How To Give Da’wah To The General People - al-‘Allāmah Rabī‘ bin Hādī al-Madkhalī
Our Shaykh, the Illustrious Scholar, Rabī‘ bin Hādī ‘Umayr — May Allāh Protect Him — Was Asked The Following:
How should the general people be invited to as-Salafiyyah¹, the methodology of the Salaf aṣ-Ṣāliḥ (the Righteous Predecessors), especially when they’ve been attached to some of the callers to evil?
The Answer:
Allāh has placed for us a methodology of calling to Him (i.e. inviting others to His way). Allāh said to His Prophet:
« ٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِیلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ وَٱلۡمَوۡعِظَةِ ٱلۡحَسَنَةِۖ وَجَـٰدِلۡهُم بِٱلَّتِی هِیَ أَحۡسَنُۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِیلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِینَ »
Invite (mankind, O Muḥammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islām) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the Qur’ān) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.[an-Naḥl, 125]
Calling to Allāh is (done) with wisdom, and wisdom (here) is ʿIlm (knowledge of the religion), Bayān (to clarify) and Ḥujjah (to establish the proofs).
So, you give Daʾwah with knowledge, good manners, gentleness and softness — (this is when giving Daʾwah to) the general people and other than them —. However the general person is more receptive, and may accept the truth from you without debate. If he requires debating, he has something preventing him (from accepting the truth), something from being attached to falsehood, then debate and discuss with him in a way which is best:
وَلَا تَسْتَوِى ٱلْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ٱدْفَعْ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُۥ عَدَٰوَةٌۭ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌۭ «٣٤ » وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍۢ
The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allāh orders the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly) then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. But none is granted it (the above quality) except those who are patient - and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion (of happiness in the Hereafter i.e. Paradise and of a high moral character) in this world. [Fuṣṣilat, 34 - 35]
So none is given this wisdom except the possessor of a great portion.²
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¹ - Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān - Salafiyyah is the original affair. The madhab of the Salaf as-Ṣāliḥ (pious predecessors) – the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār and those who followed them exactly (in Faith). (At-Tawbah 9:100). It is the original affair and whoever opposes it and exits from it is misguided. This Ummah will split into 73 sects, all of them in the hell fire except for one; they (i.e. the companions) asked, “Who is it?” He said, “The one upon what I and my companions are upon today.” This is Salafiyyah; what the prophet – صلى الله عليه وسلم – and his companions were upon, and the Imams who came after them. This is Salafiyyah and it is the original affair. It is not what they say – a sect from the sects. No! It is the original affair and the sects are the ones that have split from it. Yes.
² - Shahad al-Rabī‘ min Basātīn al-Shaykh Rabīʿ by Nāṣir ibn Mubārak al-ʿUmayrī (Reviewed and Authorised by Shaykh Aḥmad az-Zahrānī) pg. 6
:سئل شيخنا الإمام العلامة ربيع بن هادي عمير – حفظه الله – السؤال التالي
كيف تكون دعوة عوام الناس إلى السلفية، منهج السلف الصالح، خاصة وقد تعلَّقوا ببعض دعاة السوء والشر؟
:الجواب
الله وضع لنا منهجًا للدعوة إليه، الله قال لنبيه: «ٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِیلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ وَٱلۡمَوۡعِظَةِ ٱلۡحَسَنَةِۖ وَجَـٰدِلۡهُم بِٱلَّتِی هِیَ أَحۡسَنُۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِیلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِینَ» [سورة النحل: ١٢٥]. الدعوة إلى الله بالحكمة، والحكمة هي: العلم، والبيان، والحُجّة. فتدعو بالعلم، وبالأخلاق الطيبة، وبالرفق، واللين، العامِّيَّ وغير العامِّيِّ؛ لكن العامِّيَّ أكثر تقَبُّلًا، وقد يقبل منك الحق بدون مجادلة، فإن احتاج إلى مجادلة، كان عنده شيء من المَناعة، شيء من التعلُّق بالباطل، فجادله بالتي هي أحسن: «وَلَا تَسْتَوِى ٱلْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ٱدْفَعْ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُۥ عَدَٰوَةٌۭ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌۭ «٣٤ » وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍۢ» [فصلت: ٣٤ – ٣٥]. فما يُعطى هذه الحكمة إلا ذو حَظًّ عظيم.ظيم. اه
