Ethics

of
Al-Da'iah
Prepared
by: Salman
bin
Fahd
AlAwdah.
Original
language: Arabic.
Publishing house: Dar-Alwatan, P.O.Box 3310 Riyadh, Tel:
+966-1-4644659.
Publishing date: 1411H/1991G.
A Message from the Author Preface
1- Prayers for Noble Conduct
2- To Perfect the Noble Conduct
3- A Muslim and a Da'iah
4- The Noble Manners of the Da'iah
Truthfulness
1- Truthfulness in Shouldering Islam
2- Truthfulness in Sayings
3- Truthfulness in Deeds
Patience Modesty
Modesty with the Superiors
Modesty with Peers
Modesty with the Lessers
Modesty and Work admiration
Modesty and Accepting Advise
Justice
Justice with enemies and friends
Justice in Evaluating Books
Justice in judging Islamic Dawah and Islamic
Movements
Justice in Viewing Dawah Works and Efforts
Justice in Treatment of Sharia Texts
Justice in the Overall Look at Islam
Justice with reality
Justice in Dealing with the Difference (AlKhilaf)
Live Feeling
Ambition
Conclusion

Ethics of Al-Da'iah
A Message from the Author

In the Name of Allah most Gracious mostMerciful

This Islamic awakening is inseparable fromus; its glory is
ours, its victory is ours and we are most fortunate to be
partof it. It is not fit for an able Muslim to only feel fortunate
and have no morecontribution. We need this feeling to be
positive and to translate into aconstructive word, a sincere
advice or a successful consideration. The guidanceof the
Islamic awakening is not a matter within the capacity of
individuals butit's the responsibility of all. I urge you to
contribute positively andseriously to this blessed series
before its fruits are picked by others.
Salman bin Fahd AlAwdah

Live Feeling
We are in need of Da'iahs who have burninghearts over
the sad realities all over the world of Islam and Muslims,
whosympathize with their brothers, and who materialize in
themselves the meaning of"being strong against unbelievers

but compassionate amongst each other" as Allah(Subhanahu

wa Ta'ala) described the companions of the prophet (peace
be uponhim). These Da'iahs must be very different from the
Kharijis (An old group ofMuslims who deviated by considering
that sinful Muslims will be in Hell forever.They used to kill
Muslims who do not agree with them in their beliefs, but
letunbelievers pass by them safely) who were strong against
the Muslims andpermissive with the idolaters.

The believer is required tomaterialize in himself the saying

of the prophet (peace be upon him): Thesimilitude of
believers in regard to mutual love, affection, and
fellow feelingis that of one body; when any limb of it
aches, the whole body aches because ofsleeplessness
and fever(AlBukhari 6011, Muslim 2585, AlTirmithi
1929)and A believers like a brick for another believer,
the one supportingthe other(AlBukhari 6011, Muslim
2586).
We needDa'iahs who feel pain when they know of a
misfortune happening to their brotherseven if they had some
deficiencies, sins, or Bidaah.

A goodexample of such Da'iah is sheikh Mohammad

Rasheed Ridha. Sadness can be seenclearly on his face when
a calamity hits a Muslim while happiness would shineout if it
is otherwise. If he got sad, his mother would ask him: What
happenedmy son, did a Muslim die in China? She knew that
sadness and happiness of herson were linked to that of
Muslims. He would be happy when Muslims were happyand
he would be sad if it was the other way around. This is what
we can call thealliance to Muslims.

A part of this live feeling is to havea heart that gets sad for

Muslims when they indulge in sin or when they deviatefrom

the right path. Instead of allowing this to detach him from
them, he willbe like the physician trying to save them or at
least minimize their deviationsor wrong doings.

This live feeling should require thebeliever to be protective

of himself, his wife, and his children by enjoiningwhat is
right, forbidding what is evil, and preventing what will
displeasesAllah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala).

Many are the Da'iahs who speakabout Islam, but the ones
with true live feelings are only a few. This feelingwhen it
moves in the heart of the Da'iah, it will produce guidance,
sincerity,and sharing of pain with Muslims anywhere, but
when this feeling is missing thenit means one will live only
for himself and his family, enjoying life around himand
forgetting about Muslims concerns. At this stage, he is
abandoning hisloyalty to the believers even if he speaks
about Dawah, Da'iahs, andmisfortunes of Muslims because
he becomes like the hired mourner.

There are many who got used to repeating talks in

theoccasions, and memorizing phrases that they hear and
say without enthusiasm orlove for this religion or its
followers.

Oh, How much thisnation needs burning hearts!

Justice
Justice is a general term which means beingin the
middle. Muslims are at this position; and in particular Ahl
AlSunnah waAlJamaah are being in the middle in all their
matters without exception; theygive every one his rights.
Justice has many domains and many forms. Here wepresent
some important pictures of justice.
Justice with enemies and friends
It is common that people usually tend tomention their
friends with praise that they may be unworthy of and
theiropponents with derogation, which may have no real
basis.

Isit possible for the Da'iah to speak about the shortcomings

of people closest tohim who agree with his way and method
or the shortcomings of a partner workingwith him to
complete some task? Can he sincerely speak about the
merits ofsomeone who is in difference with him in some
issues? If the Da'iah can do so,then he has realized justice in
this respect. Unfortunately, the opposite is thecommon
practice; many people are being unjust with their opponents
when theyblame them of flaws they are free from, and being
unjust with their friends whenthey praise them with merits
they lack. The latter would appear as an act offriendship,
but, in fact, it is an act of injustice and derogation because
thisfriend will have a lower status in the eyes of others when
they discover that hedoes not have such merits.
Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala)ordered us to be just even with
enemies: And let not the hatred ofothers to you make
you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just:
that isnext to piety(Meaning of Quran 5:8). It is sad that
even when we acceptthis advice from Allah (Subhanahu wa

Taala), we do not put it in practice. Assoon as we find

someone has done what we think is a mistake, we degrade
him andturn our attention away from him. In many
instances, the many merits of someonewill obliterate his few
shortcomings and the many shortcomings will obliteratethe
merits. The matter is actually worse; In many occasions, It is
the few flawsthat make us forget the many merits, which is
contradictory to the Sharia rulethat states: if the water
amounts to two jars then impurities (or scum) can
beneglected.
Justice in Evaluating Books
It is not just to state what are negativeabout a book
and not mention its positive sides. For example, you say that
thebook contains weak or not authentic hadeeths and that it
has some strangeopinions meanwhile you ignore to mention
the good scientific research and theuseful ideas it may have.
Stating half the truth and ignoring the other half isa
departure
from
honesty.
When a mistake is found in a book,as quoting a weak
hadeeth or having a fault in discussing a case, you will
findmany people losing trust in the book and warning others
about it. If we dealwith books of scholars using this criterion
we will be left with no books toread. Take for example
Saheeh AlBukhari, The most authenticated book after
theQuran. Is it absolutely perfect? No, Some parts are left
blank, some topics werestated without reporting any
hadeeth, and some hadeeths either had broken chainof
narrators or had differences in the narration.

ExcludingQuran, any book will have some sort of

imperfection; therefore, justice requirespresenting both its
negative and the positive sides.

Justice in judging Islamic Dawah and Islamic

Movements
Since the fall of the Islamic Caliphate,many Dawahs
and movements had evolved targeting noble objectives
asreestablishing the Islamic way of life, reviving the Islamic
government,propagating the Islamic message among nonMuslims, reviving Sunnah, and othersimilar objectives.

These Dawahs are different in theirmethods, their basis,

and their objectives. They are also different on how closeor
far they are from the way of AlKitab and AlSunnah (The
Quran and the way ofthe prophet, peace be upon him).

Many have talked aboutthese Dawahs and studied their

different aspects. You find that many studieslack justice. This
is either because the writer of such a study is a follower ofa
Dawah who likes its methods and ways or an adversary who
cannot see butflaws; and between the two, truth is lost.
Allah (Subhanahuwa Taala) likes justice and despises
unfairness. If one was deficient in oneside, it does not imply
that he is deficient in all sides. It is not appropriateto neglect
the
few
advantages
even
beside
the
numerous
disadvantages.
Sometimes, you will find someone who talks about a group
ofDa'iahs picturing them like devils. He will try to twist the
meanings of theirwords and acts; even uttering the
Shahadatan ( the two testimonies of acceptingthat there is
no god worthy of worship except Allan and that Mohammad
is hismessenger), will be interpreted in a twisted manner.
Making a generalizedjudgment in the case of Dawahs is
wrong. Dawahs should be studied with carefulconsideration,
giving
results
that
are
detailed,
accurate,

scientificallydisciplined, and fulfilling justice in presenting

both positive and negativeaspects.

