The purpose of dawah is to acquaint man with the creation plan of God. He should be told what his relationship with God is, and how God is going to deal with him in the future. It is like introducing man to God. The purpose of this work is to put a lost person on the path to God, so that he may truly realize God.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at first started to secretly communicate the message of Islam. Members of his immediate family were the first to accept Islam. Abu Bakr Siddiq was the first person outside the family to accept Islam. He in turn called his friends to God and Islam, and some of them, like Uthman and Abdur Rahman bin Auf, accepted Islam.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to visit the homes of the Makkans, calling them towards Islam by reciting the verses of the Quran. Umar said that the Prophet came on many occasions to call him towards Islam. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would also address people gathered at the Kabah. The Kabah was the place of pilgrimage and it would have people coming to it from Makkah as well various parts of Arabia. The Prophet would recite to them verses of the Quran, narrating to them the power of God and the powerlessness of the idols they worshipped. He had to face ridicule, anger and opposition. People said that he had become mentally unstable and was a magician. They even tried to bribe him to stop propagating Islam.

The opposition became relentless and even Abu Talib, his uncle, who was his guardian and protector, pleaded with him to abandon Islam. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied that even if the people opposing Islam were to place the sun in his right hand and the moon in his left hand, he would not stop propagating Islam.