The Arabic word Da`wah means a call or an invitation. In Islamic context, it means to strive for the propagation of Islam. Giving Da`wah to others is an obligations on the Muslims which can lead to being successful as it has been narrated in the Qur’an.
“And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful.” (Al-Qur’an, 3:104).
The Qur’an further instructs the believers,
“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manners; surely your Lord best knows those who go astray from His path, and He knows best those who follow the right way” (Al-Qur’an, 16:125).
Furthermore, the Holy Prophet Muhammad has said,
“Convey from me, even (if it is) one verse.” (Bukhari)
Although the dominant approach has been to spread the message of Islam to non-Muslims, our Shaykh has also emphasised the importance of engaging fellow Muslims who are well aware of the message of Islam but for some reason or other have moved away from it. The Shaykh often teaches his mureedeen about the importance of engaging fellow Muslims through the love of the Holy Prophet and using that to revive dead hearts, especially those who have moved away from the teachings of Islam and the love of the Holy Prophet
. Acting on the instructions of the Qur’an (as stated in the above verse) the Shaykh leads by examples and instructs his mureedeen to commit to Da`wah with love, affection and excellent conduct so that others are not drawn away from the message of Islam.
Giving Da`wah is hard work, although not impossible. It is about gaining the confidence to start. The approach to Da`wah the mureedeen have used tends to focus on the weekly Dhikr gatherings, annual Milad-un-Nabi parades and conferences as well as individual personal contacts. There is however now a concerted effort to meet people on the streets, door to door knocking as well as other social gatherings with the intent of inviting others, firstly fellow Muslims, to immerse themselves in the love of the Holy Prophet
.
Our Grand Shaykh, Khwaja Sufi Muhammad Aslam used to say that ‘if you are immersed in the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
from head to toe and your inward character is in tune with your outward love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad
then just by walking along the street, people will gain blessings through you. You won’t have to make lengthy speeches’. That is a lesson for us all to understand and if we can implement it then giving Da’wah becomes even easier.
And Allah ﷻ knows best, may He guide each and everyone who is sincere and committed to making a difference.