The Imams (leaders) of Ahl AlSunnah wa AlJamaah,when

they mentioned Ahl AlBidaah (heretics), they blame them
and warn peopleabout their ways, but they do not forget to
mention the efforts of such peoplein charity, in standing
against others who have more Bidaah (heresy),
againstoutside enemies, or to call non-Muslims to Islam
where the new Muslims will havesome Bidaah but it is in any
case
better
than
remaining
a
non-Muslim.
It is just that we do not overlook the Bidaah on thepretext
that Ahl AlBidaah (heretics) were good on some issues at
the same timethat we do not ignore their good works on the
pretext that they are of AhlAlBidaah.
Justice in Viewing Dawah Works and Efforts
There are efforts in the field of Dawahthat cannot be
associated with any certain group, but it is a collection
ofjihad and Dawahs works from many Muslim groups and
individuals. It is a humaneffort that can be right or wrong
and it is not infallible in any way. It is ofobvious interest that
these efforts should be evaluated justly and correctly.This
will result in benefiting from positive aspects and enhancing
them whileavoiding negative ones and getting rid of them.
This way mistakes will not berepeated and Muslims will not
start
from
the
same
point
again.
This obvious interest might get wasted between two sides.
Aside that views this effort as a perfect one and will
incriminate any one whotries to criticize it and another that
cannot see but flaws to the point that herenders this effort
useless.

Take, for example, the AfghaniJihad, which lasted for more

than ten years with much sweat, tears, blood,sacrifices,
struggle and sleepless nights. You find someone that
considers it asfree from mistakes and flaws and that it
resembles the jihad of the prophetcompanions. He will see it
as a jihad that is above any criticism, comments,
orsupervision. On the other extreme, you will find another
who classifies theMujahideen as ignorants and of Ahl
AlBidaah without any hesitation and withoutgiving any
details. When asked how did he arrive at such judgment he
will saythat they use amulets and have mosques that are not
according to Sunnah. It iseven graver! Someone has
declared that this is not jihad but polytheistsfighting atheists.
I have read another stray comment by someone about
Muslimgroups that follows the way of Kitab and Sunnah; it
says: "He is an infidel whodoes not consider this group as
infidels." If this was his judgment on such agroup then what
do you expect about his judgments on groups who are not as
closeto Kitab and Sunnah. This is not the just balance that
Allah (Subhanahu waTaala) has put for this nation and this is
not the real adherence to the way ofthe prophet (peace be
upon him) who would acknowledge the value of each
andevery one and who would not rob people from the rights
they should have. Hasn'the praised people, if it was of
common interest, because of the good deeds theyhave even
if they were not free from flaws. Hasn't he (peace be upon
him)praised AlNajashi and said that He is a king that no
one is treatedunfairly under his rule(Ibn Ishaq in
Biographies and Campaigns 213,AlBaihaqi 9/9, Ahmad in
AlMusnad 5/290) even though AlNajashi was not a Muslimat
the time.

There is a group of Da'iahs who look at mattersfrom one

angle; either from the angle of satisfaction where he misses
theshortcomings or from the angle of hostility where he

misses the merits. Da'iahshould strife for right judgment that

holds the scale from the middle and looksat matters with a
balanced look that is careful not to be influenced by
emotionspositively or negatively. And let not the hatred
of others to you makeyou swerve to wrong and
depart from justice. Be just: that is next
topiety(Meaning of Quran 5:8).
Justice in Treatment of Sharia Texts
Those texts that are firm and clear(Muhkam) are a
"religion". They must be accepted, followed, and believed in;
notext can be abandoned as long as it remained firm and
was not substituted ordeleted (Mansookh) during the life
time of the prophet (peace be upon him).

Having a balanced look at these texts is an act of justice;so,

do not take a type of these texts and reject another type,
particularly whenthe two types deal with the same subject or
two
opposing
subject
like
belief
anddisbelief.
Some people will take the texts of threats andignore the
texts of promises. For example, someone will take the
hadeeth: The person who severs the bond of kinship
will not enterparadise(AlBukhari 5984, Muslim 2556, Abu
Dawwod 1996), or thehadeeth: The Qattat (The qattat is
the person who conveys informationfrom one person
to the other with the intention of causing harm and
enmitybetween
them)
will
not
enter
paradise(AlBukhari 6056, Muslim 105, AbuDawood 4771,
AlTirmithi 2127). and will label others of disbelief if they
dosuch acts according to what may appear as the meaning
of these texts neglectingother texts of promise and
anticipation as the hadeeth narrated by Utban: If anybody
comes on the day of resurrection who has said: La
ilaha illaAllah, sincerely, with the intention to win
Allah's pleasure, Allah will makethe hell fire forbidden

for him(AlBukhari 4623, Muslim 33), or thehadeeth: If

any one testifies that none has the right to be
worshippedbut Allah Alone Who has no partners, and
Mohammad is His slave and his apostle,and that Jesus
is Allah's slave and His apostle and His word which He
bestowedon Mary and a soul from him, and that
Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allahwill admit him
into Paradise with the deeds which he has done even
if thosedeeds were few(Ahmad 5/314, AlBukhari 3435,
Muslim 28, AlTirmithi2640).

On the other extreme you will find someone who takesonly

texts of anticipation leaving out texts of threats, making
people feel safefrom Allah's design, After them
succeeded an (evil) generation: theyinherited the
book, but they chose (for themselves) the vanities of
this world,saying (for excuse): (every thing) will be
forgiven us. Even so, if similarvanities came their way
they would (again) seize them(Meaning of Quran7:169).
The justice is to take this text and that one untilthe scales
are
balanced.
Another aspect of justice ondealing with Sharia texts is the
justice between the particular and thegeneral. Religion in its
entirety belongs to Allah, so there is nothing in itthat is trivial
or that can be ignored or neglected. This is why the
prophet(peace be upon him) , when he answered Gabriel
about AlIsalm, AlIman, andAlIhsan said: This is Gabriel
came to teach you your religion(AlBukhari 50, Muslim
1009, Abu Dawood 4698, AlNisai 4990).

This is why if someone denies a matter that is known by

necessity from thereligion and that has been reported
through several different chains ofnarrators and that is firmly
proven to be authentic, he will be a disbelievereven if this

matter is a Sunnah or fardh kifayah (Duty that is sufficient to

bedone by some Muslims), like the Sunnah of two rakaahs
before fajr prayer and thefardh kifayah of Adhan (call for
prayer) and other similar works.

There are no marginal matters or trivialities in thereligion as

some hasty ignorant or opponent would claim without having
alegitimate proof, but there are priorities like matters of
belief and theprecedence of general mattersbefore particular
ones. When you see a personhaving different sort of
mistakes, it is wise to start with the graver onesfirst. It is not
advisable that you blame this person on uttering
athkar(remembrance of Allah, like subhan Allah, AlHamd li
Allah,...) which are Sunnahwhile he is still having problems
with pillars of prayer like recitingAlFatihah; it is neither
logical to start your journey of Dawah with him byasking
him to stop smoking while he is falling in shirk (polytheism).

Dawah in a gradual way is established by the fact that

theprophet (peace be upon him) instructed Muath when he
sent him to Yemensaying: You are going to a nation
from the people of the scripture, solet the first thing
to which you will invite them, to the Tawheed of
Allah(Subhanahu wa Taala) (Accepting the Oneness
of Allah) . If they learn that,tell them that Allah has
enjoined on them, five prayers to be offered in one
dayand one night. And if they pray, tell them that
Allah has enjoined on them Zakatof their properties
and it is to be taken from the rich among them and
given tothe poor...(AlBukhari 1458, Muslim 19 Abu
Dawood 1584, AlNisai 2435,AlTirmithi 625 all from the
hadeeth of Ibn Abbas). Therefore, ordering mattersaccording
to their importance is the way of the prophet (peace be upon
him) andwas his method in practical Dawah and it is part of
his instructions to hiscompanions who reported his actions
and
deeds.

