When ibadah becomes a form of da’wah

I can’t believe this is the 100th post on Uminsummer! The privilege to be able to reflect on my experiences through writing is truly thanks to Allah swt.

I had always intended for this site to be a useful resource for people from all walks of life since the first post in December 2015. Thankful to have seen increasing visitors and receive positive responses. I would like to treat this as a form of ibadah – because as a Muslim, everything you do on this earth is for the sake of Allah.

And I have come to realise that ibadah, when seen by others, becomes da’wah.

Da’wah is a heavy word

Da’wah, meaning ‘invitation’, comes in so many forms. It does not necessarily look like an Ustaz giving a khutbah during Friday prayers or an Asatizah teaching religious classes. Recently, it hit me – that even a regular person like me becomes an open invitation to demonstrate the faith and for others to learn more about Islam. When a non-Muslim interacts with a Muslim, they should witness a person of truth, sincerity, and virtue. This refers to Fard Ayan, mandatory for every Muslim, male or female, young or old.1

It is a heavy responsibility.

I get asked about my faith a lot growing up as a minority in this small little red dot. From questions on why I wear the hijab2, if I must wear it forever, why some wear the tudung while others don’t, to why you pray five times a day and what is halal, the questions are hard hitting. And I always don’t know if I answered it in the most accurate manner. The best thing I can do is to answer the questions as best as I can, sincerely.

Verse 18 of Surah Al-Hujurat serves as reminder that the value of da‘wah lies in neither its quality nor its quantity but instead on the faith and sincerity contained in the heart, hidden from the eyes of many, yet visible to the eyes of Allah Ta‘ala, who is the Most Knowing of all that is in our hearts.

-From the book PERHAPS YOU WOULD REFLECT…
Translated by Iz Al-Munzir Bin Muhammad Haniff & Muhammad Haniff Hassan
First published in Malay as Pesanan Ilahi…. Cerminkanlah
(Singapore: Darul Tafsir Al-Khair, 2023) by Muhammad Haniff Hassan

Reminders

With such a responsibility, we have to ensure there is adab and taqwa (being cautious) in the way we carry the da’wah. Extracted from the book PERHAPS YOU WOULD REFLECT…3 , here are some pointers as reminders:

#1 When doing da‘wah, to promote and introduce those that are beneficials and positives first (e.g., 3 foods that are permitted by Allah Ta‘ala) in order to win the people’s hearts.

  • This approach aligns with human psychological nature—the beneficials and positives (halal in Islam) are naturally more attractive to human, than the opposites (haram in Islam). It must be noted that the human tendency to commit what is haram is due to the perceived pleasure gained from it, although the perception is misguided.
  • Islam offers numerous good and positive things for inviting people to the religion. In fact, this gives advantage to this da‘wah approach—that da‘wah possesses plenty of capital to winning the hearts of people.
  • Islam prefers da‘wah with positivity (e.g., this is halal, this is permissible, this is okay, Allah Ta‘ala favours this, doing this will bring great bounties from Allah Ta‘ala), than negativity (e.g., this is haram, this is bid‘ah, this is sinful, this will lead you to Hellfire).

#2 If Allah Ta‘ala Himself tolerates mankind’s error in seeking Him, the most important pillar of Islam, Muslims themselves should practise being more compassionate and empathetic in handling people’s mistakes in all matters—a necessary process of personal discovery, education and development.

  • Do not be too quick to judge when dealing with someone whose kufr and sins are visible to the eyes. Muslims must not “play God”.

#3 Da‘wah does not necessarily have to be in the form of a formal lecture.

  • Different groups of people have different paths towards divine guidance because of their different learning styles.
  • Muslims are encouraged to experiment, not being spoonfed.
  • Cultivating logical thinking, not dogmatic style, should be highly valued in learning Islam.

#4 The Da‘wah community should also give attention to detailed information because it is a recognised virtue in the Qur’an in addition to producing more quality, effectiveness, and competitiveness in da‘wah.

  • Always continue to seek knowledge!

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ فِىٓ أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍۢ ٤

Indeed, We created humans in the best form.

The Fig (95:4)4

So to each and every one of you out there, you matter. As you are.

  1. Dawah: Understanding the Obligation ↩︎
  2. Covering the aurat is a religious obligation for every Muslim who has reached puberty. From the religious perspective, the covering of aurat is a means towards preserving one’s religious character, protecting honour and modesty, and avoiding harm. MuslimSG | 4 key considerations for Muslim women wearing tudung in uniformed services ↩︎
  3. E-Book: Perhaps You Would Reflect – DigitAlKhair ↩︎
  4. https://quran.com/95/4 ↩︎

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