Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) neither feared anybody nor gave in to the oppressions of the polytheists of Quraish in his mission. Rather, he invited people to Islam day and night, openly and secretly, and applied all possible methods and treated people according to their status while performing his mission. He paid attention to people’s level of intellect, social status, life styles, tendencies and expectations as much as possible.
In order to achieve the objective in preaching one should know of the audience’s circumstances just as much as he should have solid knowledge in how to preach. Knowledge about an audience is necessary and important just like a doctor’s knowledge about his patients. Otherwise it would be like writing prescriptions without knowing what was wrong with the patient. This is why in the Qur’an Allah the Almighty emphasizes the significance of acting in accordance with the polytheists’ state of mind:
وَلاَ تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
“Revile not those unto whom they pray beside Allah lest they wrongfully revile Allah through ignorance…” (al-An’am 6; 108)
This verse attracts our attention to the possible adverse effects of taking an aggressive stance towards the audiences’ beliefs and ideologies, and it commands us to avoid such an attitude.
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) knew his addressee very well and chose the most appropriate way to approach them. He talked to people in a way they could understand and corresponding to their intellectual level. He advised his Companions to do the same. Muhammad b. Atiyya, who came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) along with the delegates of Sa’d b. Bakr, elucidated the Prophet’s practice in this matter saying: “Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) talked to us in our dialect.” (Hakim, IV, 363) The following saying of Ali (r.a.) also enlightens us in this respect:
“Talk to people according to their level of comprehension.” (Bukhari, Ilm, 49)
Preaching done by someone who is not aware of the common problems of his society will never be successful. This is why Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) always gave his examples from matters about which his listeners knew and were interested in. He paid special attention not to confront his audience with a totally unknown world and with an issue which they could not comprehend. He talked to people in a simple and understandable language and convinced them by easily acceptable, yet effective ways. A good example of this can be seen in the conversion of Husain, father of Imran (r.a.):
“People from Quraish came to Husain whom they greatly respected and said:
“Talk to this man for us. He criticizes and talks against our gods.” So they went together to the Prophet (pbuh) to discuss the issue. Polytheists sat close to the door and Husain entered. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:
“Make some space for the old man.” Husain’s Muslim son Imran and his friends were in the gathering. Husain told the Prophet (pbuh):
“What is it that we hear from you? You refuse our gods and talk against them; whereas your father was an intelligent and nice man, who was devoted to his ancestors’ religion.”
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) asked him:
“O Husain! How many gods do you worship?” He replied:
“Seven on the earth and one in the sky, eight in total” Allah’s Apostle asked again:
“When something happens to you, to which one of them do you pray?” He said:
“To the one in the sky.” He (the Prophet) asked:
“When something happens to your property to whom do you pray?” He gave the same response:
“To the one in the sky” Then the Prophet (pbuh) asked him:
“Even though only one of them answers your prayers, why do you attribute partners to Him? Do you think you make them contented by your praises or are you afraid that they can destroy you?” He replied:
“For neither of these two reasons” (In this part of the narration) Husain added:
“Just then I realized that I have never talked to someone like him.” Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:
“O Husain! Accept Islam and save yourself.” When Husain asked:
“I have my relatives and people from my tribe with me. What should I tell them?” The Prophet (pbuh) told him:
اَللّهُمَّ اِنِّى اَسْتَهْدِيكَ ِلاَرْشُدَ اَمْرِى وَزِدْنِى عِلْمًا يَنْفَعُنِى
“Say: O Allah! I ask for guidance from You to perfect my task. Increase my knowledge which will benefit me.” Husain made this prayer for a while and then converted to Islam. Imran (r.a.) stood up and kissed his father’s head, hands, and feet out of happiness. When Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) saw this scene, he was moved so much that he began shedding tears. He said:
“I cry for what Imran just did. He did not stand up when his unbelieving father entered the room. He did not even look at his face. But as soon as he converted to Islam he fulfilled his responsibility/duty towards his father. This is why I was moved so much.” When Husain wanted to leave, the Prophet (pbuh) turned to his Companions and told them:
“Stand up and see him to his house.” When the polytheists from Quraish saw him coming out along with a big crowd they said:
“Husain also abandoned his religion” and they left without talking to him. (Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, I, 337; Tirmidhi, Daawat, 69)
Another striking example for treating the listeners’ according to their circumstances happened during the conquest of Mecca. Abbas (r.a.) brought Abu Sufyan, who had accepted to convert to Islam, to the Apostle of Allah (pbuh). So he embraced Islam at Marr al-Zahran.
Abbas (r.a.) said to the Prophet (pbuh):
“Apostle of Allah, Abu Sufyan is a man who likes taking pride, if you do something for him.” He replied:
“Yes, you are right. (Announce to people when entering into the city that) he who enters the house of Abu Sufyan is safe, and he who closes his door (and does not come out) is safe.” (Abu Dawud, Kharaj, 24-35)
Thus, the Prophet (pbuh) treated the leader of Mecca in a manner that was pleasing to him and his heart warmed to Islam.
Similarly the Prophet’s approach to Wail b. Hujr a Yemenite ruler is also an appropriate example for this context. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) had informed his Companions that Wail was coming to Medina three days before his arrival and said:
“Obeying Allah and His Messenger, Wail b. Hujr is coming from Hadramawt, from a faraway place. He is from a lineage of kings.” Then Wail b. Hujr approached and greeted the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet (pbuh) responded his greetings.
Wail said:
“I came here longing for Islam and migration.”Allah’s Messenger told him:
“Greetings and welcome” and then took off his cloak and laid it down. They sat together on the cloak. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) was very happy with Wail’s visit and asked the Muslims to gather in the mosque. When believers gathered in the mosque, he went to the pulpit and took Wail with him. After saying his praises to Allah and praying for the prophets, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) gave a sermon and prayed for Wail and his father Hujr. (Ibn Sa’d, I, 349; Haythami, IX, 374)
The Prophet’s warmth towards and different treatment of Wail was due to his high status amongst his people which might have encouraged the conversion of others.
Likewise, treating people according to their conditions was applied to those who had already embraced Islam so as to improve their spiritual state. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) observed the state of the people whom he was addressing them talking about Islam and he also answered people’s questions according to their circumstances. He followed methods proper to his audience. For instance, the Prophet (pbuh) answered the question of “Which is the best deed?” saying:
“To believe in Allah and His Apostle then to participate in Jihad in Allah’s way and then to perform Hajj-Mabrur” (Bukhari, Hajj, 4)
“Remembrance (dhikr) of Allah the Almighty” (Muwatta, Qur’an, 24)
“…to love for the sake of Allah and to hate for the sake of Allah.” (Abu Dawud, Sunna, 2)
“Ritual prayer” (Ibn majah, Tahara, 4)
“Serving one’s parents” (Ibn Athir, Usd al-Ghabah, IV, 330)
“Migration” (Nasai, Bay’a, 14). Thus, he gave different answer to the same question according to the time and the state of the enquierer. He gave them advice that best fit their situations. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) analyzed his audience’s needs, means, and state and then followed the best approach. When Abu Huraira (r.a.), who was a poor Companion, asked:
“What form of sadaqah is best?” He replied:
“For those who are poor, it is to help people by their power and strength.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 40) However, when the same question was asked by Sa’d b. Ubada, who was a tribal leader, he said:
“Water (is best). He dug a well.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 41)
It is nothing but natural to have a different approach depending on the person since people’s natures and status vary. This is why a preacher should have the knowledge, culture, and emotional sensitivity to be able to analyze people’s spiritual state, ability, and character.