recall.

The second principle we must never forget is that there exists a link of brotherhood between all the human beings. We are from the same origin and Allah says in the Quran "O men!" addressing all mankind for we are all 'sons of Adam' (bani Adam). As such we should develop in our heart, affection towards all of humanity regardless of their faith. Every human being is a sign of the greatness of Allah. With this state of mind, our sincerity should be reflected in the way we communicate, without being judgmental and as genuine callers to truth and justice,

A well-known hadith quoted by Muslim and Bukhari says "None of you perfects his belief (or truly believes) until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself". We often reduce the scope of this hadith to our brothers in faith. But this wish should concern, and especially in the West, our brothers in humanity and we should wish for them to be guided and to find the right path. To be a da'iya in the West requires that we avoid this conflicting attitude in order to present Islam as a reminder, a message of brotherhood, of love and hope. There are not simply words... but the genuine manifestation of a state of mind and of a state of heart.

Our methodology, our fiqh ad-da'wa, is based on these principles and is also constituted by three important elements. Our religion teaches us that the knowledge of the tawhid is written in the heart and in the soul of every human being but some of them have forgotten this truth. The function of the Prophets - and ours following in their footsteps - is to remind people by spreading the knowledge and the understanding of Islam. This is the function of ar-rasul, an-nazir, and ad-da'iya and it is only when this recall has been carried out that we can say that the people have denied themselves (are in kuffar). Al-kufr is to have been recalled, to know, and then to deny.

On the Day of Judgment people will be asked:

"Has no Warner ever come to you?" and the kuffar (those who denied themselves) will reply, "Yes, a Warner did indeed come unto us but we gave him the lie and said, Never Allah sent down anything" Quran 67:8-9 

The first dimension of our methodology is then to spread knowledge and especially in the Western societies where Muslims are living in large numbers. As Muslims, we are taught that two things have to be avoided, ignorance and forgetfulness. Today we are witnessing a great lie: the people in general and the youth, in particular, think that they are free to choose and very often they know nothing about their religion. But freedom cannot be based on ignorance for they are antithetical words. The ignorance of faith and religion in our societies works as a constraint, as a coercion, and as such this fact sheds a new light on the well-known aya: "No coercion in matters of faith". There exists not only coercion through power and strength but there is another type of compulsion, more harmful in fact, for it uses the ignorance to deceive people and leads them astray. As Muslims, we need to spread all forms of knowledge so that all people have the opportunity to choose in full awareness.

Allah has power over all

To explain what are the fundamentals of Islam is important but the real message of Islam will be the manifestation of how our faith transforms us and helps us to be sincere, trustworthy, and confident. To be a da'iya is to be an example, a model as the Prophet was (quduwa). Good words, books, theories do not change or guide people, the example does. To bear witness to the truth is to act as a model and it is not necessary to speak so much.

"And who could be better of speech than he who calls unto God, and does what is just and right and says "Verily I am of those who have surrendered themselves to Allah" Quran 41:33

For this purpose, we need to live among the people, to be in touch with them and not to be isolated from the society we live in. There is an important verse, which gives us a specific teaching on how we should conduct ourselves with people. It reads:

"As for such (of the unbelievers) as do not fight against you on account of your faith, and neither drive you forth from your homelands, God does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards them with full equity: for, verily, God loves those who act equitably" Quran 60:8

As noticed by az-Zamakhshari "does not forbid you" in this verse implies a positive exhortation. Allah gives us two keys: kindness (al-bir, same root as the word used for our parents, bir al-walidayn) and equity. The kindness is related to our heart, our sensitivity: in our day to day life, our kindness, our generosity are means through which people can understand the intimate meaning of our religion based on faith, peace and brotherhood. This is the language of the heart and it comes first in this verse. - Then, we find the language of the mind and the acts: one of the great sign of our religion is to promote, to defend and to protect justice in every circumstance. This has to be our distinctive feature: to be fair, equitable, just intellectually, socially, and financially. To be Muslim is to respect both the heart and the mind of our fellow human, to be both kind and fair, with both Muslims and non-Muslims. Our message is love, our message is justice: not only in words, but also their real internalization in our day-to-day life.

To believe is a blessing from Allah and we cannot guide aright everyone whom we love and we must be aware of our limited role. However, the latter remains of a great importance and we will be called to account by Allah as to the way we bear and transmit the message of Islam to these societies in which we live.

Asked about the destiny of those who did not know anything about Islam, a scholar answered: "I fear that we will be called to account by Allah for not having conveyed the message as we were supposed to". Every one of us is a da'iya - a conveyer of truth and justice and an example for our family, friends, neighbors, and humanity.

Adapted from "Da'wa in the West" by Tariq Ramadan
Tariq Ramadan is a Geneva-based author and university lecturer.


