“Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteously, and says, I am of those who bow in Islam?” Fussilat 41; 33
Tabligh is the Arabic word for conveying the message of Islam and trying to convince people to live in accordance with the regulations of Islam. This sacred duty is defined by various terms in the Qur’an such as da’wah (invitation), inzar (warning), wa’z (admonition, sermon), and nasiha (advice).It is also widely known by the phrase “amr bi’l ma’ruf nahy ani’l munkar or commanding right (ma’ruf) and forbidding wrong (munkar).”
Ma’ruf is the term used for the matters approved and recommended by the Qur’an and the Prophet (pbuh); while munkar are the matters objected and prohibited by them. From this perspective, commanding ma’ruf means inviting to the faith and to obedience, whereas forbidding munkar means trying to get people to stay away from infidelity, disobedience, and all kinds of sins.
The invitition to Islam should be applied to everything Islam deals with. Passing Islamic principles, whether they are about this world or about the afterlife, to humanity is within the context of the call to Islam. Therefore the call to Islam possesses a great range in terms of application and audience.
Conveying the message of Islam, which was the primary duty of the prophets, is also one of the essential duties of the believers. Every Muslim is responsible for fulfillingthis duty to the extent of their knowledge and in accordance with their position in society. They need to begin to perform this duty first from themselves and then to reach anybody that they can. This is expressed in the following verse:
“You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men; you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong…”٭ (Al-i Imran 3; 110) In another verse Allah the Almighty states this duty more clearly in the imperative voice:
وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ اِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَاُولَئِكُ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: they are the ones to attain felicity.” (Al-i Imran 3; 104)
Anas (r.a.) speaks about the lofty states that the missionaries of Islam will attain in the Hereafter. One day Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said that:
“Should I inform you about some people? They are neither prophets nor martyrs, but on the Day of Judgment prophets and martyrs will admire their state in the presence of Allah. They sit in thrones made from light and everybody knows them.” Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) asked:
“O Messenger of Allah! Who are they?” He responded:
“They are those who make the servants of Allah love Allah and make Allah love His servants. They walk around the earth as advisers and missionaries.” And I (Anas) said:
“O Messenger of Allah! We understood the part about what makes the servants of Allah love Allah. But how are we going to make Allah love His servants?” He replied:
يَأْمُرُونَهُمْ بِمَا يُحِبُّ اللهُ، وَيَنْهَوْنَهُمْ عَمَّا يَكْرَهُ اللهُ، فَإِذَا أَطَاعُوهُمْ أَحَبَّهُمُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
“They command people what Allah likes and forbid them from what Allah dislikes. When people obey these (commands and prohibitions), Allah the Most Exalted loves them.” (Ali al-Muttaqi, III, 685-686; Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman, I, 367; Haythami, I, 126)
The Qur’an describes conveying the message of Islam and inviting people to it as “the great endeavor.”
فَلاَ تُطِعِ الْكَافِرِينَ وَجَاهِدْهُم بِهِ جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا
“So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them herewith with a great endeavor.” (al-Furqan 25; 52) The phrase “جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا (a great endeavor)” in the verse means to employ all kinds of means and resources in the path to convey the message of Allah. In fact striving for the sake of Allah by conveying His message is much more important and more rewarding than fighting against an enemy with weapons. Indeed Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) fulfilled his mission just by conveying the message of the Qur’an. Allah’s word was enough to fulfill the greatest endeavor and because of this, the message of Islam, which was planted in Mecca, soon spread all over the world.
In his following saying Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) emphasized that the call to Islam is a matter closely related to faith and explained the extent of everyone’s responsibility in this regard:
“…He who amongst you sees something abominable should modify it with the help of his hand; and if he has not enough strength to do it by hand, then he should correct it with his tongue, and if he has not enough strength to do it by tongue, (even) then he should abhor it in his heart, and that is the weakest state of faith.” (Muslim, Iman, 78)
Another issue which clearly shows the significance and necessity of conveying the message of Islam is the deplorable end stated in the Qur’an of those who abandon performing this duty. Allah the Almighty says:
“Those who hide the proofs and the guidance which We revealed, after We had made it clear in the Scripture: such are accursed of Allah and accursed of those who have the power to curse. Except such of them as repent and amend and make manifest the truth. These it is toward whom I relent. I am the Relenting, the Most Merciful.” (al-Baqara 2; 159-160)
The Prophet (pbuh) explains this verse as follows:
“During the times when oppression had spread among the sons of Israel, people used give warning when they saw a person committing a sin; but the very next day they would not make that person’s evil a reason to prevent them sitting with him and benefitting from him. Thereupon Allah the Almighty likened their hearts to each other’s and said about them:
“Curses were pronounced on those among the Children of Israel who rejected Faith, by the tongue of David and of Jesus the son of Mary: because they disobeyed and persisted in excesses. Nor did they (usually) forbid one another the iniquities which they committed: evil indeed were the deeds which they did.” (al-Maida 5; 78-79)” (Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 5/7; Ibn Majah, Fitan, 20)
Sayyid Seyfullah addresses those who abstain from Allah’s path for worldly gains as follows:
Nân içün medheyleme nâdânı nâdânlık budur
Hayber-i nefsin helâk et şâh-ı merdanlık budur!
