In Search of Advice, Umm Hadiyah Ayana Shakir min St. Paul, Minnesota

[salafeequeen]

Bismillaah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem...

As-Salaamu-Alaikunna wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu!

Dear Noble Sisters and Brothers,

I have been given the opportunity to talk about our recent trip and Islaam to my fellow coworkers whom happen to be hard core Chrisitians. I was given this opportunity by my agency's Executive Director after viewing the photos I had taken during our wonderful seminar and Umrah.

I am kind of nervous because this is a huge opporunity for Dawah. I wanted to know how I should gear my presentation? Any suggestions? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Jazakillaahu Khaira. Barak Allaahu Feekunna!

Umm Hadiyah

[Umm Umar]

dear sister Umm Hadiyah,


W`alaikum as-salaam wa rahmatuAllaahi wa barakaatuh.

Maybe you are directing this question to those who attended the seminar with you?....But I read your post and I feel so happy for you and I pray Allaah ta'Aala blesses you in your da`wah effort and brings only good for you and your co-workers. Aameen.

For what it's worth, my piece of advice would follow along the lines of what another brother who attended the seminar mentioned in one of his posts...that is to concentrate on the fundamental message of all the Prophets and Scriptures: Tawheed-Risalah-Akhirah...maybe reviewing the Aayaat in the Noble Qur'aan that talk about the People of the Book and the previous Scriptures with the tafseer will also give you more clarity. And of course seeking Allaah's assistance in all of that. maashaa Allaah ukhtee, I pray Allaah makes it easy for you to convey the message of Islaam. wa alhamadulAllaahi Rabbi al`aalameen w'as-salaatu w'as-salaam `ala Muhammadin wa `ala aalihi w'as-sahbihi. ejma`een Aameen.
ukhtekfi'Allaah, khadeejah

[Khalil41]

Bismillaah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim. Wa alaiki salaam wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakatuhu. Umm Hadiyah, as for your request for suggestions/advice on how to gear your presentation to your Christian co-workers, first rely on Allaah Ta'Ala for His Guidance in all matters. When it comes to giving Christians advice, there are two books that come to my mind: 1) Sincere advice to all Christians, and 2) Who deserves to be worshipped alone. Both books are authored by Shaykh Dr. Saleh As-Saleh and insha-Allaah Ta'Ala I can post the direct link to these books in my next post if you do not mind.

Insha-Allaah Ta'Ala, I will inform you of more books as Allaah Ta'Ala brings them to my knowledge and will not hesitate to do so, insha-Allaah Ta'Ala. Barak-Allaahu feequm. I just want to say that I am glad that Allaah Ta'Ala granted you the opportunity to give dawah to your Christians co-workers, and I ask Allaah Ta'Ala to guide your tongue and grant you success in this matter and all matters in this life and the next. Ameen.

[Unregistered]

Asalmo alkom wa rahmt allh we barakto

All I CAN say is mashalla, and congartulations, allah wants to put u in a very unique level, with the prophets, as allah says in his book: " and what's more rewading than some one who invites people to allah and said that he was a muslim" so that is your chance to fulfil this aya inshalla.

JUst putin your mind the followig:
1- Never say we have similar religions, trying to make them like it, they will say, then why do we need to be muslims. Just note to them that christianity is part of the quran, and that it is the correct development of religions. Since Ibrahim PBUH, all prophets had one message, which is worshipping one god,who had no son, if he had a son, to come, at least one of these prophets hsouls have noted that , bt no ne did. Therefore, since we believ in all prophets, and all prophets should come with one message, as we beleive in one god, who sent all these prophets , then they all came with what mohamed pbuh came with, which is saying no god but allah , whi has no son,

2-If there point of valid, that accepting jesus, will protect u from hell fire, ask them why do u have tyo pray then an dgo to church, isnt it enough to accept him, and go do whatever you want, knowing that he ( jesus) died for our sins?

3-Tell them do not advice religion by its people, like terrorists and whatso ever, other wise we should do the same, with Hitler, who was christian, we should say christainity is abloody religion.

Only judge Islam by what the prophet used to do, and to know what he did, you have to read authentic and correct book about his life, and give them websites you know talking about his life, then ask them to judge the religion, only based on reading about the prophet and his life from an authentic source.

4- If Jesus was the son of god, Adam pbuh , should be too.
5- last thing, tell them faith defintion in any dictionary, means believing in the unseen, if you saw what you beleive in, this is not beleif or faith, this is now a fact, so we need not to see god , or to see his son, to accept that he exists, its enough that to see his creation, this universe didnt esist by a coincidence, u cant get a pile of stone and sand, and wait million years fo it to be a building/house.

6- ONE more thing , if we to beleive that jesus is god 's son, and god killed him for us, this we admit that jesus wasnt good enough, because, god allowed him to die, didnt protect him, and he know died without completeing the message he was sent with, and whe n he rouse agian, as they say from the dead, he taught others, apostles, to teach the people. those apostles were men, will god leave his meassge in the hand of sinnig human beings, and kill the one who was sinnless, and flawless, a half god as they say, then this either indicate one of 2 things: 1 - god doesnt trust jesus with the message of christianity, and this shows he is not his osn, cause how can u dont trust your flawless, half god, son, and trust a sinning human being.

OR 2- the meassage of christainity is not imp for god , so he left it in the hands of humans, who can do what ever with it, and this shows, that what they have is not true , and a thinking mind would take the more valuable message then.

I need you to put that in your mind, for thier questions, but first, build a strong wall of islam, and how itis more logic to follow a one god religon than to follow a religiopn which talks all the time about trinity, where it is not written in any bible this trinity.

And do like the one of sahab, who was talking about Islam, in a brief talk to the king of A bbasynia, say, how this religion :
1- protect the community, by following its rules, people are safe from soul and body deseases, there is a statistics about Aids, and showed the lowest percentage is in the middle east and the mulsim countries, and the scientists admit because this religion frobids extra marrital relationships.
2- protect oneself, to know that any thing you dont have here on earth u will get it inshalla in paradise, this in itself, makes u stronger, and to know that and you face you are rewarded for it, this ease from the trouble. Anti deppressants are #1 selling drugs in US.


