Da'wah of the Sahabah

9-3-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

How did the sahabahs give dawah?

Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

After having read about the Da'wah method followed by the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) by the Prophets and Messengers who preceded him and by his companions and those who followed them in righteousness and piety, we found that their approach can be summarized in the following points.
1- The Daia has to set the good example. Allah says about Shuaib  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) {…..I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you. I only desire reform so far as I am able, to the best of my power. And my guidance cannot come except from Allâh, in Him I trust and unto Him I repent.} [11:88]
2- The Daia has to set the good example by adhering fully and completely to Islamic teachings, and by not changing any of those teachings claiming he did that for the purpose of Da'wah and to live with reality.
3- The Daia has to be patient and endure any harm that befalls him. Allah says: {……enjoin (people) for AlMa'rûf (Islâmic Monotheism and all that is good), and forbid (people) from AlMunkar (i.e. disbelief in the Oneness of Allâh, polytheism of all kinds and all that is evil and bad), and bear with patience whatever befall you. Verily! These are some of the important commandments ordered by Allâh with no exemption.} [31:17]
4- The Daia has to be knowledgeable so that he can get to the hearts of people he is calling.
5- The Daia has to talk softly and kindly to people. He should be quiet and nice with everybody. Allah says: {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad SAW) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islâm) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'ân) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better……….} [16:125]
6- He should concentrate on true attractive and beneficial stories as these have a great impact on people's minds. Such stories are numerous in books like Safwat Al-Safwa by Ibn Al Jawzy Siyar A'lam al-Nubala by Al-Zahbi etc.
Allah knows best.

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