Ethics of Al-Da'iah

Ethics of Al-Da'iah
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
Prepared by: Salman bin Fahd AlAwdah.
Original language: Arabic.
Publishing house: Dar-Alwatan, P.O.Box 3310 Riyadh, Tel:+966-1-
4644659.
Publishing date: 1411H/1991G.
A Message from the Author

Preface
1- Prayers for Noble Conduct
2- To Perfect the Noble Conduct
3- A Muslim and a Da'iah
4- The Noble Manners of the Da'iah
Truthfulness
1- Truthfulness in Shouldering Islam
2- Truthfulness in Sayings
3- Truthfulness in Deeds
Patience
Modesty
Modesty with the Superiors
Modesty with Peers
Modesty with the Lessers
Modesty and Work admiration
Modesty and Accepting Advise
Justice
Justice with enemies and friends
Justice in Evaluating Books
Justice in judging Islamic Da’wah and Islamic Movements
Justice in Viewing Da’wah Works and Efforts
Justice in Treatment of Shari’a Texts
Justice in the Overall Look at Islam
Justice with reality
Justice in Dealing with the Difference (AlKhilaf)
Live Feeling
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Ethics of Al-Da'iah
Ambition
Conclusion
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Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - A Message from the Author
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
book logo Original language: Arabic.
4644659.
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A Message from the Author
In the Name of Allah most Gracious most Merciful
This Islamic awakening is inseparable from us; its glory is ours, its
victory is ours and we are most fortunate to be part of it. It is not fit for an
able Muslim to only feel fortunate and have no more contribution. We need
this feeling to be positive and to translate into a constructive word, a sincere
advice or a successful consideration. The guidance of the Islamic
awakening is not a matter within the capacity of individuals but it's the
responsibility of all. I urge you to contribute positively and seriously to this
blessed series before its fruits are picked by others.
Salman bin Fahd AlAwdah.

E.mail. Salman@aloadah.com.
P.O.Box 2782 Buraidah, AlQuasseem Saudi Arabia.
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Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Preface
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
4644659.
Preface
1- Prayers for Noble Conduct
Among the authentic prayers of the prophet Mohammad (peace be

upon him) are:“ O. Allah, guide me in the best of conduct for none but
You guide anyone (in) good conduct. Remove from me the worst of
conduct, for none else but You can remove the worst of conduct. I
am at Your service and grace is to You and the whole of good is in
Your hands and evil cannot be attributed to You. My (power as well
as existence) is due to You and I turn to you (for supplication). You
are blessed and You are exalted” (Muslim 1/535).
“ O. Allah, I ask You to protect me from reprehensible deeds,

actions and whims” (AlTermithi 5/563).
“ O Allah, I ask You to guard me from disability and laziness,

cowardice and avarice, senility and cruelty, negligence and poverty,
lowliness and submissiveness, and I ask You to guard me from
indigence and unbelief, dissolute actions, disunity and hypocrisy,
dissimulation and false reputation, and I ask You to protect me from
deafness and dumbness, insanity, leprosy and the worst of
diseases” (Al-Mustadrak 1/530,531).
2- To Perfect the Noble Conduct
Conduct occupies in Islam a great position to the extent that it is

reported that the prophet (peace be upon him) said in one of his authentic
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hadeeths “ I was sent only to perfect the best in conduct” and in

another report “ to perfect the noble of conduct” (Ahmad 2/381, Malik
2/904, AlBazzar in AlMujamma 9/15).
It sounds like the prophet (peace be upon him) has confined his
message to this matter. This is not strange. If we perceive "conduct" as the
relationship between the servant of Allah and Allah, and between the
servant of Allah and other people then the matter is clear. This is what
religion is all about; How you define your relationship with the creator, how
to worship him, acknowledge his oneness and avoid what discontent him
and how you define your relationship with the created beings, included are
the angels, the prophets, the righteous people, the relatives who have the
right of love and affection. Also included are the other class, the devils,
unbelievers, hypocrites, and people straying away from the straight path
doing dissolute actions. We hate this class of beings for the sake of Allah
either totally like the unbelievers or only because of their bad actions like
the sinful even though they are still holding to the original belief. But if we
perceive "conduct" in a more restrictive sense that has to do with only the
relationship with other human beings, then the hadeeth of the prophet
(peace be upon him) is an indication of the greatness of good conduct and
its high rank in religion. This hadeeth resembles “ The pilgrimage is
Arafah” (AlTirmithi 889, Abu Dawood 1949 and others) and “ Religion
is sincerity” (Muslim 55, Abu Dawood 4944, AlNisai 4197-4198 and
others). The two hadeeths do not confine the pilgrimage to only Arafah and
do not confine the religion in only sincerity, but the objective is to declare
that staying in Arafah is the greatest pillar of pilgrimage and that sincerity
holds a high rank in religion.
This clarifies that there is no confusion in either of the two meanings

of the hadeeth and that both of them emphasize the importance of conduct
in Islam.
3- A Muslim and a Da'iah
From this starting point a Muslim must beautify his character with
good conduct, whether he is a Da'iah or not because this is an objective of
the message of our prophet (peace be upon him), this message by which
Allah honored the whole humanity and by which the believers have the
exclusive favor of being guided to the straight path, having their souls
purified, and being taught what they knew not. “ It is He who has sent
amongst the unlettered a messenger from among themselves, to
rehearse to them His signs, to purify them and to instruct them in the

Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest

error” (meaning of Quran 62:2).
The purification mentioned in this holy Ayah includes the

purification of the soul, upbringing it with noble manners and cleansing it
from the bad ones. In the previous Ayah as in the previous hadeeth, good
conduct manifests itself not only as one of the objectives of the prophet
Mohammad (peace be upon him) but one of the most eminent.
If an ordinary Muslim has to beautify his character with noble

manners, then the Da'iah, who carries the flag of Da’wah and propagates it
amongst the people, must be more committed to noble and good conduct.
To him looks are more attentive, from him mistakes are graver and at him
criticism is harder. His Da’wah should manifest itself through his character
first then through his words.
A Da'iah committed to noble manners and good conduct is fulfilling

the responsibility laid upon him by Allah, protecting the Da’wah and its
followers from the words of hating biased opponents and from the allusions
of the hasty and the ignorant.
4- The Noble Manners of the Da'iah
If I am to write about all noble manners it will consume a lot of time

and the result will not be comparable to the work that already have been
written by great scholars, like The Manners of the Prophet by Abi AlShaikh
AlAsbahani, The Noble Manners by AlTabarani and AlKharaiti, Manners
and Biographies by Ibn Hazm, The Code of ethics in Quran by Mohammad
AbdAllah Darraz and many others.
This treatise -- my dear brother -- is not a research in ethics and its

philosophy but it is a mere display of a collection of noble manners that I
felt have great importance for the Da'iah besides the abundance of Quranic
and prophetic texts about them. I will emphasize the important aspects of
these manners and leave the remainder to be found in the appropriate
references for whoever want to expand on the subject.

Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Truthfulness
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
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Truthfulness
“ O. Ye who believe! Fear Allah and be with those who are

truthful” (Meaning of Quran 9:119).
Many understand truthfulness as speaking only what is true, but in

fact it is a general way of behavior and a characteristic of the Muslim in his
apparent and inner personality that manifests itself in his words and actions.
Following is a discussion of some sides of this Islamic noble deed.
1- Truthfulness in Shouldering Islam
We mean by this that a Muslim adherence to the teaching of Islam

be based on truthfulness with Allah and not on hypocrisy, deception or
adjustment to the surrounding social life. For this reason, truthfulness in
Quran is mentioned opposed to hypocrisy “ that Allah may reward the
men of truth for their truth, and punish the hypocrites if that be his
well, or turn to them in mercy” (Meaning of Quran 33:24).
It is necessary to have the belief that is inside along with Islam that
is apparent on the outside. It is necessary to have the right belief in Allah,
the last day, the angels, the original books and the prophets. The outer
guided behavior must be consistent with the inner beliefs and convictions.
* Here is a trap of Satan that suggests to the Da'iah giving up some

of the good apparent deeds because his inner belief is not as good that leads
him to think that this is an act of deception. This is a big mistake because
the good deeds one perform are mere results of the goodness and
truthfulness of his heart as long as he does not do them just for reputation or
for deception of the believers.
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2- Truthfulness in Sayings
Truthfulness in sayings is an indication of a clear personality with

valor, nobility and generosity. No one would resort to lying except a wicked
mean weak person. Good instinct considers lying a hated shameful action
and for this reason it is prohibited and incriminated by all revealed
religions. Therefore a Da'iah should not allow lies to come out from him.
Some Da'iahs resort to "allusions" frequently by saying something which
people will perceive in a different meaning. At a later time when they
understand what the Da'iah meant, they may accuse him of lying. Another
bad result of using allusions is the acceptance of "white lies" on the pretext
that they are for the common interest. So, beware!
My brother the Da'iah, do not lie even when you think the situation
forces you to do so, and remember the words of Abu Sufian when Hercules
asked him about the prophet (peace be upon him) . He said “ By Allah,
had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would
not have spoken the truth about the prophet (peace be upon
him)” (AlBukhari 7). This man being a "jahili" (holding on to the beliefs of
Arabs before Islam) had avoided lying because he was afraid that he be one
day labeled a liar even though he was in a great need to lie. Today, we know
Da'iahs are being targets of numerous attacks. Therefore, the Da'iah should
avoid all actions that weaken his position.
3- Truthfulness in Deeds
Deeds of person must be intended purely as a worship for Allah and

away from desire of getting good reputation. “ Whoever expects to meet
his Lord, let him work righteousness, and in the worship of his Lord,
admit no one as a partner” (Meaning of Quran 18:110). “ He who
created death and life, that He may try which of you is best in deed
” (Meaning of Quran 67:2).
AlFudail Ibn Iyadh explained "best in deed" as the most sincere and
most correct of deed. He was asked about the meaning of "most sincere and
most correct of deed" and he replied: If the work was sincere but not correct
it will not be accepted, and if it was correct but not sincere it will not be
accepted; it will be accepted only if it is both sincere and correct.
Clarity, avoidance of ambiguity and avoidance of deception are also

aspects of truthfulness of deeds. Abu Dawood and AlNisai reported “ that

Othman Ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) brought
AbdAllah Ibn Saad Ibn Abi AlSarh to the prophet (peace be upon
him) while the prophet had ordered that he be killed by any Muslim
capturing him. Othman asked the prophet (peace be upon him) to
accept AbdAllah's plight of fealty. The prophet (peace be upon him)
raised his head and looked at him three times, every time rejecting
his plight and then accepting after the third time. The prophet (peace
be upon him) then turned to his companions and said: isn't there
amongst you an intelligent one who would kill this man when he saw
me refraining to give him my hand to accept his plight. They replied:
O. Prophet of Allah, we do not know what is inside your heart. Why
haven't you signaled to us with your eye? He (peace be upon him)
said it is not fit for a prophet to have treacherous eyes” (Reported by
Abu Dawood 2683, AlNisai 4067, AlHakim 3/45, Also see Abu Dawood
3094, Ahmad 3/151, and the series of authentic hadeeths 1723).
To this extent was the truthfulness of the deeds of the prophet (peace
be upon him) . He did not accept to use an obscure eye signal to order the
killing of his enemy. This was his habit and practice (peace be upon him) all
his life. For this reason, the polytheists couldn't accuse him of lying in the
early stages of his Da’wah to Islam. They resorted to labeling him with
poetry, magic or craziness but people didn't accept this and when they
couldn't fabricate any new accusations they cried loudly: He is a liar, but in
vain.
AlTirmithi reported that “ AbdAllah Ibn Salam (may Allah be

pleased with him) said: when the prophet (peace be upon him)
arrived at Madinah, people rushed to receive him, and it was said:
Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) had arrived, Allah's
messenger (peace be upon him) had arrived, Allah's messenger
(peace be upon him) had arrived. So I went along with the people to
see him and when I fixed my eyes on his face I knew that it wasn't a
face of a liar and the first words he spoke were: " O. people, spread
alsalam (greeting), and offer food, and pray while people are asleep
so that you enter heaven with peace” (Ahmad 5/451, AlTirmithi 2485,
Ibn Majah 3251).
Indeed, the truthfulness of the prophet (peace be upon him) flowed

from his heart to his words and was manifested on his noble face. Whoever
looked at his countenance, its light and its purity will read in it the
truthfulness and will admit that his face is not a face of a liar.

We need the kind of Da'iahs who preferred the truthfulness in their

sayings and deeds to the point that it becomes a nature that flows with their
blood and shows on their faces, so that when people see them they say those
aren't the faces of liars.
We are also in need of Da'iahs who beautify themselves with noble

deeds and who will keep their calmness and moderation even when
provoked, so that when people see them they will say loudly: These are the
manners of the prophets.
Our truthfulness in shouldering our Da’wah is what makes other

accept our religion. It is not fit for us to be like the actor on the stage having
an appearance different from his reality. One as this will soon be exposed
and people turn away from him.
It was reported that when one of the venerable forefathers preached

he would touch the hearts and people would start to weep in all the place
while if someone else who had more eloquence and knowledge preached,
people would not receive him similarly. The son of the good preacher asked
him about this. The preacher said: It is not the same a woman crying for
losing her son and another who was hired to cry.
We conclude that the first mean for the success of the Da'iah is his
truthfulness in shouldering the Da’wah, his seriousness in pursuing it and
that truthfulness in sayings and actions be his banner and way of life. It is
not important to say sweet beautiful words -- even if it is required -- but
what is more important is truthfulness, being consistent and in harmony
with oneself and that words are spoken out of self experience. It was said
that if the word came out of the heart, it would touch the heart, but if it
came out of the mouth it would not go past the ears.

Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Patience
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
4644659.
Patience
Patience is the associate of certainty. “ And we appointed, from

among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our command, so long
as they persevered with patience and continued to have certainty of
faith in our signs” (Meaning of Quran 32:24). For this reason, Sufian
declared that one reaches the leadership in religion by having patience and
certainty of faith.
Having no or little patience, one can easily abandon his religion

because of any obstacle and to give up his way and lose his wisdom because
of any provocation. Because of this, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) said to
his prophet (peace be upon him) “ So patiently persevere: for verily the
promise of Allah is true: nor let those excite thee, who have
(themselves) no certainty of faith” (Meaning of Quran 30:60), and said “
And have patience with what they say and leave them with noble
(dignity)” (Meaning of Quran 73:10).
In many occasions, the people who went astray will try to frustrate
the Da'iahs by telling them that what they are calling for is unachievable,
old values that people no longer remember and that the Da'iahs should
accept a lesser objective and should revise their opinions and efforts. Under
the pressure of realities, facing the real and fictitious obstacles in the road of
accomplishing Islam and realizing the lengthy way the Da'iahs will go
through, some of them may give an ear, get influenced and start to revise his
understanding of Islam and his understanding of what the opponents say.
This position will be very acceptable if the Da'iah does it with the
spirit of the brave objective researcher who looks for the truth wherever it
is, but here he does it with the spirit of the defeated who feels that he came
out of the battle wounded or captured. He, afterwards, starts to look for a
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solution in the proposals of his opponents that would save him from
fighting falsehood and distorted realities.
Take, for example, usury, which spread all over, deepened its roots,
and had all world economies, including that of the Islamic world, depend on
it. It almost got into every one pocket. This is a realization of the prophet
(peace be upon him) hadeeth “ People will witness a time in which
whoever is not usurious will be affected by its dust” (Ahmad 2/494,
Abu Dawood 3331, AlNisai 4455, Ibn Majah 2278. This hadeeth was
considered weak by AlMunthiri because of lack of link between the hadeeth
reporters AlHassan and Abu Hurairah), This hadeeth, with its weak
authenticity, has its meaning strengthened by this hadeeth reported by
AlBukhari “ A time will come when one will not care how one gains
one's money, legally or illegally” (AlBukhari 2059, AlNisai 4454).
When the ones who do not have certainty of faith come to the
defeated Da'iah trying to persuade him to take another look at an act of clear
usury, he, instead of preventing them from this unlawful earning, which
entered their pockets and from this unlawful dealing that became part of
their souls, and instead of trying to search for Islamic acceptable
alternatives for investing money and building Islamic economy upon it, tries
to find an opening in the Shari’a law no matter how weak or out of
conformity this opening is. In this manner, the people's way of a life that
span a limited period of time becomes a reference to twist the Shari’a laws
that have been constant throughout the ages. This can be explained by the
Da'iah lacking patience and then losing hope. It is best for such Da'iah to
listen to the advice of the one who said: If you cannot achieve an objective,
stop working on it and start on something you can achieve
It is not required that you achieve the victory of Islam in your