  Category: Faith & Spirituality, Featured, Highlights
  Topics: Dawah (Outreach), Iman (Faith And Belief)  Values: Peace
Views: 33792

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Older Comments:
OUM NOUH FROM CANADA said:
Integration (NOT assimilation) is extremely important for Muslims who live in "non-Muslim" countries, but sadly too many people keep to themselves and follow their cultural (NOT religious) traditions...As a revert I find this frustrating and marginalizing...
2009-08-22

SHELLY FROM USA said:
More positive & informative articles need to be seen by Christians that only see the negatives of Islam (jihad, etc.)
2008-09-23

BR. FROM USA said:
Salaam. Good, well thought out article.
2008-09-20

MURTADHA SULAYMAN FROM NIGRIA said:
Whosoever that has written this this article may the Almighty Allah continue to increase the auther in Knowledge and also the blessing of paradise. And may Allah give us the ability to understand and practice what the author has just put forward to us.ameen
2008-09-18

RENE ASTUTI FROM CANADA said:
Great article.
I realized that Dawah is part of my duties as Muslims. I will learn more about Islam so that I can spread the message and ready for challenging questions. Spreading the message without proper knowledge will lead to misunderstanding. The most important is the dawah to ourselves. We should do what we preach. May Allah give us knowledge and strengthen our faith. Amen!
Wassalam.
2005-02-08

KHAJA NAZIMUDDIN AHSAN FROM KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA said:
I pray to our Creator Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala to bless the writer with ever increasing knowledge and wisdom and its application for the wider benefit of unlearned brothers and sisters. Ameen Ya Rubb Al Aalameen. Peace and blessings be upon our propher and messenger Muhammad Mustafa, salle Allahu alayhi wa sallam. Thank you very much.
2005-02-04

MUHAMMAD KHAN FROM US said:
we should focus more on non offensive methods because if you give someone book on Islam without him asking he may get offended and repulsed.We should intelligently think ways in which to stimulate their interest in Quran or Islam in an intelligent way.Here is a very cheap,very intelligent,very non offensive way to earn huge sawab.I have a bumper sticer that reads:
Read about Jesus in Quran(koran)
visit www.discover-islam.net
www.irf.net
You can buy them for 1 dollar each from me any amount and the money will go to islamicity dawah fund.Make cheques for Islamicity.and send them request for stickers.They can send me orders at [email protected] and I will mail you the stickers
Dr.M.J.Khan.
2005-02-03

IDRIS FROM USA said:
An excellent article. I think that it is incumbent upon us, the umma, to share our religion with others. I truly believe that if more knew what Islam was really all about, they would enter into the faith. This sharing can be done in multiple ways:
1) Talk about it, its okay to discuss your views with other, non-Muslims. I think many would be surprised just how curious many non-Muslims are about the religion.
2) Have open forums for discussion. Here we can discuss the religion openly where the attendees are encouraged to ask questions and participate.
3) Access media. This web-site is invaluable. But it is a portion of what we could be doing: television, radio, magazines, etc.
Again, I say that if more people knew about Islam, the more converts we would have. I know because I am one.
2005-02-03

MUXIIYADEEN FROM USA said:
MY BELOVED SISTER(NANCE)!!I`m very pleased and extremely overjoyed about the guidance ALLAH Subxaanahu Wata`aalaa Has endowed you with. Insha`ALLAH, If ALLAH wills HE will guide your parents to ISLAM. Just present them with Islamic literatures and the Holy Quran Interpretation in English if you can. And in addition to that, when they witness your Islamic examples, ALLAH might show them the right path. Iam happy for you My Sister and may ALLAH expand the Islamic knowledge for you.
2005-02-03

MUXIIYADEEN FROM USA said:
I read with interest your great and educationally beneficial article which surely, of course will Insha`ALLAH benefit our brothers and sisters who are involved in the Da`wa activities as we are all obliged to do. May ALLAH reward you(Islamiccity) with the best reward.
2005-02-03

IAN HOSEIN FROM USA said:
One person commented that "there is no compulsion in religion.

"Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things." (2:256)

This applies only to the non-believers, that they should not be compelled to join Islam, but should do so in sincerity of recongizing the truth.

However, when someone submitts their will to Allah(Islam), there is every obligation to fulfill your covenant with him to the fullest possible. No one can judge you, but they can advise you.

Even more so, if you truly have faith, your faith should inspire you to align your actions and being with what Allah has guided us to, and in accordance to what prophet Muhammad(pbuh) has prescribed and exemplified.

Too many muslims take this "there's no compulsion in religion" verse as a an excuse or relief from the structure that Islam inspires them to have in their lives.

It doesn't make sense to testify shaheeda, but not live up to it to one's fullest that they can.

It is everyone's responsibility to enjoin one another in righteousness. And everyone should be open to the fellow muslims questions and suggestions, so that the questioner and the one in questioned can both learn how to truly live their lives in Islam. We have Quran, we have Sunna, we have tafsir. We can do this.

