SPREADING ISLAM
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QUALITIES OF A GOOD DAEE

Asalam o alaykum wr wb. Once a person steps into Islam and submits to Allah Almighty and stars practicing Islam, then that person willingly or unwillingly becomes representative of Allah's deen. Many of us want to do a lot for Allah's religion after coming into it, and this process of 'doing a lot' is known as dawah. And those people who want to get involved in this are known as Da'ee. A da'ee is not only a representative of Allah's deen, but also carries on his/her shoulder the responsibility of either bringing someone closer to Allah or making one run away from Allah. And the later is a huge thing and crime. So lets be serious about this issue and not treat dawa'h as a hobby and try to learn some good traits which a da'ee must possess.

First of all, there are some very common traits which i am sure we all know and need not discuss. These are: Ikhlas (khalis niyat) to Allah, Trust in Allah, Dua to Allah etc. However I want to discuss some traits which we lack and must give attention to. This may get lengthy, but very beneficial for those who are sincere.

1- PROPER KNOWLEDGE OF DEEN BEFORE STEPPING INTO THIS FIELD
Prophet sallalaho alayhi wassalam said: "Seeking of knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim." (Ibn Majah, 1/224. Tirmidhi 218)
The scholars are unanimous that the word "Knowledge" in this hadith means Islam.
Some people think that they are born scholars and they do not need to learn any knowledge. However Allah Almighty praised those who have knowledge and asked a simple question to such people:
"...Say: 'Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?" (39:9)
"..Allah will raise up, to ranks those of you who believe and have been granted knowledge." (58:11)

Gaining basic knowledge before entering the field of dawah is very important. Basic knowledge includes Study of Holy Quran translation, Aqeedah, Ahadith books like Riyad us saliheen, Basic Fiqh books like bulugh ul maram and biography of Holy Prophet pbuh. Reading biography is most important. Because it is what will teach us how to give dawah. Gaining knowledge doesn't at all mean going to madrassa for 8 years. However it also doesn't mean reading 1 ayah of Quran and 1 hadith and thinking oneself to be scholar. Usually young people are involved in this where they read some ayah or hadith and they think they have got it all and they can talk on anything. What happens is that they do not only deviate themselves but also make others run away from Islam. Prophet Muhammad sallalaho alayhi wassalam said:
"Facilitate things to people (concerning religious matters), and do not make it hard for them and give them good tidings and do not make them run away (from Islam)." ( Sahih Bukhari-Book 3, Number 69)

Beware of doing this brothers & sisters. We may end up explaining some ayah or hadith, or fitting it somewhere, in a manner, which is not actually intended by Allah & His messenger. And ive seen many young people do that. We need to be very very careful in this. Its a serious SERIOUS crime.

2- ADOPTING A MODERATE APPROACH
What is a moderate approach? To know the answer of this question, first of all we need to know our circle of daawah. The scholars defined this circle to be:
1- Family --- 2- Relatives --- 3- Neighbours & Friends --- 4- Local Community --- 5- National --- 6- International

However, many of us especially young people run this circle completely opposite like:
1- International --- 2- National --- 3- Local community .......
This is not at all a wise thing to do and is also against sunnah. We want to target & do huge things while not knowing our calibre and responsibilities. Prophet sallalaho alayhi wassalam said:
"..Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately.' (Sahih Bukhari 8/470)

Also Allah Almighty taught us moderation and deliberation through His own amal. Strange? Ibn Qayyim when asked about the question "Why did Allah create the Heavens & Earth in 6 days when He could have created in split seconds by saying "KUN FAYA KOON"?
One of the reasons, among 6,7 reasons that Ibn Qayyim (r) mentioned while answering this was:
"Allah wanted to teach His creation deliberation & moderation. And this is a GREAT parable. If Rabbul Aalameen, the One free from all faults is adopting deliberation, then how about us, full of faults human beings?"