lifetime. This victory is for the will of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) to
decide when it should happen. It is required that you do your best.
Messengers and prophets were spoken to in this same sense, “ If then they
turn away, We have not sent thee as a guard over them, the duty is
but to convey (the message)” (Meaning of Quran 42:48). The messengers
were also saying “ And our duty is only to deliver the clear
message” ( Meaning of Quran 36:17).
Someone may come to the Da'iah telling him: “you work hard day
and night and undergo mountainous efforts but at the end results seem to be
little and people start to turn away from you. Moreover, you see that means
of destruction and corruption have engulfed many of them and whatever
you've been building in years will be demolished in hours.” This kind of

logic may influence many of the Da'iahs who are not used to facing
obstacles in their way. At such moments, comes the role of "patience",
patience, which is most fitting to the situation.
Khabbab Ibn AlArat narrated: “ We complained to Allah apostle

(peace be upon him) (about the hardship we are facing from the
polytheists) while he was leaning against his sheet cloak in the shade
of the Kaaba. We said will you ask Allah to help us! Will you invoke
Allah for us! He (peace be upon him) sat up with his face reddened
and said: among those who were before you a (believer) used to be
seized and a bit used to be dug for him and then he used to be placed
in it. Then a saw used to be brought and put on his head which
would be split in two halves. His flesh might be combed with iron
combs and removed from his bones, yet, all that did not cause him to
revert from his religion. By Allah! This religion (Islam) will be
completed (and triumph) till a rider (traveler) goes from Sanaa to
Hadramout fearing nobody except Allah and the wolf lest it should
trouble his sheep, but you are impatient” (AlBukhari 3852, Abu
Dawood 2649, AlNisai (summarized) 5320).
Therefore it is not fit for a Da'iah not to have the necessary patience
until the fruits of Da’wah are ripe.
The Da'iah may be, in his place (town, school, office,...), fighting
against reprehensible actions and for spreading Da’wah and through him a
lot of good may be happening which he may not feel because it happens
gradually like a father not feeling the growth of his child because he sees
him every morning and evening.
Many Da'iahs abandon their places thinking they are not achieving
anything. Afterwards, he regrets his decision painfully when he realizes the
emptiness that is greatly felt behind him.
The Da'iah must wait patiently for the results and must exert his
efforts putting his dependence upon Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). He must
comprehend that from historical and realistic experiences, any good effort
done will have its fruit on the people. It never happened in this Ummah
(nation of Islam) that no one would respond to the Da'iah or no one would
listen to his advises. Similarly, it never happened that a scholar gave a
lesson and no one attended. We are not yet at the time, the prophet (peace
be upon him) told us about, when greed is an obeyed practice, desire guides
the actions and every one admires his own opinion to the point that he
rejects the Quran and Sunnah if they are not in accordance with it.

This did not happen yet at the level of the whole Islamic nation. It
may be noticed on some individuals or in some places but good is still
prevalent and people are responsive to the knowledgeable wise Da'iah.
Moreover we find people respond to Da'iahs in non-Muslim countries, in
Europe and America. Statistics show that tens are reverting to Islam in the
Islamic centers there every week.
This historical realistic fact that says that every effort will produce a
fruit, is also a fact from the perspective of Islamic Shari’a: “ Whoever
works any act of righteousness and has faith, his endeavor will not
be rejected, We shall record it in his favor” (Meaning of Quran 21:94),
“ That Allah may reward the men of truth for their truth” (Meaning
of Quran 33:24), “ He who introduced some good practice in Islam
which was followed after him (by people) would be assured of reward
like one who followed it, without their reward being diminished in
any respect” (Muslim 1017, AlNisai 2554, from the hadeeth of Jareer Ibn
AbdAllah AlBajali), “ He who called (people) to righteousness, there
would be reward (assured) for him like the rewards of those who
adhered to it, without their rewards being diminished in any
respect” (Muslim 2674, AlTirmithi 2676, Abu Dawwod 4609 all from the
hadeeth of Abu hurairah).
Therefore every work has a reward and every Da'iah has followers.

Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Modesty
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
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Modesty
Modesty is knowing one's value and avoiding pride that -- as the

prophet (peace be upon him) defined it -- is “ disdaining the truth (out of
self conceit) and contempt for the people” (Muslim 91, AlTirmithi
1999, Abu Dawood 4092).
In essence, modesty is for the great one, who is inclined to see

himself above others. We say to him: Be modest then you will be as a star
reflected on the water surface, close to the people while in reality it is very
high. We do not ask an ordinary person to be modest. Rather, we say to
him: know the value of yourself and put it where it should be. AlKhattabi
narrated in his book, AlUzlah (Solitude), that the great scholar Imam
AbdAllah Ibn AlMubarak came to Khurassan and went to visit a man
known of piety and asceticism. When the Imam entered the pious man
house, He did not receive the Imam or pay attention to him, so the Imam
left. People around this man asked him wondering: Do you know the man
who just left? He replied, no. They said: He is "Ameer AlMoumineen in
AlHadeeth", meaning that he is the most knowledgeable of the prophet
sayings, He is AbdAllah Ibn AlMubarak. The man was greatly embarrassed
and he ran after the Imam asking him to accept his apology and to be
advised. Imam Ibn AlMubarak said: Yes, whenever you leave your house,
think of any one you lay your eyes upon as a better person than you are. The
Imam gave him this advise because he felt that this pious man is afflicted
with self admiration. When The Imam asked about him, he found that he
was a tailor (AlUzlah 220).
Imam AbdAllah Ibn AlMubarak felt that this man had some kind of
feeling of pride, arrogance, and superiority over others, which is an illness
that often afflict those who offer more worship than the rest. So, the Imam
educated him giving him an appropriate advise.
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We often find some good people, perhaps some Da'iahs, and even
young students who have ill manners with their sheikhs, scholars, and
teachers, which is painful and bothering.
There is no objection if you have a different opinion with a scholar

or a Da'iah provided you are qualified, but when this difference of opinions
becomes a mean to degrade this scholar or Da'iah or to distort his image
then it becomes very objectionable.
If such a behavior can be expected from commoners, the misled, and

the people of Bida’ah then it is not fit at all to happen from the people of
Sunnah or students of Shari’a.
The scholars of Ahl AlSunnah and AlJamaah are particularly

required to enjoin righteousness and to forbid reprehensible deeds even for
those who are in the high ranks, anticipating reward from Allah for
whatever harm they may encounter, but this is not expected from them
when they are abandoned by their closest supporters, for every one of them
will be as the brave knight backed only by women.
Had Ahl AlSunnah protected their scholars, supported them, and

acknowledged their eminence, it would have been possible for them to
perform their duties of enjoining righteousness and forbidding reprehensible
deeds at the best way possible, but when they were forsaken by the people
behind them, scholars could not utter a word to enjoin or forbid.
It is regrettable to see Ahl AlBida’ah on the contrary of this.