Some of thedevoted Da'iahs will concentrate on a group of

details -- that are importantwithout any doubt -- but where
there are more important matters. We advise themnot to
turn their attention away from these important details but to
place themin their natural order behind the more important
matters.

Inexplaining to the students the hadeeth of Abu Saeed: If

one of you cameto the mosque, he should look at his
shoes. If he found any dirtiness, he shouldwipe it out
and pray with them on(Abu Dawood 652), I have
illustrated apractical example on how to apply justice in
dealing with Sharia texts.
I. I have mentioned the sunnahs reported on how the
prophet (peace be uponhim) dealt with the question of
praying with the shoes on. To sum up they arefive:
A. That the prophet (peace be upon him)
sometimes intended to pray withouthis shoes as
reported in the hadeeth of AbdAllah Ibn AlSaib: I
have seenthe prophet (peace be upon him)
praying on the day of conquest and he had
puthis shoes to his left(Abu Dawood 648,
AlNisai 776).

B. That theprophet (peace be upon him) prayed

with his shoes on as reported in the hadeethof Abu
Saeed and what was reported by Abu Maslamah
Saeed Ibn Yazeed AlAzdi. He said: I asked Anas
Ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him)
was theprophet (peace be upon him) praying
with his shoes on. He said: yes(AlBukhari
386, Muslim 555, AlTirmithi 400, AlNisai 775).
C.

That

theprophet

(peace

be

upon

him)

sometimes prayed barefooted and sometimes with

hisshoes on as in the hadeeth of Amr Ibn Shoaib
(Abu Dawood 653).

D. Thatthe prophet ordered to put the shoes

between the feet, not to the right or left,except if
there was no one to the left as in the hadeeth of
Abu Hurairah (AbuDawood 654-655) and others.
E. That the prophet (peace be upon him)ordered to
pray with the shoes on as in the hadeeth of
Shaddad Ibn Aws:Differ from the Jews, they
do not pray with their shoes or slippers
on(Abu Dawood 652).
II. I have mentioned the opinions of scholarsregarding
this issue and they are three opinions:
A. It is makrooh (reprehensible). This opinion was
reported to be of IbnOmar and Abu Musa AlAshar.

B. It is mustahab (desirable). This is theopinion of

the majority like Omar, Othman, Ali, Anas, Ibn
Masood, Ataa, Mujahid,Tawoos, Shuraih and
others.

C. It is ja'iz (allowable) if the shoes donot contain

najasah (squalor), as chosen by AlKhattabi, Ibn
Daqeeq Aleid, IbnBattal, AlNawawi and others.
This means that they have the opinion that
prayingwith the shoes on is not desirable. Ibn
Daqeeq Aleid assumed that touching theground
with much dirt makes the shoes unfit to pray with
themon.

III. I gave preponderance to the opinion that is in accord

withauthentic and clear evidence from the Sunnah and
that it is mustahab (desirable)to pray with the shoes on,
but considering the following points:
A. To look at the shoes and be sure that they are
free from dirt or filthfollowing order of the prophet
(peace be upon him) as in the hadeeth of
AbuSaeed mentioned earlier.

B. That praying with the shoes on will notresult in

any disturbances like raising voices in the mosque,
arguments, hatred,breakage of relations or even
quitting prayers at the mosque. All these
actionsmay be done by some people whom we
needed to win their hearts. Such events maybe
exploited by enemies of Dawah to label the
Da'iahs with false accusationsand drive people
away
from
them.
C. The necessity to set priorities inorder. We need
to get people to have the correct faith and warn
them against allsorts of shirk (polytheism), the
apparent and the hidden. we need to get peopleto
perform Fariadahs (Compulsory duties) and refrain
from Muharramat (unlawfuldoings). We need to
urge
them
to
do
sunnahs
and
mustahabat(
desirable
deeds)
andavoid
makroohat (reprehensible actions). It is not logical
to insist on teachingpeople a Sunnah no matter
what effort it takes if at the end, because
ofignorance, they will reject this Sunnah and may
go as far as rejecting theDa'iah himself and not
accepting anything from him. The ladder of
Shariapriorities begins with learning the basics of
belief, then performing faridahs(duties) and
refraining from muharramat (unlawful actions),
then doing sunnahsand avoiding makroohat

(reprehensible deeds). It is like the

ofnecessities then needs then accessories.

order

In shortwe need to make clear that there is no conflict

between attending to the wholeand attending to the detail
and clarify that caring of general matters does notrequire
neglecting partial ones or vice versa. We also need all the
Da'iahs towork in a consistent pattern that gives each affair
the importance it deserves.
It is not a shame that the Da'iah learn or teach the
sunnahsthat are, at present, considered strange like wearing
dresses not longer thanmiddle of the leg for men, or the
sitting of rest in prayer or moving the fingerduring tashahud.
These are matters of Sharia that are backed up by texts
andneed specialized scholars to form an opinion regarding
them on the conditionthat it will not exhaust all their efforts
leaving other issues untouched. Theyneed also to be applied
by young people and spread by them to others when
theyfind that the time and place permit the acceptance of
these sunnahs. These youngpeople also need to stop
propagating these sunnahs when they fear that theinterest
of the religion may be harmed and not out of the fear of
people
looksand
words.
It is not justice to write fourteen papers on apartial subject
where grave matters and catastrophes happening to the
Muslimnation are not being attended to, leaving people
going astray stumbling withtheir own opinions that are not
based on solid knowledge. On the other hand, youfind some
one neglecting the details and take care only of general or
wholematters. he will say: "I am on the steps of our pious
forefathers and when Ilook at Omar who spread justice and
who said: (If a mule stumbled in Iraq I feelthat Allah will
question me about it: why didn't you paved the road for
it,Omar?); I do not look at the personality of Omar who had
short dress and longbeard as some kids do".

Subhan Allah! Why would we split thepersonality ofOmar

into two: Omar the just, who bears the responsibility evenof
a mule in Iraq and Omar who committed to Sunnah on what
he does, what hewears, and how he looks. Omar did not
believe in this double or splitpersonality, and here is the
proof.
When Oqban Ibn Amir (mayAllah be pleased with him) came
to Omar carrying the good news of the successfulconquest of
Syria, he made a one week trip from a Friday to the next
until hereached Madinah and told Omar about the conquest.
Muslims chanted: Allah Akbar,and were happy to be
victorious. Then Omar looked at the shoes of Oqbah
andasked: When did you wear them? Oqbah said: It's been a
week and I've been wipingover them [instead of washing
feet for Wudu]. Omar said: What you've done is theSunnah
(AlBaihaqi 1/380). The story is authentic as Ibn Taimiah (Ibn
TaimiahAlfatawa 21/178), and others declared. The news of
the conquest and the businessto bring the world under the
rule of Islam did not prevent Omar from discussinga partial
detail -- in the view of some -- and then stating what is
Sunnahaccording to his opinion and finding.
When he was dying thechoice of the next caliphate was of a
great concern to him and to the companionsof the prophet
(peace be upon him) . This was an extremely important
general andessential matter, but it did not divert the
attention of Omar from giving adviceon some other partial
matters. A young man from AlAnsar entered visiting
Omarafter he was stabbed. The young man said nice words
to Omar and he was exiting,Omar noticed that his dress was
long; so he ordered to bring back the young manand told
him: "O. my nephew, raise up your dress. It is cleaner for it
and it ismore pious" (AlBukhari 3700 on the authority of Amr
Ibn Maimoon). Minutes after,he was discussing the question
of grand father being eligible for inheritancewith the
brothers. Omar said: "I have formed an opinion regarding the
grandfather. If you find it right follow it". Othman (may Allah

be pleased with him)said: "If we follow your opinion, it is on

the right direction and if we followthe opinion of the old man
before you (Abu Bakr) then he was one of goodopinion"
(AlDarimi 2916 on the authority of Marwan Ibn AlHakam).
This was Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) , a mixture
ofconcerns of the general and the detailed, the whole and
the partial in aharmonious way where no color overcomes
other colors and where the constructionis wholly integrated
where every part is necessary.
Justice in the Overall Look at Islam
Islam governs all aspects of life at thelevel of the
individual and the group and all social, economical,
political,scientific and other levels. Allah (Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala) has blamed andreproached the Christians by telling:
From those, too, who callthemselves Christians, we
did take a Covenant, but they forgot a good part
ofthe Message that was sent them: so we stirred up
enmity and hatred between theone and the other, to
the day of judgment(Meaning of Quran 5:14).

