The Duty of Preachers in a Society Where Sorcery and Acts of Shirk Are Prevalent

Question:
We live in a society where deception, sorcery, and acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah) are common, such as building domes over graves, and calling upon the dead to relieve distress. Is it prescribed, first, in a society like this to call people to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and to correct beliefs from the filth of shirk, and to focus on raising individuals with a religious upbringing so that they become sound members of society? Or is it prescribed to call for the implementation of the rulings of the Islamic Shari'ah, as many Islamic groups do?

Answer:
If you are in an Islamic country among Muslims, you teach them what they are ignorant of regarding shirk and other sins. If you are in a disbeliever’s country among Christians, Jews, and polytheists who do not know Islam and do not claim Islam, you begin with tawhid, calling them to the oneness of Allah. Once they embrace Islam and enter the religion of Allah, you teach them prayer, zakah (the obligatory alms), and other matters, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Mu'adh to do when he sent him to Yemen (peace and blessings be upon him). However, if you are among Muslims in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, or anywhere else, you denounce the shirk or other matters they have fallen into, teach them their religion, teach them what they are ignorant of, and make clear to them the truth they have overlooked, whether it is shirk, negligence in prayer, undutifulness to parents, dealing in riba (usury or interest), or other things that some Muslims do. Yes. May Allah reward you with good. The situation differs between being in an Islamic country and not being in one.