| Manhaj - Methodolgy |
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Spreading
Knowledge is an Obligation
Allah
has ordered us to spread His Deen amongst the people, which reads:
“Invite to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching and
argue with them in a way that is better.” [Soorah An-Nahl
(16): 125]
The
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) said: “The first
defect that permeated Banu Isra'il was that a man (of them) met
another man and said: O so-and-so, fear Allah, and abandon what you
are doing, for it is not lawful for you. He then met him the next day
and that did not prevent him from eating with him, drinking with him
and sitting with him. When they did so. Allah mingled their hearts
with each other. He then recited the verse: "curses were
pronounced on those among the children of Isra'il who rejected Faith,
by the tongue of David and of Jesus the son of Mary"...up to
"wrongdoers". He then said: By no means, I swear by
Allah, you must enjoin what is good and prohibit what is evil, prevent
the wrongdoer, bend him into conformity with what is right, and
restrict him to what is right.”
The
Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said encouraged making Dawah by
addressing it as a Sadaqa:
The
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) forbade his Ummah to
refrain from enjoining good and forbidding evil. He (sallallahu alaihi
wa-sallam) also alarmed us from the punishment of Allah, if we desist
in it. He said: “By Him in Who’s Hand is my soul, you will enjoin
good and prohibit evil or (else), Allah will soon send upon you a
punishment from Him, then you will call Him and He will not answer
you.”
The
Excellence of the Caller and Calling to the Path of Salvation
Allah
praises the one who invites with knowledge in His Book, He said:
Prophet
(sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) supplicated for him who spreads the Deen
of Allah, saying: “May Allah be well pleased with the servant who
heard our words, remembered them, retained them well and then passed
them on to others.”
Allah's
Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “When a man dies, his
acts come to an end, but three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by
which people) benefit, or a pious son, who prays for him (for the
deceased)”
Prophet
Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) pointed towards the superiority
of calling and inviting people to the path of salvation, saying (to
Ali (radhi allahu anhu)): “If Allah guides a man through your help,
it is better (for you) than red camels. (Red camels at that time were
from among the people's most precious possession.)
Once,
when Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) happened to pass
by two groups (of Muslims) in the mosque, he (sallallahu alaihi
wa-sallam) said: “Both of them are good, but one is superior to the
other. One group is supplicating Allah and praying Him. If He so wills
He will confer upon them and if He so wills He will withhold. So far
as those who are acquiring the understanding of religion and its
knowledge and are busy in teaching the ignorant, they are superior.
Verily, I have been sent as a teacher. He then sat down amongst
them.” [Al-Tirmidhi, 257 narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr]
Those
who acquire knowledge and then spread it are the most generous after
Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam): He (sallallahu
alaihi wa-sallam) said: “Do you know who is most generous? They
said: ‘Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) know
best. Whereupon he said: ‘Allah is the Most Generous, then I am most
generous to mankind and the most generous people after me would be
those who will acquire knowledge and then disseminate (spread) it. He
will come on the Day of Resurrection singly, like a ruler, or he said:
As a single Ummah. [Al-Tirmidhi, no. 259. Narrated by Anas ibn Malik]
The
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) emphasized the reward
for a Da’ee, due to whom people benefit and perform good deeds. He
(sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said:“Whoever
guides or directs to good, then he gets the same amount of blessing as
the one who does it." [Saheeh Muslim]
He
(sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) also brought to our attention the
punishment of him, who conceals his knowledge, saying:
Whom
to start with?
One
should start with ones own-self and then progressing by his family and
others. As Allah says in the Qur’aan: “O you who believe! Ward off
from yourself and your families a Fire whose fuel is men and stones,
over which are (appointed) angels stern and severe, who disobey not,
from executing the Commands they receive from Allah, but do that which
they are commanded.” [Soorah at-Tahreem (66): 6]