Grouping around one part of the religion neglecting

otherparts is the heritage of the perished nations and one of
the greatest causes ofconflict and dissent among Da'iahs.
You find a sect of Muslims that emphasizeson the worship
aspect of the religion. They will stay up praying most of
thenight. They will utter athkar most of the time, and may
be, they will addunfounded religious practices borrowed from
Sufism. I have been told that one ofthe western spies lived
with one such sect, then he reported that such peopleare
absolutely harmless. Their only concern is what under the
ground and what'sabove heavens. I'm amazed! They only
talk about death, graves, punishment,reward and about
Allah, the angels, and the hereafter, but they never

getconcerned

with

what

is

happening

on

earth.

Other groups getconcerned with the political aspects of

Islam. Their struggle is in the field offorming political parties,
gathering supporters, winning elections,participating in
parliaments and educating youth on political struggle.

You also find groups who put their efforts on the sciencesof
religion. They learn Sunnah and Hadeeth, and get occupied
in classifying thehadeeths, warning people against invented
and weak ones. This may be accompaniedby dryness and
weakness of worship and distraction from the realities of
theMuslim nation and what is been devised against it.
Beforeany one would jump to conclusions, I would come
forward and say:
1- Islam encompasses these three fields and others. It
is a religion thatlinks one to his creator through
worship, fear and hope, and hence the religiousworship
like prayer, fasting and hajj were enjoined. It is also a
religion thatgoverns life affairs. It is not a priesthood
and not a separation from liferealities. Politics is an
integrated part of Islam, so struggle in this fieldwith
every permissible mean that would lead to fulfilling the
objective shouldbe part of the concern of the Da'iah. It
is also a religion that defines worshipand controls the
motion of life with the order of AlKitab and AlSunnah
leavingno place for emotions or personal inclinations.
Therefore, we must haveknowledge of AlKitab and
AlSunnah so that we can have our worship and works
donecorrectly. These three fields are among what Islam
calls for and urgeson.
2- It may be impossible for an individual or a group of
individualsto encompass all the efforts needed for those

fields. Capacities have limits andif they are devoted to

one thing other things may be forgotten along the
way.Add to that the different inclinations and skills
people have. Someone may havepiety and ascetic
benevolence but he is not gifted with the tools of
Shariasciences which makes him unable to contribute
in this field. Here we say thatevery one knows what his
strong points are. Therefore, he should exploit
thisstrength to contribute to the completion of the
integrated Islamic structure asdid the companions of
the prophet (peace be upon him) . Among them were
bravefighters like Khalid Ibn AlWaleed besides great
scholars and judicial juristslike Ibn Abbas and Ibn
Masood, and the ascetic devotee as Abu Thur, who
used toshout among the people in words and in actions
calling them to turn away fromthis worldly life. Very few
others were a compound of virtues like Abu Bakr,Omar,
Othman and Ali. Such models will rarely repeat during
the
followinggenerations.
3- We should complement each other. The different
concernsmust not be a cause of conflicts and
accusations. It must not make one accusethe other of
ignorance,
delving
deep
in
the
details,
unconsciousness, hardship,or loving this worldly life.
No, every one should acknowledge that his brotherhad
taken responsibility of a part he could not do and he
should pray for hisbrother and protect his back from
enemies. We should not group around one partof the
religion and fight those who care for other parts. On the
contrary, if wewere unable to care for a part we should
be grateful to those who relieved usand took the
responsibility. There is a great difference between the
two attitudes.
4- If we devote ourselves to a part of the religion, be
itscience, worship, or political struggle then we should
not neglect other parts.It is not acceptable for a Da'iah

not to have knowledge of things that everyMuslim must

know, like knowing the correct belief, rules of ablution,
prayer,fasting, etc., and knowing what he needs in his
practical life as the goodmanners of marital life, rulesof
Zakat and trade for trade people, or rules ofpracticing
professions like medicine and engineering. This, by will
of Allah,will protect our concern of one part from being
excessive leading to negligenceof other parts. Devoting
oneself to worship without associating with that
thecorrect knowledge of Sharia may lead to Sufism,
and caring for Dawah withoutbasis of Kitab and Sunnah
and good understanding may lead to Bidaah
ormisleading people.
Justice with reality
Some of the Da'iahs lives in modern timesas if it is the
fifth century of Hijrah. He does not know what happens
aroundhim and he gets overtaken by current events as a
layman would be. An Imam wasreading the Friday Khutbah
from a book. At the end he prayed that AmeerAlMoumineen
the Ottoman sultan has his kingdom and rule everlasting. He
wasunaware that the sultan was dead for along time and
that his kingdom was splitbetween the East and the West.

This extreme case ofunconsciousness may not repeat very

often, but there are other more frequentcases that are less
extreme. A young man once asked me: The Ba'ath party,
whatare their other beliefs besides denying the Ba'ath (In
Arabic, Ba'ath meansresurrection and it also means revival)?
This young man thought they were calledthe Ba'ath party
because they deny Ba'ath, same as the Qadariah (fatalist)
sectswere called so because they denied AlQadar (fate).

TheMuslim is responsible for the time he lives in and he is a

witness upon it. Helives the community concerns and knows

the streams of thoughts and thedirections of politics. He
strives to find the correct suitable solutions fornew events
and to resist the deviations after he knows them and
understands whattheir roots are. The western thought
cannot be refuted by someone who does notknow its roots,
circumstances,
and
objectives.
It isnecessary for every Da'iah to have such knowledge, but
there should be a groupwho will take this responsibility. In
general, every Da'iah must have a windowthrough which he
monitors the important current events surrounding him, and
beable to guide people to the right conduct concerning
them.

On the other side of those who are separate from reality, you
find someone whotransforms dealing with the current state
of affairs into some kind ofdefeatism. He tries to find
pretexts to say that the status of people isaccording to Islam.
He may also renounce some Sharia matters for the sake
ofcurrent realities or because of the psychological pressure.
Justice with reality is recognizing the current state of affairs
and subjectingit to the principles of Islam and rectifying its
deviation accordingly as far aspossible.
Justice in Dealing with the Difference (AlKhilaf)
Difference of opinions is part of the humannature,
They will not cease to differ, except those on whom
Your Lordhas bestowed his mercy(Meaning of Quran
11:118,119).

This difference varies according to intentions andobjectives

and according to minds, understanding, and knowledge.

Dealing withthe difference requires a position according to

Sharia.

Some Da'iahs call for unity and ignoring the difference

without a cleardefinition of whom to unite with and whom to
separate from on the grounds of hisBidaah, stray actions, or
deviations.

On the other extremethere is someone who exaggerates on

the conditions and terms; he wants agreementin all issues
even in his own personal opinions and inferences. If he was
notagreed with in some issues he will stand on the opposite
side of the others andhe will then not give their opinions any
weight.

Justicerequires accepting the difference in issues that can

be differed on, like meansof Dawah, subordinate issues that
are not fundaments of the religion, andrulings that were
differed on by the first generations and other similar
issueswhere the difference was built upon a study of Sharia
(Ijtihad Shar'i) tounderstand the texts and not on personal
desires or inclinations. This kind ofdifference is tolerable, and
there is enough room for different opinions to beaccepted.
On the other hand, forgiving and tolerating the people who
followBidaahs in the belief and have essential deviations on
the pretext ofpreserving unity is a fabricated course which is
not logical and does not agreewith Sharia.

It is essential to know that requiringconsensus in all issues is

impossible and cannot be imagined except in the mindsof
naives.