Plz feel free to contact me at this email : hebaleo@gmail.com

just say the dua the prophet moses pbuh said before meeting with Pharo.

wa aslamoa lekom

[saharfajr]

Assalamu Alaikum ~

I am not a scholar but I do have some advice from experience.

I have had experience with Christians, and also have spoken to people that have become Muslim. The first thing they told me is to not be confrontational or argumentative. As a Muslim, you should not begin by telling another person that their faith is flawed. You tell them the truth of Islam - but don't start to argue and counterargue and deconstruct details about their religion because that only leads to a hostile, unproductive and typically unhelpful interaction. Many Christians feel offended when Muslims begin to tell them that their beliefs are wrong etc. and then dissect their beliefs and provide evidences against them because this leads them to block out everything that is being said to them and they just focus on how they can counterargue instead of listening. Soon, people argue just for the sake of arguing and no longer is the discussion about faith.

1) Start off with the Basics. Muslims believe in One God. Emphasize Tawheed.

2) Don't get too detailed. Sometimes people want to talk about things just to argue about them. Such as the 4 wives topic which most non-Muslims always ask about. You should let the discussion focus on Tawheed first because arguments lead away from the main point of discussion.

3) Explain to them the role of Muhammad in Islam. Many non-Muslims don't know the role of the prophet in Islam and some Christians have misconceptions and think that Muslims believe in Muhammad the same way they believe in Jesus.

4) Emphasize that Allah is One God and that Muslims do not worship a different God.

5) Most Christians want to know about what is it on a spiritual level to be a Muslim. What is it like to pray 5 times a day? How does that make Muslims different? How are Muslims Unique? What is daily life like as a Muslim. What does it mean to be a Muslim? Fasting etc. are topic you can talk about. You should discuss how Muslims worship Allah SWT because for many that is something they don't understand. They might see something on TV but don't understand it.

Below is a link about Misconceptions about Islam- you should read through that and discuss it:

Inshallah hope you do well. wa alaikum assalam wa rahmutallahi wa barakatuh

Misconception #1: Muslims worship a different God

First of all, there is only One God who created the Universe and all of mankind. Throughout history, people have created false gods in their minds and come up with false ideas about Almighty God, but regardless of this there is still only One True God - and He alone is worthy of worship. Unfortunately, some non-Muslims have come to incorrectly believe that Muslims worship a different God than Jews and Christians. This might be due to the fact that Muslims sometimes refer to God as "Allah", but also because over the centuries there have been many lies and distortions spread by the enemies of Islam. In actuality, Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus --- the same God as Christians and Jews. The word "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for Almighty God and it is the same word that Arabic speaking Christians and Jews use to refer to God. If you pick up an Arabic translation of the Christian Bible, you will see the word "Allah" where "God" is used in English. For more information on the word "Allah", please read: Who is Allah? But even though Muslims, Jews and Christians believe in the same God, their concepts about Him differ quite a bit. For example, Muslims reject the idea of the Trinity or that God has become "incarnate" in the world. Also, the teachings of Islam do not rely on or appeal to "mystery" or "paradox" --- they are straightforward and clear. Islam teaches that God is Merciful, Loving and Compassionate and that He has no need to become man (nor do humans need for Him to). One of the unique aspects of Islam is that it teaches that man can have a personal and fulfilling relationship with Almighty God without compromising the transcendence of God. In Islam there is no ambiguity in Divinity --- God is God and man is man. Muslims believe that God is the "Most Merciful", and that he deals directly with human-beings without the need of any intermediary. Actually, the phrase "In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful" is one of the most repeated verses in the Holy Qur'an. Additionally, the pure and straightforward teachings of Islam demand that Almighty God be approached directly and without intermediaries. This is because Muslims believe that God is completely in control of everything and that He can bestow His Grace and Mercy on His creatures as He pleases - no Atonement, Incarnation or blood sacrifice is necessary. In summary, Islam calls people to submit to the One True God and to worship Him alone.

Misconception #2: Muslims worship Muhammad

According to Islamic belief, the Prophet Muhammad was the last Messenger of God. He, like all of God's prophets and messengers - such as Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus -- was only a human being. Christians came to the mistaken assumption that Muslims worship Muhammad by formulating an incorrect analogy - they worship Jesus so they assumed Muslims worship Muhammad. This is one of the reasons that they called Muslims by the incorrect name "Mohammedans" for so many years! Muhammad, like Jesus, never claimed divine status. He called people to worship only Almighty God, and he continually emphasized his humanity so that people would not fall into the same errors as Christians did in regards to Jesus. In order to prevent his deification, the Prophet Muhammad always said to refer to him as "the Messenger of God and His slave". Muhammad was chosen to be God's final messenger --- to communicate the message not only in words but to be a living example of the message. Muslims love and respect him because he was of the highest moral character and he brought the Truth from God - which is the Pure Monotheism of Islam. Even when Islam was in its very early stages, God revealed that Muhammad "was sent as a mercy to all of mankind" - thus informing us that the message of Islam would become very widespread. Muslims strive to follow the great example of Muhammad, peace be upon him, but they do not worship him in any way. Additionally, Islam teaches Muslims to respect all of God's prophets and messengers - but respecting and loving them does not mean worshipping them. All true Muslims realize that all worship and prayer must be directed to Almighty God alone. Suffice it to say that worshipping Muhammad --- or anyone else --- along with Almighty God is considered to be the worst sin in Islam. Even if a person claims to be Muslim, but they worship and pray to other than Almighty God, this cancels and nullifies their Islam. The Declaration of Faith of Islam makes it clear that Muslims are taught only to worship God. This declaration is as follows: "There is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God, and Muhammad is the Messenger and Servant of God".

