Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu Alaikum! Dear Brother i just want to know 4 Answers from u If u can provide me it will b a great favour for me , 1. Why Muslims have to give Dawah 2.How should one give dawah 3.to whom should one give Dawah & 4. what r the losses if one wont give dawah Jazak Allah Khair 

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Answer:

Why Muslim have to give dawaah

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question-1: Why Muslims have to give Dawah

Allah says in the Holy Quran: Chapter 16, Surah An-Nahl Ayat 125:

Invite to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and excellent admonition and argue with people in the best manner. Your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Way and who is Rightly guided.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 110:

You (muslims) are the best community which has been raised for the guidance of mankind. You enjoin what is right, forbid what is evil, and you all believe in Allah Alone.

Whatever one believes to be good, or right, or profitable for oneself, it is only natural and an extension of one’s love that one will invite one’s loved ones to that good; similarly whatever one believes to be evil or harmful, it is only natural that one will warn one’s loved ones to stay away from that evil.

Thus it is nothing but a natural extension of the belief of a true believers’ that he will strive to invite his loved ones and all those who are willing to listen to good caution to the eternal and everlasting Gardens of Paradise and warn them regarding the insurmountable evil of Hell Fire.

If one genuinely believes in the concept of the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell, it is not conceivable that he/she will keep this secret to himself; and if one keeps this secret to himself, either his claim to love his fellow brothers/sisters is hollow or he should re-check and re-examine the truth of his status of belief in the Hereafter!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 103 Surah Al-Asr verses 2-3:

2 Verily (every single) man is in loss!

3 Except such as have faith and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of the Truth, and of patience and constancy.

Such is the importance and significance the Lord Most High has laid on inviting their fellow brethren to the Truth of Al-Islam, that He has Declared propagation of His Truth to mankind amongst the four criteria for eternal success and salvation!

1. Belief
2. Righteous deeds
3. to join or invite others to the Truth
4. to enjoin patience and constancy.

Your Question-2: How should one give dawah

Although there are several ways one may invite or propagate the Truth to their brethren, the absolutely best and most effective way is by example: that is, first and foremost to strive to implement the ‘deen’ of Allah on oneself and thus raise oneself to that high moral character that would do justice to one’s claim of being a ‘muslim’.

One may choose to verbally invite one’s brethren to the Truth, or if one is not proficient of speech, one may present their brethren with a copy of the Glorious Quran, or good Islamic literature, or in this day and age a good cassette which explains the dictates of the Quran and Sunnah, or even to guide them towards good web-sites, etc. When one sincerely strives on the path of ‘dawah’, one will discover innumerable ways to best present the Message of the Lord to his fellow brethren.

When inviting their brethren to the Truth, one should be careful and abstain from forcing others to believe….for the duty laid upon the believers is simply to present the ‘deen’ of Allah to their brethren in the best possible manner. To accept or reject the invitation or believe or disbelieve in the Truth is and should always be left to the sole discretion of the one being invited.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 256:

256 Let there be no compulsion in the deen. Truth stands out clear from error; whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the Most Trustworthy Hand-hold that never breaks! And Allah Hears and Knows all things.

On the Day of Judgment, the Lord Most High will never question or hold the believers accountable for how many people they converted to His Way; but without an iota of a doubt, the Majestic Lord will indeed account whether or not the one who professed belief invited others to His Straight Path.

Your Question-3:to whom should one give Dawah

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 66 Surah Tahreem verse 6:

O you who have believed, save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel shall be men and stones; over which shall be appointed fierce and stern angels, who never disobey Allah’s Command, and they only do as they are commanded!

First and foremost one should strive and save oneself and those within his immediate care; then with one’s extended family, one’s loved ones, friends, colleagues, and almost anyone who is willing to listen to good caution.

Your Question-4: what r the losses if one wont give dawah

The absolute biggest loss of not propagating the Truth to others would be to imply that one himself does not truly believe in the Promises of their Lord Creator and the inevitable concept of the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell; for if one indeed truly believed, it is neither possible, nor conceivable, nor natural that one would keep this as a secret to himself and not warn others of the impending trial and tribunal of the Lord Most Majestic!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 164:

164 When some of them said: "why do ye preach to a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?" Said the preachers: "to discharge our duty to our Lord and perchance they may fear Him."

The second major loss would be that one would have to account and present a reasonable excuse in the Majestic Presence and Court of his Lord on that Tumultuous Day of Judgment for his in-action in fulfilling this obligatory duty that the Lord Most High had laid upon him!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan