Is it permissible for young beginners to engage in da'wah in mosques and public places without a permit card from the Da'wah Office?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. There are many young people who have begun seeking knowledge and have the capacity to benefit people, whether in mosques or in public places. They ask: Should they convey the da'wah to those who need the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), or should they wait until they have a permit or a card from the Da'wah Office? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : What I see is that they should not speak in places where speaking is prohibited unless they have permission. I see that they should not speak, because obedience to the one in authority in organizing matters is obligatory.
And know that if permission were given to the young ones who have begun seeking knowledge to speak, they would speak of what they do not know, and harm and disorder would result for the people, perhaps in matters of creed, let alone in physical actions. So preventing people from speaking without permission and a card is not a complete prohibition such that we would say: there is no obedience to the rulers in that, because that would be a prevention of conveying the Shari'ah.
But it is a restricted prevention that regulates the matter, so that it is known who is qualified for it and who is not. And as you know, everyone who applies to the authorities for this matter, and they know that he is qualified, gives him permission. And we have not known that they said to anyone who applied and was qualified to spread knowledge: do not do it. And the matter, praise be to Allah, is one that puts a person at ease. It is not permissible for anyone to speak in a place where he is prevented from speaking by the one in authority except with permission. Yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I mean, for example, in mosques and public places. But as for what is between him and his brothers in his room or his chamber, there is nothing wrong with that; no one is prevented.
The questioner : I mean the permission from the place where the permission is obtained.
The Shaykh : Yes, the permission is obtained from the General Presidency for Research, Ifta, Da'wah, and Guidance, which is headquartered in Riyadh, but it has branches in the cities. Yes.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. There are many young people who have begun seeking knowledge and have the capacity to benefit people, whether in mosques or in public places. They ask: Should they convey the da'wah to those who need the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), or should they wait until they have a permit or a card from the Da'wah Office? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : What I see is that they should not speak in places where speaking is prohibited unless they have permission. I see that they should not speak, because obedience to the one in authority in organizing matters is obligatory.
And know that if permission were given to the young ones who have begun seeking knowledge to speak, they would speak of what they do not know, and harm and disorder would result for the people, perhaps in matters of creed, let alone in physical actions. So preventing people from speaking without permission and a card is not a complete prohibition such that we would say: there is no obedience to the rulers in that, because that would be a prevention of conveying the Shari'ah.
But it is a restricted prevention that regulates the matter, so that it is known who is qualified for it and who is not. And as you know, everyone who applies to the authorities for this matter, and they know that he is qualified, gives him permission. And we have not known that they said to anyone who applied and was qualified to spread knowledge: do not do it. And the matter, praise be to Allah, is one that puts a person at ease. It is not permissible for anyone to speak in a place where he is prevented from speaking by the one in authority except with permission. Yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I mean, for example, in mosques and public places. But as for what is between him and his brothers in his room or his chamber, there is nothing wrong with that; no one is prevented.
The questioner : I mean the permission from the place where the permission is obtained.
The Shaykh : Yes, the permission is obtained from the General Presidency for Research, Ifta, Da'wah, and Guidance, which is headquartered in Riyadh, but it has branches in the cities. Yes.