Patience
Patience is the associate of certainty. And we
appointed, from among them, leaders, giving
guidance under Ourcommand, so long as they
persevered
with
patience
and
continued
to
havecertainty of faith in our signs(Meaning of Quran
32:24). For thisreason, Sufian declared that one reaches the
leadership in religion by havingpatience and certainty of
faith.
Having no or littlepatience, one can easily abandon his
religion because of any obstacle and togive up his way and
lose his wisdom because of any provocation. Because of
this,Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) said to his prophet (peace
be upon him) Sopatiently persevere: for verily the
promise of Allah is true: nor let thoseexcite thee, who
have (themselves) no certainty of faith(Meaning
ofQuran 30:60), and said And have patience with what
they say and leavethem with noble (dignity)(Meaning
of Quran 73:10).

In many occasions, the people who went astray will try to

frustrate the Da'iahsby telling them that what they are
calling for is unachievable, old values thatpeople no longer
remember and that the Da'iahs should accept a lesser
objectiveand should revise their opinions and efforts. Under
the pressure of realities,facing the real and fictitious
obstacles in the road of accomplishing Islam andrealizing the
lengthy way the Da'iahs will go through, some of them may
give anear, get influenced and start to revise his
understanding of Islam and hisunderstanding of what the

opponents

say.

This position willbe very acceptable if the Da'iah does it with

the spirit of the brave objectiveresearcher who looks for the
truth wherever it is, but here he does it with thespirit of the
defeated who feels that he came out of the battle wounded
orcaptured. He, afterwards, starts to look for a solution in the
proposals of hisopponents that would save him from fighting
falsehood and distorted realities.

Take, for example, usury, which spread all over, deepenedits

roots, and had all world economies, including that of the
Islamic world,depend on it. It almost got into every one
pocket. This is a realization of theprophet (peace be upon
him) hadeeth People will witness a time in
whichwhoever is not usurious will be affected by its
dust(Ahmad 2/494, AbuDawood 3331, AlNisai 4455, Ibn
Majah 2278. This hadeeth was considered weak byAlMunthiri
because of lack of link between the hadeeth reporters
AlHassan andAbu Hurairah), This hadeeth, with its weak
authenticity, has its meaningstrengthened by this hadeeth
reported by AlBukhari A time will come whenone will
not care how one gains one's money, legally or
illegally(AlBukhari 2059, AlNisai 4454).

When the ones who do nothave certainty of faith come to

the defeated Da'iah trying to persuade him totake another
look at an act of clear usury, he, instead of preventing them
fromthis unlawful earning, which entered their pockets and
from this unlawfuldealing that became part of their souls,
and instead of trying to search forIslamic acceptable
alternatives for investing money and building Islamic
economyupon it, tries to find an opening in the Sharia law
no matter how weak or outof conformity this opening is. In
this manner, the people's way of a life thatspan a limited
period of time becomes a reference to twist the Sharia laws

thathave been constant throughout the ages. This can be

explained by the Da'iahlacking patience and then losing
hope. It is best for such Da'iah to listen tothe advice of the
one who said: If you cannot achieve an objective, stop
workingon it and start on something you can achieve

It is notrequired that you achieve the victory of Islam in your

lifetime. This victory isfor the will of Allah (Subhanahu wa
Taala) to decide when it should happen. Itis required that
you do your best. Messengers and prophets were spoken to
inthis same sense, If then they turn away, We have not
sent thee as aguard over them, the duty is but to
convey (the message)(Meaning ofQuran 42:48). The
messengers were also saying And our duty is only
todeliver the clear message( Meaning of Quran 36:17).
Someone may come to the Da'iah telling him: you work
hard day and night andundergo mountainous efforts but at
the end results seem to be little and peoplestart to turn
away from you. Moreover, you see that means of destruction
andcorruption have engulfed many of them and whatever
you've been building in yearswill be demolished in hours.
This kind of logic may influence many of theDa'iahs who are
not used to facing obstacles in their way. At such
moments,comes the role of "patience", patience, which is
most fitting to the situation.

Khabbab Ibn AlArat narrated: We complained to

Allahapostle (peace be upon him) (about the hardship
we are facing from thepolytheists) while he was
leaning against his sheet cloak in the shade of
theKaaba. We said will you ask Allah to help us! Will
you invoke Allah for us! He(peace be upon him) sat up
with his face reddened and said: among those who
werebefore you a (believer) used to be seized and a
bit used to be dug for him andthen he used to be

placed in it. Then a saw used to be brought and put

on hishead which would be split in two halves. His
flesh might be combed with ironcombs and removed
from his bones, yet, all that did not cause him to
revert fromhis religion. By Allah! This religion (Islam)
will be completed (and triumph)till a rider (traveler)
goes from Sanaa to Hadramout fearing nobody except
Allahand the wolf lest it should trouble his sheep, but
you are impatient(AlBukhari 3852, Abu Dawood 2649,
AlNisai (summarized) 5320).

Therefore it is not fit for a Da'iah not to have thenecessary

patience until the fruits of Dawah are ripe.

TheDa'iah may be, in his place (town, school, office,...),

fighting againstreprehensible actions and for spreading
Dawah and through him a lot of good maybe happening
which he may not feel because it happens gradually like a
fathernot feeling the growth of his child because he sees him
every morning andevening.

Many Da'iahs abandon their places thinking they arenot

achieving anything. Afterwards, he regrets his decision
painfully when herealizes the emptiness that is greatly felt
behind him.

TheDa'iah must wait patiently for the results and must exert
his efforts puttinghis dependence upon Allah (Subhanahu wa
Taala). He must comprehend that fromhistorical and realistic
experiences, any good effort done will have its fruiton the
people. It never happened in this Ummah (nation of Islam)
that no onewould respond to the Da'iah or no one would

listen to his advises. Similarly, itnever happened that a

scholar gave a lesson and no one attended. We are not yetat
the time, the prophet (peace be upon him) told us about,
when greed is anobeyed practice, desire guides the actions
and every one admires his own opinionto the point that he
rejects the Quran and Sunnah if they are not in
accordancewith
it.
This did not happen yet at the level of the wholeIslamic
nation. It may be noticed on some individuals or in some
places but goodis still prevalent and people are responsive to
the knowledgeable wise Da'iah.Moreover we find people
respond to Da'iahs in non-Muslim countries, in Europeand
America. Statistics show that tens are reverting to Islam in
the Islamiccenters there every week.

This historical realistic factthat says that every effort will

produce a fruit, is also a fact from theperspective of Islamic
Sharia: Whoever works any act of righteousnessand
has faith, his endeavor will not be rejected, We shall
record it in hisfavor(Meaning of Quran 21:94), That
Allah may reward the men oftruth for their
truth(Meaning of Quran 33:24), He whointroduced
some good practice in Islam which was followed after
him (by people)would be assured of reward like one
who
followed
it,
without
their
reward
beingdiminished in any respect(Muslim 1017, AlNisai
2554, from the hadeethof Jareer Ibn AbdAllah AlBajali), He
who called (people) torighteousness, there would be
reward (assured) for him like the rewards of
thosewho adhered to it, without their rewards being
diminished in any respect(Muslim 2674, AlTirmithi 2676,
Abu Dawwod 4609 all from the hadeeth of Abuhurairah).

Therefore every work has a reward and everyDa'iah has

followers.

Modesty
Modesty is knowing one's value and avoidingpride that
-- as the prophet (peace be upon him) defined it -isdisdaining the truth (out of self conceit) and
contempt for the people(Muslim 91, AlTirmithi 1999, Abu
Dawood
4092).
In essence,modesty is for the great one, who is inclined to
see himself above others. Wesay to him: Be modest then you
will be as a star reflected on the water surface,close to the
people while in reality it is very high. We do not ask an
ordinaryperson to be modest. Rather, we say to him: know
the value of yourself and putit where it should be. AlKhattabi
narrated in his book, AlUzlah (Solitude), thatthe great scholar
Imam AbdAllah Ibn AlMubarak came to Khurassan and went
tovisit a man known of piety and asceticism. When the Imam
entered the pious manhouse, He did not receive the Imam or
pay attention to him, so the Imam left.People around this
man asked him wondering: Do you know the man who just
left?He replied, no. They said: He is "Ameer AlMoumineen in
AlHadeeth", meaning thathe is the most knowledgeable of
the prophet sayings, He is AbdAllah IbnAlMubarak. The man
was greatly embarrassed and he ran after the Imam asking
himto accept his apology and to be advised. Imam Ibn
AlMubarak said: Yes, wheneveryou leave your house, think of
any one you lay your eyes upon as a better personthan you
are. The Imam gave him this advise because he felt that this
pious manis afflicted with self admiration. When The Imam
asked about him, he found thathe was a tailor (AlUzlah 220).
Imam AbdAllah Ibn AlMubarakfelt that this man had some
kind of feeling of pride, arrogance, and superiorityover
others, which is an illness that often afflict those who offer

more worshipthan the rest. So, the Imam educated him

giving him an appropriate advise.

