Dawah’s work has been termed in the Quran as ‘the call to God.’ In other words, dawah work aims at bringing people closer to their Creator and Sustainer. Calling people to God tells them that the only right way of life for them on this earth is to become true believers in God.
Calling people to God means warning man of the evil consequences of self-oriented life, inviting him to adopt the God-oriented life. The most authentic and reliable source of knowledge of the divine teachings on both types of life has been preserved for us in the form of the Quran. Calling people to God is purely other-worldly. It is not directly associated with national, social, or economic issues. It is a campaign to call people to God. It starts in the spiritual and religious idiom and goes on in the same idiom and style till the end.
The mission of calling people to God is, in essence, a divine task performed by human beings. It must be performed spiritually. Any work done in a non-spiritual way will not be a genuine call to God, even if it is done in His name.
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The best way is to become a well-wisher for mankind. This should be the motto of a dayee, or a person who engages in dawah. He should be positive to the last extent, not get offended and be empty of negative thoughts for others.
I once met an ultra-modern person who had studied philosophy and history. He said during conversation, “If Muhammad is removed from history, what shall be lost from history?” Apparently, it was a provocative statement but I did not get provoked. I kept thinking and increased my study. After this study, I published the book, Islam: The Creator of Modern Age. The book was a result of the thinking that developed in me due to the comment made by the above person. Dawah work should be done purely on the basis of the Quran and Hadith and not on the basis of communal or national sentiment.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The Muslim community has been called ‘The Middle Nation’ in the Quran in the following verse of the second chapter, which states: “We have made you a middle nation, so that you may act as witnesses for mankind, and the Messenger may be a witness for you.” (2:143)
This verse speaks of the role of Muslims as dayees. It explains that they have received the divine religion through God’s Messenger. Therefore, they now must communicate God’s message to every generation in every age. The word ‘witness’ (shahid) in this verse is equivalent to dayee.
It was the responsibility of the followers of Prophet Muhammad to pass on the truth they had received from the Prophet to others. The same responsibility devolved upon the ancient people of the Book. That is, making the message of God clear to people. (The Quran, 3:187)
Conveying God’s word to humanity, or the task of being a witness (shaahid), is neither something mysterious nor is it a matter of superiority. The Call to God is all a matter of responsibility, and without doubt, there is no responsibility more significant than this. The responsibility of the Prophet’s Ummah is far more than that of other communities. The Prophet of Islam is called the ‘seal of the Prophets’ in the Quran (33:40); therefore, no other Prophet will come after him. The followers of Prophet Muhammad have to fulfil their responsibility of conveying the divine message to their contemporaries in every age till Doomsday. It is the duty of every Muslim, and he has to perform it on a priority basis.
We should remember that conveying God’s message to humanity is to be done in a clear and understandable style to the addressees, which is retained in their minds or makes a lasting impression on their minds. In the modern era, we need to make Islam understandable to people in the language of today, i.e., modern, scientific idiom.
Only by fulfilling this dawah responsibility to our utmost can we be held eligible in God’s eyes to be called the ‘Middle Nation’.
Source: Calling People to God
A dayee is an individual who invites others to God and the truth. A madu is the one called to God and the truth. The successful dayee will need to consider many aspects of Islamic knowledge, the condition of the environment he is working in, his resources and means, and what he wishes to accomplish.
The aim of calling man to God is that, while still living in the world, he may become an inhabitant of the hereafter. He will thus discover God’s greatness in the greatness of the world. He will start experiencing heavenly blessings in worldly comforts, while worldly hardships will remind him of the torment of hell fire.
Source: Calling People to God
Calling people to Islam is a divine mission, and is carried out to fulfil the divine scheme. (4: 165) It is, therefore, natural that God should assist in this endeavour. It is such a difficult task that not receiving divine help would be more surprising than receiving it.
The responsibility for carrying on the work of dawah after the Prophet rests with the Muslims. It is as his followers that they shall have to carry on what he accomplished in his lifetime. (22:78) With this extension of responsibility, it is only proper that there should be an extension of their rights also.
Source: Calling People to God
