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From: Dr Sara Adam dr.sara.adam@gmail.com [Criterion-The-Illuminator] <Criterion-The-Illuminator-noreply@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 8, 2015 at 8:55 PM
Subject: [CTI] Fwd: Dawah: Inviting People of Other Faith Communities to Islam
To: Criterion-The-Illuminator@yahoogroups.com
Inviting People of Other Faith Communities to Islam
The Prophet's Dawah Methodology
The Prophet was not inviting people to fulfil his own worldly desires, nor to glorify his clan, tribe, or people.
Introduction
Muslims believe that inviting people to the straight path of Allah is in fact an invitation to truth, goodness, virtue, and felicity in this life and the Hereafter. This explains why such an invitation (dawah in Arabic) is considered a duty on every Muslim to the extent of his or her knowledge and ability.
Dawah may take various forms, one of which is through verbal communication (al-bayan in Arabic). Such verbal communication is counted in the Quran as one of the great bounties that Allah bestowed upon humankind:
{It is the Lord of Mercy who taught the Quran. He created the human and taught him/her to communicate.} (55:1-4)
Inviting people to the ultimate goodness is the best and most noble use of the bounty of communication. It is certainly of the best speech.
Relations with People of Other Faiths - Foreign Policy of Islam: Peace or War? - Freedom of Faith: Fiction or Reality? |
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught Muslims to convey his teachings, even a single statement, and that if Allah guides one person through you, it is better for you than this world and everything therein.
A Muslim who seeks to discharge his or her dawah duties needs to look up to a role model in dawah. For Muslims, the role model par excellence in dawah and all other virtues is none but Prophet Muhammad (peace upon him). This is the testimony of Quran, which Muslims believe to be the word of God.
This paper is an attempt to discern some elements of that role model for dawah. It is no more than scratching the surface of such a rich model, in the hope that it may shed light on such an important and timely topic.
The paper begins by clarifying its methodology which is then to be applied in addressing some of the major elements of the Prophet's model of dawah.
Methodology of the Paper
It may be noted that the title of the paper avoided using the English term "religions". They are two reasons for that:
First: the common perception of the term "religion" in the Western world is narrower than the term "deen" in Arabic, which literally means "a way of living", which is more holistic and comprehensive.
addressing "non-Muslims" as "other faith communities" make them more receptive |
Second: a related meaning of "deen" is what a person believes. This includes, not only "people of the Book" but others as well. Even pre-Islamic idolatry was called "deen" in the Quran.
{You have your deen (religion) and I have mine.} (109:6)
It may be noted also that the term "other faith communities" is used instead of "non-believers" or "disbelievers", terms which are imprecise in meaning and may sound negative in tone among contemporary English-speaking people.
While the term "non-Muslims" is better than both terms and is factual, it has been my consistent experience in recent years that addressing "non-Muslims" as "other faith communities" make them more receptive, comfortable, and willing to listen. In any case, there should be no dispute about terms so long as the meanings are understood.
On a more substantive level, the paper is not exclusively based biographies of the Prophet's life. It is based, rather, on the acceptance of the Quran as the primary and most authentic source of seerah, or the Prophet's biography.
It is true that the Quran is not primarily a book of history, and hence it does not focus, generally speaking, on detailed historical narratives. However, many key events of the Prophet's biography are alluded to in the Quran, such as the beginning of revelation, his suffering at the hands of his people, his immigration to Madinah, some of the key battles and encounters for survival such as Badr, Uhud, the Allies, Tabuk, and Hunain.
The Quran alludes as well to the internal threats to the nascent community in Madinah, the rise of the phenomenon of hypocrisy, and many other events in the life of the Prophet. Notwithstanding the absence of many detailed narratives in the Quran, it still serves as the highest and most authentic criterion to critically evaluate historical narrations in the Prophet's biography.