We often find some good people, perhaps some Da'iahs,

andeven young students who have ill manners with their
sheikhs, scholars, andteachers, which is painful and
bothering.

There is noobjection if you have a different opinion with a

scholar or a Da'iah providedyou are qualified, but when this
difference of opinions becomes a mean todegrade this
scholar or Da'iah or to distort his image then it becomes
veryobjectionable.

If such a behavior can be expected fromcommoners, the

misled, and the people of Bidaah then it is not fit at all
tohappen from the people of Sunnah or students of Sharia.

Thescholars of Ahl AlSunnah and AlJamaah are particularly

required to enjoinrighteousness and to forbid reprehensible
deeds even for those who are in thehigh ranks, anticipating
reward from Allah for whatever harm they may
encounter,but this is not expected from them when they are
abandoned by their closestsupporters, for every one of them
will be as the brave knight backed only by women.

Had Ahl AlSunnah protected their scholars, supportedthem,

and acknowledged their eminence, it would have been
possible for them toperform their duties of enjoining
righteousness and forbidding reprehensibledeeds at the best

way possible, but when they were forsaken by the people

behindthem, scholars could not utter a word to enjoin or
forbid.
It is regrettable to see Ahl AlBidaah on the contrary of this.
Moreover, theygive their scholars a value that raises them to
the level of holiness and willfollow them in a very
objectionable way that is a kind of slavery and melting inthe
leader scholar.

This has been the way of AlBatiniah sectthrough the ages,

where the individuals are educated to accept that
theirleaders
and
scholars
are
infallible.
Even AlMutazilah, whosereference in religion is the mind,
become very emotional when the matter comesto their
leaders. One of their poets would praise the Mutazilah leader
Wasil IbnAtaa claiming that he has in every town in every
corner of the world brave menwho are the bearers of the
religion in the face of all oppressors and wicked inevery time
of cold winter or hot summer.

It is worthier ofAhl AlSunnah to respect their scholars. There

is no good in a nation where theyoung do not respect the old
and the old do not have mercy for the young.
Modesty with the Superiors
Modesty, or rather knowing one's value,means that a
starting young man will not position himself as a counterpart
tothe older experienced scholar, saying that we are all
equally men.

Manhood can take different meanings. In Quran,

sometimesmanhood is referred to with praise as in In it
are men who love to bepurified(Meaning of Quran
9:108) and in In houses, which Allahhath permitted to
be raised to honor; for the celebration, in them, of His
name:In them is He glorified in the mornings and in
the evenings,(again and again) bymen whom neither
trade nor sale can divert from the remembrance of
Allah, norfrom regular prayer, nor from paying Zakat.
Their (only) fear is for the daywhen hearts and eyes
will
be
turned
about(Meaning
of
Quran
24:36,37).Manhood at other places was referred to in Quran
to indicate only masculinity asin True, there were men
among humans who take shelter with men among
thejinns but they increased them into further
error(Meaning of Quran72:6).

Men are not equal. You may see a humble student ofSharia
who hardly knows few pages from Quran by heart and may
not be able totell a single hadeeth from the collections of
AlBukhari or Muslim let aloneknowing the chain of narrators
or its meaning, you may see him confronting thegreat
scholars saying: "I have said", "I think", and "according to
myknowledge", forgetting how little his background is.
Modesty with Peers
Modesty means being humble with peers. Itis common
to see the spirit of envy and competition among peers. Some
may feelsuperior and get delighted by degrading their
counterparts, by pointing theirflaws, or by magnifying their
weaknesses. They do that sometimes in the form
ofexpressing opinions or giving advises while in reality it is a
mere jealousy. Itis sad to see a Da'iah feeling jealous
because a crowd of two or three thousandattended a fellow
Da'iah lecture but not getting upset about a crowd of
twentyor thirty thousands attending a musical concert or a

football match. If youdidn't like a few things about your

brother Da'iah, it should suffice to bepleasing to know that
he calls people to the straight path and he is on theright way.
It is also possible that he is right for what he was criticized
for.
Modesty with the Lessers
Modesty means being humble with those whoare less
than you are. So, if you meet a younger person or someone
lower inposition, do not look down at him because he may
have a purer heart or less sinor be closer to Allah than you
are. Even if you meet a sinful person while youare a
righteous man do not look down at him and thank Allah who
saved you fromthe sins he is afflicted with. And remember
that your good works may be foiledif they result in self
admiration and desire of good reputation while his sinsmay
be forgiven if they caused his regret, sadness, and fear of
Allah. Jundub(may Allah be pleased with him) reported that
the prophet (peace be upon him)told that A person said:
Allah
would
not
forgive
such
and
such
(person).Thereupon Allah the exalted and glorious
said: Who is he who adjures about Methat I would not
grant pardon to so and so; I have granted pardon to
so and soand blotted out his deeds (who took an oath
that I would not grant pardon tohim)(Muslim 2621).

So, do not think that you aresuperior even over sinful

people. If the advising Da'iah felt that the sinfulperson might
have some pious deeds and merits the Da'iah lacks, he
would havetreated him amicably and presented his advise
favorably which would lead tobetter reception and
acceptance.
Modesty and Work admiration

Modesty means that you do not admire yourwork if you

have done good or pious deeds because work may then not
be
accepted,
Allah
only
accepts
from
the
heedful(Meaning of Quran 5:27).Because of this, one of
the early Muslims said if I know that Allah had acceptedfrom
me a tasbiha ( uttering Subhana Allah one time), I would be
glad to dienow.
Modesty and Accepting Advise
Modesty means accepting advise. It iscommon when
one gets an advise, he feels bothered because Satan will
tempt himto reject it and feel suspicious about the one who
advises him. This is becauseadvise usually has undercover a
finger pointed at weaknesses and flaws. But theone who is
protected by Allah will be victorious over himself and will
pray forand thank any one advising him and pointing to him
his weaknesses. This is whythe prophet (peace be upon him)
defined pride as disdaining the truth(out of self
conceit) and contempt for the people(Muslim 91).

The proud one thinks he has a very great and

superiorstatus. He could never praise anyone except with
pointing out real or inventedflaws. When he gets an advise
he rejects it because of the inferiority complexhe has. It is
therefore closer to perfection to accept criticism
withoutsensitivity, shyness, weakness, or bothersome.
Ameer AlMoumineen Omar IbnAlKhattab (may Allah be
pleased with him) set a good example when he said:
MayAllah shower mercy over who presents us our
weaknesses.

Truthfulness
O. Ye who believe! Fear Allah andbe with those
who are truthful(Meaning of Quran 9:119).

Many understand truthfulness as speaking only what is

true,but in fact it is a general way of behavior and a
characteristic of the Muslimin his apparent and inner
personality that manifests itself in his words andactions.
Following is a discussion of some sides of this Islamic noble
deed.
1- Truthfulness in Shouldering Islam
We mean by this that a Muslim adherence tothe
teaching of Islam be based on truthfulness with Allah and not
on hypocrisy,deception or adjustment to the surrounding
social life. For this reason,truthfulness in Quran is mentioned
opposed to hypocrisy that Allah mayreward the men of
truth for their truth, and punish the hypocrites if that
behis well, or turn to them in mercy(Meaning of Quran
33:24).

