The Importance of Calling to Allah and Moving Among the Assemblies of People

The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The questioner:
Their brothers in the villages of Taif or the villages belonging to the Taif region; by Allah, they are in greater need of hearing a word from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). In the name of Allah. And they are in greater need of a verse that they understand, reflect upon, and act upon. Yes. So, before we begin the questions with the Honorable Shaykh, may Allah reward him with good and reward him abundantly, and make us and him among those who race to Paradise, I want him, may Allah reward him with good, to clarify the importance of this topic. I have always tried to give it its due, but due to the brevity of my knowledge and understanding in this matter, I would like to hear that from the Honorable Shaykh, and for him to offer advice and guidance, as he has always accustomed us, to our brothers who find in themselves the competence, and who find in themselves the desire to compete in doing good and performing good deeds, and to warn people against the evils in which they have plunged, except for whom Allah the Mighty and Majestic has mercy. So may Allah reward the Shaykh with the best reward, and we want to hear that from him, may Allah reward him with good, and for him to give us of his advice and guidance for us, for all of us, if Allah wills, are attentive ears, and we ask Allah to make all our deeds pure for His noble Face, in accordance with the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh:
There is no doubt that calling to Allah and guiding to Him is among the most important matters, and it is of the same path as the Messengers (peace and blessings be upon them). Indeed, Allah sent them as callers to truth and guidance for creation, moving through the world in the places where people gather for conveying and promoting the message. And our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), before he migrated to Madinah, would seek out the gatherings of people during the seasons of Hajj to convey to them the messages of Allah, and to ask them to protect him so that he could convey the message of his Lord.
Calling people to Allah and traveling among the gatherings, villages, cities, and tribes of people is among the best of acts of drawing near to Him. Allah the Exalted said in the verse you heard: This verse begins with the messengers and the prophets (peace and blessings be upon them), followed by those who follow them with excellence, namely the scholars and callers to Allah. They are at the head of this verse. It is fitting for every scholar and every student of knowledge to seize the opportunity to convey the call of Allah to his family, his neighbors, the villages around him, and those farther away, if he is able to do so. Thus, traveling for the sake of the call is among the most important of matters and among the best of acts of drawing near to Allah, in order to convey the call of Allah and guide people to that for which they were created, which is the obedience of Allah, the Exalted. This encompasses the people of his homeland and his country, as well as others. During his expeditions, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) combined this and that, combining jihad and the call. And throughout his stay in Madinah, he was between an expedition and jihad, and the call, and guiding the people in Madinah in the Friday sermons and other occasions. He guided the people and taught them, answered the questioners, and guided the lost until they stood upon the truth and knew what the wisdom was in their error and their existence?
And Allah the Exalted commanded us to cooperate in righteousness and piety, as He the Exalted said: And the greatest of the winners are those who advise one another to truth and patience, as He the Exalted said: Calling to Allah is part of advising one another to truth, and so is enjoining good and forbidding evil in your country and in places other than your country. He mentioned it in the context of advising one another to truth, and He mentioned it in the context of cooperating in righteousness and piety.
It is not befitting for a person of sound mind to deprive himself of this great good, and to be lazy about competing in this good, and participating in this good with those of his brothers for whom it is facilitated. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: in the authentic collections.
The authentic hadith in the two Sahihs, from the narration of Sahl ibn Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he sent 'Ali—meaning ibn Abi Talib—to Khaybar to the Jews to invite them to the maidens of Paradise are better for you than the maidens of Paradise, from all that is on the face of the earth, from a red camel. The Arabs revere red camels, considering them the best of livestock, and the intended meaning is the analogy; otherwise, the reality is that a little of the matter of the Hereafter is better than this world and what is on it. So it is fitting for the believer to compete in this good, and not to be weak in participating in the call to Allah in his land and elsewhere. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So let him fear Allah and strive to call to good and convey good, and let him beware of being a caller to evil, religious innovations, and corruption. There is no power and no strength except with Allah. May Allah grant all of you success and guidance, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his Companions.