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Illuminating the Way: Priorities in Calling to the Message
Abu `Abdil Kareem
In every age, the Prophets `alaihimussalaam, worked on
reforming
their societies by calling people to the message that Allah
subhaanahu wa ta`ala sent them with. Today, Muslims are
suffering in
all spheres of life, while non-Muslim nations continue in their
ignorance of purpose and path in this life. To reform these, it
is
essential for Muslims to follow the model of the Prophet of
Islam
sallallahu alayhe wa sallam and, after firmly grasping the
message
themselves, call others to it. Muslims therefore must exercise
their
efforts and use all permissible means to invite others to the
truth
they have. Bearing the message is a serious responsibility and
a
noble task and as such it has to be performed with knowledge,
seriousness, consideration and wisdom. In embarking in such an
effort, what are the priorities that one should keep as a
guide?
The Qur'an shows, in no uncertain terms, that the message and
the
top priority of all the Prophets was one and the same: The
message
of Tawheed.
Tawheed means "the realizing and maintaining of Allah's unity
in all
of man's actions which directly or indirectly relate to Him. It
is
the belief that Allah is One, without partner in His dominion
and
His actions (Ruboobeeyah), One without similitude in His
essence and
attributes (Asmaa wa Sifaat), and one without rival in His
divinity
and in worship (Ulooheeyah)." Muhammad ibn `Abdillaah
sallallaahu
alayhe wassalam, the last Prophet to be sent to the mankind and
the
Jinn, was ordered by Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) in the Qur'an
to
say:
"Say you (O Muhammad): 'This is my way; I invite unto Allah
(i.e. to
the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge,
I
and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allah i.e.
to
the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge.
And
Glorified and Exalted be Allah (above all that they associate
as
partners with Him). And I am not of the Mushrikoon
(polytheists;
those who worship others along with Allah or set up rivals or
partners to Allah).'" [al-Qur'an, Yusuf(12):108]
Tawheed is the single most important concept in Islam and the
top
priority in bearing the Message. The following evidence shows
this
in a clear way.
The oft-quoted reference with regards to priorities and
gradation in
da`wah is the famous hadeeth reported by Ibn `Abbas
radhiyallahu
`anhu: The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wasallam sent Mu`aadh to
Yemen
and said, "Invite the people to testify that Laa ilaaha ill
Allah
[none has the right to be worshipped but Allah] and that I am
the
Messenger of Allah. And if they obey you in that, then inform
them
that Allah has enjoined upon them five daily prayers in every
day
and night, and if they obey you in that, then inform them that
Allah
has made it obligatory for them to pay the Zakaat from their
properties and it is to be taken from the wealthy among them
and
given to the poor among them.
It was for this reason, that the Prophet sallallahu alayhe
wassallam
stayed in Makkah for thirteen years, calling people to the
correct
understanding of the Oneness of Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala),
and
making worship solely for Him.
The best of generations, the Companions radhiyallahu `anhum,
learned
their religion from the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wassalam
himself
and continued in keeping the same priorities, strengthening
belief
before anything else.
Abdullah ibn `Umar said, "We lived during an instant of time in
which one of us would receive faith first before receiving the
Qur'an and when the surahs were revealed we would learn what
they
permitted and what they ordered and what should be the stance
towards them. But I have seen men from whom one is given the
Qur'an
before iman and he reads it from the opening of the Book to its
closing and he does not know what it orders and what it forbids
and
what should be his stance towards it. He is like someone who is
just
throwing out dates [i.e. he does not get any benefit from his
recital]."
Shaykh Abdur-Rahman Abdul-Khaaliq, in his treatise on the
priorities
of the Islamic work in the West, also clearly explains that
Tawheed
is the top priority:
"The first priority Muslims of the West must preserve is
Tawheed.
Believing in the oneness of Allah and worshipping Him Alone is
the
reason behind creation. Tawheed makes a Muslim different from
the
disbelievers. Muslims who live in the West are different from
the
disbelievers because of their Islam. Iman (faith) is the way to
success and the true Path of Allah. Whoever concentrates on
this
life and ignores the next life will be the one who loses both".
"Da`wah should start with fundamental issues, before proceeding
with
those that are less central. The Oneness of Allah is the
beginning
and the end. Each deed should be connected with it."
Having shown that the first priority is calling to correct
beliefs
and faith in Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala), it is important to
understand the underlying reasons as to why this primary
objective
remains true in all places and at all times. As Sayyed Qutb
writes
in Milestones: "Those who call toward God's Religion and want
to
establish the way of life prescribed by this Religion should
ponder
at length over this significant fact, that for thirteen years
the
Qur'an exclusively expounded this faith and did not deviate
from
this issue to describe the details of that system which was to
be
established on this faith or any laws for the organization of
the
Muslim society."
