a. Advising
Our Lord the Almighty commands us to employ effective preaching and proper methods while inviting people to Islam. This is expressed by the Qur’an as follows:
“Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly preaching …” (al-Nahl 16; 125)
“Wisdom” and “goodly preaching” expressed in this verse are very important for the preachers of Islam. In another verse it is stated that:
وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَى تَنفَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“And continue to remind, for surely the reminder profits the believers.” (al-Zariyat 51; 55)
Most of the sermons, preaches, and talks given by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) consist of such good advice and guidance. Such speech has a great effect upon the listeners and can penetrate into the hearts. It was narrated by Irbad ibn Sariyah (r.a.):
“One day the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) led us in prayer, then faced us and gave us a lengthy exhortation at which the eyes shed tears and from which the hearts were afraid. We said:
“O Apostle of Allah! It seems as if it were an exhortation of someone who was about to leave. So what advices would you give us?” He then said:
“I enjoin you to fear Allah, and to hear and obey your leader even if he be an Abyssinian slave. Those of you who live after me for a long time will witness great disagreements. You must then follow my sunnah and that of the rightly-guided caliphs. Hold on to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.” (Abu Dawud, Sunnah, 5; Tirmidhi, ‘Ilm, 16)
The Prophet’s sermons and talks were short, succinct, and attention grabbing, and because of that, memorizations and teaching among the Companions was facilitated. Another example in this regard was narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr (r.a.). He said that:
“I said to the Holy Prophet (pbuh):
“O Messenger of Allah! Will you not appoint me as a governor?” He stroked my shoulder with his hand and said:
“O Abu Dharr! You are weak and authority is a trust. And on the Day of Judgment it is a cause of humiliation and repentance except for one who fulfills its obligations and (properly) discharges the duties attendant thereon.” (Muslim, Imarah, 16)
Abu Jurayy Jabir b. Salim al-Hujaymi (r.a.) narrated:
“I saw a man whose opinion was regarded by the people, and whatever he said they accepted and fulfilled it. I asked:
“Who is this man?” They said:
“This is the Apostle of Allah (pbuh).” I said two times:
“On you be peace, O Apostle of Allah.” He said:
“Do not say “On you be peace,” because the phrase “On you be peace” is a greeting for the dead, but say “Peace be upon you.”
I asked:
“Are you the Apostle of Allah (pbuh)?” He said:
“I am the Apostle of Allah Whom you call when a calamity befalls you and He removes it, when you suffer from drought and you call Him, He grows food for you; and when you are in a desolate land or in a desert and your she-camel strays and you call Him, He returns it to you.”
I said:
“Give me some advice.” He replied:
“Do not abuse anyone.” He (pbuh) said that he had not abused a freeman, or a slave, or a camel or a sheep thenceforth. Then he continued:
“Do not look down upon any good work, and when you speak to your brother, show him a cheerful face. This is a good work. Have your lower garment halfway down your shin; if you cannot do it, have it up to the ankles. Beware of trailing the lower garment, for it is conceitful and Allah does not like conceit. And if a man abuses and shames you for something which he finds in you, then do not shame him for something which you find in him; he will bear the evil consequences for it.” (Abu Dawud, Libas, 25)
The Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) were affected by his sermons; their hearts trembled and their eyes shed tears. All these are the manifestations of their sincere faith, obedience, love and respect for Allah and His Messenger (pbuh). We should also take these behaviors as examples for our own lives.
