Islamic Dawah is an integral part of Islam and the responsibility of Muslims towards others. It is important to understand the importance of Islamic Dawah and learn how to guide people towards goodness and truth, while being careful to use wise and appropriate methods when inviting others to the light of truth.
It is incumbent upon all of us to work towards spreading goodness and guiding people towards it, through good advice and gentle speech. In this article, we will explore the concept of Dawah in Islam, its virtues, and the methods of its application.
Definition of Islamic Dawah
Islamic Dawah is a call to believe in Allah and follow His Islamic law. It includes calling people to repent and seek guidance, calling people to turn towards Allah and engage in good deeds, teaching people about Islam and guiding them to act in ways that please Allah, warning against polytheism, disbelief, and sin, and calling people to believe in the Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him – and follow his Sunnah. This call is for all people, and it is the culmination of all calls. As Allah says: “We have sent you only as a mercy to all the worlds.” [Quran 21:107]
The goal of Dawah in Islam is to spread Islam and clarify its principles, values, and rulings. It aims to achieve the message that Allah has sent through His Prophet, through preaching, guidance, advice, and reminding people of Allah and what Islam commands in terms of worship, ethics, good behavior, combating corruption, rejecting wrongdoing, and freeing societies from evil.
Importance of Islamic Dawah
Islamic Dawah has great significance in Islam, as it is one of the most important acts of worship and righteous deeds that Muslims must perform. The importance of Dawah in Islam can be summarized as follows:
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Achieving the goal of Islam
The main goal of Islamic Dawah is to achieve the satisfaction of Allah, declare the religion of Islam, and clarify its principles, values, and rulings.
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Defending Islam
Through Islamic Dawah, truths can be clarified, and misconceptions and incorrect ideas that people may hold about Islam can be addressed.
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Improving social relationships
Dawah in Islam helps improve social relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims by teaching people about Islamic values, ethics, and noble principles.
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Spreading goodness and reform
Through Islamic Dawah, goodness can be spread in societies, and efforts can be made to improve and reform them by guiding people to act in ways that please Allah.
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Saving people
Dawah in Islam can save people from ignorance and lead them to the truth and belief in Allah and the right path.
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Eliminating false beliefs
This can be accomplished by spreading the correct beliefs, which will lead non-Muslims to unify their ranks towards the truth and righteousness.
The Stages of Islamic Dawah
The history of Islamic Dawah dates back to the beginning of Islam in the 7th century CE, and since then, the Islamic Dawah has gone through several stages that have formed an important development in the history of Islam. In the following, we will provide a detailed explanation of the stages that the Islamic Dawah has gone through:
1- The Meccan Stage
Islamic Dawah began in Mecca by calling people to believe in one God, to worship only Allah, and to direct them towards good deeds and repentance from sins. This call focused on the monotheistic aspect of Islam, and Muslims faced a lot of violence and persecution from the Quraish and other enemies in this stage.
2- The Medinan Stage
After the Prophet’s migration to Medina, the Dawah entered the Medinan stage, which revolved around building the Islamic community, establishing the Islamic state, establishing justice, equality, and good ethics. In this stage, the Prophet established a constitution that defined the rights and duties of minorities and Muslims.
This stage was one of the most important stages that contributed to the establishment of a strong and successful Islamic state.
3- The Islamic Conquests Stage
After the Prophet’s death, the Dawah in Islam moved from the Medinan stage to the stage of Islamic conquests, where the scope of the Islamic state was expanded, and Islam spread in many areas, achieving military victories and opening up new territories. This stage was one of the most important stages that contributed to the spread of Islamic Dawah in the Islamic world.
4- The Modern Stage
In recent centuries, the Islamic Dawah has changed and entered a new stage, where it faced new challenges and changes in Islamic societies. Muslims tried to respond to these challenges by directing people to work towards what pleases Allah, emphasizing the role of Islam in modern society, and promoting Islamic values and ethics in their lives. In this stage, Islamic Dawah focused on education, awareness-raising, and updating Islamic thought and adapting it to modern challenges.
In general, the stages that the Islamic Dawah has gone through reflect an important development in the history of Islam, and demonstrate the great efforts made by the Dawah to clarify the principles of Islam and promote them in Islamic societies. Islamic Dawah remains one of the most important responsibilities that Muslims bear until today, and they must strive hard to spread goodness and reform in societies and guide people towards the truth and belief in Allah.