The Prophet's methodology in dawah combines a number of inter-related elements |
Another justification for starting with the Quran is the fact that the Prophet's methodology of dawah was simply the embodiment of the teachings of the Quran. When Aishah, the Prophet's wife, was asked about the character of the Prophet, her answer was succinct, eloquent and clear: "His character was the Quran."
This is the underlying assumption of this paper. For each element of the methodology of the Prophet, relevant references to the Quran are cited and they act as the anchor of that element.
Since sound traditions and sayings of the Prophet (referred to as Sunnah) is meant to elaborate, explain, and show how to apply the Quranic teachings, it is referred to after the Quran. Only in the third place are biographies referred to for details that are consistent with the Quran and sound Sunnah.
Elements of the Prophet's Methodology in Dawah
The Prophet's methodology in dawah combines a number of inter-related elements: faith, feelings, attitudes, ways of thinking, and the ability to assess various situations and respond to them.
Given the inter-relatedness and inter-dependence of such elements, any attempt to classify them is only a matter of convenience in presentation that is subject to improvement. Following is one such attempt.
1. Sincerity of Intentions
the absence of any personal agenda for the Prophet's dawah is a common characteristic... |
The Prophet was not inviting people to fulfill his own worldly desires, nor to glorify his clan, tribe, or people. He was inviting people to submit to Allah alone, and hence attain true peace and tranquility. He never asked for, or expected any reward or recompense in any form from any human. This is how the Quran described his mission:
{You [O Muhammad] ask no reward from them for this: it is only a reminder for all people.} (12:104)
In fact, Prophet Muhammad was the embodiment of the Quranic commands to him:
{Say, "If I have asked you for any reward, you can keep it. It is Allah alone who will reward me: he is witness to everything."} (34:47; 38:86; 42:23)
It is notable that the absence of any personal agenda for the Prophet's dawah is a common characteristic in the mission of prophets before him, such as Noah (10:72;11:29; 26:109), Hud (11:51; 26:127), Salih (26:145), Lot (26:164), and Shuayb (26:180).
2. Genuine Love and Care for the Invitees
The Prophet deserves the title "prophet of mercy". He was indeed the embodiment of universal mercy, and his mission is the mission of mercy:
{We sent you [O Muhammad] only as a mercy to the worlds.} (21:107)
It is noted that such mercy is not meant for the world of humans only. The usage of the plural of "world" in this verse may be understood to refer as well to the other "worlds", such as the animal world, the world of plants, the ecological world, and the world of jinn. His concern and mercy reached such a level that Allah the Almighty instructed him not to over-grieve because of the insolence of the rejecters of faith.
The Prophet's concern, goodwill, and love of humans is beautifully expressed in the following hadith:
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I heard Allah's Messenger saying, "My parable and the parable of the people is that of a man who kindled a fire, and when it illuminated what was around it, moths and other insects began to fall into the fire. The man tried [his best] to prevent them [from falling into the fire] but they overpowered him and rushed into the fire."
The Prophet added, "Now, similarly, I take hold of the knots of your waist [belt] to prevent you from falling into the fire, but you insist on falling into it." (Al-Bukhari, 6483)
This is surely an act of love and genuine concern even for those who reject him. |
It would have been enough for the Prophet to stand aside and warn people and then let them face the consequences of refusing to heed his warning. He does not stop at that, but is trying earnestly to pull them away from the fire. Yet the parable implies that he cannot save everyone from the fire, so he tries to save as many persons as possible. This is surely an act of love and genuine concern even for those who reject him.
A frequently recurring question is whether it is permissible for the Muslim to "love" a person who rejects the call of Islam. This question may result from the lack of distinction between loving the act of rejection of faith, and loving the person for other reasons.