Moreover, they give their scholars a value that raises them to the level of
holiness and will follow them in a very objectionable way that is a kind of
slavery and melting in the leader scholar.
This has been the way of AlBatiniah sect through the ages, where
the individuals are educated to accept that their leaders and scholars are
infallible.
Even AlMutazilah, whose reference in religion is the mind, become

very emotional when the matter comes to their leaders. One of their poets
would praise the Mutazilah leader Wasil Ibn Ataa claiming that he has in
every town in every corner of the world brave men who are the bearers of
the religion in the face of all oppressors and wicked in every time of cold
winter or hot summer.
It is worthier of Ahl AlSunnah to respect their scholars. There is no

good in a nation where the young do not respect the old and the old do not

have mercy for the young.
Modesty with the Superiors
Modesty, or rather knowing one's value, means that a starting young

man will not position himself as a counterpart to the older experienced
scholar, saying that we are all equally men.
Manhood can take different meanings. In Quran, sometimes

manhood is referred to with praise as in “ In it are men who love to be
purified” (Meaning of Quran 9:108) and in “ In houses, which Allah
hath permitted to be raised to honor; for the celebration, in them, of
His name: In them is He glorified in the mornings and in the
evenings,(again and again) by men whom neither trade nor sale can
divert from the remembrance of Allah, nor from regular prayer, nor
from paying Zakat. Their (only) fear is for the day when hearts and
eyes will be turned about” (Meaning of Quran 24:36,37). Manhood at
other places was referred to in Quran to indicate only masculinity as in “
True, there were men among humans who take shelter with men
among the jinns but they increased them into further error” (Meaning
of Quran 72:6).
Men are not equal. You may see a humble student of Shari’a who
hardly knows few pages from Quran by heart and may not be able to tell a
single hadeeth from the collections of AlBukhari or Muslim let alone
knowing the chain of narrators or its meaning, you may see him confronting
the great scholars saying: "I have said", "I think", and "according to my
knowledge", forgetting how little his background is.
Modesty with Peers
Modesty means being humble with peers. It is common to see the

spirit of envy and competition among peers. Some may feel superior and get
delighted by degrading their counterparts, by pointing their flaws, or by
magnifying their weaknesses. They do that sometimes in the form of
expressing opinions or giving advises while in reality it is a mere jealousy.
It is sad to see a Da'iah feeling jealous because a crowd of two or three
thousand attended a fellow Da'iah lecture but not getting upset about a
crowd of twenty or thirty thousands attending a musical concert or a
football match. If you didn't like a few things about your brother Da'iah, it

should suffice to be pleasing to know that he calls people to the straight

path and he is on the right way. It is also possible that he is right for what he
was criticized for.
Modesty with the Lessers
Modesty means being humble with those who are less than you are.
So, if you meet a younger person or someone lower in position, do not look
down at him because he may have a purer heart or less sin or be closer to
Allah than you are. Even if you meet a sinful person while you are a
righteous man do not look down at him and thank Allah who saved you
from the sins he is afflicted with. And remember that your good works may
be foiled if they result in self admiration and desire of good reputation while
his sins may be forgiven if they caused his regret, sadness, and fear of
Allah. Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the prophet
(peace be upon him) told that “ A person said: Allah would not forgive
such and such (person). Thereupon Allah the exalted and glorious
said: Who is he who adjures about Me that I would not grant pardon
to so and so; I have granted pardon to so and so and blotted out his
deeds (who took an oath that I would not grant pardon to
him)” (Muslim 2621).
So, do not think that you are superior even over sinful people. If the
advising Da'iah felt that the sinful person might have some pious deeds and
merits the Da'iah lacks, he would have treated him amicably and presented
his advise favorably which would lead to better reception and acceptance.
Modesty and Work admiration
Modesty means that you do not admire your work if you have done
good or pious deeds because work may then not be accepted, “ Allah only
accepts from the heedful” (Meaning of Quran 5:27). Because of this, one
of the early Muslims said if I know that Allah had accepted from me a
tasbiha ( uttering Subhana Allah one time), I would be glad to die now.
Modesty and Accepting Advise
Modesty means accepting advise. It is common when one gets an

advise, he feels bothered because Satan will tempt him to reject it and feel

suspicious about the one who advises him. This is because advise usually
has undercover a finger pointed at weaknesses and flaws. But the one who
is protected by Allah will be victorious over himself and will pray for and
thank any one advising him and pointing to him his weaknesses. This is
why the prophet (peace be upon him) defined pride as “ disdaining the
truth (out of self conceit) and contempt for the people” (Muslim 91).
The proud one thinks he has a very great and superior status. He
could never praise anyone except with pointing out real or invented flaws.
When he gets an advise he rejects it because of the inferiority complex he
has. It is therefore closer to perfection to accept criticism without
sensitivity, shyness, weakness, or bothersome. Ameer AlMoumineen Omar
Ibn AlKhattab (may Allah be pleased with him) set a good example when
he said: May Allah shower mercy over who presents us our weaknesses.

Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Justice
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
4644659.
Justice
Justice is a general term which means being in the middle. Muslims

are at this position; and in particular Ahl AlSunnah wa AlJamaah are being
in the middle in all their matters without exception; they give every one his
rights. Justice has many domains and many forms. Here we present some
important pictures of justice.
Justice with enemies and friends
It is common that people usually tend to mention their friends with

praise that they may be unworthy of and their opponents with derogation,
which may have no real basis.
Is it possible for the Da'iah to speak about the shortcomings of

people closest to him who agree with his way and method or the
shortcomings of a partner working with him to complete some task? Can he
sincerely speak about the merits of someone who is in difference with him
in some issues? If the Da'iah can do so, then he has realized justice in this
respect. Unfortunately, the opposite is the common practice; many people
are being unjust with their opponents when they blame them of flaws they
are free from, and being unjust with their friends when they praise them
with merits they lack. The latter would appear as an act of friendship, but, in
fact, it is an act of injustice and derogation because this friend will have a
lower status in the eyes of others when they discover that he does not have
such merits.
Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) ordered us to be just even with

enemies: “ And let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to
wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety” (Meaning
http://www.islamland.org/books1/other\daiah\daiah_justi.htm (1 of 14)11/30/2004 5:31:24 PM

of Quran 5:8). It is sad that even when we accept this advice from Allah
(Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), we do not put it in practice. As soon as we find
someone has done what we think is a mistake, we degrade him and turn our
attention away from him. In many instances, the many merits of someone
will obliterate his few shortcomings and the many shortcomings will
obliterate the merits. The matter is actually worse; In many occasions, It is
the few flaws that make us forget the many merits, which is contradictory to
the Shari’a rule that states: if the water amounts to two jars then impurities
(or scum) can be neglected.
Justice in Evaluating Books
It is not just to state what are negative about a book and not mention
its positive sides. For example, you say that the book contains weak or not
authentic hadeeths and that it has some strange opinions meanwhile you
ignore to mention the good scientific research and the useful ideas it may
have. Stating half the truth and ignoring the other half is a departure from
honesty.
When a mistake is found in a book, as quoting a weak hadeeth or

having a fault in discussing a case, you will find many people losing trust in
the book and warning others about it. If we deal with books of scholars
using this criterion we will be left with no books to read. Take for example
Saheeh AlBukhari, The most authenticated book after the Quran. Is it
absolutely perfect? No, Some parts are left blank, some topics were stated
without reporting any hadeeth, and some hadeeths either had broken chain
of narrators or had differences in the narration.
Excluding Quran, any book will have some sort of imperfection;

therefore, justice requires presenting both its negative and the positive sides.
Justice in judging Islamic Da’wah and Islamic Movements
Since the fall of the Islamic Caliphate, many Da’wahs and

movements had evolved targeting noble objectives as reestablishing the
Islamic way of life, reviving the Islamic government, propagating the
Islamic message among non-Muslims, reviving Sunnah, and other similar
objectives.
These Da’wahs are different in their methods, their basis, and their
objectives. They are also different on how close or far they are from the

way of AlKitab and AlSunnah (The Quran and the way of the prophet,
peace be upon him).
Many have talked about these Da’wahs and studied their different
aspects. You find that many studies lack justice. This is either because the
writer of such a study is a follower of a Da’wah who likes its methods and
ways or an adversary who cannot see but flaws; and between the two, truth
is lost.
Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) likes justice and despises unfairness. If

one was deficient in one side, it does not imply that he is deficient in all
sides. It is not appropriate to neglect the few advantages even beside the
numerous disadvantages.
Sometimes, you will find someone who talks about a group of

