Guiding the Preachers in the Face of Accusations of Extremism

Question:
The second question, may Allah protect you. Many international media outlets have consistently accused preachers of extremism, terrorism, and fundamentalism. What is Your Eminence’s guidance regarding this?

Answer:
This should not prevent the da'wah workers from speaking the truth. There is no doubt that some da'wah workers may have a deficiency in knowledge, a deficiency in style, or they may be extreme in what they undertake. However, this is not a defect for everyone. Every person is held accountable for his own sin, and every da'wah worker is held accountable for his own sin. If he falls short in something or goes to excess in something, he is directed toward reform and taught how to enjoin, how to forbid, and how to call to Allah, so that he does not become a cause for preventing the da'wah, and so that he does not become a cause for suspending the da'wah. Thus, every person is held accountable for his own sin. It is obligatory for the one who calls to Allah to be upon clear-sightedness. He should have knowledge, he should have clear-sightedness, he should have understanding of the religion, he should have understanding of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), so that he speaks from knowledge, and so that he calls upon clear-sightedness, with attention to good style, and without violence or harshness. Allah the Exalted said: He the Exalted said: except If the caller is upright and patient, the speech of those who speak ill of him, or those who seek to prevent him, or the like of that, does not harm him. Rather, it is obligatory upon him to fear Allah, to watch over his obedience to Allah, and to stand by the limits of Allah, so that he does not become a stumbling block in the da'wah, and so that he does not restrict the da'wah by his means. He must follow the Shari'ah path with wisdom, good speech, good style, and without targeting individuals. He forbids what is wrong and calls to what is right, and he does not look at people by their specific identities to speak about them, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the people who said "No, no." The caller to Allah should focus on clarifying the truth and calling to it, and on clarifying what is wrong and warning against it, while restraining his tongue from speaking about people's individuals, whether leaders, governments, or others. The intended purpose is forbidding what is wrong and calling to what is right; that is the intended purpose. Yes.