It is necessary to have the belief that is inside along

withIslam that is apparent on the outside. It is necessary to
have the right beliefin Allah, the last day, the angels, the
original books and the prophets. Theouter guided behavior
must be consistent with the inner beliefs and convictions.
* Here is a trap of Satan that suggests to the Da'iah
givingup some of the good apparent deeds because his inner
belief is not as good thatleads him to think that this is an act
of deception. This is a big mistakebecause the good deeds
one perform are mere results of the goodness

andtruthfulness of his heart as long as he does not do them

just for reputation orfor deception of the believers.
2- Truthfulness in Sayings
Truthfulness in sayings is an indication ofa clear
personality with valor, nobility and generosity. No one would
resort tolying except a wicked mean weak person. Good
instinct considers lying a hatedshameful action and for this
reason it is prohibited and incriminated by allrevealed
religions. Therefore a Da'iah should not allow lies to come
out fromhim. Some Da'iahs resort to "allusions" frequently by
saying something whichpeople will perceive in a different
meaning. At a later time when theyunderstand what the
Da'iah meant, they may accuse him of lying. Another
badresult of using allusions is the acceptance of "white lies"
on the pretext thatthey are for the common interest. So,
beware!

My brother theDa'iah, do not lie even when you think the

situation forces you to do so, andremember the words of Abu
Sufian when Hercules asked him about the prophet(peace be
upon him) . He said By Allah, had I not been afraid of
mycompanions labeling me a liar, I would not have
spoken the truth about theprophet (peace be upon
him)(AlBukhari 7). This man being a "jahili"(holding on to
the beliefs of Arabs before Islam) had avoided lying because
hewas afraid that he be one day labeled a liar even though
he was in a great needto lie. Today, we know Da'iahs are
being targets of numerous attacks. Therefore,the Da'iah
should avoid all actions that weaken his position.
3- Truthfulness in Deeds
for

Deeds of person must be intended purely asa worship

Allah and away from desire of getting good

reputation.Whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him

work righteousness, and in the worshipof his Lord,
admit no one as a partner(Meaning of Quran 18:110).
He who created death and life, that He may try which
of you is best indeed (Meaning of Quran 67:2).
AlFudail Ibn Iyadhexplained "best in deed" as the most
sincere and most correct of deed. He wasasked about the
meaning of "most sincere and most correct of deed" and
hereplied: If the work was sincere but not correct it will not
be accepted, and ifit was correct but not sincere it will not be
accepted; it will be accepted onlyif it is both sincere and
correct.

Clarity, avoidance ofambiguity and avoidance of deception

are also aspects of truthfulness of deeds.Abu Dawood and
AlNisai reported that Othman Ibn Affan (may Allah
bepleased with him) brought AbdAllah Ibn Saad Ibn
Abi AlSarh to the prophet (peacebe upon him) while
the prophet had ordered that he be killed by any
Muslimcapturing him. Othman asked the prophet
(peace be upon him) to accept AbdAllah'splight of
fealty. The prophet (peace be upon him) raised his
head and looked athim three times, every time
rejecting his plight and then accepting after thethird
time. The prophet (peace be upon him) then turned to
his companions andsaid: isn't there amongst you an
intelligent one who would kill this man when hesaw
me refraining to give him my hand to accept his
plight. They replied: O.Prophet of Allah, we do not
know what is inside your heart. Why haven't
yousignaled to us with your eye? He (peace be upon
him) said it is not fit for aprophet to have treacherous
eyes(Reported by Abu Dawood 2683, AlNisai4067, AlHakim
3/45, Also see Abu Dawood 3094, Ahmad 3/151, and the
series ofauthentic hadeeths 1723).

To this extent was thetruthfulness of the deeds of the

prophet (peace be upon him) . He did not acceptto use an
obscure eye signal to order the killing of his enemy. This was
hishabit and practice (peace be upon him) all his life. For this
reason, thepolytheists couldn't accuse him of lying in the
early stages of his Dawah toIslam. They resorted to labeling
him with poetry, magic or craziness but peopledidn't accept
this and when they couldn't fabricate any new accusations
theycried
loudly:
He
is
a
liar,
but
in
vain.
AlTirmithi reportedthat AbdAllah Ibn Salam (may Allah
be pleased with him) said: when theprophet (peace
be upon him) arrived at Madinah, people rushed to
receive him,and it was said: Allah's messenger (peace
be upon him) had arrived, Allah'smessenger (peace
be upon him) had arrived, Allah's messenger (peace
be upon him)had arrived. So I went along with the
people to see him and when I fixed my eyeson his
face I knew that it wasn't a face of a liar and the first
words he spokewere: " O. people, spread alsalam
(greeting), and offer food, and pray whilepeople are
asleep so that you enter heaven with peace(Ahmad
5/451,AlTirmithi 2485, Ibn Majah 3251).

Indeed, the truthfulnessof the prophet (peace be upon him)

flowed from his heart to his words and wasmanifested on his
noble face. Whoever looked at his countenance, its light
andits purity will read in it the truthfulness and will admit
that his face is nota face of a liar.

We need the kind of Da'iahs who preferredthe truthfulness

in their sayings and deeds to the point that it becomes
anature that flows with their blood and shows on their faces,

so that when peoplesee them they say those aren't the faces
of liars.

We arealso in need of Da'iahs who beautify themselves with

noble deeds and who willkeep their calmness and
moderation even when provoked, so that when people
seethem they will say loudly: These are the manners of the
prophets.

Our truthfulness in shouldering our Dawah is what

makesother accept our religion. It is not fit for us to be like
the actor on thestage having an appearance different from
his reality. One as this will soon beexposed and people turn
away from him.

It was reported thatwhen one of the venerable forefathers

preached he would touch the hearts andpeople would start
to weep in all the place while if someone else who had
moreeloquence and knowledge preached, people would not
receive him similarly. Theson of the good preacher asked him
about this. The preacher said: It is not thesame a woman
crying for losing her son and another who was hired to cry.

We conclude that the first mean for the success of theDa'iah

is his truthfulness in shouldering the Dawah, his seriousness
inpursuing it and that truthfulness in sayings and actions be
his banner and wayof life. It is not important to say sweet
beautiful words -- even if it isrequired -- but what is more
important is truthfulness, being consistent and inharmony
with oneself and that words are spoken out of self
experience. It wassaid that if the word came out of the heart,

it would touch the heart, but if itcame out of the mouth it

would not go past the ears.
Truthfulness
O. Ye who believe! Fear Allah andbe with those
who are truthful(Meaning of Quran 9:119).

Many understand truthfulness as speaking only what is

true,but in fact it is a general way of behavior and a
characteristic of the Muslimin his apparent and inner
personality that manifests itself in his words andactions.
Following is a discussion of some sides of this Islamic noble
deed.
1- Truthfulness in Shouldering Islam
We mean by this that a Muslim adherence tothe
teaching of Islam be based on truthfulness with Allah and not
on hypocrisy,deception or adjustment to the surrounding
social life. For this reason,truthfulness in Quran is mentioned
opposed to hypocrisy that Allah mayreward the men of
truth for their truth, and punish the hypocrites if that
behis well, or turn to them in mercy(Meaning of Quran
33:24).

It is necessary to have the belief that is inside along

withIslam that is apparent on the outside. It is necessary to
have the right beliefin Allah, the last day, the angels, the
original books and the prophets. Theouter guided behavior
must be consistent with the inner beliefs and convictions.
* Here is a trap of Satan that suggests to the Da'iah
givingup some of the good apparent deeds because his inner

belief is not as good thatleads him to think that this is an act

of deception. This is a big mistakebecause the good deeds
one perform are mere results of the goodness
andtruthfulness of his heart as long as he does not do them
just for reputation orfor deception of the believers.
2- Truthfulness in Sayings
Truthfulness in sayings is an indication ofa clear
personality with valor, nobility and generosity. No one would
resort tolying except a wicked mean weak person. Good
instinct considers lying a hatedshameful action and for this
reason it is prohibited and incriminated by allrevealed
religions. Therefore a Da'iah should not allow lies to come
out fromhim. Some Da'iahs resort to "allusions" frequently by
saying something whichpeople will perceive in a different
meaning. At a later time when theyunderstand what the
Da'iah meant, they may accuse him of lying. Another
badresult of using allusions is the acceptance of "white lies"
on the pretext thatthey are for the common interest. So,
beware!