Da'iahs picturing them like devils. He will try to twist the meanings of their
words and acts; even uttering the Shahadatan ( the two testimonies of
accepting that there is no god worthy of worship except Allan and that
Mohammad is his messenger), will be interpreted in a twisted manner.
Making a generalized judgment in the case of Da’wahs is wrong. Da’wahs
should be studied with careful consideration, giving results that are detailed,
accurate, scientifically disciplined, and fulfilling justice in presenting both
positive and negative aspects.
The Imams (leaders) of Ahl AlSunnah wa AlJamaah, when they

mentioned Ahl AlBida’ah (heretics), they blame them and warn people
about their ways, but they do not forget to mention the efforts of such
people in charity, in standing against others who have more Bida’ah
(heresy), against outside enemies, or to call non-Muslims to Islam where the
new Muslims will have some Bida’ah but it is in any case better than
remaining a non-Muslim.
It is just that we do not overlook the Bida’ah on the pretext that Ahl
AlBida’ah (heretics) were good on some issues at the same time that we do
not ignore their good works on the pretext that they are of Ahl AlBida’ah.
Justice in Viewing Da’wah Works and Efforts
There are efforts in the field of Da’wah that cannot be associated

with any certain group, but it is a collection of jihad and Da’wahs works
from many Muslim groups and individuals. It is a human effort that can be
right or wrong and it is not infallible in any way. It is of obvious interest
that these efforts should be evaluated justly and correctly. This will result in

benefiting from positive aspects and enhancing them while avoiding

negative ones and getting rid of them. This way mistakes will not be
repeated and Muslims will not start from the same point again.
This obvious interest might get wasted between two sides. A side
that views this effort as a perfect one and will incriminate any one who tries
to criticize it and another that cannot see but flaws to the point that he
renders this effort useless.
Take, for example, the Afghani Jihad, which lasted for more than ten
years with much sweat, tears, blood, sacrifices, struggle and sleepless
nights. You find someone that considers it as free from mistakes and flaws
and that it resembles the jihad of the prophet companions. He will see it as a
jihad that is above any criticism, comments, or supervision. On the other
extreme, you will find another who classifies the Mujahideen as ignorants
and of Ahl AlBida’ah without any hesitation and without giving any details.
When asked how did he arrive at such judgment he will say that they use
amulets and have mosques that are not according to Sunnah. It is even
graver! Someone has declared that this is not jihad but polytheists fighting
atheists. I have read another stray comment by someone about Muslim
groups that follows the way of Kitab and Sunnah; it says: "He is an infidel
who does not consider this group as infidels." If this was his judgment on
such a group then what do you expect about his judgments on groups who
are not as close to Kitab and Sunnah. This is not the just balance that Allah
(Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) has put for this nation and this is not the real
adherence to the way of the prophet (peace be upon him) who would
acknowledge the value of each and every one and who would not rob
people from the rights they should have. Hasn't he praised people, if it was
of common interest, because of the good deeds they have even if they were
not free from flaws. Hasn't he (peace be upon him) praised AlNajashi and
said that “ He is a king that no one is treated unfairly under his
rule” (Ibn Ishaq in Biographies and Campaigns 213, AlBaihaqi 9/9, Ahmad
in AlMusnad 5/290) even though AlNajashi was not a Muslim at the time.
There is a group of Da'iahs who look at matters from one angle;

either from the angle of satisfaction where he misses the shortcomings or
from the angle of hostility where he misses the merits. Da'iah should strife
for right judgment that holds the scale from the middle and looks at matters
with a balanced look that is careful not to be influenced by emotions
positively or negatively. “ And let not the hatred of others to you make
you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to
piety” (Meaning of Quran 5:8).

Justice in Treatment of Shari’a Texts
Those texts that are firm and clear (Muhkam) are a "religion". They
must be accepted, followed, and believed in; no text can be abandoned as
long as it remained firm and was not substituted or deleted (Mansookh)
during the life time of the prophet (peace be upon him).
Having a balanced look at these texts is an act of justice; so, do not

take a type of these texts and reject another type, particularly when the two
types deal with the same subject or two opposing subject like belief and
disbelief.
Some people will take the texts of threats and ignore the texts of
promises. For example, someone will take the hadeeth: “ The person who
severs the bond of kinship will not enter paradise” (AlBukhari 5984,
Muslim 2556, Abu Dawwod 1996), or the hadeeth:“ The Qattat (The
qattat is the person who conveys information from one person to the
other with the intention of causing harm and enmity between them)
will not enter paradise” (AlBukhari 6056, Muslim 105, Abu Dawood
4771, AlTirmithi 2127). and will label others of disbelief if they do such
acts according to what may appear as the meaning of these texts neglecting
other texts of promise and anticipation as the hadeeth narrated by Utban: “
If anybody comes on the day of resurrection who has said: La ilaha
illa Allah, sincerely, with the intention to win Allah's pleasure, Allah
will make the hell fire forbidden for him” (AlBukhari 4623, Muslim
33), or the hadeeth:“ If any one testifies that none has the right to be
worshipped but Allah Alone Who has no partners, and Mohammad
is His slave and his apostle, and that Jesus is Allah's slave and His
apostle and His word which He bestowed on Mary and a soul from
him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him
into Paradise with the deeds which he has done even if those deeds
were few” (Ahmad 5/314, AlBukhari 3435, Muslim 28, AlTirmithi 2640).
On the other extreme you will find someone who takes only texts of
anticipation leaving out texts of threats, making people feel safe from
Allah's design, “ After them succeeded an (evil) generation: they
inherited the book, but they chose (for themselves) the vanities of this
world, saying (for excuse): (every thing) will be forgiven us. Even so,
if similar vanities came their way they would (again) seize
them” (Meaning of Quran 7:169).

The justice is to take this text and that one until the scales are
balanced.
Another aspect of justice on dealing with Shari’a texts is the justice

between the particular and the general. Religion in its entirety belongs to
Allah, so there is nothing in it that is trivial or that can be ignored or
neglected. This is why the prophet (peace be upon him) , when he answered
Gabriel about AlIsalm, AlIman, and AlIhsan said: “ This is Gabriel came
to teach you your religion” (AlBukhari 50, Muslim 1009, Abu Dawood
4698, AlNisai 4990).
This is why if someone denies a matter that is known by necessity

from the religion and that has been reported through several different chains
of narrators and that is firmly proven to be authentic, he will be a
disbeliever even if this matter is a Sunnah or fardh kifayah (Duty that is
sufficient to be done by some Muslims), like the Sunnah of two rakaahs
before fajr prayer and the fardh kifayah of Adhan (call for prayer) and other
similar works.
There are no marginal matters or trivialities in the religion as some

hasty ignorant or opponent would claim without having a legitimate proof,
but there are priorities like matters of belief and the precedence of general
matters before particular ones. When you see a person having different sort
of mistakes, it is wise to start with the graver ones first. It is not advisable
that you blame this person on uttering athkar (remembrance of Allah, like
subhan Allah, AlHamd li Allah,...) which are Sunnah while he is still having
problems with pillars of prayer like reciting AlFatihah; it is neither logical
to start your journey of Da’wah with him by asking him to stop smoking
while he is falling in shirk (polytheism).
Da’wah in a gradual way is established by the fact that the prophet