But this must be done gently and kindly. Remember, a muslim is humble with the believers and might against the disbelievers. It doesn't make sense to be might against a believer.
2005-02-03

UMNAIM FROM KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN said:
I dont the my words can do justice to you, just keep up the goodwork. May Allah shower his blessing on you. Ameen
2004-12-19

NANCE FROM USA said:
There is no god but Allah. May Allah reward those who were involved in writing this article and those who comments encouraged me. Alhumdullilah, I have been a muslim for 5 yrs. But for the past year, I've only been giving dawah to coworkers and not my family. May Allah forgive me of neglecting them. This article brought me to tears and humled my heart. I just recently had a dream it was judgement day and my mother was crying and angry with me because I didn't tell her about Islam. Estafir lalazim. I am the only muslim in my family. How selfish it is of us if we don't give the truth to others. It's like a doctor having the cure for Aids but not informing those who are dying from it. Laillaha ilallah.
2004-11-19

MAUROOF FROM CANADA said:
its good article. when christanity can go door to door why not islam .fellows do ur work or duty save humanity from hell .i beg non muslims read Quran see what it says.judge then.
2004-11-17

YUSUF ABDUR RAUUF FROM USA said:
salaamu alaikum, all praise is to allah for allowing you to touch on a topic that I think all believers need to think deep about.We must by the will of allah help people understand what al-islam teachies.one last thing which is so impontant,the best way to give dawa is not only telling the people about al islam,but to show it in our every day life so the people will understand that this the way of life not just a religion. Allah[swt]says in the Holy Quran, "Ye are the best of people for mankind ,Enjoining what is right,forbidding what is wrong,and beliveing in Allah." {4:110} May Allah[swt]bless you and your familyand all the believeing men and women. Wa alaikum salaam.
2004-01-06

MOHAMMED FROM USA said:
This was an enlightening article but I still have unanswered questions swarming in my mind. Being a teenager in the United States, I am unsure of the opportunities of Da'Wa which I can take advantage of. Should I just walk up to someone and ask them to join Islam or be more subtle. If someone has any advice, please e-mail me. Salaam!
2003-12-31

SULEYMAN FROM THE NETHERLANDS said:
First we have to give da'wah, the result is in the hands of Allah SWT. We should pray our five times salaat,not delayed because of watching an important football match or something on tv. Pray with jamaat many as possible. Don't forget to make salaat subh and eysha in the masjid. Make du, ask Allah SWT to open the hearts of the enemy of Islam. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Islam who are suffering. Allah don't need us, we need Allah SWT. Make tahajud, let us cry to Allah. Not only in Eidh days. Christians gave da'wah to my family. Who will save them now. Alhamdu lillaah for 20 years now i'am muslim. It is my duty to give da'wah. I ask all of you now, please pray for my family who are not muslims. It is a matter of Jannah and Jahannam. Muslims, don't stop giving da'wah, as my grandfathers did.

2003-11-12

SHAKIR EBRAHIM FROM INDIA said:
Nobody can really be against Da'wa. Even I am not, but I need to get my point across:
1. We are currently spreading the wrong Da'wa. To fight and kill others, suicide bombers, anti-west anti-america. This is a negative portrayal of Da'wa
2. Then we spread the Da'wa, "where is your beard, where is your hijab" It is none of anybodys business where it is. There is no compulsion in religion and people should stay off others' territories
3. Then we spread Hadith, many of them without authenticating their veracity. The most popular ones are the fabricated ones and we like puppets pass along messages that make our religion look stupid
4. Then we have governments who have no respect for human rights, women, or indivduals, treating citizens liks children allowing this forbidding that. No temporal authority has been given the power over believers.
5. Then we want to take the world back to the 6th century. We refuse to adapt or change ouselves even though the Quran itself adapted and changed during the 23 years of Muhammad's (pbuh) life by revelaing new ayats abrogating earlier ones. But for 1500 years we still follow outdated sunnats of the Prophet.

Once we can correct our actions then we should spread Da'wa otherwise we are doing a dis-service to God Almighty and his great religion of Islam
2003-11-10

MA'RUF IMRAN FROM NIGERIA said:
As Salam alaykum

Actually it very unfortunate that in the modern time Muslims are failing in our responsibilities and which is the primary goal exixtence.

We are called the best of all Ummah, first because of Dawah and secondly because of faith (monotheism).

But, we are failing in in our primary role and which need all effort and in all ramification to go back to our root.

The only way foward is dawah.

Wa Salam alakum
2003-11-01

FAIROZ FROM INDIA said:
Dear Sir
This article is an eye opener for Muslim Ummah at large and specifically to those who are engaged in religious activity. Such topics should be brought in more details to change the conventional thinking of Religion.
2003-10-29

MAP FROM USA said:
Mary: it's not the media that distorts or malign Islam unfairly because usually I hear things in favor of Islam thru the media. Unfortunately, it's some of the followers that give it a bad rap. For example, on this same comments board 2 posts by HA exhorts fellow muslims "you must learn how to build big bombs and fast and stealthy war machines" or his solution to "be patient...and build bombs" and he is joyful in sending others to hell. So Mary, where's the peace in that thinking? Only peace that we will have in this life when everything is in chaos is having faith in Jesus Christ the Messiah and Savior. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" Jesus. John 14:27.