The basis and the strength of this call lies in our testimony
of
faith, "la ilaha ill Allah." Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) says
in the
Qur'an: "A good word is like a good tree, its roots are firm
and its
branches are in heaven; so it gives its produce every season by
the
leave of its Lord. " [al-Qur'an, Ibraaheem(14):24-25] Dr. Al-
Qaradaawee eloquently describes the effect of this da`wah upon
the
person, by influencing all of its personality and ultimately
all of
the society:
"Da`wah seeks to penetrate the innermost recesses of man to
transform him into a godly person in his conceptions, emotions
and
behavior by altering his thoughts, feelings, and will as well
as the
whole of his being, thereby shaping him into a different
person. It
also shakes up the structure of the society and alters its
inherited
beliefs, well-established traditions, moral conventions, and
prevailing systems."
There is no doubt that all our shortcomings are related to our
level
of faith. Many consider unity of Muslims to be one of the most
fundamental issues that we should concentrate our efforts on,
since
without strong unity Muslims are unable to face their problems.
However, unity cannot be achieved through organizations or
lectures,
nor can it be achieved by spending money. We need to realize
that it
was Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) Himself who united the hearts
of the
Sahaba, once faith entered their hearts: "And He has united
their
(believers') hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth,
you
could not have united their hearts, but Allah has united them.
Certainly He is All-Mighty, All-Wise." [al-Qur'an,
al-Anfaal(8):63]
So there is no way for establishing unity, brotherhood or an
Islamic
society except through profound faith and righteous action.
Consequently, the first step for us to take is to correct our
faith.
Anything else would be short-sightedness and lead to failure.
We
must learn and teach the true Islamic faith; its realities,
signs
and benefits. Learning the faith should be accompanied by
learning
about shirk and disbelief, so that Muslims safeguard from the
disbelief and misguidance of the disbelievers. To strengthen
our
faith we must put the Qur'an back to its proper place in the
Muslim's life. The Qur'an is a book of guidance that is to be
understood and abided by. Not merely recited and used as a
talisman.
Cultivating one's personality and character should also come
under
top priorities.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wassalam said, "The best
believers are
those with the best character." One of the duties of the
Prophet
sallallahu alayhe wassalam was purifying people around him, by
helping them acquire noble character and leave any evil that
was in
their souls. Spirituality and piety also need to be developed.
Muslim scholars must act as Rabbaaniyyoon, teaching Muslims
simple
things first, before proceeding to more complicated matters,
while
Muslims must turn to their scholars for guidance and leave
interpreting religion without knowledge. This is a very grave
matter
which is one of the major causes of many problems that both
Muslims
and non-Muslims are facing today. Every innovation and act of
shirk
in its origin have speaking about Allah (subhanahu wa ta?ala)
and
His religion without knowledge. This is why it is such a great
priority that Muslims learn to consult scholars in religious
matters
and speak only based on certain knowledge. Were Muslims to
follow
the way of Aboo Bakr as-Siddeeq, who said, "What earth will
hold me,
and what heaven will protect me if I say something concerning
the
Book of Allah which I do not know", there would probably be no
secularism, modernism, feminism, rejection of the Sunnah and
other
deviations present among the Muslims.
The concept of hijrah represents a major factor in the life of
the
Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhe wassalam and a major
struggle and
effort to establish a community of Islam. This concept could be
modified according to the situation in the West, to internal
hijrah,
whereby Muslims of all nationalities would gather themselves in
various areas in the West, forming strong communities. Such
communities do not exist today and due to that, protection and
support of the Muslim community are lacking. Internal hijrah
would
provide easier circumstances for establishment of masaajid,
Islamic
schools and real institutions needed to satisfy the
requirements of
Islam on the personal, familial and societal level.
While the priorities discussed more specifically refer to
da`wah to
Muslims, da`wah to non -Muslims is as important. The issue of
priorities with regards to non-Muslims is clear: The most
important
matters are bringing the disbelievers away from their shirk to
belief in Oneness of Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) and
Messengership
of Muhammad sallallahu alayhe wassalam, and teaching them the
true
purpose of their existence.
Lastly, it is important to mention that the first ones that
Muslims
should call to Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) and warn are their
families. Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) says in the Qur'an: "O
you who
believe! Protect yourselves and your families from the Fire
whose
fuel will be people and stones (idols). " [al-Qur'an, at-Tahreem
(66):6] Family is the basic nucleus of the society and when
that
institution is healthy, all of the society will be alike
The situation resulting from not giving necessary attention to
priorities and concentrating on less central issues has serious
consequences.
Doing the wrong things, in the wrong place, at the wrong time
can
result in placing efforts in activities that can often be
delayed or
even eliminated, while those that have the strongest impact and
that
are most urgent are forgotten and neglected. Less central
issues
have been given a great deal of importance, while the
fundamental
ones have been neglected. Muslims even spend a lot of time
arguing
over subsidiary matters. Muslims have also given more attention
to
some voluntary forms of worship, and even those that have no
basis
in the Sharee`ah, over those that are obligatory. That is how
dhikr
became more important than enjoining good and forbidding evil.
Ibn
ul-Qayyim explained this as follows: "The Shaitan has misled
most
people by beautifying for them the performance of certain
voluntary
acts of worship such as voluntary prayers and voluntary fasting
while neglecting other obligatory acts of worship such as
enjoining
the good and eradicating the evil, to the extent that they do
not
even make the intention of performing them whenever they are
able
to".