(peace be upon him) instructed Muath when he sent him to Yemen saying:“
You are going to a nation from the people of the scripture, so let the
first thing to which you will invite them, to the Tawheed of Allah
(Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) (Accepting the Oneness of Allah) . If they
learn that, tell them that Allah has enjoined on them, five prayers to
be offered in one day and one night. And if they pray, tell them that
Allah has enjoined on them Zakat of their properties and it is to be
taken from the rich among them and given to the poor...” (AlBukhari
1458, Muslim 19 Abu Dawood 1584, AlNisai 2435, AlTirmithi 625 all
from the hadeeth of Ibn Abbas). Therefore, ordering matters according to
their importance is the way of the prophet (peace be upon him) and was his
method in practical Da’wah and it is part of his instructions to his

companions who reported his actions and deeds.
Some of the devoted Da'iahs will concentrate on a group of details --

that are important without any doubt -- but where there are more important
matters. We advise them not to turn their attention away from these
important details but to place them in their natural order behind the more
important matters.
In explaining to the students the hadeeth of Abu Saeed:“ If one of

you came to the mosque, he should look at his shoes. If he found any
dirtiness, he should wipe it out and pray with them on” (Abu Dawood
652), I have illustrated a practical example on how to apply justice in
dealing with Shari’a texts.
I. I have mentioned the sunnahs reported on how the prophet (peace

be upon him) dealt with the question of praying with the shoes on.
To sum up they are five:
A. That the prophet (peace be upon him) sometimes intended
to pray without his shoes as reported in the hadeeth of
AbdAllah Ibn AlSaib:“ I have seen the prophet (peace be
upon him) praying on the day of conquest and he had
put his shoes to his left” (Abu Dawood 648, AlNisai 776).
B. That the prophet (peace be upon him) prayed with his

shoes on as reported in the hadeeth of Abu Saeed and what
was reported by Abu Maslamah Saeed Ibn Yazeed AlAzdi. “
He said: I asked Anas Ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased
with him) was the prophet (peace be upon him) praying
with his shoes on. He said: yes” (AlBukhari 386, Muslim
555, AlTirmithi 400, AlNisai 775).
C. That the prophet (peace be upon him) sometimes prayed

barefooted and sometimes with his shoes on as in the hadeeth
of Amr Ibn Shoaib (Abu Dawood 653).
D. That the prophet ordered to put the shoes between the feet,
not to the right or left, except if there was no one to the left as
in the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah (Abu Dawood 654-655) and
others.
E. That the prophet (peace be upon him) ordered to pray with

the shoes on as in the hadeeth of Shaddad Ibn Aws:“ Differ
from the Jews, they do not pray with their shoes or

slippers on” (Abu Dawood 652).
II. I have mentioned the opinions of scholars regarding this issue and
they are three opinions:
A. It is makrooh (reprehensible). This opinion was reported to
be of Ibn Omar and Abu Musa AlAshar.
B. It is mustahab (desirable). This is the opinion of the

majority like Omar, Othman, Ali, Anas, Ibn Masood, Ataa,
Mujahid, Tawoos, Shuraih and others.
C. It is ja'iz (allowable) if the shoes do not contain najasah

(squalor), as chosen by AlKhattabi, Ibn Daqeeq Aleid, Ibn
Battal, AlNawawi and others. This means that they have the
opinion that praying with the shoes on is not desirable. Ibn
Daqeeq Aleid assumed that touching the ground with much
dirt makes the shoes unfit to pray with them on.
III. I gave preponderance to the opinion that is in accord with

authentic and clear evidence from the Sunnah and that it is mustahab
(desirable) to pray with the shoes on, but considering the following
points:
A. To look at the shoes and be sure that they are free from
dirt or filth following order of the prophet (peace be upon
him) as in the hadeeth of Abu Saeed mentioned earlier.
B. That praying with the shoes on will not result in any

disturbances like raising voices in the mosque, arguments,
hatred, breakage of relations or even quitting prayers at the
mosque. All these actions may be done by some people
whom we needed to win their hearts. Such events may be
exploited by enemies of Da’wah to label the Da'iahs with
false accusations and drive people away from them.
C. The necessity to set priorities in order. We need to get

people to have the correct faith and warn them against all
sorts of shirk (polytheism), the apparent and the hidden. we
need to get people to perform Fariadahs (Compulsory duties)
and refrain from Muharramat (unlawful doings). We need to
urge them to do sunnahs and mustahabat( desirable deeds)
and avoid makroohat (reprehensible actions). It is not logical
to insist on teaching people a Sunnah no matter what effort it
takes if at the end, because of ignorance, they will reject this
Sunnah and may go as far as rejecting the Da'iah himself and

not accepting anything from him. The ladder of Shari’a

priorities begins with learning the basics of belief, then
performing faridahs (duties) and refraining from muharramat
(unlawful actions), then doing sunnahs and avoiding
makroohat (reprehensible deeds). It is like the order of
necessities then needs then accessories.
In short we need to make clear that there is no conflict between

attending to the whole and attending to the detail and clarify that caring of
general matters does not require neglecting partial ones or vice versa. We
also need all the Da'iahs to work in a consistent pattern that gives each
affair the importance it deserves.
It is not a shame that the Da'iah learn or teach the sunnahs that are,
at present, considered strange like wearing dresses not longer than middle of
the leg for men, or the sitting of rest in prayer or moving the finger during
tashahud. These are matters of Shari’a that are backed up by texts and need
specialized scholars to form an opinion regarding them on the condition that
it will not exhaust all their efforts leaving other issues untouched. They
need also to be applied by young people and spread by them to others when
they find that the time and place permit the acceptance of these sunnahs.
These young people also need to stop propagating these sunnahs when they
fear that the interest of the religion may be harmed and not out of the fear of
people looks and words.
It is not justice to write fourteen papers on a partial subject where

grave matters and catastrophes happening to the Muslim nation are not
being attended to, leaving people going astray stumbling with their own
opinions that are not based on solid knowledge. On the other hand, you find
some one neglecting the details and take care only of general or whole
matters. he will say: "I am on the steps of our pious forefathers and when I
look at Omar who spread justice and who said: (If a mule stumbled in Iraq I
feel that Allah will question me about it: why didn't you paved the road for
it, Omar?); I do not look at the personality of Omar who had short dress and
long beard as some kids do".
Subhan Allah! Why would we split the personality of Omar into

two: Omar the just, who bears the responsibility even of a mule in Iraq and
Omar who committed to Sunnah on what he does, what he wears, and how
he looks. Omar did not believe in this double or split personality, and here
is the proof.
When Oqban Ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) came to
Omar carrying the good news of the successful conquest of Syria, he made a

one week trip from a Friday to the next until he reached Madinah and told
Omar about the conquest. Muslims chanted: Allah Akbar, and were happy
to be victorious. Then Omar looked at the shoes of Oqbah and asked: When
did you wear them? Oqbah said: It's been a week and I've been wiping over
them [instead of washing feet for Wudu]. Omar said: What you've done is
the Sunnah (AlBaihaqi 1/380). The story is authentic as Ibn Taimiah (Ibn
Taimiah Alfatawa 21/178), and others declared. The news of the conquest
and the business to bring the world under the rule of Islam did not prevent
Omar from discussing a partial detail -- in the view of some -- and then
stating what is Sunnah according to his opinion and finding.
When he was dying the choice of the next caliphate was of a great
concern to him and to the companions of the prophet (peace be upon him) .
This was an extremely important general and essential matter, but it did not
divert the attention of Omar from giving advice on some other partial
matters. A young man from AlAnsar entered visiting Omar after he was
stabbed. The young man said nice words to Omar and he was exiting, Omar
noticed that his dress was long; so he ordered to bring back the young man
and told him: "O. my nephew, raise up your dress. It is cleaner for it and it
is more pious" (AlBukhari 3700 on the authority of Amr Ibn Maimoon).
Minutes after, he was discussing the question of grand father being eligible
for inheritance with the brothers. Omar said: "I have formed an opinion
regarding the grand father. If you find it right follow it". Othman (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: "If we follow your opinion, it is on the
right direction and if we follow the opinion of the old man before you (Abu
Bakr) then he was one of good opinion" (AlDarimi 2916 on the authority of
Marwan Ibn AlHakam).
This was Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) , a mixture of

concerns of the general and the detailed, the whole and the partial in a
harmonious way where no color overcomes other colors and where the
construction is wholly integrated where every part is necessary.
Justice in the Overall Look at Islam
Islam governs all aspects of life at the level of the individual and the
group and all social, economical, political, scientific and other levels. Allah
(Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has blamed and reproached the Christians by telling:
“ From those, too, who call themselves Christians, we did take a
Covenant, but they forgot a good part of the Message that was sent
them: so we stirred up enmity and hatred between the one and the
other, to the day of judgment” (Meaning of Quran 5:14).