2003-10-27

MARY FROM USA said:
thank you for a wonderful piece describing the spiritual aspect of ramadan for a non-muslim. I am learning more every day, and Islam's message of peace and tolerance speaks to my heart. I hope the message continues to spread throughout the US in these confusing times where people are receiving conflicting and prejudicial misinformation via the news media where Islam is distorted and maligned unfairly. What a beautiful faith it is, and its message should be heard by all peoples of the world. Ramadan is a beautiful time for reflection and contemplation, for one's faith to grow in self-sacrifice, and for a turning inward to examine one's own life and motives. Thank you for a beautiful article.
2003-10-26

HABEEBA FROM USA said:
Alhamdulillah.
This article is just what I needed to answer some of my questions about conveying the meaning of Islam and still respecting other religions. Jazakallah.
I have always wanted to help spread the message of Islam, but didn't know how because I am not aware of all its rules and regulations. I have tried answering some of the questions posed by non believers about Islam. My father gave literature on Islam to one Christian family.
May Allah guide everyone towards Islam and enrich them with its true meaning so that this world can be a reflection of Heaven. Ameen.
Speaking of respect, brotherhood and harmony, is saying Merry Christmas to a Christian wrong for a Muslim? Please, anyone, answer this question.
2003-10-26

MASOOD UL HAMEED FROM UK said:
It's not to start any arguement or to correct someone but just to add to the perspective, I would like to say to Tauheed Ahmed 18636 that to respect someone is to wish the other person what one wishes for self and to love some one is to wish the other person more than what one wishes for self. So he is right. the believer or the knower can't love the unbeliever but if it's to respect the unbeliever then that means only to treat the person as you treat yourself. There is no other way to respect someone!
2003-10-25

AMINU YAHAYA IBRAHIM FROM NIGERIA said:
with regards to my coment the islamicity bulettings is very necessative to every why b/cos it serves as medium of cmmunication .
2003-10-25

JANET KAZIMI FROM USA said:
Isnt it a shame that in today's society so many people from all religions including the Muslims do not practice what they preach I find it very hard to respect someone who prays 5 times a day but in between the prayers finds time to cheat his fellow man of his money or his dignity. I truly believe that I will can only receive the good by the good that I do for others. It is better to give then to receive.
2003-10-23

MAP FROM USA said:
This article gives me, a non-muslim, hope that we can all co-exist in respect to practicing our own religion or no religion. God alone is our Judge.

God Bless Tariq Ramadan.
2003-10-22

TAJ FROM ENGLAND said:
I agree with your article. And the things that you have been argueing on.I think thatit is avery good article.
2003-10-21

TAUHEED AHMA FROM INDIA said:
Assalamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah.
I agree with the overall perspective of being kind and humble towards the humanity.
But I don't agree with the interpretation of brotherhood in the hadeeth "None of you perfects his belief (or truly believes) until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself" being interpreted as brother in humanity. As if it was referrd to whole humanity, there was no need to specify the word 'brother', simply it the word 'another human' could have been used. Also there is distinct hadeeth of rasool Allah SAW stating that Muslims are brother to each other. Also Qur'an itself asks Muslims not to make non-believers there frined otherwise they are warned that they won't have Mercy of Allah. So when all people are not even entitled to be friends, how can concept of brotherhood be extended to all human beings?

"To believe is a blessing from Allah and we cannot guide aright everyone whom we love and we must be aware of our limited role." I disagree with "whom we love". How can we love a person who refuses to accept guidance? Whereas we have been told to have no affection towards these MUNKIREEN even if they happen to be our parents (love should not to be confused with the duties and respect towards them). So we should sop loving anyone who is a Munkir.
And Allah t'ala knows best.
Wassalam.
Tauheed.
2003-10-21

MASOOD UL HAMEED FROM UK said:
I'm glad that some very important points have been raised in this article which are not accorded the importance due to them by some well meaning enthusiasts.
" The process of da'wa does not require us to convert people "
" The duty of every muslim is to ivite people to learn the essence of finding peace and happiness.."
and that is only possible " by submitting one's self to the Divine natural order " this process in arabic language is called 'Islam '. " Thy will and not mine shall be done" (Bible) So nothing new in Islam!. "in Islam, to call is to recall to lead people to the origin and not to anything new", to the concepts people have forgotten or have erred in getting them correctly.
And finally, " Al-kufr is to have been recalled to the truth, any truth, ( and of course the first and the biggest truth is that there is a Creator and we are the created beings )and to know, and then to deny."
This process of kufr can take place among any group of people about any truth, even among the muslims too.
Kufr then should be left alone, undisturb and "still wishing them what we wish for our selves", Unless, of course, they commit some act of agression. Even then we should act with restrain and "repell bad with what is good"

Indeed a very timely, appropriate and relevant article.

