Answer
Short Answer:
- Allah calls people in different ways. Inviting others to Islam is a very personal thing. It is not words that are the most effective tool in bringing others to Islam, but the actions of good Muslims.
- Choose your resources carefully and make sure your sources are authentic.
- Always purify your intentions and ask Allah to help you to serve Islam and Muslims to the best of your ability.
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Salam Dear Farook,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
It is Allah Almighty Who calls people to Islam. It is important that we always remember this.
If Allah’s wish is not to invite a particular person, then all our efforts will be to no avail at least from the worldly perspective.
It is very important to remember though that Allah calls people in different ways. Just as all people are different, so what attracts them to Islam will be different as well.
To some, it might be a beautiful sunrise that makes them aware of their Creator. To others, it might be the scientific miracles of the Quran.
That is why there is no set formula or slogan that can win people over to Islam. If there were such a slogan, we would use it and the whole world would be Muslim.
Make it Personal
Dawah, or inviting others to Islam, is therefore a very personal thing.
Handing out leaflets in the street may seem to us an attractive way of calling people to Islam, but the Call must be a personal one.
Even when our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) sent letters to the rulers in his day, inviting them to be Muslim, he chose very carefully who would deliver those messages.
In other words, if there had been a postal system at the time he wouldn’t have just popped the letter in the post! It needed a personal touch to make the invitation more real.
In the same way, then, we need to be careful about email. It is admirable that you want to use the internet to call others to Islam, but it would be a pity to waste so much time and energy if it were to have no effect at all.
The Best Dawah
Without doubt, it is not words that are the most effective tool in bringing others to Islam, but the actions of good Muslims.
The best Dawah is not given in words but by example. The real Islam is seen in the lives of good Muslims.
What I am suggesting, then, is the best and most effective Dawah is done one to one, between people who can see one another.
In our modern age, though, where we have so many tools at our disposal, it would be a pity not to make use of technical and technological advances to make Islam better known.
This could be a form of Dawah, but I repeat that the best Dawah is done on a personal level.
In these days there are so many bad images of Islam and Muslims on our television screens and in the press that you would be doing a great service to Islam and Muslims by trying to create more positive images of your own.
By doing this, you would be helping to create the atmosphere where calling others to Islam could flourish more.
In other words, rather than having as your aim the direct invitation to Islam, you might try to put positive images of Islam out there for people to see. This would be a very helpful contribution to the work of Dawah.
Team Work
Bear in mind also that Dawah is a community activity in which some people will do the actual calling, whilst others are what might be called the background support.
At a talk or a meeting, for example, one person might give the talk, but a whole host of others will arrange the chairs, makes the tea and welcome the guests. Everyone in such a case is playing a part in the work of Dawah, but each one has a different role.
Arguing with others on the internet about whose religion is best is both time-consuming and unproductive. Often, those engaging you in debate are only intent on wasting your time!
If you clearly choose email and the net as your vehicle for helping to spread a better understanding of Islam, there are still things you can do.
What would be very useful, for example, is for you to make others aware of where they might go for further information.
Choose Your Resources Carefully
You need to choose your resources carefully and know that your sources are authentic and can be trusted. Making others aware, for example, of particular articles on this website might be very helpful to them.
Putting cheerful images of Islam and Muslims on the internet is another way of countering the negative images many people see.
Use every chance to make positive comments about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when others make negative comments. There is no need to get into arguments here. A brief post will do the job it is intended to do.
So there are ways you can help. The most important thing is to ask Allah Almighty to purify your intentions and to help you to serve Islam and Muslims to the best of your ability. Insha’Allah, others will respond to your generosity.
I hope this helps answer your question.
Salam and please keep in touch.
(From Ask About Islam archives)
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