According to the Quran, it is permissible for a Muslim to marry a chaste "believing" woman of the People of the Book who did not accept the invitation to Islam. Is the Muslim allowed to love her? The answer is in the Quran:
{Another of His signs, is that He created spouses from among yourselves for you to live with in tranquility: He ordained love and kindness between you.}(30:21)
There is no indication in this verse that "spouse" means only a Muslim spouse to the exclusion of a wife from among the People of the Book. Likewise, there is no dispute that the Prophet loved his uncle Abu Talib, and tried to help him accept Islam until he breathed his last.
In both cases, "love" is not directed at rejection of Islam, but at good human qualities. This issue is significant in the matter of dawah.
It is that type of universal love and concern for humanity that enabled the Prophet to respond kindly, but not in kind, to his abusers, especially those who were victims of false propaganda against him.
Abu Hurairah came back crying, this time crying with happiness not grief, his mother decided to accept Islam |
One such noble example is when Abu Hurairah came to him crying after he heard his own mother (an idolatress at the time) verbally abusing the Prophet after Abu Hurairah invited her to Islam. Abu Hurairah then asked the Prophet to pray for her guidance.
Instead of invoking a curse on her, or rebuking Abu Hurairah his request, the Prophet said "O Allah! Guide Abu Hurairah's mother". Shortly afterwards, Abu Hurairah came back crying, this time crying with happiness not grief, his mother decided to accept Islam on her own.
It should be noted that the Prophet seldom invoked a curse on his abusers, and rare exceptions to that were in the context of cold blooded and brutal murderers, such as those who killed the memorizers of the Quran as an act of treachery. Otherwise, he neither initiated invoking a curse, or even when requested by others to do so.
Abu Hurairah narrated that Al-Tufail and his companions came to the Prophet and said "O Messenger of Allah, the people of Daws have rejected Islam and refused to accept it, so invoke prayers against them."
The Prophet prayed instead:
"O Allah! Guide the people of Daws and bring them [to Islam]". (Muslim, 2524)
Similar acts of mercy and concern were shown by the Prophet in response to the insults and harassment of the people of Ta'if. Such acts were not a result of "weakness", as he showed the same character in a great moment of victory and power when he finally entered into Makkah victoriously.
3. Uncompromising Steadfastness in Core Issues
The Prophet's answer was clear, firm, and unhesitant |
From the outset of the Prophet's public dawah and an apparent position of weakness, he showed an amazing degree of steadfastness. The Makkan chiefs went to his uncle Abu Talib for the second time and threatened him due to his failure to stop his nephew, Muhammad. Abu Talib appealed to the Prophet to save everyone by not offending the Makkans with his new teachings. The Prophet's answer was clear, firm, and unhesitant:
"O uncle! By Allah, if they place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand in return for giving up this matter (call to Islam) until [either] Allah makes it prevail or I perish because of it, I will not give it up." (Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, 265-266)
Guided by the Quran, the Prophet never compromised on core issues, especially in matters of basic beliefs, even if this results in the rejection of his message. The idolatrous Makkans offered him a "compromise": to worship their idols in return for their worship of Allah.
Such a "compromise" was dead on arrival. No second thought was given as to whether this may be a step in dawah in the hope that they may be persuaded in time to worship Allah alone.
Good ends are never justified any unacceptable means. Even in the Makkan period of persecution and great threats, the Prophet was instructed:
{Say [O Prophet]: O rejecters of faith, I do not worship what you worship, and you do not worship what I worship. And I will never worship what you worship, and you will never worship what I worship [if you continue your idolatrous practice]. You have your religion and I have mine.} (109)
It has been argued by At-Tabari (vol. 10, 213-214), one of the foremost exegetes of the Quran, that there is a connection between the above chapter and verses 8 and 9 of the chapter called Al-Qalam, which warn the Prophet:
{So do not yield to those who deny the truth. They want you to compromise with them and then they will compromise with you.} (68:9-10)
Examples of the Prophet's steadfastness on core issues while showing flexibility in minor ones, was apparent when a delegation from Thaqif offered to accept Islam, but demanded that they be exempt from Prayers, and to let one of their idols (Al-Lat) stand. The Prophet firmly refused. Yet he accepted their demand that they would not be required to break their idols by themselves. (Ibn Hisham, vol. 2, 540)
4. A Clear Universal and Comprehensive Vision
|
The Prophet was instructed in the Quran:
{Say [O Muhammad], "This is my way based on clear evidence, I, and all who follow me, call [people] to Allah — glory be to Allah! — I am not of those who join others with Him [in worship]."} (12:108)
The implication of this verse is that those who undertake the task of dawah should have clear and sufficient knowledge of what they wish to communicate to others. It does not imply, however, that only scholars are qualified to do dawah, since the Prophet instructed all Muslims to invite others to the message of Islam, "even one single statement".