Misconception #3: Islam is a religion only for Arabs

The fastest way to prove that this is completely false is to state the fact that only about 15% to 20% of the Muslims in the world are Arabs. There are more Indian Muslims than Arab Muslims, and more Indonesian Muslims than Indian Muslims! Believing that Islam is only a religion for Arabs is a myth that was spread by the enemies of Islam early in its history. This mistaken assumption is possibly based on the fact that most of the first generation of Muslims were Arabs, the Qur'an is in Arabic and the Prophet Muhammad was an Arab. However, both the teachings of Islam and the history of its spread show that the early Muslims made every effort to spread their message of Truth to all nations, races and peoples. Furthermore, it should be clarified that not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arabs. An Arab can be a Muslim, Christian, Jew, atheist - or of any other religion or ideology. Also, many countries that some people consider to be "Arab" are not "Arab" at all -- such as Turkey and Iran (Persia). The people who live in these countries speak languages other than Arabic as their native tongues and are of a different ethnic heritage than the Arabs. It is important to realize that from the very beginning of the mission of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, his followers came from a wide spectrum of individuals -- there was Bilal, the African slave; Suhaib, the Byzantine Roman; Ibn Salam, the Jewish Rabbi; and Salman, the Persian. Since religious truth is eternal and unchanging, and mankind is one universal brotherhood, Islam teaches that Almighty God's revelations to mankind have always been consistent, clear and universal. The Truth of Islam is meant for all people regardless of race, nationality or linguistic background. Taking a look at the Muslim World, from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Malaysia to Afghanistan is enough to prove that Islam is a Universal message for all of mankind --- not to mention the fact that significant numbers of Europeans and Americans of all races and ethnic backgrounds are coming into Islam.

Misconception #4: Islam degrades women

Even though many aspects of Islam are misunderstood by non-Muslims, the ignorance, misinformation and incorrect assumptions that are made in regards to Islam's treatment of women are probably the most severe. Numerous verses of the Qur'an make it clear that men and women are equal in the site of God. According to the teachings of Islam, the only thing that distinguishes people in the site of God is their level of God-consciousness. Due to this, many people are surprised to find out that Islamic Law guaranteed rights to women over 1400 years ago that women in the Europe and America only obtained recently. For example, Islam clearly teaches that a woman is a full-person under the law, and is the spiritual equal of a male. Also, according to Islamic Law, women have the right to own property, operate a business and receive equal pay for equal work. Women are allowed total control of their wealth, they cannot be married against their will and they are allowed to keep their own name when married. Additionally, they have the right to inherit property and to have their marriage dissolved in the case of neglect or mistreatment. Also, Islam does not consider woman an "evil temptress", and thus does not blame woman for the "original sin". Women in Islam participate in all forms of worship that men participate in. Actually, the rights that Islam gave to women over 1400 years ago were almost unheard of in the West until the 1900s. Less than fifty years ago in England and America, a woman could not buy a house or car without the co-signature of her father or husband! Additionally, Islam gives great respect to women and their role in society --- it gives them the right to own property, marry who they want and many other rights. Also, it should be mentioned that the Prophet Muhammad's mission stopped many of the horrible practices in regards to women that were present in the society of his time. For example, the Qur'an put an end to the pagan Arab practice of killing their baby daughters when they were born. Additionally, Islam put restrictions on the unrestricted polygamy of the Arabs of the time, and put many laws in place to protect the well-being of women. Today, most of the so-called reforms in the status of women came about after the West abandoned religion for secularism. Even those in the West who claim to follow the so-called "Judeo-Christian tradition" really follow the values of Western liberalism --- but just to a lesser degree than their more liberal countrymen. For more on this subject, please read: Women in Islam versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition --- The Myth and The Reality. If women in the Muslim World today don't have their rights, it is not because Islam did not give them to them. The problem is that in many places alien traditions have come to overshadow the teachings of Islam, either through ignorance or the impact of Colonialization.

Misconception #5: Muhammad wrote the Qur'an

In addressing this misconception, it is interesting to not that no other religious scripture claims to the direct word of Almighty in toto as clear and as often as the Holy Qur'an. As the Qur'an clearly says: "if had been written by man, you would have found many discrepancies therein". At the time the Qur'an was revealed, the Arabs recognized that the language of the Qur'an was unique and that it was distinctly different from the language normally used by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Arabs of that time, by the way, were known for their beautiful poetry and Muhammad was known to be an illiterate man! The Qur'an clearly says that Muhammad was unable to read and write, so if this wasn't true, certainly his contemporaries would have protested and rejected him. However, there are no reports of this. Certainly there were people who rejected Muhammad's message, just like other prophets were rejected, but none for this reason. On the contrary, Muhammad, peace be upon him, had thousands of loyal followers and the results of their efforts spread Islam from Spain to China in just over a century! It is also interesting to note that even though the Qur'an is not poetry, the Arabs more or less gave up writing poetry after it was revealed. It could be said that the Qur'an is the piece of Arabic literature par excellence - and Muhammad's contemporaries realized that they couldn't out do it. Additionally, it is easy to prove that Muhammad did not possess a great deal of the knowledge which is expounded in the Qur'an: such as knowledge of historical events, previous prophets and natural phenomenon. The Qur'an says in several places that Muhammad and his people did not know these things - so, again, if this wasn't true, certainly his contemporaries would have rejected his claims. Suffice it to say that not only is the Qur'an the most memorized and well preserved scripture on earth, it is also unequaled in eloquence, spiritual impact, clarity of message and the purity of its truth.

