What are the qualities and conditions that must be present in the one who calls to Allah?
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The questioner : What are the qualities and conditions that must be present in the one who calls to Allah? I ask for your guidance on this.
The Shaykh : The one who calls to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) performs one of the best deeds. Allah the Exalted said:[Fussilat 41:33] But the caller must have certain things:
The first thing: He must be knowledgeable about what he is calling people to, meaning knowledgeable about the Shari'ah of Allah, so that he does not call people to misguidance without realizing or knowing it. So he must first learn what is the path he is calling to? What are the deeds he is calling to? What are the sayings he is calling to? And what are the deeds he is forbidding? And so on.
Second: He must be knowledgeable about the conditions of those he is calling, because the conditions of the ones being called differ. Some have knowledge and need strength in argument and debate, some are below that, some are stubborn, and some are not. So the conditions differ, and indeed the rulings differ according to the difference in conditions. For this reason, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he said to him:Sunan an-Nasa'i 2435Sahih (Darussalam) So he explained their condition to him so that he would be prepared for them to place them in their proper position.
Third: He should use wisdom in his calling, placing every person in his proper position and every matter in its proper position. He should start with the most important, then the next most important, because when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he said to him: So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) arranged the calling according to the importance of what he was calling to. It is not wise to see a disbeliever who smokes, for example, and forbid him from smoking before you command him to embrace Islam. This is an important matter that is hidden from many callers, where you find them focusing on minor matters instead of the major, general matters.
Fourth: The caller should be of a high standard in his verbal, practical, and situational conduct. This means his appearance should be befitting a caller, his actions should be befitting a caller, and his speech should be befitting a caller, such that he is calm, composed, and far-sighted, so that he does not face difficulties when they can be avoided, and so that he does not commit violence when calling with gentleness is possible. And so on. It is obligatory for a person to be in a state that calls people to the religion of Allah by virtue of this state, because many people may call people to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), but their actions and sayings do not lead to the acceptance of what they say because they contradict what they are calling people to. Some people are callers to people by their state before they are callers by their speech, meaning that when people see them, they remember Allah (Mighty and Majestic), feel at peace, and soften toward the truth. So the caller must take care of such matters so that the acceptance of his calling by people is greater and more complete.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : The one who calls to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) performs one of the best deeds. Allah the Exalted said:
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 مِمَّنْ دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَThe first thing: He must be knowledgeable about what he is calling people to, meaning knowledgeable about the Shari'ah of Allah, so that he does not call people to misguidance without realizing or knowing it. So he must first learn what is the path he is calling to? What are the deeds he is calling to? What are the sayings he is calling to? And what are the deeds he is forbidding? And so on.
Second: He must be knowledgeable about the conditions of those he is calling, because the conditions of the ones being called differ. Some have knowledge and need strength in argument and debate, some are below that, some are stubborn, and some are not. So the conditions differ, and indeed the rulings differ according to the difference in conditions. For this reason, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he said to him:
You are going to some of the People of the book
إنك تأتي قوماً أهل كتابThird: He should use wisdom in his calling, placing every person in his proper position and every matter in its proper position. He should start with the most important, then the next most important, because when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he said to him:
Let the first thing you call them to be the testimony that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If they respond to that, then inform them that Allah has made obligatory upon them five prayers in every day and night. If they respond to that, then inform them that Allah has made obligatory upon them a charity to be taken from their rich and returned to their poor.
وليكن أول ما تدعوهم إليه شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله، وأن محمداً رسول الله ، فإن هم أجابوك لذلك ، فأعلمهم أن الله افترض عليهم خمس صلوات في كل يوم وليلة ، فإن هم أجابوك لذلك فأعلمهم أن الله افترض عليهم صدقة تؤخذ من أغنيائهم فترد على فقرائهمFourth: The caller should be of a high standard in his verbal, practical, and situational conduct. This means his appearance should be befitting a caller, his actions should be befitting a caller, and his speech should be befitting a caller, such that he is calm, composed, and far-sighted, so that he does not face difficulties when they can be avoided, and so that he does not commit violence when calling with gentleness is possible. And so on. It is obligatory for a person to be in a state that calls people to the religion of Allah by virtue of this state, because many people may call people to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), but their actions and sayings do not lead to the acceptance of what they say because they contradict what they are calling people to. Some people are callers to people by their state before they are callers by their speech, meaning that when people see them, they remember Allah (Mighty and Majestic), feel at peace, and soften toward the truth. So the caller must take care of such matters so that the acceptance of his calling by people is greater and more complete.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.