May Allah give you wisdom and ability to write more.
2003-10-21

YUSUF MAYANMING FROM CHINA said:
Good article.
2003-10-21

ZAINUDIN B. KALI FROM PHILI said:
thank you for the enlightening on the importance of peace...we, muslims should really make our contributions in the propagation of islam. we may not be well versed in islamic teachings but we see to it the we start from our own in educating ourselves first thru' research...i believe that in the absence of a madrasah or islamic school in our respective communities it is a must for every muslim to do his contribution by knowing his religion by heart and share it with a fellow muslim who has lesser knowledge about islam. By having sufficient knowldedge about islam, then we can make da'wa to our friend who belong to other religion. This way, we are already implementing da'wah.
2003-10-21

SAMIR ANWAR MAOLUD FROM U.S.A. said:
Being citizen of the U.S.A., it is very important to spread Islam proper in this region. Imam W.Deen Mohammed and those who support him are doing just that. This the world needs to know! A excellence article and may we see more in the future of the importance of proper Da'wah!
2003-10-20

SAMIR ANWAR MAOLUD FROM USA said:
Being a American citizen I feel its so important that we give the right message of what Islam is. I'm a support of Imam W.Deen Mohammed who has done so much to open up doors for the American people to see what Islam really is. A great article and I pray we see more in the near future. May everyone have a successful Ramadan!
2003-10-20

FARZANAH ISMAIL FROM SOUTH AFRICA said:
I agree with your arguments. I beleive that as Muslims the way in which we conduct ourselves, be it in our actions, words or daily activities we are ambassadors of Islam. We need to arm ourselves with knowledge about Islam in order to be precise about what we discuss with other people.
2003-10-20

SYEDMAAZHUSSAINI FROM INDIA said:
as-salam-alikum to all my muslim brothers and sisters.
this is such a beautiful article which has hilighted the concept of all individual being's .
in today's life it is the right of all muslim brothers and sisters to go forward and spread the powers and miracles of allah and spread the ways of living of mohammed (pbuh).
2003-10-20

ALMUSTAFA M. KAMAYE FROM NIGERIA said:
In this age of uncertainty, we muslims should be closer go Allah than most of the time. The world has undertaken drastic change. Materialism at the expense of spritualism has settled in the hearts of we muslims. Evil ways are continously open for the muslims to follow. Muslims scholars and indeed everyone with knowledge must stand up against eveil ways. We must make personal sacrifice to abstain from committing derogatory acts lest we also fall as victims of wrongdoing.
May Allah help us all and guide us to the straight path.
2003-10-20

L. A. H. KHAN FROM INDIA said:

It is a good and well explained article
2003-10-20

KHALED KILANI FROM JORDAN said:
Da'wa shall be a well defined, detailed, tailored process; that is different when addressing a christian even a catholic, from a Jew.

Too many Ayas and Hadith mentioned , might confuse the reader, that he need to use them in his Da'wa. Since the listner is not a believer to start with.

In the west, people are reasonable, educated, and the product of CAUSE AND EFFECT school. Da'wa must be based on this, Prophet said" UMERTU AN UKHATEBA ANNASA 'LA KADRI 3OKOLEHIM".

Marketing and Sales technics must be adopted and taught to our Da3i-he who delivers Da'wa. The pope said few years ago in the Time magazine that a full marketing plan is now approved and budgeted to convert two hundred million africans to Christianity.

When I, as a moslem discuss Islam with non moslems, I always start with all sales technics that I learned in my life. Salesman has to love and respect his customer, he is a human, and we need each other.

Talking to a Christian as an example, I have to know alot about Christianity, and I bring the discussion to a common ground,"KALEMATEN SAWA'" i.e. there is no contradiction between our faith:
- but moslems deny crucification of Jesus
- We understand you belief, Allah in Qur'an says that he made it looks like it happened, it is Allah's Will that you believe in this, but how can you justify the disappearanc of Juda, the traitor. Mohammad (slam)came to clarify all this.

- What about the nature of Jesus as God?
- Christians suffered great schism on this issue by the time of Constantine, Nestorians and most of Middle East christians refused that belief, and said exactly as moslems say" he is human with special status, i.e. no father". In this we were not far from the belief of Arius followers. Here you can mention, the magnificent letter of our profet to Hercules about the blood of the ARISIANs, and to ask him to refer to the Encyclopedia Britanica about Arius. It mentions also how Constantine returned to the Human nature of Jes
2003-10-20

UTHMAN FROM NIGERIA said:
I believe this is one other area in which we muslims really need to improve apart from others.the act of reaching out to others using the best of words and simple approach can not be over emphasised.It is something we do here in Nigeria that has really worked and still working,through this act we were able to not only bring resurgence to the muslims in our society but also to bring the message of Islam to all and sundry here who are outside the world of Islam and now they are having a second thought about their positions as regards Islam and the way they view it.So sincerely I agree with the article that we should embrace propagating via dawah and Insha Allah we shall experience the change we so much desire.Wa Allah alam.
2003-10-20

MOHAMAD RAIS FROM MALAYSIA said:
Thank you for highlighting and reminding us of our role as muslims: to be guided and to guide. Please enlighten us how we may start to being the guide, if possible the first steps or ice-breakers to our non-muslims friends.
2003-10-20