Means of Islamic Dawah
When Allah sent His noble messenger to convey His message to all people, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used many means of Dawah (invitation to Islam) to convey his message. The following is a description of these means:
1- Wisdom and Good Advice
Wisdom and good advice are one of the most important means in Islamic Dawah, as they work to convey the message of Islam in a smooth and logical way, and focus on motivating people to adopt Islamic values and achieve good and reform in societies. Allah says, “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.” (An-Nahl: 125)
2- Individual Dawah
Individual Dawah relies on personal communication between Muslims and non-Muslims, and aims to convey the message of Islam and clarify its principles and values. Individual Dawah can be used in areas where Dawah in Islam is not widely known. The Prophet used individual Dawah to call his friends, such as his companion Abu Bakr and his wife Khadijah.
3- Collective Dawah
Collective Dawah relies on the presence of a large number of Muslims to convey the message of Islam and clarify its principles and rulings. Collective Dawah is used in religious and social occasions, such as Friday prayers, Eid, and weddings. The Prophet used this means in his call to the Quraysh, his call to the Ansar, and with those who embraced Islam in the house of Al-Arqam.
4- Preaching and Reminding
This means relies on conveying the message of Islam through preaching and reminding people of the values, principles and rulings of Islam. Preaching and reminding can be used in religious sermons, Islamic lessons and lectures. The Prophet used this means when he gathered with his companions, reminding and advising them.
5- Stories and Proverbs
Stories and proverbs are used in Islamic Dawah to clarify the principles and values of Islam. This means is used in religious sermons, Islamic lessons and lectures. Allah says, “We relate to you, [O Muhammad], the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Qur’an.” (Yusuf: 3)
6- Sending Messengers
This means is used to send messengers to convey the message of Islam to other nations and peoples. This means is used in areas where Islamic Dawah is not widely known, such as when the Prophet sent Mus’ab bin Umair to Medina before the Hijrah.
7- Writing Letters to Kings
This means is used to write letters to kings, rulers, and leaders to clarify the principles and values of Islam. This means is used in areas where Islamic Dawah is not widely known, and works to expand the scope of Dawah in Islam and its impact on societies.
Examples of this include the Prophet’s letters to the King of Persia, Khusrau, and the Negus of Abyssinia, and to Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor.
8- Spending Money
Spending money in the way of Allah and inviting people to Islam is an important means in Islamic Dawah. Money can be used to provide for the essential needs of Muslims, develop communities, and strengthen relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims.
The Virtue of Islamic Dawah in the Quran and Hadith
Verses of the Quran that indicate the virtue of Islamic Dawah:
Allah says in Surat An-Nahl: “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.”
Allah says in Surat Al-Imran: “Let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.”
Allah says in Surat Al-An’am: “Say, “This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah; and I am not of those who associate others with Him.””
Allah says in Surat Al-Baqarah: “And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you.”
The Hadiths of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that indicate the virtue of Islamic Dawah:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever guides someone to goodness will have a reward like one who did it.” (Sahih Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever guides someone to goodness will have a reward equal to his who does it.” (Sahih Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, no one of this community, Jew or Christian, hears of me and dies without believing in what I have been sent with but he will be one of the inhabitants of Hellfire.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward like that of those who follow him, without that detracting from their reward in any way.” (Sahih Muslim)
The Truth of Islamic Dawah
There are many important truths about Islamic Dawah, including:
- Islamic Dawah is a call for goodness and righteousness.
- Islamic Dawah promotes unity and cooperation.
- Islamic Dawah calls for moderation.
- Islamic Dawah encourages learning.
- Islamic Dawah relies on dialogue and understanding.
- Islamic Dawah relies on tolerance and mercy.
- Islamic Dawah calls for social reform.
The Ruling of Islamic Dawah
The ruling of Islamic Dawah is that it is a collective obligation (fard kifayah) upon the Muslim ummah as a whole, and an individual obligation (fard ‘ayn) upon each Muslim according to their knowledge and ability. This is based on many Quranic verses and Prophetic traditions, including:
Allah says: “Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity.” [Al-Imran: 104]
Allah says: “Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteousness, and says, ‘I am of those who bow in Islam’?” [Fussilat: 33]
Allah says: “The believing men and women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.” [At-Tawbah: 71]
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever guides someone to goodness will have a reward like the one who did it.” [Sahih Bukhari]
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The supplication of a Muslim for his brother in his absence will be answered. Every time he makes a supplication for good for his brother, the angel appointed for this particular task says: ‘Ameen! May it be for you, too.'” [Sahih Muslim]
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