Importance of Da’wah in Islam

Da’wah ila Allah: Significance in Islam (Part 10)

“The Sound Answers to the Righteous Questions” – (Part 10)

By: Allamah Zayd bin Muhammad bin Hadi al-Madkhali (may Allah have mercy on him)

Urdu Translation: Umm Muhammad Khushnuma Muslihuddin

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Question 12: What is the importance of Da’wah ila Allah (calling to Allah) in the religion of Islam? How should it be carried out, and upon whom is its fulfillment obligatory? Please clarify, may Allah reward you with good. (Part 3)

(Continued from the previous part…)

As for ‘Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary), peace be upon him, who is the chosen servant of Allah, His Messenger, His Word (which He bestowed upon Maryam), and a spirit from Him. He came to the Children of Israel confirming the Torah that was revealed before him and giving glad tidings of a coming Messenger whose name would be Ahmad. And Ahmad is one of the names of our final Prophet and Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ. So, ‘Isa (peace be upon him) said to his people:

{قَدۡ جِئۡتُكُمۡ بِالۡحِكۡمَةِ وَلِاُبَيِّنَ لَكُمۡ بَعۡضَ الَّذِىۡ تَخۡتَلِفُوۡنَ فِيۡهِ‌ ۚ فَاتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ وَاَطِيۡعُوۡnِ (٦٣) اِنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ رَبِّىۡ وَرَبُّكُمۡ فَاعۡبُدُوۡهُ‌ؕ هٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسۡتَقِيۡمٌ} – [Az-Zukhruf: 63-64]

Translation: "I have come to you with wisdom and to make clear to you some of that in which you differ. So fear Allah and obey me. (63) Indeed, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path."

Allah the Almighty granted ‘Isa (peace be upon him) miracles that were perfectly suited to the art in which his people were skilled. While some among his people treated physical illnesses, ‘Isa (peace be upon him), by Allah’s permission, would bring the dead back to life and heal the blind and the leper from birth. Then Allah the Almighty bestowed upon him a great honor in the form of the Hawariyyun (sincere companions/disciples), who remained steadfast on his path and spread his teachings during his life and after his ascension to Allah. Allah the Almighty says:

{يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا كُوۡنُوۡۤا اَنۡصَارَ اللّٰهِ كَمَا قَالَ عِيۡسَى ابۡنُ مَرۡيَمَ لِلۡحَوٰارِيّٖنَ مَنۡ اَنۡصَارِىۡۤ اِلَى اللّٰهِ‌ؕ قَالَ الۡحَـوٰرِيُّوۡنَ نَحۡنُ اَنۡصَارُ اللّٰهِ‌ فَاٰمَنَتۡ طَّآئِفَةٌ مِّنۡۢ بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ وَكَفَرَتۡ طَّآئِفَةٌ ۚ فَاَيَّدۡنَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا عَلٰى عَدُوِّهِمۡ فَاَصۡبَحُوۡا ظٰهِرِيۡنَ} – [As-Saff: 14]

Translation: "O you who have believed, be supporters of Allah, as when Jesus, the son of Mary, said to the disciples, 'Who are my supporters for Allah?' The disciples said, 'We are supporters of Allah.' And a faction of the Children of Israel believed, and a faction disbelieved. So We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they be1came victorious."

Indeed, ‘Isa (peace be upon him) was the last prophet to the Children of Israel. Allah sent him as a guide to clarify for them the matters in which they greatly differed, as Allah the Almighty stated regarding his reality:

{اِنۡ هُوَ اِلَّا عَبۡدٌ اَنۡعَمۡنَا عَلَيۡهِ وَجَعَلۡنٰهُ مَثَلًا لِّبَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَؕ} – [Az-Zukhruf: 59]

Translation: "He was not but a servant upon whom We bestowed favor, and We made him an example for the Children of Israel."

Furthermore, Allah the Almighty said:

{وَاِنَّهٗ لَعِلۡمٌ لِّلسَّاعَةِ فَلَا تَمۡتَرُنَّ بِهَا} – [Az-Zukhruf: 61]

Translation: "And indeed, he ['Isa] is a sign for the Hour, so be not in doubt about it."

This great prophet and caller to Allah dealt with the Children of Israel in much the same way as Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) had. Allah manifested through his hands such miracles that every person of intellect would believe upon seeing them. Thus, a group among them believed, while another group persisted in disbelief and denial. His enemies made a failed attempt to kill him, but Allah devised a plan for him and made another person resemble him. The enemies then killed that person (thinking it was ‘Isa), while Allah saved ‘Isa (peace be upon him) from his enemies’ intent to kill and crucify him. As Allah the Almighty says:

{وَمَا قَتَلُوۡهُ يَقِيۡنًا (١٥٧) بَلْ رَّفَعَهُ اللّٰهُ اِلَيۡهِ‌} – [An-Nisa: 157-158]

Translation: "And they did not kill him, for certain. (157) Rather, Allah raised him to Himself."

