In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
IMPORTANCE OF DAWAH IN
[Shamim A Siddiqi,
Let us first clearly
understand as what is Dawah Ilallah?
What is Dawah Ilallah? Dawah Ilallah [DI] is a means not an end. The end is and was always to get the Deen of Allah introduced, spread and establish ultimately in the body politics of the country. It means DI is an organized, a disciplined, a determined and a continuous effort by individuals and a team of conscious Muslims and Muslimah, known in the terminology of the Qur’an as “Da’ee Ilallah”. Dawah is not only just distributing some flyers or feelers “occasionally” or “seasonally” at some malls, market places, busy streets, parks and political rallies and feeling satisfied that the “assignment” of DI has been completed. It is all “Extensive” Dawah work. Through this process, there is no certainty that it would yield the desired results and produce that team of followers of Islam or the adherents who will sacrifice all for Allah’s Deen.
An example: If a stone is thrown in a pond or river or ocean, it would create a ripple. Where it would end? It would end at the bank of a river, pond or ocean. Effort of DI will culminate when it engulfs the entire human race. Hence Dawah effort must be carried out to its logical conclusion.
[Here the importance of the terms: “organized”, “disciplined”, “determined” & “continuous” effort be explained for better understanding the Dawah field work]
Hadith of Rasulullah {S}: If they [the idolaters of Makkah] put sun on my right hand and moon on my left, I (S) will not give up this work [of DI] till Allah’s Deen becomes dominant or I give up my life in that pursuit. See the vibrating force of his (S) determination, continuity of efforts and clarity of goal in his (S) approach and effort]
Is anyone of us sitting here
bursting with this Azima? If not, let us rekindle our Iman. However, I have seen this Azima on the faces
of many of our humble workers around the country but the leadership could not
give them the sense of direction as what
to do and how to do? It is the only
redeeming feature in ICNA/s set up.
Intensive Dawah efforts: Dawah activities attain perfection only through Intensive Dawah efforts. The connotation of “intensive” Dawah program is to develop personal contact on “person-to-person” basis with set targets in and around your neighborhood, at job places and around Masjid. The personal contact program at individual level must continue at regular intervals till the contactee becomes the follower of Islam or commits to be involved in Dawah activities or shows some different attitude to DI. In that case, a Da’ee must withdraw respectfully to pursue for some other time while keeping the personal contact alive and brings others under his targeted personal contact plan.
This is the essence of Dawah Ilallah. Both are complementary to each other. Extensive Dawah programs are the “recruiting” nucleus while the Intensive personal contact program is to bring the “new-found” individuals to the fold of Islam through continuous persuasion, dialogue and discussion. The Extensive Dawah Program is to make general introduction of Islam to masses while the intensive Dawah contacts will produce the team of workers [Da’ees], the purpose for which the Islamic Movement is launched. Hence depending just on Extensive Programs and ignoring the intensive Dawah contact program will negate our Dawah efforts. Rasulullah (S) used both the methods of Dawah Ilallah.
Pre-requisites of DI: Dawah efforts in American perspective
or elsewhere in the world must meet the following pre-requisites. If we ignore
them, we will never succeed in discharging our obligation towards Iqamatuddeen
in this country. Dawah efforts are going everywhere in the
1. Clarity of vision &
Conviction: What to do and how
to do? We are to struggle for
Allah’s Deen and in the way Rasulullah (S) did during his life time. The
process of DI for establishing the Deen of Allah, therefore, must remain the
same as introduced and practiced by Rasulullah (S) However, the means may
change with modern or updated means of transport and communication that will
always change as per needs of the human society. The Goal will never change. It would remain steadfast with complete
clarity in the vision of the
leadership and that of the workers with the conviction that they would accomplish it, come what may... The Islamic leadership will be the model
for the workers. That would be the prime most asset of the Movement.
Examples: Rasulullah (S) and the keys of Ka’ba; Complaint of Khabbab bin Arat (RA)
2. Acquiring working knowledge of Islam: through
extensive study program of the Qur’an, Hadith, Seerah of Rasulullah (S), basic
Fiqh, Islamic history of at least first 150 years and Islamic literature
covering its social, economic and political structure. The Islamic Organization will guide the individual workers as what to
study and from where through
individual and group study programs
3. Understanding the country, the people and their problems better
than an American social, religions and political activist: their history,
living condition, likes and dislikes, behavior, manners, ethical standards,
their beauties and shortcomings and age old traditions; their social, economic
and political problems and Islamic solution. A Da’ee must remain updated about
all the burning issues including American games and sports. A Da’ee can and
will face any situation while in the field. He should not cut a sorry figure
when he is put to question in any of these fields. The Islamic movement will prepare the Da’ee to face each situation
successfully. Rasulullah (S) was well
aware of Arab’s condition in all respect.
4. Building Trustworthy
Character - Self-development Program: Through Joint studies, practice speeches on given topics, memorizing the
Qur’an/Ahadith/Du’a; exhorting workers
to offer Tahajjud at home, pondering over the capsule verses of the Qur’an in
depth; inculcating the qualities of Taqwah, Sabr, Shukr, Tawakkal Alallah and dependence on Riazq-e-Kafaf etc. The leadership has to work hard to build
these characteristics of Da’ee Ilallah in each worker.
5. Developing the habit of sacrificing time, talents and resources
for the Goal: This is the crux of the problem. It is the criterion to
measure the volume of our commitment, judge our Iman and the depth of
involvement in the movement. The spirit if sacrifice is to be achieved or
inculcated in each worker through increasing his sense of deep involvement in
the movement, love for the ideology and providing mental horizon of vast
possibilities of his personal success here and hereafter. It needs constant
persuasion and creating the extreme sense of accountability in Akhirah. The Islamic leadership will be his or her
role model.
6. Be the integral part of the Islamic Movement [Jamaah]: “Wa Kunu ma al-ssadeqeen” [al-Tawba119]: Struggle for Iqamatuddeen is a collective effort. Alone none can do it. Hence Jamaah is our basic need. “Yadullahe Alal Jamaah”
Examples: Rasulullah (S) first Jamaah of five persons; Ch. Ghulam Mohammad
Sahib; Mian Tufail Mohammad Sahib;
Utility of Jamaah: How and in what respect Jamaah can help.
Conclusion:
1. These are the prerequisites of a Da’ee for Dawah Ilallah in American perspective.
2. ICNA has to build a team of Da’ees based on these prerequisites;
3. The goal of Iqamatuddeen
cannot be fulfilled without building a team of Da’ees whose excellence will be
tested through their model character. The future development of ICNA in the
Let us all commit ourselves to change our life pattern and transform ourselves as effective Da’ee Ilallah within a feasible time frame of a year or so. May Allah give us Tawfeeq to fulfill our commitment to work for Allah’s Deen as hole heartedly as humanly possible.
Shamim A Siddiqi
Dated: June 8, 2005