Why Abandoning the Call to Islam Leads to Destruction: Insights from Islamic Teachings
Islam is Allah’s beloved religion; it is a beautiful religion consisting of lovely words, noble teachings, pure beliefs, and excellent thoughts. In fact, this religion holds peace, comfort, and tranquility for all the people of the world. Whoever desires a way to live and the art of living should come under the shade of Islam, and then Allah’s mercy will envelop him, allowing him to lead a pleasant life.
A question arises in the mind: If there is peace in the fold of Islam, then why are Muslims in distress today? Why has a community destined for elevation and progress become a oppressed nation? Why is there a massacre of Muslims everywhere? Why is Allah displeased with us today, and why has He put us to the test?
The answer is that we have remained Muslims only in name; in practice, we are far from the teachings of Muhammad (SAW). Allah has given us the most beloved religion, but we have neither protected it, nor understood it correctly, nor made a sincere effort to act upon it. In other words, we have not supported our religion, which is why Allah’s help has distanced itself from us. Allah has made us part of the Ummah of Muhammad(SAW), and it is the responsibility of every individual in the Ummah to acquire knowledge of Islam, act upon it, and also convey it to others. If difficulties arise in the path of propagation, one should hold onto patience. The essence of Surah Al-Asr is the same, and after implementing these principles, we will be among those who attain salvation in this world and the Hereafter; otherwise, we will not. Allah Almighty has commanded Muslims to invite others, as He said:
وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (آل عمران:104)
Translation: “Let there arise from you a group inviting to all that is good and enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.”
And in another place, Allah says:
ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ (النحل:125)
Translation: “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction and argue with them in a way that is best.”
The responsibility of inviting and propagating is upon every Muslim according to their ability and knowledge. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
بَلِّغُوا عَنِّي ولو آيَةً، وَحَدِّثُوا عن بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَا حَرَجَ، وَمَن كَذَبَ عَلَيَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا، فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ. (صحيح البخاري:3461)
Translation: “Convey my message to the people, even if it is just one verse, and you may narrate from the Children of Israel without any harm, and whoever lies against me intentionally, let him prepare his seat in Hell.”
Allah sent the last Prophet and thus ended the series of Prophets; now, until the Day of Judgment, only the message of the last Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the path to salvation for the people of the world. It is the duty of every Muslim to convey this message to every individual and every corner of the world. It is also a reality that due to the failure to convey the correct invitation, Islam is becoming alien. The conditions for Muslims are deteriorating. I do not hesitate to say that most individuals of this Ummah have abandoned the fundamental duty of invitation, which has led to our destruction becoming our fate. In such times, Allah’s destruction encompasses both the righteous and the wicked. In this regard, let us look at a few verses and hadiths that mention the destruction resulting from abandoning the call. Allah says:
لُعِنَ الَّذينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ بَني إِسْرائيلَ عَلى لسان دَاودَ وعيسى بن مَرْيَمَ ذلكَ بِما عَصَوْا وكَانُوا يَعْتَدونَ.كَانُوا لا يَتَناهَوْنَ عَنْ مُنْكَر فَعَلُوهُ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلونَ (المائدة: 78- 79)
Translation: “Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel by the tongue of David and Jesus, the son of Mary. That was for what they disobeyed and were transgressing. They did not used to prevent one another from wrongdoing that they did. Evil was that which they were doing.”
Those who do not prevent others from wrongdoing are deserving of curse, and those who commit wrong will certainly face punishment, while only those who do good, prevent evil, and command others to do good will be saved. Allah’s statement is:
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا به أَنجَيْنَا الَّذينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَن السُّوء وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذينَ ظَلَمُوا بعَذَاب بَئيس بمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ (الأعراف:165)
Translation: “So when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We saved those who used to prohibit evil, and We seized those who wronged with a terrible punishment because they were transgressing.”
In one place, Allah explicitly mentions that in earlier times, there were few who prevented corruption and wrongdoing, and We destroyed everyone except for a few good people who used to prohibit corruption on earth. Thus, Allah’s command is:
فَلَوْلَا كَانَ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّمَّنْ أَنجَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ ۗ وَاتَّبَعَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مَا أُتْرِفُوا فِيهِ وَكَانُوا مُجْرِمِينَ (هود:116)
Translation: “And if only there had been among those before you, persons of reason, who, forbidding corruption in the land, would have saved a few of them. But We found no one.”
Now, let me mention a few hadiths that discuss the calamity resulting from abandoning the call. Sayyidina Jareer bin Abdullah Al-Bajali رضي الله عنه narrates that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
ما من رجلٍ يكونُ في قومٍ يعملُ فيهم بالمعاصي يقدِرون على أن يُغيِّروا عليه فلا يُغيِّروا إلَّا أصابهم اللهُ بعذابٍ من قبلِ أن يموتوا (صحيح أبي داود:4339)
Translation: “There is no man who is among a people where sins are being committed, and he is able to change them but does not do so, except that Allah will afflict them with a punishment before he dies.”
Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه narrated:
يا أيُّها النَّاسُ إنَّكُم تَقرؤونَ هذِهِ الآيةَ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ، وإنِّي سَمِعْتُ رسولَ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ علَيهِ وسلَّمَ يَقولُ: إنَّ النَّاسَ إذا رأوا ظالمًا، فلم يأخُذوا على يَديهِ أوشَكَ أن يعُمَّهُ اللَّهُ بعِقابٍ منهُ (صحيح الترمذي:3057)
Translation: “O people! You read this verse: ‘O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones.’ And I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘When people see a wrongdoer and do not take him by the hand (to stop him), it is likely that Allah will send down His punishment upon them all.'”
Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
والَّذي نَفسي بيدِهِ لتأمُرُنَّ بالمعروفِ ولتَنهوُنَّ عنِ المنكرِ أو ليوشِكَنَّ اللَّهُ أن يبعثَ عليكُم عقابًا منهُ ثمَّ تَدعونَهُ فلا يَستجيبُ لَكُم (صحيح الترمذي:2169)
Translation: “By the One in whose hand is my soul! You must enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, or else Allah will soon send upon you a punishment, and then you will call upon Him, but He will not respond to you.”
Narrated by Al-Nu’man bin Bashir رضي الله عنه, he reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
مَثَلُ القائِمِ علَى حُدُودِ اللَّهِ والواقِعِ فيها، كَمَثَلِ قَوْمٍ اسْتَهَمُوا علَى سَفِينَةٍ، فأصابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أعْلاها وبَعْضُهُمْ أسْفَلَها، فَكانَ الَّذِينَ في أسْفَلِها إذا اسْتَقَوْا مِنَ الماءِ مَرُّوا علَى مَن فَوْقَهُمْ، فقالوا: لو أنَّا خَرَقْنا في نَصِيبِنا خَرْقًا ولَمْ نُؤْذِ مَن فَوْقَنا، فإنْ يَتْرُكُوهُمْ وما أرادُوا هَلَكُوا جَمِيعًا، وإنْ أخَذُوا علَى أيْدِيهِمْ نَجَوْا، ونَجَوْا جَمِيعًا. (صحيح البخاري:2493)
Translation: “The example of the one who upholds the limits of Allah and the one who transgresses them is like a group of people who drew lots for a ship. Some of them got the upper deck, while others got the lower deck. When those in the lower deck needed water, they would pass by those above them. They said, ‘If we make a hole in our portion, we will not harm those above us.’ If they leave them to do what they intended, all will perish, but if they take their hands (to stop them), they will all be saved.”
From these verses and hadiths, it is clear that most Muslims have abandoned the duty of invitation, which has resulted in them being subjected to various worldly punishments. On the other hand, we see that there are not a few who are engaged in inviting; large-scale and significant gatherings are being held, and sometimes a single program has a list of hundreds of speakers and presenters. If we were to find even one benefit from the efforts of these individuals, it would yield hundreds of benefits for society, yet in reality, society does not seem to benefit from such programs today. Considering all these invitations, it seems that the work of invitation is not happening, or if some invitation work is taking place, many flaws have emerged in it. Let us search for where the shortcomings lie.
٭ One major flaw is that a large number of Muslims graduate from universities and madrasas, and many knowledgeable individuals, after acquiring religious knowledge, choose another field and do not engage in propagation at all.
٭ The second flaw is that when the scholars have been negligent in propagating the religion and have been lax in conveying it to the people, the ignorant have taken their place. This is why today, uneducated individuals are becoming scholars and leading the Ummah towards misguidance.
٭ Those who are calling for sectarianism are hiding the truth from the people and inviting them to falsehood. What I mean is that they twist and manipulate the texts of the religion to fit their sect and conceal the truth from the people, leading them to their self-made statements.
٭ Another flaw is that educated individuals of the Ummah are shying away from the core invitation. The original invitation of the Prophets was the propagation of “Tawheed” and the eradication of “Shirk,” which many scholars today are avoiding, except for those whom Allah wills.
٭ Today, knowledge has become a trade; the fee for a lecture is determined based on the time and the scholar’s worth. In such a scenario, where is the invitation? It has become a business, and when the invitation becomes a business, it cannot benefit the Ummah or even itself.
٭ The scope of invitation has become very limited; the religion is indeed with the Muslims, but the real field for scholars to propagate is to present Islam to non-Muslims. Unfortunately, I must say that in this field, some educated doctors and engineers are working, but the true heirs of the Prophets are not visible.
٭ The scope of invitation has also narrowed in the sense that Muslims are divided into various groups; each sect is only engaged in inviting within its own circle, thinking that they are doing a great job of invitation, while they are neither reaching non-Muslims nor are they able to approach other Muslims outside their own group.
٭ Among the few invitees, most are completely oblivious to inviting themselves; they think that merely presenting the Quran and Hadith to others is sufficient for invitation, and it is not necessary for them to act upon these matters. They do not explicitly say this, but it appears to be the case in practice. Where will the impact of such invitees’ speeches come from?
٭ In invitation, there is a command to do good and a command to forbid evil; just as it is obligatory for us to command good, it is also obligatory to prevent evil. Today, there is a great deal of promotion of good deeds, but no one is there to stop others from committing wrong.
٭ Some invitees do not preach to wrongdoers, thinking, “What benefit will it bring to them?” This is a grave mistake that the Children of Israel also committed in the past. When the righteous advised the wrongdoers, some would say, “Punishment is bound to come upon them; what benefit is there in advising them?”
In summary, the invitation is an important duty for us Muslims. We must demonstrate trustworthiness in fulfilling this duty, convey as much of the religion as we know with certainty and evidence, and eliminate the aforementioned flaws in the field of invitation among ourselves. Only then can our invitation be successful, and our actions can lead to salvation. May Allah grant us all the ability to invite with sincerity and devotion. Ameen.
✍️ Written by: Sheikh Maqbool Ahmad Salafi Hafizahullah
❪Jeddah Dawah Center, Hayy Al-Salamah—Saudi Arabia❫