It does imply, however, that the scope and degree of scholarship needed in somedawah contexts determine the requisite of evidence (or basirah). For example, average Muslims who possess reasonable basic knowledge about the foundations of faith and the pillars of Islam may be sufficiently capable of fulfilling their dawah duties toward ordinary friends or colleagues.
They may not be as capable, however, of engaging in interfaith dialogue with scholars of other faith communities. Fair understanding of beliefs of others from their own perspective is crucial for the person's credibility and effectiveness.
Another aspect of the Prophet's approach to dawah is that he did not see it simply as a set of disjointed actions, nor were his plans short-term oriented. His plans and actions were all part of a broader vision which transcended time, place, and other variations such as racial, color and national variations.
It was the Quran that inspired his vision as the heir and culmination of the long prophetic tradition, whose uniform supreme objective is clearly stated in the Quran.
It is noted that Surat Al-A`raf narrates stories of various prophets, each with emphasis on a specific malaise that afflicted their people, such as rejecting a prophet on account of being a mere human like his people, or thanklessness to Allah despite His bestowing many bounties upon them, or deliberate defiance and arrogance, or cheating and fraud in business transactions.
However, in all cases, the common theme in all such stories which sums up the core message of all such prophets was expressed in an identical statement:
{O my people! Worship Allah, you have no god other than Him.} (7:59 to 85)
It should be noted that the scope of the Prophet's dawah was universal from the outset of his mission. Evidence to that effect is found in some of the earliest Makkan revelations, a period of severe persecution and apparent hopelessness.
The universality of the Prophet's mission from the beginning should not be confused with the appropriate stages of conveying the message. It only natural for the Prophet, guided by the Quran, to begin the fulfillment of his mission by approaching his close relatives, then the Makkans who knew him, then the surrounding townships, then the world at large. This does not mean a later "evolution" or "expansion" of his mission, as some allege.
5. Emphasizing the Individual Responsibility of the Invitee
The Quran makes the answers to these questions clear for all |
Some of the common questions that any invitees may ask are: What is in this dawah for me? How does it benefit me? What if I reject it?
The Quran makes the answers to these questions clear for all, and categorically indicates that by responding positively to the dawah, the invitees are not doing favor to the Prophet, let alone to Allah.
Among the most powerful quests that are embedded in the upright human nature are the quests for self-purification, knowledge, and wisdom. From that perspective, the essence of the Prophet's mission embodies all. As stated in the Quran:
{Allah has been truly gracious to the believers in sending them a messenger from among their own, to recite His revelations to them, to purify them [spiritually], and to teach them the Book [the Quran] and wisdom — before that, they were clearly astray.} (3:164; 62:3)
The mention of the pre-Islamic unlettered Arabs does not imply in any way that the Prophet's message is limited to the Arabs. The Quran describes the scope of his mission as directed to "the people", an inclusive term that embraces all humanity.