And all this is because he (‘Isa, peace be upon him) is among the infallible and chosen prophets of Allah, His victorious soldiers, and His sincere and well-wishing callers. He will descend in the end times as a just ruler and will judge according to the Shari’ah (law) of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He will break the cross, kill the swine, and abolish the Jizyah tax, as is established in the authentic hadith narrated by Imam al-Zuhri from Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib, from our master Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَيُوشِكَنَّ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ فِيكُمْ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ حَكَمًا عَدْلًا فَيَكْسِرَ الصَّلِيبَ وَيَقْتُلَ الْخِنْزِيرَ وَيَضَعَ الْجِزْيَةَ وَيَفِيضَ الْمَالُ حَتَّى لَا يَقْبَلَهُ أَحَدٌ حَتَّى تَكُونَ السَّجْدَةُ الْوَاحِدَةُ خَيْرًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا”.

“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, the son of Maryam will shortly descend amongst you as a just ruler, and he will break the cross, kill the pig, and abolish the Jizyah. And wealth will be in such abundance that no one will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah will be better than the world and whatever is in it.” [Sahih al-Bukhari: 3448]

So may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon ‘Isa (peace be upon him), a dignified and patient prophet, and upon his mother Maryam bint ‘Imran, who was a symbol of chastity, purity, and sanctity, and whom Allah honored with miracles. (Among those miracles mentioned is that) whenever Zakariyya (peace be upon him) entered her chamber, he would find provisions with her. He would ask, “O Maryam, from where is this for you?” She would reply, “It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account.” Then may Allah’s peace be upon both of them during their lives and after their deaths, and on the day when what is in the graves will be resurrected, what is hidden in the hearts will be brought forth, and people will be presented before Allah in groups to be held accountable for their deeds. Then, whoever is given his record of deeds in his right hand will proceed to Paradise, and what an excellent abode it is. And whoever is given his record in his left hand will be taken to Hell, and what a wretched dwelling and evil end it is.

And as for the one with whom the chain of prophethood was sealed, through whom Allah perfected the religion for us and completed His favor upon us, who was sent to all of jinn and mankind, and after whose advent there is no room for anyone to deviate from his message—I mean the best of all creation, the most righteous, the leader of the callers to truth, the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds, our master and Prophet Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah, the truthful and the trustworthy ﷺ. So (O reader!) pause now and halt your journey, and speak what you will about his call to Allah—a call that was filled with truthfulness, sincerity, devotion, forbearance, patience, wisdom, seriousness, effort, struggle, and mercy.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sent at a time when the entire world was steeped in the darkness of disbelief and ignorance. Then the dawn of his prophethood broke, and the rays of his message spread. The whole earth was illuminated by the light of its Lord. That dense darkness turned into bright rays that became a guiding light for the seekers of truth and established the proof against the misguided and those who turned away from the truth. In the beginning, he ﷺ started with a secret and individual call, until Allah revealed to him the command to “declare what you are commanded.” So he declared it openly and boldly in the valley of Makkah, saying, “I am a warner to you of a severe punishment.”

However, they treated him in the worst manner, gave the worst response, and resorted to the staunchest denial. They began to plot against him ﷺ, thinking day and night of how to get rid of him so that, according to their assumption, people would be saved from his call. Regarding this, Allah the Almighty says:

{وَاِذۡ يَمۡكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا لِيُثۡبِتُوۡكَ اَوۡ يَقۡتُلُوۡكَ اَوۡ يُخۡرِجُوۡكَ‌ؕ وَيَمۡكُرُوۡنَ وَيَمۡكُرُ اللّٰهُ‌ؕ وَاللّٰهُ خَيۡرُ الۡمٰكِرِيۡنَ} – [Al-Anfal: 30]

Translation: "And [remember, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners."

Despite all these conspiracies, alliances, threats, and warnings, he ﷺ stood firm like a mountain, nay, with even greater strength and steadfastness. The greatest proof of this is his statement, which history has preserved forever:

“By Allah, O Uncle! If they were to place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on the condition that I abandon this call, I would not abandon it until Allah either grants it victory or I perish in its path.” [This hadith is da’if (weak) – see: As-Silsilah ad-Da’ifah (909)]

Indeed, what a magnificent and noble stand! This is a sublime example for all who wish to become leaders in the call to religion, in obedience to Allah and in following the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

It is not surprising that the Prophet ﷺ took such a stance; in reality, he was even more noble than that. He was the bravest of all creation, the most pious, and the most protective of Allah’s boundaries. May Allah the Almighty reward him on our behalf with the best reward ever given to a prophet from his nation or to a just ruler from his subjects.

Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stayed in Makkah for thirteen years after his prophethood began. During this time, the Qur’an was being revealed to him, and he patiently conveyed the commands revealed by his Lord to the people, while enduring persecution from all sides.

During the Hajj season, he ﷺ would present his call to various delegations, inviting them to Islam. But they would turn away from his sincere invitation and inflict various kinds of harm upon him.

Once, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to Ta’if to invite its people to support the religion of Allah and to convey the message of his Lord. But its leaders incited their young children and foolish people against him. They stood on both sides of the path and threw stones at him until his blessed feet were injured and it became difficult for him to walk. Despite this severe torment, he ﷺ did not utter anything from his blessed tongue except words of goodness.

But when Allah intends a matter, He provides its means and opens its doors. After this incident, a delegation of seventy people came from Madinah. They met him ﷺ at al-‘Aqabah during Hajj. There, they pledged allegiance to him upon his blessed hand that they would listen and obey in all circumstances, in ease and hardship, in happiness and sorrow; that they would enjoin good and forbid evil; that they would not fear the blame of any blamer in the path of Allah; and that they would truly support him, in return for which they would have Paradise. So they accepted this pledge with joy.

Then Allah the Almighty granted His Prophet ﷺ permission to migrate to Madinah. So he ﷺ departed, migrating for the sake of Allah’s pleasure. When he reached Madinah, the first thing he did was to lay the foundation of a mosque and establish an institution from which graduated the Muhajirun and Ansar who followed him in the hour of difficulty, and who strove in the path of raising the word of Allah (Islam). They did not weaken, nor did they show cowardice. Thereafter, successive battles took place. On one side was the party of Allah, represented by Muhammad ﷺ and his companions, while on the other side was the party of Satan, represented by the leaders of disbelief and the armies of evil and corruption. It is the way of Allah that falsehood is given temporary strength, then it is crushed and obliterated, for Allah has decreed that He will complete His light, even if the disbelievers dislike it.

In the eighth year of the Hijrah, the great event of the Conquest of Makkah took place, in which the Muslims were granted a resounding victory. After this, people began to enter the religion of Allah in droves, and the call of Islam spread to far-reaching areas, as stated in the Noble Qur’an:

{فَمَنۡ يُّرِدِ اللّٰهُ اَنۡ يَّهۡدِيَهٗ يَشۡرَحۡ صَدۡرَهٗ لِلۡاِسۡلَامِ‌ۚ وَمَنۡ يُّرِدۡ اَنۡ يُّضِلَّهٗ يَجۡعَلۡ صَدۡرَهٗ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَاَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِى السَّمَآءِ‌ؕ} – [Al-An’am: 125]

Translation: "So whoever Allah wants to guide - He expands his breast to [contain] Islam; and whoever He wants to misguide - He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky."

In summary, the call of all the prophets and messengers was one, and their objective was one: to bring all of humanity back to its Lord with beautiful preaching, and to guide them towards the truth and the straight path, so that all of humanity may adhere to the correct creed and the true law (shari’ah).

Yes, they (the prophets) called people to leave the worship of weak creation and turn to the servitude of Allah, Who is the Creator of all, the Provider, the Powerful, and the Dominant; Who perfected everything He created, and began the creation of man from clay, then made his progeny from an extract of humble fluid (sperm).

And this very call of the prophets has been carried forward, and is still being carried forward, by their followers—those who are the heirs of their knowledge, who follow their way (sunnah) through word and deed, da’wah and jihad, character and conduct. They are the seekers of beneficial knowledge, doers of righteous deeds, and possessors of deep insight into the religion. Therefore, it is no surprise that they are the true callers to Allah.

Thus, the students of knowledge in every era and every place are the standard-bearers of spreading the messages of Allah. They are the ones who guide creation towards the path of Allah’s pleasure, and they are the lamps that illuminate the way for the people of the earth, thereby strengthening their connection with Allah. For this reason, they have been described in the Qur’an as bearers of absolute good, as Allah the Almighty said:

{كُنۡتُمۡ خَيۡرَ اُمَّةٍ اُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ تَاۡمُرُوۡنَ بِالۡمَعۡرُوۡفِ وَتَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ الۡمُنۡكَرِ وَتُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاللّٰهِ‌ؕ} – [Al ‘Imran: 110]

Translation: "You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah."

Similarly, they have been described with the quality of absolute justice and moderation, as Allah the Almighty states:

{وَكَذٰلِكَ جَعَلۡنٰكُمۡ اُمَّةً وَّسَطًا لِّتَکُوۡنُوۡا شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُوۡنَ الرَّسُوۡلُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ شَهِيۡدًا} – [Al-Baqarah: 143]

Translation: "And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you."

Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, has combined His own testimony, the testimony of the angels, and the testimony of the people of knowledge for the greatest testimony, which is His Oneness (Tawhid). And this is the greatest honor and tribute. Allah the Almighty said:

{شَهِدَ اللّٰهُ اَنَّهٗ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَۙ وَالۡمَلٰٓئِكَةُ وَاُولُوا الۡعِلۡمِ قَآئِمًا ۢ بِالۡقِسۡطِ‌ؕ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الۡحَكِيۡمُؕ} – [Al ‘Imran: 18]

Translation: "Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge - [that He is] maintaining [creation] in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

And the Prophet ﷺ described their virtue by saying:

“إِنَّ فَضْلَ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْكَوَاكِبِ”.

“The virtue of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the full moon on the fourteenth night over all other stars.” [Sunan Abi Dawud: 3641, authenticated by al-Albani]

Similarly, it is mentioned in a narration (athar):

“On the Day of Resurrection, three types of people will intercede: first the prophets, then the scholars, and then the martyrs.” (1)

Imam al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him), after mentioning this narration (about the intercession of prophets, scholars, and martyrs), said:

“What can be said of the greatness of a station that lies between prophethood and martyrdom.”

I (the author) say: This rank and high status of theirs (the scholars) is only because they embraced the valuable and precious inheritance of prophethood, as stated in the hadith:

“إِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، إِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَارًا وَلَا دِرْهَمًا إِنَّمَا وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَ بِهِ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ”.

“Indeed, the scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets did not leave behind dinars or dirhams as inheritance, but rather they left behind knowledge. So whoever takes it has taken a great share.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 2682, authenticated by al-Albani]

The contemporary poet of the Islamic da’wah, Sheikh Hafiz bin Ahmad al-Hakami (may Allah have mercy on him), described the greatness and beauty of the scholars in these verses:

They are the supporters and protectors of the religion and its boundaries,

Who stand firm against the enemy with an army that is never defeated.

They are moons, but for them there is no setting,

Rather, they are suns that have outshone all with their light.

When the sun sets, some of its light fades away,

But their (the scholars’) light illuminates (the world) even after their death.

They have a high station that no servant can reach,

Except one who strives and acts as they did.

It is sufficient honor for them that in the most straight and true religion,

They became the successors to the master of all truthful people (Muhammad ﷺ).

(To be continued…)

(1) Imam Ibn Majah narrated this athar in his Sunan in “Kitab al-Zuhd,” chapter no. 37, vol. 1, hadith no. 4313, p. 1443, from our master ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). However, some scholars have declared this narration to be weak due to a narrator in its chain named ‘Anbasah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Anbasah Sa’id ibn al-‘As al-Qurashi. Imam al-Bukhari said about him: “He is munkar al-hadith (his hadith is rejected),” and Imam Abu Zur’ah said: “He is a weak narrator.” (See: “Al-Kamil fi Du’afa al-Rijal” by Ibn ‘Adi, vol. 5, p. 1900).

I (the author) say: It is sufficient for the virtue and distinction of the scholars that Allah the Almighty has joined their testimony with His own testimony and the testimony of His close angels, as He, the Exalted, says:

{شَهِدَ اللّٰهُ اَنَّهٗ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَۙ وَالۡمَلٰٓئِكَةُ وَاُولُوا الۡعِلۡمِ قَآئِمًا ۢ بِالۡقِسۡطِ‌ؕ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الۡحَكِيۡمُؕ} – [Al ‘Imran: 18]

Translation: "Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge - [that He is] maintaining [creation] in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

Furthermore, Allah the Almighty has specified complete khashyah (fear and awe) only for these scholars, as He said:

{اِنَّمَا يَخۡشَى اللّٰهَ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِ الۡعُلَمٰٓاء} – [Fatir: 28]

Translation: "Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge."

And our Prophet ﷺ also informed us about them that they are the heirs of the prophets in conveying the messages of Allah to His creation. Thus, he ﷺ said:

“إِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ”.

“Indeed, the scholars are the heirs of the prophets.” [Sunan Abi Dawud: 3641, authenticated by al-Albani]