The Priority of Beginning the Call with Oneself, Then One's Family
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
May Allah reward you with good and bless you. This questioner, 'Abd al-'Aziz, says: I thank you for these awareness programs, and this program is with the Honorable Shaykh Salih (may Allah preserve him). I ask Allah the Exalted and Mighty to place it in your scales of good deeds on the Day of Resurrection. The Honorable Shaykh, he says: With whom does the one who calls to Allah begin first in his call? And if this caller is neglectful in his call to his family and children, does he begin by calling them, or does he begin with others and then begin with his family?
Answer:
Calling people to Allah is obligatory for one who is able to call people to Allah in terms of knowledge and is also able to do so in practice. It is obligatory,[Fussilat 41:33] and the first thing one starts with is oneself. It is not that he starts with others; rather, start with yourself and then forbid others from it. If you have stopped doing it, then you are wise. So he starts with himself. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [Al-Baqarah 2:44] So he starts with himself, then with his family. [At-Tahrim 66:6] The head of the household is a shepherd over those in it, and those in it are a flock under his care. So he cares for them well by calling them to Allah, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. He keeps his home and his family free from wrongs and violations. Then his good and his calling extend to the others, his neighbors and those around him. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good.
May Allah reward you with good and bless you. This questioner, 'Abd al-'Aziz, says: I thank you for these awareness programs, and this program is with the Honorable Shaykh Salih (may Allah preserve him). I ask Allah the Exalted and Mighty to place it in your scales of good deeds on the Day of Resurrection. The Honorable Shaykh, he says: With whom does the one who calls to Allah begin first in his call? And if this caller is neglectful in his call to his family and children, does he begin by calling them, or does he begin with others and then begin with his family?
Answer:
Calling people to Allah is obligatory for one who is able to call people to Allah in terms of knowledge and is also able to do so in practice. It is obligatory,
And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, "Indeed, I am of the Muslims."
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَDo you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?
أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَO you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُThe presenter:
May Allah reward you with good.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/164 — archive.org (7:21)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.