ARIFIN FROM INDONESIA said:
Dear all,
Muslim world, 80 % are traditionally, mostly uneducated people. Islam is spreading in 4 continental; Asia (69,1 %), Africa (27,4 %), Europe (2,8 %), and America (0,7 %); It is interesting to know, Arabs only 17 %. Now (Islam)becoming the second largest religion in the world. Unfortunately, most of Muslim are poor and lack of education. It's spreading from a country with a GNP more than 10,000 US dollar per capita to a country with a GNP less than 500 US per capita. My understanding, da'wa is good. However, the most priority is jihad (strugling, effort), globally jihad, against "poorness" and " foolishness", besides--injustice.
2003-10-20

OLATUNDE MUFTAU SHODIYA FROM CHINA said:
This is an excellent article that explained in it little way, how a muslim should live with the non-muslim.

I think if all leaders can inculcate this type of information and spread it, it will erase the ill conception of the non-muslim about Islam as the religion of the terrorist.

This type of dawa should be continue everyday of the year.

Thanks may Allah bless the writer.
2003-10-19

LOUBNA NASSER FROM U.S. said:
IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT YOU HAVE DISCUSSED IN THIS ARTICLE. MOST OF THE TIME WE OBSERVE A REPEL OF PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT FAITHS FROM ISLAM. IT MEANS THAT MUSLIMS ARE NOT DOING A GOOD JOB ATTRACTING NON MUSLIMS TO THEIR RELIGION.THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REASONS WHY MUSLIMS IN THE WEST FAIL TO PRESENT A ROLE MODEL OF ISLAM:
FIRST, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WHO LEAVE THEIR COUNTRY AND TRAVEL SOMEWHERE ELSE ARE LOOKING FOR A FINANCIAL INCOME THAT IS NOT OFFERED IN THEIR HOME COUNTRY. THEIR GOAL IS MATERIAL. ONCE THEY FIND A SOURCE OF INCOME IN THE WEST THEY BECOME MATERIALLY INVOLVED WITH THE NEW SOCIETY. FOR SURE THE SOURCE OF INCOME HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ISLAM. IT IS PURE BUSINESS.
SECOND, A GROUP OF MUSLIMS LEAVE THEIR COUNTRY BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ACCEPTED IN THEIR OWN CULTURE. THEY ARE IN MOST CASES INDIVIDUALS WHO REBELED AGAINST TRADITIONS AND CULTURE. THEY FIND MIGRATION AS A WAY TO ESCAPE FROM THE CHAINS THAT TIES THEM TO THEIR HOME LAND.
THIRD, MUSLIMS CANNOT PRESENT A ROLE MODEL OF ISLAM IF THEY CLAIM TO BE MUSLIMS AT THE TIME THEY LACK THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE BASIC PRINCIPALS OF THE ISLAMIC RELEGION.
FINALLY, A MUSLIM WHO CAN LEAD AN IDEAL ROLE MODEL AT HIS OR HER HOME COUNTRY ARE CAPABLE OF DOING THE SAME JOB ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
2003-10-19

NADEEM FROM ENGLAND said:
Another wonderful article - let's "walk the talk" insha Allah.
2003-10-19

LAYLA FROM USA said:
How can we do dawa to others when we ourselves are poor examples? Your actions, character, and example are the best dawa. And lets us be honest, many in our community do not practice what they preach. There exists disunity between races; immigrant Muslims against American Muslims against African-American Muslims. It is all talk when we still have two separate national Muslim conventions based on race. It is all talk when we have more difference and rules then we do love and respect for one another. I am getting so tired of hearing the need for dawa when the main need for Muslims is "to heal thyself." We have fallen victim to unIslamic cultural ideas, love for fair skin and disdain for dark skin, an other idiotic items which we dare not discuss because that brings our dysfunction "out of the closet." No, I personally feel that Muslims as a community is not prepared to spread Islam to others when Muslims are not practicing what they preach.

Example, give Dawah to an American Muslim. And then invite them to your local Mosque. See how well they are treated. If they are not asked what their social status is. Blamed about how their scarf is incorrect or lack of. These are just a few of the things that really do not qualify many to give adequate dawa.

Islam is a perfect religion. Given to us by Allah (swt). But are our ACTIONS reflective of true Islam? I think for every minute spent in Dawa, 100 should be spent on eduction through ACTION within our own community. We need to love one another, and be honest and realistic of the shortcomings so we can work towards a better reality. Dawa is useless if most of the people in the community will turn any new convert away through their racist and ignorant actions. I know these actions are not Islamic but how many converts or seekers know that? So Muslims, spend time educating our own community so that our dawa can really be used for good inshaAllah.
2003-10-19