Grouping around one part of the religion neglecting other parts is the
heritage of the perished nations and one of the greatest causes of conflict
and dissent among Da'iahs. You find a sect of Muslims that emphasizes on
the worship aspect of the religion. They will stay up praying most of the
night. They will utter athkar most of the time, and may be, they will add
unfounded religious practices borrowed from Sufism. I have been told that
one of the western spies lived with one such sect, then he reported that such
people are absolutely harmless. Their only concern is what under the ground
and what's above heavens. I'm amazed! They only talk about death, graves,
punishment, reward and about Allah, the angels, and the hereafter, but they
never get concerned with what is happening on earth.
Other groups get concerned with the political aspects of Islam. Their
struggle is in the field of forming political parties, gathering supporters,
winning elections, participating in parliaments and educating youth on
political struggle.
You also find groups who put their efforts on the sciences of
religion. They learn Sunnah and Hadeeth, and get occupied in classifying
the hadeeths, warning people against invented and weak ones. This may be
accompanied by dryness and weakness of worship and distraction from the
realities of the Muslim nation and what is been devised against it.
Before any one would jump to conclusions, I would come forward

and say:
1- Islam encompasses these three fields and others. It is a religion

that links one to his creator through worship, fear and hope, and
hence the religious worship like prayer, fasting and hajj were
enjoined. It is also a religion that governs life affairs. It is not a
priesthood and not a separation from life realities. Politics is an
integrated part of Islam, so struggle in this field with every
permissible mean that would lead to fulfilling the objective should
be part of the concern of the Da'iah. It is also a religion that defines
worship and controls the motion of life with the order of AlKitab and
AlSunnah leaving no place for emotions or personal inclinations.
Therefore, we must have knowledge of AlKitab and AlSunnah so
that we can have our worship and works done correctly. These three
fields are among what Islam calls for and urges on.
2- It may be impossible for an individual or a group of individuals to

encompass all the efforts needed for those fields. Capacities have
limits and if they are devoted to one thing other things may be

forgotten along the way. Add to that the different inclinations and
skills people have. Someone may have piety and ascetic benevolence
but he is not gifted with the tools of Shari’a sciences which makes
him unable to contribute in this field. Here we say that every one
knows what his strong points are. Therefore, he should exploit this
strength to contribute to the completion of the integrated Islamic
structure as did the companions of the prophet (peace be upon him) .
Among them were brave fighters like Khalid Ibn AlWaleed besides
great scholars and judicial jurists like Ibn Abbas and Ibn Masood,
and the ascetic devotee as Abu Thur, who used to shout among the
people in words and in actions calling them to turn away from this
worldly life. Very few others were a compound of virtues like Abu
Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali. Such models will rarely repeat during
the following generations.
3- We should complement each other. The different concerns must

not be a cause of conflicts and accusations. It must not make one
accuse the other of ignorance, delving deep in the details,
unconsciousness, hardship, or loving this worldly life. No, every one
should acknowledge that his brother had taken responsibility of a
part he could not do and he should pray for his brother and protect
his back from enemies. We should not group around one part of the
religion and fight those who care for other parts. On the contrary, if
we were unable to care for a part we should be grateful to those who
relieved us and took the responsibility. There is a great difference
between the two attitudes.
4- If we devote ourselves to a part of the religion, be it science,

worship, or political struggle then we should not neglect other parts.
It is not acceptable for a Da'iah not to have knowledge of things that
every Muslim must know, like knowing the correct belief, rules of
ablution, prayer, fasting, etc., and knowing what he needs in his
practical life as the good manners of marital life, rules of Zakat and
trade for trade people, or rules of practicing professions like
medicine and engineering. This, by will of Allah, will protect our
concern of one part from being excessive leading to negligence of
other parts. Devoting oneself to worship without associating with
that the correct knowledge of Shari’a may lead to Sufism, and caring
for Da’wah without basis of Kitab and Sunnah and good
understanding may lead to Bida’ah or misleading people.
Justice with reality

Some of the Da'iahs lives in modern times as if it is the fifth century

of Hijrah. He does not know what happens around him and he gets
overtaken by current events as a layman would be. An Imam was reading
the Friday Khutbah from a book. At the end he prayed that Ameer
AlMoumineen the Ottoman sultan has his kingdom and rule everlasting. He
was unaware that the sultan was dead for along time and that his kingdom
was split between the East and the West.
This extreme case of unconsciousness may not repeat very often, but
there are other more frequent cases that are less extreme. A young man once
asked me: The Ba'ath party, what are their other beliefs besides denying the
Ba'ath (In Arabic, Ba'ath means resurrection and it also means revival)?
This young man thought they were called the Ba'ath party because they
deny Ba'ath, same as the Qadariah (fatalist) sects were called so because
they denied AlQadar (fate).
The Muslim is responsible for the time he lives in and he is a

witness upon it. He lives the community concerns and knows the streams of
thoughts and the directions of politics. He strives to find the correct suitable
solutions for new events and to resist the deviations after he knows them
and understands what their roots are. The western thought cannot be refuted
by someone who does not know its roots, circumstances, and objectives.
It is necessary for every Da'iah to have such knowledge, but there

should be a group who will take this responsibility. In general, every Da'iah
must have a window through which he monitors the important current
events surrounding him, and be able to guide people to the right conduct
concerning them.
On the other side of those who are separate from reality, you find
someone who transforms dealing with the current state of affairs into some
kind of defeatism. He tries to find pretexts to say that the status of people is
according to Islam. He may also renounce some Shari’a matters for the sake
of current realities or because of the psychological pressure.
Justice with reality is recognizing the current state of affairs and

subjecting it to the principles of Islam and rectifying its deviation
accordingly as far as possible.
Justice in Dealing with the Difference (AlKhilaf)
Difference of opinions is part of the human nature, “ They will not

cease to differ, except those on whom Your Lord has bestowed his
mercy” (Meaning of Quran 11:118,119).
This difference varies according to intentions and objectives and

according to minds, understanding, and knowledge. Dealing with the
difference requires a position according to Shari’a.
Some Da'iahs call for unity and ignoring the difference without a
clear definition of whom to unite with and whom to separate from on the
grounds of his Bida’ah, stray actions, or deviations.
On the other extreme there is someone who exaggerates on the

conditions and terms; he wants agreement in all issues even in his own
personal opinions and inferences. If he was not agreed with in some issues
he will stand on the opposite side of the others and he will then not give
their opinions any weight.
Justice requires accepting the difference in issues that can be

differed on, like means of Da’wah, subordinate issues that are not
fundaments of the religion, and rulings that were differed on by the first
generations and other similar issues where the difference was built upon a
study of Shari’a (Ijtihad Shar'i) to understand the texts and not on personal
desires or inclinations. This kind of difference is tolerable, and there is
enough room for different opinions to be accepted. On the other hand,
forgiving and tolerating the people who follow Bida’ahs in the belief and
have essential deviations on the pretext of preserving unity is a fabricated
course which is not logical and does not agree with Shari’a.
It is essential to know that requiring consensus in all issues is

impossible and cannot be imagined except in the minds of naives.

Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Live Feeling
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
4644659.
Live Feeling
We are in need of Da'iahs who have burning hearts over the sad
realities all over the world of Islam and Muslims, who sympathize with
their brothers, and who materialize in themselves the meaning of "being
strong against unbelievers but compassionate amongst each other" as Allah
(Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) described the companions of the prophet (peace be
upon him). These Da'iahs must be very different from the Kharijis (An old
group of Muslims who deviated by considering that sinful Muslims will be
in Hell forever. They used to kill Muslims who do not agree with them in
their beliefs, but let unbelievers pass by them safely) who were strong
against the Muslims and permissive with the idolaters.
The believer is required to materialize in himself the saying of the

prophet (peace be upon him):“ The similitude of believers in regard to
mutual love, affection, and fellow feeling is that of one body; when
any limb of it aches, the whole body aches because of sleeplessness
and fever” (AlBukhari 6011, Muslim 2585, AlTirmithi 1929) and “ A
believers like a brick for another believer, the one supporting the
other” (AlBukhari 6011, Muslim 2586).
We need Da'iahs who feel pain when they know of a misfortune

happening to their brothers even if they had some deficiencies, sins, or
Bida’ah.
A good example of such Da'iah is sheikh Mohammad Rasheed