Misconception #6: Islam was spread by the sword

Many non-Muslims, when they think about Islam, picture religious fanatics on camels with a sword in one hand and a Qur'an in the other. This myth, which was made popular in Europe during the Crusades, is totally baseless. First of all, the Holy Qur'an clearly says "Let there be no compulsion in religion". In addition to this, Islam teaches that a person's faith must be pure and sincere, so it is certainly not something that can be forced on someone. In debunking the myth that Islam was "spread by the sword", the (non-Muslim) historian De Lacy O' Leary wrote: "History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever accepted." (Islam at the Crossroads, London, 1923, p. 8.). It should also be known that Muslims ruled Spain for roughly 800 years. During this time, and up to when they were finally forced out, the non-Muslims there were alive and flourishing. Additionally, Christian and Jewish minorities have survived in the Muslim lands of the Middle East for centuries. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan all have Christian and/or Jewish populations. If Islam taught that all people are supposed to be killed or forced to become Muslims, how did all of these non-Muslims survive for so long in the middle of the Islamic Empire? Additionally, if one considers the small number of Muslims who initially spread Islam from Spain and Morocco in the West to India and China in the East, one would realize that they were far too few to force people to be members of a religion against their will. Additionally, the great empire and civilization established by the Muslims had great staying power -- its citizens were proud to be part of it. The spread of Islam stands in contrast to the actions of the followers of Christianity, who since the time of the Emperor Constantine have made liberal use of the sword - often basing their conduct on Biblical verses. This was especially true of the colonization of South America and Africa, where native peoples were systematically wiped-out or forced to convert. It is also interesting to note that when the Mongols invaded and conquered large portions of the Islamic Empire, instead of destroying the religion, they adopted it. This is a unique occurrence in history - the conquerors adopting the religion of the conquered! Since they were the victors, they certainly could not have been forced to become Muslims! Ask any of the over one billion Muslims alive in the world today whether they were forced! The largest Muslim country in the world today is Indonesia --- and there were never any battles fought there! So where was the sword? How could someone be forced to adhere to a spiritually rewarding and demanding religion like Islam?

Misconception #7: Muslims hate Jesus

Many non-Muslims are surprised to find out that according to Muslim belief, Jesus, the son of Mary, is one of the greatest messengers of God. Muslims are taught to love Jesus, and a person cannot be a Muslim without believing in the virgin birth and miracles of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. Muslims believe these things about Jesus not because of the Bible or any other religion, but simply because the Holy Qur'an says these things about him. However, Muslims always emphasize that the miracles of Jesus, and all other prophets, were by "God's permission". This having been said, many Christians feel to not believe that Jesus is the "Son of God", "God Incarnate" or the "Second Person" of the Trinity. This is because the Qur'an clearly says that Almighty God does not have a "Son" --- neither allegorically, physically, metaphorically or metaphysically. The Pure Monotheism of Islam rejects the notion of "defining" God (which is basically what the "Doctrine of the Trinity" does), saying that someone is "like" God or equal to him, or praying to someone else besides God. Also, Islam teaches that titles such as "Lord" and "Savior" are due to God alone. In order to avoid misunderstanding, it should be clarified that when Muslims criticize the Bible or the teachings of Christianity, they are not attacking "God's Word" or Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. From the Muslim point of view, they are defending Jesus and God's Word --- which they have in the form of the Qur'an. Muslim criticism is targeted at writings that some people claim are God's word, but Muslim's simply don't accept their claim that they are really God's word in toto. Additionally, Christian doctrines such as the Trinity and the Atonement are criticized by Muslims precisely because they did not originate from Jesus, peace be upon him. In this way, Muslims are the true followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, because they defend him from the exaggerations of the Christians and teach the Pure Monotheism that Jesus himself followed.

Misconception #8: Islam is fatalistic

Most Muslims find it rather odd that their religion, which strikes a beautiful balance between faith and action, could be accused of being "fatalistic". Perhaps this misconception came about because Muslims are taught to say "Praise be to God!" whenever anything good or bad happens. This is because Muslims know that everything comes from Almighty God, who is the All-Knowing Sustainer of the Universe, and that since a Muslim should rely completely on God, whatever happened must have been for the better. However, this does not mean that Muslims are not taught to take action in life --- just the opposite is true. Islam requires not only faith, but action --- such as regular prayer, fasting and charity. To be more precise, in Islam actions are part of one's faith. Islam total rejects the extreme beliefs of some religions that teach that you shouldn't go to a doctor when sick, but only pray for God to heal you. Islam's outlook is very positive, since it teaches that human beings can take positive action in this life. This was certainly what was taught by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to his followers --- since they obviously took the action of spreading Islam from Spain to Morocco in a very short period of time. Even though Islam teaches that God knows what human beings will do before they do it, human beings still have free will. Certainly God, who is All-Knowing and All-Wise, knows what is going to happen to everyone before it happens -- to deny this would be a denial of God Himself. However, if human-beings did not have free will, it would be ridiculous and un-just for God to demand that they do certain things and believe certain things. Far from being "fatalistic", Islam teaches that a human-being's main purpose in life is to be God-conscious. Due to this, Muslims worry less about material matters and view their earthly life in a proper perspective. This is due to the fact that Islam clearly teaches that if people worship and depend on Almighty God alone, then they have nothing to worry about - since God wants what is best for them. True freedom, from the Islamic perspective, does not mean aimlessly following all of your human desires for food, drink, wealth and sex. On the contrary, freedom means being able to control one's base desires and fulfilling them in a proper and legal way. This brings one's desires in tune with what God wants for us --- only then is a person truly free!

Misconception #9: The Islamic Threat

In recent years, a great deal of attention in the media have been given to the threat of "Islamic Fundamentalism". Unfortunately, due to a twisted mixture of biased reporting in the Western media and the actions of some ignorant Muslims, the word "Islam" has become almost synonymous with "terrorism". However, when one analyzes the situation, the question that should come to mind is: Do the teachings of Islam encourage terrorism? The answer: Certainly not! Islam totally forbids the terrorist acts that are carried out by some misguided people. It should be remembered that all religions have cults and misguided followers, so it is their teachings that should be looked at, not the actions of a few individuals. Unfortunately, in the media, whenever a Muslim commits a heinous act, he is labeled a "Muslim terrorist". However, when Serbs murder and rape innocent women in Bosnia, they are not called "Christian terrorists", nor are the activities in Northern Ireland labeled "Christian terrorism". Also, when right-wing Christians in the U. S. bomb abortion clinics, they are not called "Christian terrorists". Reflecting on these facts, one could certainly conclude that there is a double-standard in the media! Although religious feelings play a significant role in the previously mentioned "Christian" conflicts, the media does not apply religious labels because they assume that such barbarous acts have nothing to do with the teachings of Christianity. However, when something happens involving a Muslim, they often try to put the blame on Islam itself -- and not the misguided individual. Certainly, Islamic Law allows war --- any religion or civilization that did not would never survive --- but it certainly does not condone attacks against innocent people, women or children. The Arabic word "jihad", which is often translated as "Holy War", simply means "to struggle". The word for "war" in Arabic is "harb", not "jihad". "Struggling", i.e. "making jihad", to defend Islam, Muslims or to liberate a land where Muslims are oppressed is certainly allowed (and even encouraged) in Islam. However, any such activities must be done according to the teachings of Islam. Islam also clearly forbids "taking the law into your own hands", which means that individual Muslims cannot go around deciding who they want to kill, punish or torture. Trial and punishment must be carried out by a lawful authority and a knowledgeable judge. Also, when looking at events in the Muslim World, it should be kept in mind that a long period of colonialism ended fairly recently in most Muslim countries. During this time, the peoples in this countries were culturally, materially and religiously exploited - mostly by the so-called "Christian" nations of the West. This painful period has not really come to an end in many Muslim countries, where people are still under the control of foreign powers or puppet regimes supported by foreign powers. Also, through the media, people in the West are made to believe that tyrants like Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moamar Qaddafi in Libya are "Islamic" leaders -- when just the opposite is true. Neither of these rulers even profess Islam as an ideology, but only use Islamic slogans to manipulate their powerless populations. They have about as much to do with Islam as Hitler had to do with Christianity! In reality, many Middle Eastern regimes which people think of as being "Islamic" oppress the practice of Islam in their countries. So suffice it to say that "terrorism" and killing innocent people directly contradicts the teachings of Islam.