This neglect with regards to priorities has resulted in Muslims
losing their faith, the source of their strength. The present
weakness is used by the enemies of Islam to further prolong the
current state of affairs. Dr al-Qaradaawee says, "The only form
of
Islam allowed by the enemies of Islam is that upheld by the
dervishes and the professional traders in religion; the 'Islam'
which only celebrates occasions, supports despotic rulers, and
prays
for them to have a 'long life.' It is an 'Islam' based on
Divine pre-
determination and 'no-choice' in belief, sanctions Islamically
condemned bid`a (innovation) in `ibaadah (worship), permits
passive
ethics and intellectual rigidity, and encourages emphasis on
minor
rather than major and vital issues. Those who follow and
promote
this 'Islam' are patronized by corrupt rulers. Even the
irreligious,
secularist rulers bless this form of religion, show respect and
support to its advocates in order to enable them to lull the
masses
and induce them to the status quo, and engage the youth in a
web of
illusions, symbols, terms and trivialities. Perhaps this is
what led
Marx to claim that 'religion is the opiate of the people.'"
Though tawheed always remains the central theme of da`wah and
the
end we want to reach, the situation may dictate different, more
specific priorities, depending on time and place.
While Islamic faith is relatively firmly established in certain
areas of the world, in others there is a total ignorance of the
religion of Islam. Obviously, the daa`iya would not speak about
the
same issues and on the same level at such two places. A good
example
of priorities changing according to place is that certain sects
that
appear only in certain places do not have to be refuted
elsewhere.
So while there is need to warn people against the deviations of
the
Nation of Islam in North America, that is really of little
importance in Bosnia or Pakistan. Similarly, there are
different
shirk practices in different places that need to be corrected,
but
concentration of efforts and priorities will depend on the
relevant
deviation in a particular place. Nevertheless, da`wah may very
depending on whether the people being addressed are atheists,
Hindus
or other types of polytheists such as Ahlul-Kitaab.
Priorities also differ with time. Centuries ago, when the
Prophet
sallallahu alayhe wassalam was calling people to Allah (subhanahu
wa
ta`ala), he did not have to emphasize the fact that Allah (subhanahu
wa ta`ala) is the Creator of the Universe and the One Who owns
it
and administers it. This was common knowledge even among the
Jaahilee Arabs, so the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wassalam
concentrated on correcting their beliefs about Allah (subhanahu
wa
ta`ala) and calling them to worship Him, rather than speaking
to
them about Allah's existence. Nowadays, the situation differs
in
many areas of the world. Atheism and agnosticism are not
uncommon,
so therefore there is need to invite people to the belief in
Allah's
existence. All these relates to calling people to worship of
Allah
subhanahu wa ta`ala.
At times there are certain pressing issues that need to be
addressed. During Ahmad ibn Hanbal's time, the issue of
non-creation
of the Qur'an was very important, while today calling people to
even
more basic issues such as recognizing Allah's existence and
worshipping Him is more important. Various books of creed
written
since the time of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhe
wassalam
emphasized those issues that were most controversial at the
time of
writing. Therefore a book of creed that explained the
differences
between the Jahmiyya and Ahl us Sunnah wal Jamaa`ah that was
written
centuries ago would certainly be of much value even today.
However
the emphasis would have to be given to the issues that are more
pressing today, such as irjaa', ash`arism, or secularism, which
today is probably the greatest single challenge to the Muslims,
and
one of the main causes of disbelief.
Also, knowledge of the events of which the Prophet sallallahu
alayhe
wassalam informed us that will take place in the future may
dictate
some of our concentrating of efforts in certain places more
than in
others. The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wassalam informed Muslims
of
various battles that will occur and we should therefore keep
this in
mind and support da`wah in places such as Palestine, so as to
strengthen the Muslims' position before events such as al-Marhamat
ul-Kubraa take place.
It is also important for Muslims when giving da`wah to realize
that
the issues and problems that require effort back in their
homelands
are not necessarily the same as where they are currently
situated.
Neglect of the true situation and the fact that priorities
differ
with place and time may result in undesired results, which is
yet
another reason for wisdom in da`wah.
The first duty of the Muslims is to rectify their beliefs by
means
of learning on the basis of clear evidence and in accordance
with
the correct understanding of the early generations of Muslims.
The main concern in da`wah should be calling to monotheism and
the
`ibadah of Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala). That was the way of the
Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhe wassalam, and the way of
those
who follow him. Once tawheed is accepted, we can proceed to
explain
other aspects of Islam, beginning with the five pillars.
"Therefore,
we want to correct the people's `aqeedah and make them aware of
all
kinds of outward and inward shirk and encourage them to do the
obligatory things and avoid the forbidden, and we want to
encourage
them to stick to the sunan and the mustahabbaat [recommended
deeds],
to incite them to avoid the makruuhaat [disliked deeds]."
It is our hope that by performing da`wah in this manner will
help us
fulfill our responsibilities and that Allah (subhanahu wa
ta`ala)
will count us among those about whom He says:
"And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah and
does
righteous deeds and says: 'I am one of the Muslims.'" [al-Qur'an,
41:43]
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