Five Premises, Five Means and Five Results of the Islamic Propagation
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Creator: Shaykh `Aa'id Abdullah al-Qarnee
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Identifier: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=503
Language: en
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Subject: dawah
Title: Five Premises, Five Means and Five Results of the Islamic Propagation
Created on: Mon Jan 14 12:06:32 -0500 2008
Updated on: Mon Jan 14 12:06:32 -0500 2008
Version: 1
Abstract: ... has five approaches, and its results are also five. The five premises First: sincerity and truthfulness with Allah, and to seek His favour. Allah says: ‘And withal, they were not enjoined aught but that they should worship God, sincere in their faith to Him alone.’ (98:5) The holy Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, foretold tat the first with whom the fire of hell will be lit are three; among them a scholar who acquired knowledge so that people would say he is learned. And it was indeed said of him. Second: to practice what one preaches. Actually it is a scandal and disgrace that a person’s actions contradict his words. Allah derides such people in His Quran: ‘Do you bid other people to be pious, the while you forget your own selves – and yet you recite the divine writ? Will you not, then, use your reason?’ (2:44) Third: gentleness in presenting the message. Allah advised Moses and Aaron to adopt this measure with Pharaoh, the greatest tyrant of his time: ‘But speak unto him in a mild manner, so that he might bethink himself or [at least] be filled with apprehension.’ (20:44) And to Muhammad, He also cautioned: ‘And it was by God’s grace that thou [O Prophet] didst deal gently with thy followers; for if thou hadst been harsh and hard of heart, they would indeed have broken away from thee’ (3:159). Hence it was on this basis the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, declared: ‘Make matters easy and do not make them difficult. Give glad tidings and do not drive people away.’ Fourth: adopt a gradual approach to propagation. Do as Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, did in his mission by beginning with the most important matters; then follow them up in order of priority. This was clearly demonstrated in the advice he gave to Mu`adh before he sent him to Yemen. "You will come upon a People of the Book (Jews and Christians), the first thing you should invite them to is to bear witness that there is no God save Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah. If they respond positively to this, then inform them that Allah had ordained for them five prayers each day and night.’ Fifth: address every people with what is suited for them and their needs. There is a special approach to the people of the cities and another approach to the villagers. Similarly, there is a special approach to the bedouin. The intellectual has his position and the ignorant has his position. So too, there is a style for the argumentative and an entirely different one for the submissive. ‘And whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted wealth abundant.... [Full Article...]