[abu yahya]

Excellent advice from saharfajr, this should certainly be kept in mind. Clarify misconceptions on islam and speak about islamic matters like tauhid first, dont mention christianity as much as you can, thatl come later insha'allah. Also it'll be a nice slow start and you wont get into an overheated argument or anything inshallah.

may Allaah make it successful.

[Unregistered]

Salaam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah:

Tawhid, Tawhid, Tawhid first. Talk about 5 Pillars of Islam, 6 Pillars of Imaan, and Ihsan.

Just keep in mind and prepare yourself for possible questions related to misconceptions like Terrorism, Suicide Bombings, Political issues, Women in Islam, et...

One thing I always think about when I contemplate on our Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) methods of making dawah. He would customize his Dawah according to the person and their level, but one thing he would keep consistant is that he would always be straight forward and NOT be apologetic about the deen.

Psychology can probably back this up, but when you are authoritative, confident, and straight forward in giving a message, most people take a receptive approach as a result. I have seen from personal experience many years of making the fluffy apologetic approach to non-Muslims compared to now after being upon the Dawah where I take the authoratative, confident, proactive approach and I see a huge difference in the listeners reception of the message.

May Allah grant you success in your dawah, howeve, one thing the Ulema repeated to us in the trip was that try your best to learn, implement, then teach, however, IF you see that no one is following your call, then do not be sad, and do not let it affect you because that ALREADY has happened to the best of creation, The Prophets before us. So this should serve you as an assurance.

Go at it with a "I got nothing to lose and everything to gain" approach, and just make sure your Niya is sincere and SOLELY for the sake of Allah.

Sorry don't mean to ramble but one thing that had me to tears when one Shaykh spoke in the trip was when you make dawah, your duty is not to prove yourself right, but rather to guide the person your talking to, and by leading them to guidance, you fullfill the previous goal automatically. So he said to MAKE sure when you talk to them and give them dawah, to make then FEEL in their hearts that you want them to be guided and to have the good that you have for yourself. Keyword "Make them FEEL IT."

Hope some of this helps, sorry for the rambling on.

[Unregistered]

How to Give Dawah to the People of the Book by Shaykh Jarboo. From our Seminar trip.
-----------------------------------

Abdullah Ibn Ar-Rahmaan Al Jarboo (May Allah Preserve Him)
Acting Professor at Madinah University


Date – 24th of Rajab - Friday August 18
Time – 7:30 – 8:30
Topic – “How to Give Dawah”

Professro from the College of Dawah “Usool ud-Deen” - Former head of Dept. of Aqeedah in Madinah University.

Has written many books, (Not translated in English). Name of one of his books “ Examples of Imaan in the Quran.” The Shaykh studied in Petroleum University and he learned English there.

The Shaykh begins with the Name of Allah, Salaam, Introduction, and first three ayat of Surat-ul Fatihah and then testified there is none worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

“Oh you who believe, fear Allah, have taqwa of Allah, and be with those who are truthful”. This is a great command for everyone who is pleased with Allah and his Prophet. And they are the victorious group. That is the successful group as well, that group which will remain upon the truth until the Day of Judgment.

The Shaykh expressed his gratitude of being able to meet us and be with us today. He would have invited us to his house but he had to travel and he thanked Allah for making it easy for us to gather today on Jumuaah. He hopes we increase in two things. 1- Obedience to Allah and Righteous actions. 2 – Increase in Knowledge so that we can call to the worship of Allah when we return insha’Allah.

In the beginning of this study period, we are reminded of that which has come, that which has been narrated in relationship to the virtues of giving Dawah. It is a fundamental job and duty of every Muslim as Allah has said to his Messengers “This is MY Path… We all call to Allah upon Baseerah, and Glory be to Allah and I am not amongst the
Mushrikun.”

Dawah was a duty of the Prophet and all Muslims. We have the ability to mention many ayat which have come to relation to Dawah. However we will mention one thing and use it as a key to open the doors to our discussion.

Allah says: “And who is better in speech then the one who calls to Allah, and who does righteous deeds, and says I am from amongst the Muslims”

There is no one better then this individual on earth who calls to Allah that does this.


Dawah to the People of the Book

1- Pure Intention – caller must have pure intention for the sake of Allah.

He wants to call to these people in specific because he sees his business and his trade from Allah and he wants benefits from Allah, His love, His pleasure. – (How to gain the pleasure and love of Allah so he looks to Dawah) as this was the way of the Prophets. He wants to benefit and gain the same profits that the Messengers gained in their business (tijara) with Allah (swt).

* If one guides an individual to Islam, it is better for them then the red camels *

From the objectives of Dawah is that we establish the proof of Islaam. But the objective is for the Muslims to have people enter Islaam so this is more important then establishing the proof.

The individual should look to refute the lies against Islaam, but should not do this for his self’s sake but rather to refute the lies in order to get people to enter into Islaam. The wisdom is that once doing this, you include the previous goal while attempting the latter.

An important issue is that the Shaykh says the benefit we gain from making our niyah (intention) in making dawah to encourage people to enter into Islaam. This will help the individual who is making dawah to be consistent in good character (ex. Dealing with them gently and not harshly). An example is the businessman who deals with people harshly and no one wants to buy from them whereas one who is gentle then the people will want to buy from them. We should want good for the person and want them to enter into that which is good for them. His goal should not be to establish the proof, but for the one who wants more then that to enter people into the deen, then this is better and the way is to be gentle and kind.

As it relates to the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), it is important one knows the reality of the individual you are calling, to know their way of thinking, their set of beliefs, their characteristics, behavior et… But what we find today is that the Jews and Christians of today is different then those of old. The Jews and Christians of today have been greatly effected by many factors (Philosophical theories, Darwinism, Zionism, et.. many of which don’t relate to their religion at all). So we find many Christian or Jews that thinks just like an Atheist, et… The point is that you are clear of the condition of the one you are trying to call in order to be effective.

Two Categories of People that are dealt with in making Dawah to:

The one who is inviting he has to have a type of feeling. This feeling is that the one he is talking to, he wants the truth, shows things are making sense to him, and he is accepting et..

The other is the one who is arrogant and doesn’t accept anything no matter what is said to him.

Firstly, the one who appears he doesn’t want the truth, may be envious, may have spite. Et.. The Shaykh’s advice is to stay away from this type of individual because if he doesn’t want the truth then the only thing that will happen is that he will waste the Daaee’s time as well as use the time to create doubt in the Daaee.

For the one who is like this, then we give him a general statement and tell him that Allah has sent a Messenger with Truth. Refer him to the Quran and by doing this we have conveyed the message. By doing this, we have done our job.

The Shaykh goes on to say; now we want to deal with HOW to give DAWAH.

1- General Methods – Used with the mass majority.

- One should himself be a good Muslim, be presentable, and be clean. When people look at him they should see Islaam. In his behavior, his dress, all his actions, staying away from evil acts and indecent behaviors should be the model of Islaam. With good intention it is a good and easy way of giving dawah.

First example – As many know there are many vast countries spacious like Indonesia, China, Malaysia, et. Which no army went to fight to spread Islaam, rather, Islaam was spread through trade, dawah, et.. And the locals found that the traders were good models and behaved decently, were clean, had honest stature, didn’t lie, didn’t commit al-fahishaa, et.. And so the locals liked this married into Muslim families, and this helped spread Islaam.

Second Example – The example here in Saudi Arabia where a family that had invited and took as a maid a woman from a far eastern asian country, perhaps Phillipines. The woman began as a maid to the family, a Bedouin family, however she noticed how they used to purify themselves. They even had and exaggeration in their purification to her as to how they would purify themselves from urine, blood, et… So she found this strange that they were this concerned about cleanliness. She had studied to be a nurse and found that germs are mostly in excretions et.. So she asked why is it that you all are so concerned with cleanliness and they said “We are Muslim and Allah has ordered us to stay away from these impurities”. So she said I want to read more about this Quraan and as a result became Muslim, Alhamdulillah.

The Shaykh says this is what relates to the issue of Al-Qudwah (Being a good example).

“Oh Allah do not make us a fitnah for those who have disbelieved.”

This Aya has two meanings from amongst the Salaf, both of which are true.

a) First meaning is Oh Allah; don’t place the kuffaar as authority over us so that they don’t take away our deen from us.

b) Second meaning, which his considered to be most authentic including Ibn Jareer is that it is a dua that Allah don’t make the Muslims to be in a position where they are weak (economically, politically, militarily) so that when the kuffaar look at us and see that we are weakness, that they would say that we are weak because of our deen or Islaam. And by this, it prevents them from wanting to come to Islaam.

Second point under General Methods of calling to Islam is that which is used by many of the Christians who have entered into Islaam. When they go back to their people to make dawah and if their people say the truth is that which is our fathers were upon. If this was the case, then they are told, if this was true, then everyone would be on the truth. However, if one looks at the evidences, then they would see that the truth is one based on the evidences.

Then this one here, who has accepted the facts, then you’ll find they are also of different types.

There are some who want to debate in a philosophical manner and wants everything to make sense to him. For the Daaee who doesn’t have the ability to do this, then he should forward this individual to a Muslim who is knowledgeable in that area, in which to deal with this person with the proper knowledge and facts.

Another affair that needs attention is that one who doesn’t have the time to deal with this individual or take this individual to one who is able to deal with them then it is sufficient to give this copy a translation of the meaning of the Quraan. Some books which are not translated into English yet have stories of people who have treaded the path towards Islam and this could be given to them.

Then there is another type of people who are not interested in evidences. They seek evidences to convince that which is within themselves. They see the PEACE and Contentment within Muslims et… or they know the beauties of Islaam.

The Shaykh wanted to lastly mention that there has been a lot that has been attributed to Islaam that is not from Islaam. They believe that there are many things that are from Islaam either because it has come from an astray group who says they are Muslims, OR perhaps this thing that they see is from Islam but it was presented in a negative manner and not properly. So they cannot digest that this is the perfect religion.

In general whatever the person calls to should be with sound knowledge and Ilm. Perhaps you may say something in ignorance and as a result close the door of guidance to the person.


Question – Some people claim that the actions of Al-Qaeda has brought back some power, glory, et.. to Islaam, so how do we approach this matter and these people?

Answer – The misconceptions and doubts surrounding the actions performed and the whole issue of The Al-Qaeda organization is something that has been confused. One main misconception is that America is trying to make a connection between Osama bin Laden to Saudi Arabia. The second misconception is that they want to connect the actions of this organization to Islaam. The third misconception is that with some of the Muslims, they have in that which was mentioned in the question itself that some Muslims believe there is some good for Islaam in these actions.

