Thoughts about Da’wah in Trinidad. Part 1

The Prophet (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Relay from me even if it is an Ayah, and narrate from the people of Israeel and there is no problem with this, and whoever deliberately lies upon me let him find his seat in the fire”.

Something is wrong within the community and I would like to address it properly because we often get confused about this issue. Many, some because of sincerity and just not knowing and others because of ulterior motives, come about and say who is qualified to give da’wah and who is not qualified to give da’wah. And this leaves a lot of people in the West in a quandry as to where to get their information from. Upon seeing this I would like to put this in perspective.

Issue #1: The common everyday Muslim.

Does this one give da’wah? A lot of people just see the common Muslim as a gullible person who will take whatever the Imam, Khateeb or lecturer says. Thing is is that these same Common Muslims can tell you the insides and outsides of Bio Chemistry, Engineering etc but they can’t tell you anything about the religion. Why?

We have placed them in such a category as to make them vulnerable to anything that comes to them that may seem to be good. As Imam Al Barbahari said: “The follower of everything that makes asound”. So if told to move to the left or the right they do so according to the whims and fancies of their leaders even if their leaders have no evidences from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Thing is as I see it it is an issue of mind control or in this case ‘deen’ control in order to maintain oneself as a figure of authority within one’s group/sect or community. And the consequence is that the people practice the religion but more often than not they do not know what they are practicing. Because as Ibnul Qayyim said:

Knowledge is what Allah said and the Messenger said

And the saying of the Companions and there is nothing behind this

Knowledge is not what you have in foolish difference of opinion

Between the Messenger and the view of someone.

The effect of this is that many of them end up falling into matters that the Kuffar do. Because when you degrade a person’s intelligence they end up in constant oblivion as to who they are and what they supposed to do. That is why many ‘common’ Muslims end up either leaving Islam or if they are practicing (praying, fasting etc) they do not know where they get their religion from {because it comes from so and so said and so and so said}. Unfortunately one finds that even if evidence comes to them they say : “My Imam says so and so or Shaikh so and so said this or Maulana so and so said this”.

Of course the Companions of the Messenger (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) were not like this. They used to read the Qur’an every 30 days and memorize and practice the Sunnah to the best of their abilities. And if they had a problem they asked the people of knowledge from amongst them who may have memorized more. We do not find any of the Companions as blindfollowers. If they knew a Hadeeth and a scholar from amongst them conflicted that Hadeeth they would not follow that scholar. And this is why many of these same Companions were able to go to other places in the world and give da’wah although they were the ‘common’ companions and not the scholars amongst them.

This is contradictory to the plight of the ‘common’ Muslim. Thing is the ‘common’ Muslim has been taught to go to university to learn secular subjects but has not been taught to read Qur’an or read Ahadeeth, memorize or to say the least understand certain issues in knowledge. So one finds that there is no firmness in the heart of these people and they have no stance when it comes to issues pertinent to Islam.

Allah has said: “Say (O Muhammad) this is my way I call to Allah upon Baseerah (knowledge, understanding) myself and those who follow me, and may Allah be raised upon everything else and I am not from those who make Shirk”. . The Messenger (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Seeking knowledge is compulsory upon every Muslim”. And I ask were not most of the Muslims in the Prophet’s time ‘common’ Muslims? And if that was the case how could they seek knowledge and call toward knowledge and understanding except that they understood what they were calling toward and from where it came from?

What I suggest is that we uplift our brothers and sisters. To call them toward asking for evidences for what others say and to not just take things at face value. Give them the encouragement to memorize the book of Allah and the Sunnah which has been made easy. Also make them understand issues so that they have knowledge. Do not make them blindfollowers who answer everything that Shaitaan decorates for them. Because when one is a blindfollower he doesn’t use his God given intelligence to decipher, think, evaluate and reflect but rather he is like an animal being led anywhere the rancher takes him.

Therefore my brothers and sisters learn, learn and learn more according to your capacity and Allah will reward you with firmness that is unshakeable inshallah.