“Do not praise the evil and ignorant just for a morsel of bread since this is the real ignorance
Beat your inner self which is as strong as Haibar castle so that you can be as brave as Ali (r.a.)”
Below is one of the cautionary statements of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in this context:
“By Allah in whose hand is my life you will either command the right and forbid the evil or Allah will send a torment upon you and the you pray but your prayer is not accepted.” (Tirmidhi, Fitan, 9)
If no one commands the right and forbids the wrong in a society, evil turns into a habit and people begin to see them as normal actions of their lives. If evil is not prevented in time, it becomes unpreventable. Right and wrong get mixed up and eventually people forget Allah the Most Exalted. And the result is a total destruction of that community. In order to be saved from such a pitiful end, it is necessary to pay attention to conveying the message of Islam.
One should not lose his hope while calling people to Islam and continue to perform his duty with patience and firmness. Because a believer’s object is not to be anybody left in this world to whom the message of Islam has not reached. Allah the Almighty gives the people of sabt (Sabbath) as an example in this respect.
The residents of the town Ayka of the sons of Israel were fishing on Sabbath whereas they were required to worship and stop doing everything else. Interestingly the fish were swarming on the hunting closed day. It was like the animals were feeling they were not going to be touched. They were not coming to the ponds. Thus people were defeated by their greed and began to fish on Sabbath day.
A while later people divided into two groups. One group was constituted from violators of the hunting ban and the other one was formed from pious and benevolent people; however the latter was minority and they could not stop the rebellious ones. Eventually pious ones also divided into two groups. One group advised and did everything they could to turn people from the wrong path; but finally they lost their hope and left them alone. The other group which was consisted from very few people did not lose their hope, resisted all kinds of difficulties, and kept advising people. The former group tried to discourage the latter saying:
“Why do you exhaust yourselves in vain? Why do you warn them in vain?” However the latter group did not listen to them and maintained their efforts to show people the right path. This is described in a verse as follows:
“When some of them said: “why do you preach to a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?” The preachers said: “to discharge our duty to your Lord, and perchance they may fear him.” (al-Araf 7; 164)
Elmalılı interprets this verse saying: “It is obligatory for everyone to fulfill the duty of inviting people to the right path. Moreover losing hope is allowed under no circumstances. Therefore one should hope and expect that sinners find the right path no matter how great their sins are. The state of humanity constantly changes and destiny cannot be known before it actually takes place. What do you know maybe those who did not listen to your warnings until then will begin to listen and abstain from the sins? Even if they do not completely abstain from sinning maybe they will start staying away from the sins a little, which will ease their punishment in the Hereafter. Advising and conveying the message of Islam no matter what the circumstances are is better than giving it completely up. For giving the invitation to Islam up completely means closing up the gate of hope. Evil, which does not face any resistance, would spread faster. Even if it would not be possible to clear the evil away completely, it should not be forgotten that slowing it down is also very important. (Hak Dîni Kur’ân Dili, IV, 2313)
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) informs us that all deeds which do not seek the pleasure of Allah are invalid and useless. (Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 21) Therefore conveying the message of Islam should also be done for the sake of Allah. Missionary activities done for worldly gains have no value in the presence of Allah the Almighty. Our Lord Almighty points out this matter in the Qur’an in the following verse:
اِتَّبِعُوا مَنْ لاَ يَسْئَلُكُمْ اَجْرًا وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ
“”Obey those who ask no reward of you (for themselves), and who have themselves received Guidance.” (Yasin 36; 21)
Prophets’ and missionaries’ sole duty has been to convey the message of Islam. This is stated in another verse:
“So obey Allah, and obey His Messenger: but if ye turn back, the duty of Our Messenger is but to proclaim (the Message) clearly and openly.” (al-Taghabun 64; 12)
The following advice of Luqman (pbuh) to his son clearly manifests how a missionary should act:
يَا بُنَىَّ اَقِمِ الصَّلوةَ وَاْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلى مَا اَصَابَكَ اِنَّ ذلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الاُمُورِ
“O my dear son! Establish worship and enjoin kindness and forbid iniquity, and persevere whatever may befall thee. Lo! That is of the steadfast heart of things.” (Luqman 31; 17)
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) attached his heart only to his Almighty Creator and did everything he could to show people the way to Paradise and to the manifestation of Allah. He did all these just for the sake of our Lord the Almighty. Many exemplary incidents happened in prophet’s life. Some of these incidents, which show his sensitivity in fulfilling his missionary task, will be presented in the following pages.
٭ For English Translation Of The Verses, I Have Benefited From Shakir, M.H. (Trans.), The QurʾAn = [Al-QurʾĀn Al-ḥakīm], Elmhurst, N.Y.: Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, 1997; Pickthall, Marmaduke William, The Meaning Of The Glorious Koran; An Explanatory Translation, New York: Dorset Press, [1988?]; And Ali, Abdullah Yusuf, The Glorious Qur’an Text, Translation And Commentary, Mcgregor & Werner, 1946 (Translator)