My brother theDa'iah, do not lie even when you think the

situation forces you to do so, andremember the words of Abu
Sufian when Hercules asked him about the prophet(peace be
upon him) . He said By Allah, had I not been afraid of
mycompanions labeling me a liar, I would not have
spoken the truth about theprophet (peace be upon
him)(AlBukhari 7). This man being a "jahili"(holding on to
the beliefs of Arabs before Islam) had avoided lying because
hewas afraid that he be one day labeled a liar even though
he was in a great needto lie. Today, we know Da'iahs are
being targets of numerous attacks. Therefore,the Da'iah
should avoid all actions that weaken his position.
3- Truthfulness in Deeds

Deeds of person must be intended purely asa worship

for Allah and away from desire of getting good
reputation.Whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him
work righteousness, and in the worshipof his Lord,
admit no one as a partner(Meaning of Quran 18:110).
He who created death and life, that He may try which
of you is best indeed (Meaning of Quran 67:2).
AlFudail Ibn Iyadhexplained "best in deed" as the most
sincere and most correct of deed. He wasasked about the
meaning of "most sincere and most correct of deed" and
hereplied: If the work was sincere but not correct it will not
be accepted, and ifit was correct but not sincere it will not be
accepted; it will be accepted onlyif it is both sincere and
correct.

Clarity, avoidance ofambiguity and avoidance of deception

are also aspects of truthfulness of deeds.Abu Dawood and
AlNisai reported that Othman Ibn Affan (may Allah
bepleased with him) brought AbdAllah Ibn Saad Ibn
Abi AlSarh to the prophet (peacebe upon him) while
the prophet had ordered that he be killed by any
Muslimcapturing him. Othman asked the prophet
(peace be upon him) to accept AbdAllah'splight of
fealty. The prophet (peace be upon him) raised his
head and looked athim three times, every time
rejecting his plight and then accepting after thethird
time. The prophet (peace be upon him) then turned to
his companions andsaid: isn't there amongst you an
intelligent one who would kill this man when hesaw
me refraining to give him my hand to accept his
plight. They replied: O.Prophet of Allah, we do not
know what is inside your heart. Why haven't
yousignaled to us with your eye? He (peace be upon
him) said it is not fit for aprophet to have treacherous
eyes(Reported by Abu Dawood 2683, AlNisai4067, AlHakim

3/45, Also see Abu Dawood 3094, Ahmad 3/151, and the
series ofauthentic hadeeths 1723).
To this extent was thetruthfulness of the deeds of the
prophet (peace be upon him) . He did not acceptto use an
obscure eye signal to order the killing of his enemy. This was
hishabit and practice (peace be upon him) all his life. For this
reason, thepolytheists couldn't accuse him of lying in the
early stages of his Dawah toIslam. They resorted to labeling
him with poetry, magic or craziness but peopledidn't accept
this and when they couldn't fabricate any new accusations
theycried
loudly:
He
is
a
liar,
but
in
vain.
AlTirmithi reportedthat AbdAllah Ibn Salam (may Allah
be pleased with him) said: when theprophet (peace
be upon him) arrived at Madinah, people rushed to
receive him,and it was said: Allah's messenger (peace
be upon him) had arrived, Allah'smessenger (peace
be upon him) had arrived, Allah's messenger (peace
be upon him)had arrived. So I went along with the
people to see him and when I fixed my eyeson his
face I knew that it wasn't a face of a liar and the first
words he spokewere: " O. people, spread alsalam
(greeting), and offer food, and pray whilepeople are
asleep so that you enter heaven with peace(Ahmad
5/451,AlTirmithi 2485, Ibn Majah 3251).&nbs
Ambition
We mean by ambition that one lives for hisnation
rather than for himself following the footsteps of the prophet
(peace beupon him) . When Abdullah Ibn Shaqeeq (may
Allah be pleased with him) askedA'isha (may Allah be
pleased with her): Did the prophet (peace be upon him)
praysitting? She said: Yes, after people had exhausted his
power. He (peace be uponhim) was at the disposal of people,
receiving them, saying farewell to them,educating them,
preventing them from wrong doing, mixing with them,

shoulderingtheir errors, and taking the burden of their

concerns until they exhausted himand even left marks on his
body by pulling him to get his attention. At the end,he
(peace be upon him) grew old fast to the extent that he
prayed sitting.

The religion has three levels, Islam, Iman, and the

highestlevel is Ihsan. Another three fold division is found in
Quran in Surat Fatir Then we allowed our servants that
we have chosen to inherit the book butthere are
among themselves some who wrong their own souls;
some who follow amiddle course and some who are,
by Allah leave, foremost in good deeds; that isthe
highest grace(Meaning of Quran 35:32). The prophet
(peace be uponhim) had also mentioned a similar threefold
division. He first specified Islamas the condition to enter
Paradise; This is the big circle. This circle of Islamcontains a
narrower circle, the circle of the salvaged party
(AlFirqahAlNajiah), the party of those who adhere to the right
creed and straightbehavior but stopping at this limit. There is
still the third narrowest circle,which is the greatest, most
noble and most honored, the circle of the partyaided by Allah
(AlTaifah AlMansoorah). It is the party of those who defend
thereligion, fight for it and endure the harm and hardship for
its sake and thusAllah will make it triumphant.

The Muslim is required to beambitious and strive to ascend

these grades. In Islam, the Muslim is urged tolook to those
who are above him in religious performance and to try to be
likethem, while in worldly life he is urged to look to those
who are less than himso that he gets satisfied with what he
has. My brother, look at the people withnoble manners,
reformers, and scholars who revive the religion. Try to be
likethese models to get some good out of this life. Be with an
ambitious spirit thatdoes not know limits and does not get

satisfied with its

becomes Paradise.

good

achievements

untilits

destiny

Conclusion
The Da'iah must be an example to befollowed. He must
avoid all undesirable deeds and unneeded permissible
actionsand practices. He must be in a position where he puts
temptations of thisworldly life under his feet and avoids
competing to get a share of it. He mustexploit this life for the
service of the religion and not exploit himself forthe service
of this life, so that he earns the trust of the people and they
willknow that he is not after any worldly personal interest.

Toset a good example the Da'iah actions must conform to

his words as the prophetShuaib (Peace be upon him) said I
wish not, in opposition to you, to dothat which I
forbid you to do. I only desire (your) betterment to
the best of mypower; and my success (in my task) can
only come from Allah. In him I trust, andunto him I
turn(Meaning of Quran 11:88). Therefore, they are
thescholars of evil, those who call people to come to Islam
by their words but theydrive them away from Islam by their
practices. So my brother, the Da'iah, be anexample both in
your
actions
and
in
your
words.
Here thereis an issue that we must turn our attention to. It is
that many believe that theDa'iah should only ask people to
do the good deeds that he himself does and onlyforbid
people from the wrongs that he himself avoid. This is wrong!
The rightapproach, supported by texts from Quran and
Sunnah, is to command people to dorighteous deeds even if
the Da'iah failed to do them and to forbid wrongs evenif he is
falling in them. Some of the scholars even went to stating
that personsin a party drinking liquor should advise each
other to stop committing this sin.Committing a sin must not
lead to another mistake; that is refraining fromforbidding the

wrong. The only condition required to command good and

forbidevil is to have sincere intention and not to do it to
deceive people or get areputation as a Da'iah.
If a father who smokes saw his sonsmoking, is it expected
that he forbids his son from smoking or allows himbecause
he himself is a smoker? The obvious and right thing to do is
to preventthe son from smoking because he is still at the
beginning of that sin and cangive it up easily.

Any responsible person who is in a sinshould act similarly

when he sees someone under his responsibility falling inthe
same sin. If it was not acceptable that a sinful person gives
an advice thenyou won't find any one who is perfect after
the prophet (peace be upon him).

Being an example requires the Da'iah to meet

mistreatmentwith forgiveness and good treatment, and be
as the prophet (peace be upon him)who forgave when been
unjust to, who gave when been denied, and who kept
thebond when it was broken. These are the manners of the
prophets.
I ask Allah that we be rightly guided and that we
guideothers rightly, that we will not go astray or mislead
others, and that Herewards us with His grace and mercy
because He is the One entitled to be heededas well as
entitled to grant forgiveness.
I deem that YouAllah free of any resemblance to anything
what so ever in any respect and aboveall unsuitable things
ascribed to You and I celebrate Your praises. I testifythat
none has the right to be worshiped but You. I ask for Your
forgiveness andI turn to You in repentance.