b. Telling Anecdotes
Our Prophet (pbuh) taught Islam through anecdotes and exemplary parables from the peoples of the past, especially from the sons of Israel; because parables have a very significant place in people’s education and in explaining the truths. This is why anecdotes from the lives of the prophets and their people occupy an extensive part in the Holy Qur’an. This is expressed in the Qur’an as follows:
“We narrate to you the best of narratives, by Our revealing to you this Quran, though before this you were certainly one of those who did not know.” (Yusuf 12; 3)
“All that we relate to you of the stories of the messengers – with it We make firm your heart: in them there comes to you the Truth, as well as an exhortation and a message of remembrance to those who believe.” (Hud 11; 120)
According to a narration by Abdullah b. Umar (r. anhuma), Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) mentioned the following incident:
“While three persons who lived in the past were walking, rain began to fall and they had to enter a cave in a mountain. A big rock rolled over and blocked the entrance of the cave. They said to each other, “Invoke Allah with the best deed you have performed (so Allah might remove the rock).” One of them said,
“O Allah! My parents were old and I used to go out grazing (my animals). On my return I would milk (the animals) and take the milk in a vessel to my parents to drink. After they had drunk from it, I would give it to my children, family and wife. One day I was delayed and on my return I found my parents sleeping, and I disliked waking them. The children were crying at my feet (because of hunger). That state of affairs continued until it was dawn. Finally they woke up and drank their milk. Dear Lord! If You regard that I did this for Your sake, then please remove this rock so that we may see the sky.” So, the rock was moved slightly.
The second man said, “O Allah! You know that I was in love with a cousin of mine, like the deepest love a man may have for a woman, and she told me that I would not get my desire fulfilled unless I paid her one-hundred Dinars (gold pieces). So, I struggled for it till I gathered the desired amount, and when I sat in between her legs, she told me to be afraid of Allah, and asked me not to deflower her except rightfully (by marriage). So, I got up and left her. O Allah! If You regard that I did it for Your sake, kindly remove this rock.” So, two-thirds of the rock was removed.
Then the third man said, “O Allah! No doubt You know that once I employed a worker for one Faraq (three Sa’s) of millet, and when I wanted to pay him, he refused to take it, so I sowed it and from its yield I bought cows and a shepherd. After a time that man came and demanded his money. I said to him: “Go to those cows and the shepherd and take them for they are for you.” He asked me whether I was joking with him. I told him that I was not joking with him, and all that belonged to him. O Allah! If You regard that I did it sincerely for Your sake, then please remove the rock.” So, the rock was removed completely from the mouth of the cave.” (Bukhari, Buyu’, 98; Muslim, Dhikr, 100)
This narration emphasizes the significance to serve parents, to control the baser desires, and to regard other people’s rights by means of a parable from the times of past people. Another similar tradition was reported by Abu Huraira (r.a.).
“The Prophet (pbuh) told us a parable of a man from the sons of Israel:
“An Israeli man asked his friend to lend him one thousand Dinars. The second man required witnesses. The former replied,
“Allah is sufficient as a witness.” The second said,
“I want a guarantee.” The former replied,
“Allah is sufficient as a guarantee.” The second said,
“You are right,” and lent him the money for a certain period of time. The debtor went across the sea. When he finished his job, he searched for a transport so that he might reach in time for the repayment of the debt, but he could not find any. So, he took a piece of wood and made a hole in it, inserted in it one thousand Dinars and a letter to the lender and then sealed the hole tightly. He took the piece of wood to the sea and said:
“O Allah! You know well that I took a loan of one thousand Dinars from so-and-so. He demanded a surety from me but I told him that Allah’s guarantee was sufficient and he accepted Your guarantee. He then asked for a witness and I told him that Allah was sufficient as a Witness, and he accepted You as a Witness. No doubt, I tried hard to find a means of transport so that I could re-pay his money but could find none, so I hand over this money to You.” Saying that, he threw the piece of wood into the sea until it went out far, and then he went away. Meanwhile, he started searching for transport in order to reach the creditor’s country.
One day the lender came out of his house to see whether a ship had arrived bringing his money, and all of a sudden he saw the piece of wood in which his money had been deposited. He took it home to use it as firewood, but when he sawed through it, he found his money and the letter inside. Shortly after that, the debtor came bringing one thousand Dinars to him and said,
“By Allah, I had been trying hard to find a boat in which to travel so that I could bring you your money, but failed to get one before this one.” The lender asked,
“Did you send something to me?” The debtor replied,
“I told you I could not find a boat other than the one I have just come by.” The lender said,
“Allah has delivered on your behalf the money you sent in the piece of wood. So, you may keep your one thousand Dinars and depart guided on the right path.”” (Bukhari, Kafalah, 1)
By means of this story, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) taught his Companions some significant matters in a tangible and dramatic way, such as trust in Allah, keeping one’s promise, the ethics of trade.