Ridha. Sadness can be seen clearly on his face when a calamity hits a
Muslim while happiness would shine out if it is otherwise. If he got sad, his
mother would ask him: What happened my son, did a Muslim die in China?
She knew that sadness and happiness of her son were linked to that of
Muslims. He would be happy when Muslims were happy and he would be
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Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Live Feeling
sad if it was the other way around. This is what we can call the alliance to
Muslims.
A part of this live feeling is to have a heart that gets sad for Muslims
when they indulge in sin or when they deviate from the right path. Instead
of allowing this to detach him from them, he will be like the physician
trying to save them or at least minimize their deviations or wrong doings.
This live feeling should require the believer to be protective of

himself, his wife, and his children by enjoining what is right, forbidding
what is evil, and preventing what will displeases Allah (Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala).
Many are the Da'iahs who speak about Islam, but the ones with true
live feelings are only a few. This feeling when it moves in the heart of the
Da'iah, it will produce guidance, sincerity, and sharing of pain with
Muslims anywhere, but when this feeling is missing then it means one will
live only for himself and his family, enjoying life around him and forgetting
about Muslims concerns. At this stage, he is abandoning his loyalty to the
believers even if he speaks about Da’wah, Da'iahs, and misfortunes of
Muslims because he becomes like the hired mourner.
There are many who got used to repeating talks in the occasions, and
memorizing phrases that they hear and say without enthusiasm or love for
this religion or its followers.
Oh, How much this nation needs burning hearts!
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Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Ambition
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
4644659.
Ambition
We mean by ambition that one lives for his nation rather than for
himself following the footsteps of the prophet (peace be upon him) . When
Abdullah Ibn Shaqeeq (may Allah be pleased with him) asked A'isha (may
Allah be pleased with her): Did the prophet (peace be upon him) pray
sitting? She said: Yes, after people had exhausted his power. He (peace be
upon him) was at the disposal of people, receiving them, saying farewell to
them, educating them, preventing them from wrong doing, mixing with
them, shouldering their errors, and taking the burden of their concerns until
they exhausted him and even left marks on his body by pulling him to get
his attention. At the end, he (peace be upon him) grew old fast to the extent
that he prayed sitting.
The religion has three levels, Islam, Iman, and the highest level is
Ihsan. Another three fold division is found in Quran in Surat Fatir “ Then
we allowed our servants that we have chosen to inherit the book but
there are among themselves some who wrong their own souls; some
who follow a middle course and some who are, by Allah leave,
foremost in good deeds; that is the highest grace” (Meaning of Quran
35:32). The prophet (peace be upon him) had also mentioned a similar
threefold division. He first specified Islam as the condition to enter
Paradise; This is the big circle. This circle of Islam contains a narrower
circle, the circle of the salvaged party (AlFirqah AlNajiah), the party of
those who adhere to the right creed and straight behavior but stopping at
this limit. There is still the third narrowest circle, which is the greatest, most
noble and most honored, the circle of the party aided by Allah (AlTaifah
AlMansoorah). It is the party of those who defend the religion, fight for it
and endure the harm and hardship for its sake and thus Allah will make it
triumphant.
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Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Ambition
The Muslim is required to be ambitious and strive to ascend these

grades. In Islam, the Muslim is urged to look to those who are above him in
religious performance and to try to be like them, while in worldly life he is
urged to look to those who are less than him so that he gets satisfied with
what he has. My brother, look at the people with noble manners, reformers,
and scholars who revive the religion. Try to be like these models to get
some good out of this life. Be with an ambitious spirit that does not know
limits and does not get satisfied with its good achievements until its destiny
becomes Paradise.
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Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Conclusion
Ethics of Al-Da'iah
4644659.
Conclusion
The Da'iah must be an example to be followed. He must avoid all

undesirable deeds and unneeded permissible actions and practices. He must
be in a position where he puts temptations of this worldly life under his feet
and avoids competing to get a share of it. He must exploit this life for the
service of the religion and not exploit himself for the service of this life, so
that he earns the trust of the people and they will know that he is not after
any worldly personal interest.
To set a good example the Da'iah actions must conform to his words
as the prophet Shuaib (Peace be upon him) said “ I wish not, in
opposition to you, to do that which I forbid you to do. I only desire
(your) betterment to the best of my power; and my success (in my
task) can only come from Allah. In him I trust, and unto him I
turn” (Meaning of Quran 11:88). Therefore, they are the scholars of evil,
those who call people to come to Islam by their words but they drive them
away from Islam by their practices. So my brother, the Da'iah, be an
example both in your actions and in your words.
Here there is an issue that we must turn our attention to. It is that
many believe that the Da'iah should only ask people to do the good deeds
that he himself does and only forbid people from the wrongs that he himself
avoid. This is wrong! The right approach, supported by texts from Quran
and Sunnah, is to command people to do righteous deeds even if the Da'iah
failed to do them and to forbid wrongs even if he is falling in them. Some of
the scholars even went to stating that persons in a party drinking liquor
should advise each other to stop committing this sin. Committing a sin must
not lead to another mistake; that is refraining from forbidding the wrong.
The only condition required to command good and forbid evil is to have
sincere intention and not to do it to deceive people or get a reputation as a
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Ethics of Al-Da'iah book - Conclusion
Da'iah.
If a father who smokes saw his son smoking, is it expected that he

forbids his son from smoking or allows him because he himself is a
smoker? The obvious and right thing to do is to prevent the son from
smoking because he is still at the beginning of that sin and can give it up
easily.
Any responsible person who is in a sin should act similarly when he

sees someone under his responsibility falling in the same sin. If it was not
acceptable that a sinful person gives an advice then you won't find any one
who is perfect after the prophet (peace be upon him).
Being an example requires the Da'iah to meet mistreatment with

forgiveness and good treatment, and be as the prophet (peace be upon him)
who forgave when been unjust to, who gave when been denied, and who
kept the bond when it was broken. These are the manners of the prophets.
I ask Allah that we be rightly guided and that we guide others

rightly, that we will not go astray or mislead others, and that He rewards us
with His grace and mercy because He is the One entitled to be heeded as
well as entitled to grant forgiveness.
I deem that You Allah free of any resemblance to anything what so

ever in any respect and above all unsuitable things ascribed to You and I
celebrate Your praises. I testify that none has the right to be worshiped but
You. I ask for Your forgiveness and I turn to You in repentance.
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Ethics of Al-Da'iah

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A Message from the Author

In the Name of Allah most Gracious most Merciful

Salman bin Fahd AlAwdah.

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1- Prayers for Noble Conduct

Among the authentic prayers of the prophet Mohammad (peace be

“ O. Allah, I ask You to protect me from reprehensible deeds,

“ O Allah, I ask You to guard me from disability and laziness,

2- To Perfect the Noble Conduct

Conduct occupies in Islam a great position to the extent that it is

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hadeeths “ I was sent only to perfect the best in conduct” and in

This clarifies that there is no confusion in either of the two meanings

3- A Muslim and a Da'iah

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Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest

The purification mentioned in this holy Ayah includes the

If an ordinary Muslim has to beautify his character with noble

A Da'iah committed to noble manners and good conduct is fulfilling

4- The Noble Manners of the Da'iah

If I am to write about all noble manners it will consume a lot of time

This treatise -- my dear brother -- is not a research in ethics and its

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“ O. Ye who believe! Fear Allah and be with those who are

Many understand truthfulness as speaking only what is true, but in

1- Truthfulness in Shouldering Islam

We mean by this that a Muslim adherence to the teaching of Islam

* Here is a trap of Satan that suggests to the Da'iah giving up some

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Truthfulness in sayings is an indication of a clear personality with

Deeds of person must be intended purely as a worship for Allah and

Clarity, avoidance of ambiguity and avoidance of deception are also

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aspects of truthfulness of deeds. Abu Dawood and AlNisai reported “ that

AlTirmithi reported that “ AbdAllah Ibn Salam (may Allah be

Indeed, the truthfulness of the prophet (peace be upon him) flowed

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We need the kind of Da'iahs who preferred the truthfulness in their

We are also in need of Da'iahs who beautify themselves with noble

Our truthfulness in shouldering our Da’wah is what makes other

It was reported that when one of the venerable forefathers preached

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Patience is the associate of certainty. “ And we appointed, from

Having no or little patience, one can easily abandon his religion

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It is not required that you achieve the victory of Islam in your

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Khabbab Ibn AlArat narrated: “ We complained to Allah apostle

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Ethics of Al-Da'iah

Ethics of Al-Da'iah