So we need to be very careful. This is an age of immense flood of Islamic knowledge everywhere, especially on the internet. U can see one video of some scholar and THAT'S IT! U will say "I WILL DO SUCH AND SUCH THING." And then u get indulged in that thing. Later on u see another video and u say "I WILL ALSO DO THIS!" And then u get indulged in another thing. Later on u see some organization and u say "I WILL MAKE SUCH AN ORG. TOO." And that is how u get too much excited and get involved in so many things that it becomes impossible for u to handle all and u end up doing nothing. Be moderate brothers & sisters. See your calibre, see how much knowledge you have, see are u fulfiling farz responsibilities and:
"..keep your duty to Allah and fear Him as much AS YOU CAN." (64:16)
May Allah help us adopt moderation and do deeds in which we are constant. Aameen

CONCLUSION:
This field is such vast that this post does not justify this topic at all. I wanted to discuss so many things but thought that people would get afraid by seeing the length of this post. So Insha Allah i will discuss in episodes. This series is "To be continued.." and insha Allah in next i will discuss "Not boring people" & "Hikmah" with details and examples insha Allah.

How to serve Islam ?


Praise be to Allaah.

 




1 – You can serve Islam by having a correct resolve and sincere intention, for Allaah blesses an action that is done sincerely for His sake alone, even if it is little. Sincere devotion, if it becomes a constant feature of acts of worship and obedience, even if they are small or simple in the sight of the one who does them, makes them great in the sight of Allaah, so Allaah will forgive him for major sins because of that, as it says in the hadeeth about the piece of paper on which is written La ilaaha ill-Allaah.

2 – You can serve Islam by knowing the right way and following it. The Straight Path means following the way of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with regard to the principles, ways and means of da’wah and being patient in adhering to that, whilst treating people with kindness and compassion, because they are suffering from the disease of sin.

3 – You can serve Islam by making the most of all available means and circumstances. This is a great blessing, for all means are permissible except those which have been forbidden by Allaah. So we call people to Allaah by all means prescribed in sharee’ah, whilst paying attention to the evidence of sharee’ah and correct etiquette.

4 – You can serve Islam by giving precedence to that which is in the interests of Islam over your own whims and desires. Serving this religion means giving what is most precious of your money, effort, time, thought, etc. Have you not seen those who love sport (football or soccer) for example, how they devote their efforts, time and money to their beloved sport? But more is expected of you than that.

5 – You can serve Islam by following in the footsteps of the scholars, daa’iyahs and reformers, having patience as your companion and putting up with tiredness and exhaustion. For you are doing a great act of worship which is the mission of the Prophets and Messengers and those who follow in their footsteps.

6 – You can serve Islam by shunning laziness, weakness and apathy, for this religion is the religion of resolve, ambition and courage, and its call is only harmed by laziness or reckless ignorance.

7 – You can serve Islam by connecting your heart to Allaah and reciting a lot of du’aa’ and prayers for forgiveness, and persisting in reading Qur’aan. There is nothing that is more effective in cleansing the heart and refreshing the soul, and making it active and energetic so that it will not get tired or bored, than remembering Allaah much and drawing nearer to Him by means of obeying Him and doing naafil (supererogatory) acts of worship.

8 – You can serve Islam by forming bonds with scholars who practise what they preach, those who are known to be sincere and who are well established in jihad and supporting this religion. Marching under their banner and following their lead is very good and beneficial.

9 – You can serve Islam by organizing your time on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. There are actions which should be done every day, others which should be done every week, and others which should be done every month or every year.

For example, you should make da’wah to those whom you see every day and to those whom you see once a week. You may have a family gathering once a month, and there may be annual conferences, or journeys for Hajj or ‘Umrah once a year, and so on.

10 – You can serve Islam by paying it some attention and giving it some of your time, thoughts and money, and making it your main concern. So when you stand up, it is for Islam; when you walk, it is for Islam; when you think, it is for Islam; when you give, it is for Islam; when you sit, it is for Islam.

11 – you can serve Islam by hastening to contribute every time you find an opportunity to do good. Do not hesitate or delay or put it off.

From Kayfa akhdim al-Islam by ‘Abd al-Malik al-Qaasim, p. 18.
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