When the Prophet invited influential leaders to Islam, he reminded them that the
consequences and responsibility for their acceptance or rejection will be far greater than their followers, a principle which is repeated in the Quran. In his letter to Heraclius, the Byzantine Emperor, the Prophet said:
"…I call on you to embrace Islam. Embrace Islam, and you will be saved [from Allah's punishment]; embrace Islam, and Allah will give you a double reward. But if you reject this, you will be responsible for the sins of all people of your kingdom..." (Al-Bukhari, 7)
6. Humility and Gentleness with All
Allah is indeed gentle and He loves gentleness and rewards it |
There is no greater testimony of the Prophet's gentleness than the testimony of Allah, the Almighty:
{By an act of mercy from Allah, you [O Prophet] were gentle in your dealings with them. Had you been harsh, or hard-hearted, they would have dispersed and left you. So pardon them, ask forgiveness for them, and consult with them about matters…} (3:159)
This quality is fused throughout his words and deeds. Among his saying on this are the following examples:
"Allah is indeed gentle and He loves gentleness and rewards it in a way that He does not confer to harshness or to anything besides it." (Muslim,634)
The manner in which the Prophet treated his guests belonging to people of other faith communities was an embodiment of what the Quran said about him, as well as what he himself taught. As a result of both his sincerity and gentle and loving character, people who did not know him, and even those who were influenced by the false propaganda against him, were so impressed that they accepted him and his message.
As one of them admitted, when he sat with the Prophet and looked at him, he knew that the Prophet's face was not that of a liar.
That gentleness is also related to his understanding of human frailty and the necessity to adopt a gradual approach in practicing Islam with those who are considering Islam as their faith and way of living, so long as the minimum requirements are met.
This is exemplified by a hadith narrated by the Companion Talhah ibn Ubaidullah concerning a Bedouin who came to the Prophet to ask about the mandatory acts of worship required of him. The Prophet answered him, and kept adding a proviso to the effect that this was the minimum requirement, unless he wished to do more non-mandatory worship.
Once they taste the fruits of the love of Allah and closeness to Him, they are likely to want more |
The Bedouin answered:
"By Him who honored you, I will neither perform any non-mandatory worship, nor will I decrease what Allah has enjoined on me."
Instead of the Prophet lamenting how weak and uncommitted the Bedouin was — as some may react today — he simply said:
"If he [the Bedouin] is saying the truth, he will succeed [or he will be granted Paradise]." (Al-Bukhari, 1891)
My humble reflection on the Prophet's approach is that when the invitees are not overburdened with what is ideal from the start, they are more likely to grow in Islam spiritually and in action. Once they taste the fruits of the love of Allah and closeness to Him, they are likely to want more of that. This is consistent with Prophet's advice to enter into Islam gently which implies gradually and smoothly.
I have heard of a case when a person who just reverted to Islam in Ramadan was taken by his Muslim friend to lengthy Tarawih Prayers (optional Prayers during the fasting month of Ramadan). Thinking that this was a mandatory requirement all the time, that was the person's last entry into a mosque. It can be concluded that the most important means of the Prophet's dawah was "dawah by good example".
7. Justice, Courtesy, and Respect for the Invitees
Following the consistent methodology of this paper, it is helpful to start with the Quran, which was embodied in the Prophet's methodology of dawah. A few key verses of the Quran are related here.
{O Prophet, call [people] to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good exhortation, argue with them in the best possible [and courteous] way, for your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way and who is rightly guided.} (16:125; 34:24; 29:46)
Combined with that should be the element of exhortation, or appeal, to the heart of the invitee |
A few comments on these verses may be helpful.
1. The first quote shows that proper dawah should appeal to reason in a wise manner, the ability to say the right thing to the right person in the right circumstances and in the right way. Combined with that should be the element of exhortation, or appeal, to the heart of the invitee, who as a spiritual being is searching for meaning in life and a way of connecting or re-connecting with Allah.
The same verse mandates not only effectiveness, but courtesy as well. It does not only exhort to invite in a good manner, but the best manner, as noted by the scholar Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. It follows that discussions or debates that put down others or their beliefs is discouraged. The same term "ahsan" (best) is re-iterated in the third verse quoted above. The only exception it makes is the appropriate response to those who commit injustices against Muslims.
