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:

ASALAM ALAIKOUM

Dear Brother,

Thank you very much for satisfying my queries. It is indeed nice to read your answers as they come from a Muslim only. What is the duty of one Muslim in spreading Islam. Are we supposed to keep quiet and do our good deeds or are we required to spread the message verbally.

Your brother

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Answer:

Should Muslim spread the message

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.

The biggest duty of a muslim is that he himself, first and foremost, believes and does righteous deeds according to the syllabus revealed by Allah Subhanah. His duty is to do what Allah and His Messenger (saws) have commanded him to do, and abstain from the things that Allah and His Messenger (saws) have commanded him to stay away from. After one has believed, it is also a duty on that person to spread the deen of Islam first to his family, and then to the best of his/her ability, to whoever is willing to listen to good caution.

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!

If a muslim is indeed a true practicing muslim, and builds an Islamic character in himself according to the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws), that in itself will be the biggest form of spreading the deen of Islam to all who come into contact with him. Whoever comes in contact with this believer, will obviously see his character, his honesty, his truthfulness, his humility, etc. and will thus be influenced by such noble virtues of Islam. It is a duty unto every believer that he must try, to the best of his ability, to spread the Truth from Allah to anyone who is willing to listen.

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.

It is reported in an authentic narration that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “Spread my Message, even if it is one word!”

Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary that one has to be an Islamic scholar with tons of certificates from famous Islamic Universities to be able to spread Islam! Even simple things can be done to propagate this deen of Truth to family, friends and mankind; like giving a good Islamic book, a good Islamic lecture cassette, and/or giving the person a copy of the Holy Quran, etc. Allah, the Knower of the seen and the unseen, has full knowledge of even the smallest good deed that you do in His Cause. And in the Just Court of Allah, no good deed of the believer, no matter how small or insignificant, will go un-rewarded.

And if perchance, Allah guides someone to become a believer through your efforts; the reward for all the good deeds done by that person will be added to your account of good deeds, without reducing the share of that person.

But, lets assume a believer practiced his religion perfectly, and never ever invited his family and friends to the deen of Allah; then on the Day of Qiyaamah, these people will hold the believer accountable and bear witness in front of Allah that this believer spent a whole lifetime amongst them, but never ever invited them to the deen of Islam!

Brother, your duty is only to invite the person to Islam. To guide, or leave astray is in the sole Power and Domain of Allah Subhanah. He Alone knows who is seeking for the Truth and who is bent on living a life of mis-guidance.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 28 Surah Qasas verse 56:You cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whomever He Pleases. And He best knows those who would accept guidance.

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan