DAWAH OPPORTUNITIES IN THE 21st CENTURY
In the 21st century, the Brothers of the Prophet have been given opportunities to convey the divine message worldwide.
In the 7th century, three exceptional opportunities for conveying the divine message were provided for the Companions of the Prophet. In the 21st century, the Brothers of the Prophet have also been given three opportunities entirely in accordance with current circumstances. The need of the hour is that some courageous believers must discover these opportunities and turn this potential into actuality by wise action. All these three opportunities can be described as relating to the following:
1. Generation of Seekers
2. Digital Centre for Global Dawah
3. Abundant Resources
Let us understand each of these opportunities.
Generation of Seekers
The people of Quraysh in Makkah were, in reality, truth-seekers. Therefore, they have been called Hunafa, truth-seekers in the Traditions.
Zaid-ibn-Umar was one of these seekers (hunafa). Asmat-bint-Abu-Bakr says he saw Zaid-ibn-Umar sitting by the wall of the Kabah and repeating, “O my God, had I known what was the best form of Your worship, I would have worshipped You in the same way, but I do not know.” (Seerah Ibn-e-Kathir, vol. 1, p. 154)
Consciously or unconsciously, this was the state of almost all the members of the Banu Ishmael. Thanks to their special desert training, these people were truth seekers rather than deniers of the truth. That is why almost all their men and women gradually accepted Islam. Their initial opposition was due to their unawareness rather than arrogance. The case of the modern generation is also somewhat similar. In present times, the scientific and intellectual revolution has brought into being seekers of truth. The following example illustrates this.
A British couple, dissatisfied with Western civilisation, finally left London to settle in New Delhi. Now they are running a hospital for sick animals in Delhi. They want to find solace in the service of animals. Some of our team members went to meet them and presented them with a copy of the Quran in English. They were delighted to accept it and said they would certainly read it. They also observed, “We have always wanted to know another version of the truth.”
This is true of almost all men and women in present times. New thinking and new research have made them consciously or unconsciously seekers of truth. This state of affairs offers the same opportunity to the Brothers of the Prophet in the 21st century as the Companions of the Prophet received in the 7th century. Those who discover this opportunity and avail of it will undoubtedly play the role of the Brothers of the Prophet role.
Digital Centre for Global Dawah
In the words of the Tradition, it is desired today that the word of Islam should enter all homes, big or small, on this earth (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 23814). Any task of a lesser magnitude than this cannot be held to measure up to the desired standard. Today there is every opportunity to organize this work, whereas, in ancient times, it could be performed only in limited areas.
This work must be global in scope. As a matter of expediency, in present times, God has provided the most favourable circumstances. The whole world has, thus, become a global village. Today, using modern resources to perform global dawah has become possible. Today this mission requires not a local but an international centre.
It is by the special succour of God that this has become possible, as we have modern means of communication and technology at our disposal. Of course, the digital centre of the modern age will be set up in a limited area on earth, but its role will be effective in organizing global dawah work.
Abundant Resources
The same progress has been made regarding peace and the abundance of resources. The present-day is the time, in the complete sense, when peace and abundant resources offer every conceivable opportunity to do dawah work peacefully. War and violence are no longer options. In principle, today’s man has no choice but to tread the path of peace. With the existence of weapons of mass destruction, it is now only through peaceful methods that any goal can be attained. Now no positive goal can be achieved by the use of violence.
Furthermore, the right to religious freedom is absolute today so that we can convey the divine message at a global level unhindered. In ancient Arabia, the peace available to the Quraysh in a limited way because of the Kabah has now become available globally thanks to the revolution of the modern age.
In present times abundant resources are available on a large scale that has never before been witnessed. The modern industrial revolution has increased the opportunities to earn money a hundredfold. Therefore, if the believers do not create any problems, they can perform dawah work with the advantage of having all the available resources in their hands, whereas in former times, the believers had to do this work in a very constricted way, resources being so very scarce in those times.
Studies show that the modern age is a new age in every respect. Therefore, we can refer to it as the end of the traditional age and the emergence of the non-traditional scientific age. We live in a changed world in every respect of thought and action. This change is so significant that if a person from the ancient age were to be revived and brought to this world, he would think that perhaps he was having a dream because he would find everything changed to an unimaginable extent.
What is required now is that some believers stand up and avail themselves of the opportunities to convey the divine message to all humanity.