2. The second quote above is an amazing guideline in rational and fair attitude and respect for those who differ with us. It begins with a question of interest to all parties: who provides for us all? And this is a foundational question that must have only one correct answer. As such, if there were two answers, then one of them must be incorrect. Instead of saying, "And of course we are right and you must be wrong," it simply states that "[one of us] must be rightly guided and the other clearly astray," without specifying who is who.
This is not a way to evade the answer or be "politically right" while failing to speak the truth. It is instead a lesson in fairness, courtesy, and respect for the other party to reflect on the discussion and come up with their own answers.
These lessons are further confirmed by telling those who come to a different conclusion than us, "You will not be questioned about our sins, nor will we be questioned about what you do." What may not be noticed in the first reading of this verse is that it is not quite reciprocal, but is more generous than reciprocity. While it tells "the other" that you will not be questioned about our "sins", it does not say, "And we will not be questioned about your sins," which is perfectly reciprocal. It says, rather, "Nor will we be questioned about what you do," which may be good or sinful.
3. The third quote is most relevant to one category of the "People of the Book", understood to refer to Jews and Christians. The most important lesson from this quote is to search for the common ground between Muslims and the "People of the Book", even though they may continue to differ with us on some important belief issues.
Studying the life of the Prophet fairly and contextually reveals that he never initiated a war |
It states clearly that in spite of such differences, the three communities of faith do believe in the Oneness of Allah, the legitimacy of all original and well-preserved revelations, and the need to be devout to Allah. The existence of "common ground" is not a statement of syncretism, or artificially unifying all religions in one.
There are still significant differences even in matters of core beliefs, and which scripture is the final one and is eligible to be the final criterion for what was revealed to the prophets in the past, and what represents historical data, personal opinions of the writers of some scriptures, or for that matter, personal religious experiences of those writers. These issues may be appropriate for objective, respectful, and scholarly dialogues.
Yet the fact remains that an important common ground does exist. This can and should be harnessed in seeking peaceful, just, and co-operative co-existence. Nowhere in the Quran does it prescribe any punishment or unjust treatment of others due to mere rejection of Islam or turning away from the message.
Studying the life of the Prophet fairly and contextually reveals that he never initiated a war against other faith communities just because they refused to accept Islam, as this is a right emphasized in the Quran, which considers rejection of truth as much a right as the right to believe.
Two key verses in the Quran, I believe, put to rest any argument about "abrogation" without definitive evidence that may amount to adopt an intolerant attitude towards the just and respectful treatment of other faith communities who peacefully co-exist with Muslims, notwithstanding Muslims' duty to continue communicating their message to them peacefully and courteously.
Commenting on verse 8, the Muslim scholar Ibn Al-Arabi explains that treating peacefully co-existing non-Muslims with qist (the Quranic term used) does not mean mere justice. It means, rather, that you should give them some of your own wealth as a means of maintaining good relationship with them. What is meant by qist is not justice (adl), for justice is required in treating one who fights against Muslims as well as one who does not fight. (Al-Qurtubi, 59)
The last statement of Ibn Al-Arabi is consistent with the Quranic instruction:
{Do not let the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, that is next to piety, and fear Allah for Allah is well acquainted with all that you do.} (5:8)
Conclusion
A deeper study of the life of Allah's final messenger, Muhammad, provides a rich model and a Quranic-based methodology. The need to understand, internalize, and implement this methodology is critical to the way contemporary Muslims can and should relate to people of other faith communities. Such an endeavor is even more critical in a world characterized by globalization, interdependence, and lots of injustices and resulting senseless violence.
Dawah in the proper contemporary perspective is not exclusively to seek more "reverts" to Islam. Dawah is a means of promoting better understanding between Muslims and other faith communities around the world, leading, hopefully to more cooperation in what is beneficial to all.
http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/research-studies/comparative-religion/424836.html
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