The first thing that we should clarify is that Osama bin Laden is not a Saudi, nor the way he thinks, nor his Aqeedah. He was born in Saudi but is from Yemen. Secondly his Aqeeda is that of the Suffi’s and is not upon that of Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jammaah. Likewise, the third thing to mention is that the Saudi Govt. by way of taking advise from scholars realized this man has some weird thoughts and ideologies that have nothing to do with this country nor with what is taught in this country so based on this they revoked his citizenship when he was in Sudan. Based on this discovery by Saudi Arabia, they revoked his citizenship 10 years before the actions of 9/11. At that point in time America found itself defending Bin Laden saying he is a revolutionary, he was speaking out against the society of Saudi Arabia et… However Saudi was saying at this time that he has an ideology which will lead to confrontation and for this reason they revoked his citizenship. The Saudi Govt. already discovered this persons flaw well prior to 9/11.

As is related to the 2nd misconception is that these actions have something to do with Islaam, then this is also incorrect. These actions which have and are being done by Al-Qaeda are known to the Muslims to be actions of the Khawarij. Those who have left the way of the people of Knowledge and leave off the authority and place authority to people amongst them. As a result they do not recognize authority of Govt’s.

The Prophet in explaining this group, explained them as those who have left off obedience and have separated themselves from the Jamaa’aah. The Prophet also said they will exit at the end of time, that their will be a group at the end of time that will be very young. The next part of their characteristics is that they are foolish. They are people who don’t have a lot of experience in affairs.

So along with them being young and inexperienced is that they will speak with the best speech. They will quote from statements of the Prophets and Companions, et…

The fourth characteristic that they have is that the speech they make does not go past their throats. They are not acting according to that which they are saying. Rather they are only acting according to their desires and distorting the text to make it mean that which they like. They don’t refer to the people of knowledge in matters of the text in relation to the deen.

The next thing described about them is that they will leave from the deen of Islaam just like the arrow flies out from the bow. The Prophet describes them as people who in the beginning were not strong to begin with so in the end they will leave the deen easily. (They will have no sound foundation in belief). After this the Prophet commanded that they be killed. He said “Kill them for indeed there is a reward for killing them in Yaumul Qiyaamah.”

The third misconception is that some of the Muslims mention there are benefits to Islaam as a result of these actions.

1- The ruling that is made upon a particular event has to go back to the textual evidence. We don’t look at as to what the people are doing. If so then this is taking ruling based on what has actually happened or occurred. If a person really believes this, then this in itself is a type of kufr. Because a person is now saying we can take a ruling based on our intellect and does not give the rulings priority to the texts and authentic sources.

Here many people have become convinced that the end results justify the means. The origin of the Sharia is perfect but due to false implementation confusion may occur and ignorance. For example a Suffi might tell you that celebrating the Mawlid is permissible. Why? Because the people’s hearts become soft and they may cry and some non-Mulsims may accept Islaam due to this et… So based on this they may say that this is a righteous action to perform. Some people may take like drugs in the form of pills that make them excited and do so by saying this helps me in my ibadah (ex. Pray tahajud et..). Rather this is an intoxicant and is plainly impermissible.

In summary here on the previous points, the point is that the actions that have been done or are being done by Al-Qaeda and with rulings then we must go back to the authentic sources and people of knowledge, not just here, but of all of the lands where the Ulema have rejected the actions of these people.

The second thing is that they have not helped Islaam but rather harmed the image of Islaam. So here the Shaykh says he wants to show us an example of how impeded in the Dawah they are. In Sudan the Christians in the south, the West came and created a war between the Muslims and the Christians. Whenever a war happens an enmity comes into people which will not allow a people to accept anything from the one they are fighting. In south Sudan there were great efforts of Dawah being made prior to the war, but after the war there was no way of giving them the Dawah anymore. So we see in America there is no war but yet Muslims have not the ability to make this dawah due to the hatred caused towards Islaam by these actions of the likes of Al-Qaeda. They have indeed impeded on the process of Dawah and not helped it.

The Shaykh said in closing that in terms of what has been said, that these actions have returned to the Muslims the “awe” that the Kuffar are supposed to have of the Muslims. This in itself is purely a bad understanding, and is an opposite of what should happen.

As for the saying “people are now reading more about Islaam” he say yes this also happened with the Communists, so rather we see now that they are not reading about Islaam to learn it but rather to learn about their enemy our of fear.

[Unregistered]

What do you say about the woman’s role in calling to Allah?

She is like the man. She should call to Allah, and order the good and
forbid the evil, since the texts from the Noble Qur’an and the Pure
Sunnah prove this, and the words of the scholars are clear about this.
So she should call to Allah, order the good andforbid evil in
accordance with the manners prescribed in the sharee’ah which are
required from the man.

Along with this, she should not be diverted from calling to Allah by
impatience and by lack of perseverance due to the fact that some
people belittle her or abuse her, or make fun of her. Rather, she
should bear that and patiently persevere – even if she sees something
from the people which may be counted as being mockery. She should also
take care of another matter, which is that she should be an example of
chasteness and cover herself with hijaab in front of males who are not
mahrem for her and she shouldavoid mixing with men. Rather her d’awah
would be done while taking care to avoid everything for which she
would be censured.

So, if she gives da’wah to men, then she does so while wearing proper
hijaab and without being alone with any one of them. And if she gives
da’wah to women, she does so with wisdom and pure manners and conduct
so that no one remonstrates with her and asksher why she does not
begin with herself.

She should also avoid clothing which will be a trial (fitnah) for the
people and she should keep far away from every cause of fitnah, such
as revealing her beauty and speaking in a sensual manner – which would
be censured. Rather she should take care to call to Allah in a manner
which will not harm her deen or her reputation. – Shaykh Abdul-Aziz
Ibn Baz

[From Majmoo’ Fataawaa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah of Ibn Baz (Vol 4. p.
240)]
From:abdeenar@sltnet.lk

[Jamaal at-tajary]

Wa Alaikun Salaam wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu

May Allah increase you and al the Sisters and Brothers who are active in calling to Allah and The Messenger, sallahu alayhi wa sallem. We only have to folloe the advice of our beloved Prophet in the advice given to the Companion who was sent to Yemen. "There is no veil between Allah amd his creatures that are oppressed. Gentleness will beautify your efforts. Remember "for Allah along in accordance to the Sunnah of Muhummad" will assure you that the deeds will reach Allah.