FRANCIS SEBASTIAN FROM INDIA said:
Dear Sir,
It is healthy thing to expose ourselve before others. That is, to a stranger; an indroduction is much healthy. Islam as a religion, an indroduction is required to clear the nonmuslim brothers doubt. For that in my openion i would say that each muslims should be taught what true islam says. We should take non muslims people's openion, their thought how they picturise muslim with in themselves.
A non muslim find a muslim always away from the mainstream of the society. He is isolated by his own man. Strict religious conduct has made them(muslims) to think differently. Veils and caps in crowd make a psychological distance. Excessive religious talking, and the way teaching kids like,"islam is best and others are bad", it will definitely create bad sense in children and their approach to other religion.
I am a christian but i have somany muslims friends.
i have noticed certain things and new developments which will spoil the peace loving society.
Another thing i have objection to interpretation of jihad. Jihad should be taken only rarely as to keep the purity of the word and purpose. But it is used,taken all over the world, misinterpreted. Mostly islam preists might have never seen the school other than madrassas. It will make them to think only one side. Seing the newspaper i find they make highly irreponsible(cruel) statements. Their approach has got no uniformity and always project them as warlord.
And i object to sariya law also.
.If a man steals why islam cut his hand. A fair trial is not given always( i believe).

I write this only to clarify myslef and some doubts. You may please take it positively and kindly advise me through my email if possible. Becouse islam, though is not my way of worship, is always friend to me. (I am only an ordinary graduate. May be what i assume right could be wrong too).

2003-10-14

YAHYA BERGUM FROM USA said:
It is my understanding that Allah's messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) was functionally illiterate - let alone having received no instruction in Poetry.

36:69 We have not instructed the (Prophet) in Poetry, nor is it befitting for him...

36:46 Not a Sign comes to them from their Lord but that they are ever turning away from it.

36:10 It is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe.

The poetry of the verses above might perhaps be discernable by examining transliterated Arabic provided within the following pages:

www.islamicity.com/mosque/arabicscript/Ayat/36/36_69.htm

www.islamicity.com/mosque/arabicscript/Ayat/36/36_46.htm

www.islamicity.com/mosque/arabicscript/Ayat/36/36_10.htm

Also, while translations of the Quran are accurate enough to revert readers to Islam (Alhamdulillah!) it is my impression that many of the verses in the original Arabic are more informative. For example, Quran 1:7 uses the name Alaihim twice and yet Alaihim is missing from all English editions of the Quran that I have encountered - even although the first surah contains only seven verses and is the most important surah in the Quran. I think this makes a case for learning Arabic. (Insha'Allah.)

Assalamu alaikum.

--Yahya Bergum
2003-10-12

LULU FROM UK said:
May Allah reward the writer for this great article. Peace in this day and age is not an assett we can enjoy anymore. We must work hard to share it and raise it to every level of humanity. Muslims have forgotten to be activists in humanity.

The world needs peace yes but we need to work harder with our global human sisters and brothers who are ever awake across the globe promoting humanity, fighting for justice for the poor, the marginalised basically those who have no voice across the globe.

Our voice is missing in that part of activism. We need to lobby for human rights for children, women and the rights of destitute citizens of this globe.

If every human started using his/her heart as a thinking tool and not his/her brain peace on this earth will Insha'Allah be a reality for all.

May Allah reward every soul on this planet that promotes humanity.
2003-10-11

YAHYA BERGUM FROM USA said:
From the NoorArt customer testimonials page:

The We Are Muslims Series

One customer's story: "We took our little boy to Disneyland and he saw his favorite character 'Barney' there. He ran up to Barney saying 'Let's Sing your song!' Barney started his famous 'I love You' song and my little boy said 'No the one that goes like this... God is great. God is One' Barney was speechless!"

http://www.noorart.com/testimonials.shtml

Yahya asks: did the child not perform dawah?

(Assalamu alaikum)
2003-10-11

SYED ZAFAR RAZA FROM PAKISTAN said:
Wassalaam, I pray to Allah Jalaalahu that all Muslims act in the way this article has been written. My congratulations to the Author for refuting fanaticism seen these days.
2003-10-09

HABIB MOHSIN FROM UAE said:
Al hamdoolillah! Dawa effort is the mightiest tool awarded by God to make positive progress in all sitiuations. We are a witness to the maximum result of this tool in the days immediately after the Agreement at Hudaibiah during the lifetime of prophet Muhammed(peace be upon him).
God has truly said that the best of example for us is the prophet Mohammed(pbuh), and we are again a witness to the fact how well the Message of God was diffused during his lifetime and subsequently how countries after countries submitted to the Word of God. Submitting not to the might of the sword but they obliged to the Message delived through barehanded Believers.


