The Ruling on Making Exceptions in Supplication and an Explanation of the Activity of the Islamic Call

Question:
May Allah reward you with good. Shaykh Abdul Aziz, we have burdened you greatly, but we also have some questions. All of this, if Allah wills, is in the scale of your good deeds, with the permission of Allah. We ask Allah to record the reward, if Allah wills. Regarding the Islamic call in general, you have a connection to it through your presidency of the Department of Scientific Research and Ifta. Can you give the dear listener a picture of the state of the Islamic call today?

Answer:
First, I said in the supplication "if Allah wills, if Allah wills." So the point to note is that a supplication in which "if Allah wills" is included must be stated with certainty. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith: Therefore, what is prescribed in supplication is that no exception is made in it. Rather, one says, "O Allah, forgive so-and-so," or "We ask Allah to forgive so-and-so," or "May Allah guide so-and-so," and one does not say "if Allah wills" in it. Yes, rather, one is decisive in the supplication and magnifies the desire for Allah in that, (Glorified and Exalted is He).
As for what concerns calling people to Allah, its matter is great, and there is no doubt that it deserves attention from the leadership I am part of, and from all other scholars, and from all those affiliated with knowledge, to pay attention to calling people to Allah the Exalted. This is because the scholar is in the greatest need of that. Likewise, it is obligatory to pay attention to enjoining good and forbidding evil, for it is part of calling people to Allah. Enjoining good and forbidding evil is part of calling people to Allah the Exalted. Therefore, it is obligatory for all scholars and believers to pay attention to this, as Allah the Exalted said: regarding evil, and He said: "And let there be from you a community who calls to good" , and He said: "You are the best nation produced for mankind" . This is a matter of great significance: calling to good, enjoining good, and forbidding evil. It is obligatory for all believers, male and female, and at their head are the scholars, for they are the messengers of the prophets. It is obligatory for them to pay attention to this matter wherever they are, and to encourage people to it, so that the call becomes widespread among people. So it is with enjoining good, and so it is with forbidding evil, in this kingdom and everywhere. It is obligatory for scholars, students of knowledge, and for the believers, male and female, whom Allah has given insight and granted some knowledge, to spread their knowledge, to call to Allah, to enjoin good, and to forbid evil, sincerely for Allah, seeking His noble Face, and seeking to benefit people and rescue them from the falsehood they are in, and to bring them out of darkness into light. This is the obligation of everyone.
As for what concerns the General Presidency for Scientific Research, Ifta, and Guidance, which I head, it is, with the praise of Allah, doing a great deal of work, but it is free from negligence. Every work that a person does is not free from negligence, but it is, with the praise of Allah, doing a great deal of work. It has many callers in the interior, spread throughout the kingdom. It has call centers in the kingdom in Riyadh, in Abha, in Ghamid, in Jizan, in Ha'id, in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, and in the Eastern Region and elsewhere. It has, with the praise of Allah, a great activity, and we ask Allah to be called by that. It also has a great activity abroad. It has many callers abroad, perhaps approaching two thousand or more, in the Islamic countries and non-Islamic countries as well. It has callers in Europe, callers in America, many callers in Asia, and many callers in Africa. Most of them are graduates of the Islamic University, from the sons of the countries, from the sons of Africa, from the sons of Asia, from the sons of Europe, and from the sons of America. But the majority in Africa are from the sons of Africa, and the majority in Asia are from the sons of Asia. As for Europe and America, they are graduates of these regions, few of them, but people are sent to them from others, from Africa and from non-Africa. And they are, with the praise of Allah, active and have praiseworthy efforts. I do not say that they have performed the duty as it should be, but they have activity, with His praise, and nothing has reached us about them that is displeasing, praise be to Allah. They vary in activity; some of them have given their advice with the utmost activity and strength, and some of them are moderate. And we ask Allah to benefit through them and increase them in good.