As Salaamu Alaikum

Bro. Jamaal.

[Sabiqoon]

Ma shaa Allaah sister, so many people already gave so much wonderful advice but for what it's worth, I would say do the presentation as it happened, do talk about the trip, do talk about the places you went, show them the pictures and each picture what landmark it had, then start from the beginning, with the message of tawheed and the prophethood of Rasool SAW. Tell as a story in a as a facts we , as "well this is what we muslims belief" with humblenss and preserverance and patience which are keys.


Do NOT get drawn into arguments with the christians, if they are hardcore christians, they are bound to be highly misinformed about islaam and hence have incorrect ideas. An earlier post mentioned all the misconceptions, you might want to address them subtely in your presentation without saying," Oh and there is a misconception about the belief in God, etc, etc."

Rather you should say," Muslims believe in THe ONe True God who has not partners no children no spouse, etc. Who is One and Alone and the only one worthy of worship." You can then say God sent messengers to guide people and revealed books.

Make sure you mention that Muslims only follow the Qur'aan, the last and final revealed book that was revealed during the time of Rasool SAW and has not changed or altered. Make it a point to say that we believe in the gospel sent to Jesus and Torah sent to Moses that originally they were revealed but we do not follow them because we believe that over the years they have been changed, altered, and not in their pure state, etc.

And most of all, sister you will have to be very patient, I dont know how your co-workers will react, if they will be argumentative or not. But dont get upset or drawn into arguments, just be patient
and make the presentation interesting,
tell a few small stories of your trip, something funny that happened that they can laugh at and relate to. You want to show most of all that you are great human being. Show them that so that they are really receptive to your presentation.
And believe me when you go to Haram there are many cute stories and funny stuff that happens that we laugh at joy and happiness, so in shaa Allaah, share with them this stuff also, so taht they are relaxed to hear the deeper meaning of your presentation, bi iznillaah

I pray that your presentation goes excellent and Allaah opens the hearts of your co-workers to Al-Islaam

wasalaamu ALaykum

[Sabiqoon]

Also, sister
very importantly, remember your target audience, dont bore them with technicalities.
Da'wah is a step wise process
you are not going to dump all of islaam in one presentation on them,

rather you should not otherwise this will be incorrect da'wah. People can absorb only a little bit.

BRIEFLY mention about the pillars of eemaan, BRIEFLY mention about the pillars of arkaan, the five pillars of ibaadaat and elaborate about 'umrah or hajj where it is necessary based on what pictures you are showing with regards to the trip.

Do talk about some of what you learned from your trip, eg. how islaam is against terrorism, how islaam stresses importance of learning or education, etc.

But again this is a non-muslim audience to keep things for this FIRST session(or presentation) very brief to the point, with some interesting stories.

The advices taht are given in this thread I feel are more so for long term da'wah and even da'wah specifically to the muslims.

I will give you from personal experience about da'wah. After 9/ll, I gave a speech to nonmuslims that was basically about belief in qadhaa and how everything happened because it was qadhaa of Allaah SWT. I started to talk about tawheed, the pillars of eemaan, and although the presentation was good, one muslimah that works with non-muslims said the presentation would have been good for a muslim audience, many of the things I mentioned was too much for a non-muslim audience.

I say go with discretion, if they are very practicing hardcore christians then maybe you can talk to them about more detail about islaamic teachings and certainly if they have questions then go in more detail, in shaa Allaahu ta'aala. Most importantly, when you are done with your presentation, practice in front of a family member to get their opinion before your present.

[Unregistered]

U can refer to some material from scholars ......
basically the concept of God in christianity as in the Bible. etc...

MAY ALLAH HELP YOU

AND WE PRAY FOR ATTENDEES THAT MAY ALLAH GUIDE THEM

[Shaheed]

Sakaamu Alaiykum My dear sister Umm Hadiyah,

May Allaah Subhanna wa ta ala guide your heart and tongue in this effort. Al HamduliLLaah, I was given this same opportunity about 10 years ago which was very successfull. It was given to a white male dominated,hard core christian based workforce and ended, Al HamduliLLaah with a standing ovation for Allaah's deen.

Just remember a few things when making your dauwah presentation:

1. Islam does not need any apologies,it only requires proper presentation

2. Keep it simple

3. Give them Tawheed, Tawheed,the Pillars and the articles of Faith and more Tawheed

4. Make them realize that our Sisters are not oppressed by wearing Hijab and Niqab, but in fact liberated. Point out the modesty of dress for Muslims is similar to Catholic Nuns: Mother Theresa and Mary the Mother of Isa- Alaiyhi was Salaam and they are not considered as every being oppressed.

5. STAY AWAY FROM POLITICAL ISSUES if at all possible

Barak Allaah Feeki My Sister................Represent!!!

4. Give them

[salafeequeen]

Jazakillaahu Khaira, Ukhtee!

Barak Allaahu Feekee!

[salafeequeen]

Bismillaah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem....

As Salaamu Alaikunna wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu!

Jazakum Allaahu Khairyn, Noble Sisters and Brothers. All of your naseeha has been very beneficial to me. Insha-Allaah, this weekend I will begin to outline my presentation with your naseeha as my guide.

Alhamdillaah, I work with all women, a mixture of Caucasian and African-American. Like stated above, most of them know nothing about Islam, however they have been very respectful to me for the most part. They all go to church on a regular basis, with the exception of one. And the Executive Director is a preacher's wife, but I would say she knows the least.

If Allaah wills, I will let all of you know how the presentation went. It is scheduled for November 16th, so Alhamdillaah I have a little time to prepare.

Again, May Allaah reward all of you and Grant you success here and the hereafter. Ameen!

Barak Allaahu Feekunna!

Umm Hadiyah

[salafeequeen]

Bismillaah Ar-Rahman Ar Raheem...

As Salaamu Alaikunna wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu!


Dear Noble Sisters and Brothers,

Well, Alhamdillaah I survived my presentation. And for the most part it went well, Alhamdillaah. They were really receptive and asked a lot of good questions, Masha-Allaah!

Jazakum Allaahu Khairyn for all of you assistance. Barak Allaahu Feekunna.

Umm Hadiyah