“And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, “Indeed, I am of the Muslims.”- (Quran 41:33)
Does this mean we should all work in the field of Da’wah, should we all some way or another engage in Da’wah activities?
I understand that calling to Allah and the religion of Islam requires certain amount of knowledge, that came through credible sources and under supervision, besides special communication and personal skills.
But how can we evaluate our own selves to know whether we fit in within the criteria of preachers? And to what extent are lay people, such as ourselves, mandated to make Da’wah?!
Please advise!
Yours, sincerely,
a Muslim citizen.
Posted on: January 5, 2013
Answer provided below by a member of The Muslim Tribune team
Assalamu alikum wa ramat Allah wa barakato.
Thank you brother for raising this very important subject- and this shrewd question, the answer of which should be engraved in the hearts and minds of all Muslims, especially in this challenging time the Ummah is going through.
First let me clarify the meaning of Da’wah.
Da’wah involves a literal and a technical meaning
Literary it refers to inviting and calling people to Allah, and this is surely a duty befalling each and every Muslim individual; each in his own way and according to his own knowledge capacity, skills and platform availed.
As for the technical meaning, that is engaging in Da’wah and preaching activities, it is a field of specialty that needs studying and training pretty much like any other field of specialty and career. One should have a profound knowledge of Islam and familiarity with the methodology of Da’wah to take up such responsibility. Similarly, one should have and cultivate the personality of a preacher that requires much charisma, talent and proficiency.
Technical Da’wah involves verbal and scholarly preaching. And in our modern age there’s also media channels that provide a wide scope of tools facilitating reaching out to the masses.
Whether the first or the second definition of Da’wah, make sure you do not deliver a single piece of information that was not delivered to you personally through a credible source, whether through a scholar and prominent preacher, or an authentic book.
A major challenge we face nowadays is the spread of much heresy about Islam and unfounded Hadiths which is sometimes done by people who harbor good intentions and are enthusiastic about spreading the religion of Islam, yet do not have the needed skills or knowledge that make them eligible for such task.
I pray I have clarified the matter enough and answered your question efficiently.
If so, please take it upon yourself to to pass whatever information or awareness you gained through this post onto as much people as you can.
Wassalaam,
Feel free to send your questions to
counselor@muslimtribune.org
We will be glad to answer you.
Answer posted on:
February 12, 2013