Ma'asalaama!
2003-10-09

YAHYA BERGUM FROM USA said:
Beautiful comments masha'Allah! Has anyone not seen NoorArt's Razanne (children's doll) web page? It's sooooooo cute! Allah bless (wassalam).

http://www.noorart.com/razanne.shtml
2003-10-09

S. ALLAYTHI FROM AUSTRALIA said:
masha'allah i fully agree with every word spoken, we have recently come back from a dawa trip to a non muslim country to visit muslms there, alhamdulillah we travelled through three non muslim countries who have never seen women dressed in full veil..i mean FULL VEILS, our men were very very polite with their request that only ladies could check our passorts and we were very polite and kind speaking to them they were very receptive and finally one airport official said this is the first time we have had muslims come through here looking and behaving like human beings, it is time we wear our akhlaq, our islamic manners on the outside and use it on non muslims, they were very affected, one actually accepted islam because we did not judge her over what she was wearing, she was non muslim dressed very badly but all we could feel for her was love as a creation of Allah deserving of Jannah if only she would accept kalima and with that thought in our heart we spoke to her completely desregarding the way she was dressed Alhamdulillah. We need to feel compassion for all the non muslims and the pain must be in our hearts for Allah to use us and to give them all Hidaya..eternal punishment is not to be wished on anybody we are sent only for the effort of Hidaya and that was the effort of our Prophet Muhammad sallalahu alaihi wassalam and his companions. Wassalam
we would like to see more of that kind of tolerance in our talks, lectures, articles, publications Teach the ummah not to hate but to love only then we can be a means of guidance for others insha'allah.
2003-10-08

MUNA MOHAMUD FROM KENYA said:
Assalamu aleykum,this is wonderful article,gives one a clear picture of what Islam is all about, not what they think of.
Waaleikum salam
2003-10-08

EWI FROM HOLLAND said:
Aslaamalaikum,

This article is about PEACE and Islam means peace and many also many molims forget that Islam is about peace. One of the names of Allah is Peace(asSalaam).I regret that many have gotten the wrong message about Islam, some of the moslims think be an enemy to everyone who is no moslim. No you have to give a good example to non-believers. There is an verse in the Koran that says;'FOR YOU YOUR RELIGION AND FOR ME MY RELIGION'. Islam does not say push a person into religion, it has to come from your heart, Allah guides one if He wants to. I want to to add something i red ones;'A person who was a king in this world forced people to bow for him', now this;'Allah chooses the ones He want to serve Him and the one He wans to bless and guide. Ihope and i know InshaAllah people will read this article and that it would open their eyes and heart and start listening to the koran and not to what people are saying without knowledge. There is a verse in the Koran;' most of the people know the truth but hate it and hide it', for the time our Prophet was here(saws) we had Light and now we are back in the time of Ignorance. InshaAllah we all shall be guided into the Light of eternity and enter paradise were there is no grieve no pain but only 'Sallaam'

May Allah bless the ones who made this article,

Your Sister Ummkulthum
2003-10-07

YAHYA BERGUM FROM USA said:
Assalamu alaikum. Might not "West Nile Virus" be averted by donning apparel that covers more of the body, is looser fitting (rather than tightly fitting) and has less revealing or otherwise tighter-woven or thicker fabrics?

Perhaps even head coverings might afford additional protection from the wrath of what some of our neighbors (currently) refer to as nature.

Why should we not promote more modest fashion - through our own examples, et cetera - for the well being of our neighbors - even if we were not inclined to do so merely for our own sakes?

Subhanallah (Glory is Allah's).

Wassalam (and peace).

--Yahya Bergum
2003-10-06

ABDI FROM USA said:
Assalamu Alaikum:
May Allah bless you. I could not say it any better. Excellent article and a true character of Muslim way of life. Muslims today are other way around. Couple weeks ago a 16 year old American girl whose parents are strict Catholic come to the Islamic center asking us to say Shahadat. She come to us to become to Muslim instead of us going to her to tell Islam. That is a wake up call to us. However, my point is Allah will take this message to every door and I ask Allah to make me a part of those who take his message. Allahu Akbar. Lets start know from ourselves, and then family and friends and nieghbors etc.
Allah will always protect Islam itself, after all Islam is the fastest growing reliegion in the world even after these big lies and negative sterotypes. Allahu Akbar. May Allah guide us all to the right path. amin.
2003-10-06

NOMAHIL FROM USA said:
I find this to be a very good encouraging article,and it is true that we need to wipe out the unlearnedness(ignorance )of many people not knowing anything of what islam is. just like with me, i never knew what it was but ,had that in my heart, but lived as a christian, following my parents, this is very good job here, thanks for it.
2003-10-06

ACKLIMA FROM TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO said:
We need to give dawa with every word and action that we make...
2003-10-06

SARDAR AFRIDI FROM AUSTRALIA said:
dear brother in Islam
assalamualiakum
not only muslims even learned christians agree
that a muslim is a da wee,is recognised in detail
in the book written*the Spread of Islam in the world"
A history of Peaceful Preaching .
by Prof.Thomas Arnold..











































































































































































































































































































































































2003-10-06

YAHYA BERGUM FROM USA said:
Alhamdulillah (the praise be to Allah)! Are we not to some extent hoping to encourage others to comply with portions of books (i.e., scriptures) with which they already hope to comply? If our attempts to do so would encourage them to comply with the book (i.e., the Quran) with which Muslims hope to comply, Subhanallah (Glory is Allah's)!

Assalamu alaikum (Peace be with you).

--Yahya Bergum
2003-10-06