Is it obligatory to convince people when calling them to Allah?

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Question:
The questioner, Jamal Saleh from Yemen, asks: How does one convince people on the path of da'wah? How is this necessitated, and what are the sound foundations for calling people to Allah?

Answer:
Convincing people may not be possible, but what is required of the caller is explanation. He explains and clarifies, and Allah is the One who guides whom He wills. Allah the Exalted said:

Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best

ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ

[Surah al-Nahl: 125], and He the Exalted said:

And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِمَّنْ دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا

[Surah Fussilat: 33], and He the Sublime said:

Say, "This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me.

قُلْ هَذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي

[Surah Yusuf: 108], and He the Exalted said:

And Allah would not let a people stray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them what they should avoid

وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِلَّ قَوْمًا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَاهُمْ حَتَّى يُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ مَا يَتَّقُونَ

[Surah al-Tawbah: 115]. He did not say: "until it becomes clear," but rather:

until He makes clear to them what they should avoid

حتى يبين لهم ما يتقون

[At-Tawbah 9:115]

.
So the objective is explanation and clarification. Allah says:

This is a message for the people

هَذَا بَلاغٌ لِلنَّاسِ

[Surah Ibrahim: 52],

This is a clarification for the people

هَذَا بَيَانٌ لِلنَّاسِ

[Surah Al-Imran: 138]. So the objective is conveying the message and explaining it, and Allah is the One who guides whom He wills. He the Sublime says:

Not upon you, [O Muhammad], is [responsibility for] their guidance, but Allah guides whom He wills.

لَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ

[Surah al-Baqarah: 272]. It is not a condition of da'wah that you convince them. The person may be stubborn, or he may be defiant and not be convinced. Even if the speech is convincing and the clarification is convincing, he may still not be convinced. He may say, "I am not convinced," and one should not pay attention to his statement. Once the proof has been conveyed, and warning and caution have been given, the proof is established against him, and it is obligatory for him to act upon it. One should not pay attention to his saying, "I am not convinced." The objective is explanation. So once the proof has been conveyed and the matter has been explained to him, he must be dealt with according to what that entails. If he does not pray, he must be dealt with according to what the Islamic ruling requires, which is killing him if he does not repent. If he insults Allah and His Messenger, or engages in matters of apostasy, he is dealt with according to what he deserves, and so on in all issues: he is dealt with according to what he deserves after explanation and clarification. Even if he says, "I am not convinced," it is explained to him in the language he understands. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.

Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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