Photo: Collected
Bringing people who have lost their way back to the path of Allah is the work of Dawat-e-Tabligh. This work does not belong to any individual or group; it is the work of the prophets and messengers, the great men sent by Almighty Allah. In the sermon of the Farewell Hajj, the Prophet (pbuh) said: convey from me, even if it is a single message. It was essentially from then that this prophetic work came into the charge of the Ummah. Since then a group of true believers, giving up all worldly greed and comfort, have been carrying out the mission of Dawat-e-Tabligh with the sole aim of pleasing Allah.
The main aim of this mission is to awaken the spirit of iman and amal in people’s lives. That people may come to know their Creator, lead their lives on the path He has shown, and prepare for the permanent life of the Hereafter alongside the transient life of this world: this is the essence of dawah. So this mission is not confined to people of any class, profession or area. Conveying the message of the deen to people of all strata of society is one of its purposes.
This mission of dawah and tabligh is essentially also a path of self-purification and reform. Along with telling others about the deen, one tries to reform one’s own iman, amal, akhlaq and character. Being attentive to namaz, ilm and zikr, behaving well with people, placing trust in Allah and trying to embody the Sunnah of the Messenger (pbuh) in life: all these are important aspects of this mission. When an individual changes in this way, it has a positive effect on the family, society and the wider sphere as well. When, in the busyness of the world and the competition for indulgence, people gradually forget their Creator and the Hereafter, this mission of the deen reminds them again of their true identity. Not wealth, position and rank or worldly success, but the pleasure of Allah is where a person’s real success lies; this realisation is the central message of dawah. To convey that message to people, believers have for ages been spending their time, labour and means.
Those who carry out this prophetic work have to possess an amazing power. The name of that power is the power of patience. Without sabr there is no chance at all of succeeding in the mission of dawah; on the contrary, at every step there is a strong risk of falling into the quicksand of Satan’s whisperings and being lost in the pit of sin. So for those who have not been able to master the difficult quality of sabr or do not seem likely to, or at least those who do not have the practice of remaining steadfast in sabr, this difficult prophetic work of dawah is in no way for them. In the Holy Quran, Allah says, ‘Wa ma yulaqqaha illallazina sabaru, wa ma yulaqqaha illa zu hazzin azim. Meaning: Only those who are extremely patient can carry out the difficult work of dawah. Only those who are supremely fortunate succeed in the work of dawah’ (Surah Ha-Mim Sajdah-36).
Patience has many meanings and many forms. Those who do the work of dawah must have at least this much patience: if someone abuses them, they will smile in reply; whoever blocks their path, they will open the path for him; whoever conspires against them, they will cut through the web of that conspiracy for him; whoever demolishes their home and takes away their shelter, the dayee will build a home for that person and find him shelter. This fine conduct is not to be shown only to disbelievers and polytheists; rather, it has to be shown even more to one’s own companions and brothers. If we search the whole life of the Prophet (pbuh), this is what we find.
Where did the Prophet (pbuh) learn this conduct of dawah? He learned it from his Lord, Allah, the Lord of the worlds. So that his Ummah may possess a noble character like the Prophet, and addressing in particular those who will carry out the prophetic work, Allah says, ‘Idfa billati hiya ahsan. Fa izallazi bainaka wa bainahu adawatun ka annahu waliyyun hamim. Treat those who behave badly with you with the best of conduct. Then you will see that the one who was your mortal enemy has become your bosom friend’ (Surah Ha-Mim Sajdah-34).
Note very carefully: it is not said here that you should behave in the best way with some disbeliever or polytheist; rather, it is said that whoever behaves badly with you, no matter who he is, treat him with the utmost good conduct. Only then will he become your closest well-wisher and friend.
The writer is the principal of Safe Education Institute
