Benefit of the Da’wah

Benefit of the Da’wah


When we speak about the “benefit of the Da’wah”, we must appreciate that benefit and harm is normally considered and outweighed in areas of Mubaah i.e. permissible matters. In these permissible areas, we can use our own mind and assessment to decide what is most beneficial and better for us or what is easier and less hardship.

But when we talk about the benefit of the Da’wah, which is a matter of duty and obligation, we need to define the reality - what is “the benefit of the Da’wah”? Allah (swt) says,
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (51:56)
مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَن يُطْعِمُونِ (51:57)
إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ (51:58)
“I did not create mankind and jinn except to worship me, no sustenance do I ever demand of them, nor do I demand that they feed Me, verily Allah is the provider and the owner of all power.” 51:56-58

This is a clear cut text that summarizes matters of Usul ul Deen. It defines the general and detailed objectives for all our actions: to worship Allah (swt) and to submit to Him with Tawheed. Allah (swt) declared that He wants us to have this complete act and aim of Ibaadah throughout our entire life. That Ibaadah is the ultimate aim that He (swt) loves most and is pleased with most. And because of that purpose of Ibaadah, He (swt) created us.

Allah (swt) does not need an aim or a reason, but he gave us an aim in our life and purpose for our creation: that is to submit to Allah, and we do not have any ilaah besides Him to worship. All the Anbiyaa’ called to one thing: to worship, follow and obey Allah (swt) exclusively.

Note: We must combine all the evidences when we mention terms. The word Ilaah does not only mean Ma’bood, we must combine all the texts to understand these terms. There is a principle in the Shari’ah that

“Combining two evidences is better than ignoring one of them.”

Islam is total submission to Allah. All the Anbiyaa came with this message. Allah (swt) says,

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الطَّاغُوتَ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللّهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلالَةُ فَسِيرُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ فَانظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ (16:36)
“We sent to every nation a messenger calling people to worship Allah (swt) and keep distance from Tag hoot. And among those [past generations] were people whom God graced with His guidance, just as there was among them [many a one] who inevitably fell prey to grievous error: go, then, about the earth and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth!” [16:36]

Allah (swt) says,
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ (21:25)
“We did not send before you a messenger except we revealed to him that there is none worthy of worship except me. Therefore worship me” [21:25]

When you worship Allah (swt) exclusively, He is the only one entitled to say to you, ‘Follow on my behalf, my messengers’

We do not follow Muhammad (saw) because he is an Arab man from Makkah; we follow him because he was the messenger of Allah. That is why Allah (swt) only mentions the name Muhammad four times in the Qur’an, and every time he calls him the Messenger of Allah, otherwise he would always address him as the prophet or messenger “O Nabi ...” etc.

It is foolish to be proud of being an Arab just because the prophet (saw) was an Arab or to think that Arabism is going to cause revival. This Ummah is one Ummah; it is not an Arabic Ummah but an Ummah of Tawheed. Allah (swt) says,

إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ (21:92)
“This Ummah of yours is one Ummah. Since I am the Lord of you all: worship, then, Me [alone]!” [21:92]

Allah did not create us for the sake of seeking Maslahah (benefit for ourselves); he created us to fulfil the meaning of Ubudiyyah (exclusive worship for Allah). The benefit of the Da’wah is Tahqeeq al Tawheed, to achieve this Ubudiyyah, to achieve this Tawheed. The benefit of Da’wah is Tahqeeq ul Ubudiyyah, to make people subservient to Allah, to obey and worship Allah (swt) exclusively, to establish the exclusive worship to Allah i.e. to make Tawheed prevail. That is the only benefit of Da’wah – Izhaar ul Deen.

The Usul of the benefit of the Da’wah


From the above evidences we can understand the first foundation of ‘Maslahah – Benefit’ in the Da’wah:

1. Al Ibaadah - Ifraadullah wahdahu bil Ibaadah, This is the first benefit of the Da’wah, for Allah to be exclusively worshipped, followed and obeyed.

We repeat these verses detailing exclusive worship as the purpose of our creation again and again but when we talk about the Da’wah, we start to disconnect the Da’wah from that aim and objective. Allah (swt) is Al Aleem Al Khabeer, he knows best what is good for the Da’wah and what is bad for the Da’wah, and it is not up to us to make Takleef and accountability for ourselves - because we are not legislators. Allah (swt) says,
وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا (18:26)
“Allah does not take partners in his legislation anybody.” [18:26]
That is the purpose of the creation and the purpose of the Da’wah, this can never be compromised or contradict for the sake of benefitting it.

1. Al-Mutaaba’ah – Ifraadu al rasooli bil mutaaba’ah, the oneness of the messenger in following his example.

If you want to fulfil the Ibaadah, you must worship Allah (swt) exclusively, and if you want to fulfil that Ibaadah you must also follow the messenger Muhammad (saw) alone. We cannot follow anyone else. We do not look to the Sahabah, Mu’az ibn Jabal, Mus’ab ibn Umayr or any other companion except to look at whether the prophet (saw) consented to what they did as an example to follow.

1. Al Ikhlaas – Sincerity. It must be exclusively targeting the pleasure of Allah.

There is no harm in classifying these Usul or classifying the Ahkaam with elaboration, beyond what other scholars have done previously. This is permissible and is better to help people understand, especially matters that are confused and controversial.

We must worship Allah (swt) by what Allah (swt) has legislated not by what we innovate. [Na’buduhu bimaa yusharra’ laa na’budu bil bid’ah]. Allah (swt) says,

الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ (67:2)
“...to test you to see which of you are best in actions” [67:2]

Al-Fudhayl bin Iyaad said, ‘[that is] The most sincere deed and the most correct deed [Akhlasu wa aswabu]”

Because if it was sincere but not correct, it will not be a good deed and if it was correct but not sincere then it was not a good deed either, if they were both sincere and correct, it is a good deed even if performed by someone deviant from Ahl Al Sunnah Wal Jama’ah. Allah (swt) says,
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ (3:31)
‘Say: If you love Allah, then follow me, he will love you and forgive your sins, Allah is All Forgiving and All Merciful.” [3:31]

So the maqsad (objective) of this Walaa’ to Islam, is out of sincere love and devotion to Allah (swt). The deeds must be done sincerely for the sake of Allah to be accepted and must be following the Sunnah of the messenger (saw) in order for it to be accepted. Allah wants us to be allied to the Deen of Islam, to believe on it, to embrace it, support it and support the people who believe in Islam. That is Muwalaaat to Islam and its people. There is no way to follow Islam by detaching it from the divine text. Allah (swt) says,
وَلاَ تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ وَمَا مِنْ حِسَابِكَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَتَطْرُدَهُمْ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ (6:52)
“Do not throw out those who worship your lord day and need to please him you are not accountable for them in anything nor they are accountable to you in anything, if you turn them away you will be an oppressor.” [6:52]

Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas narrated that the Mushrikeen said to the prophet (saw) to throw out 6 Muslims that had been around them from the gathering, in order for those Mushrikeen to stay and listen to the prophet (saw), that was because they didn’t like for those 6 weak Muslims to think they could sit or talk with those nobles at other times. He narrated that he, Abdur Rahman ibn Awf, Bilal ibn Rabah and Abdullah ibn Mas’ood and 2 others, for whom he did not remember the names, were present. So the messenger (saw) had a situation where he had a chance to invite the Mushrikeen to Islam by throwing out 6 Muslims from the Majlis temporarily. So Allah revealed the ayah telling him not to throw them out, denounce them or reject them.

Imam Qurtubi said about this, that the prophet (saw) was inclined and keen for them to embrace Islam as they were chiefs of entire tribes who would follow them into Islam, however they did not want to listen to him (saw) unless those six companions left the Majlis. So the benefit for the ‘Da’wah’ is to ask his companions to leave the gathering temporarily for the sake of giving Da’wah. Allah revealed this ayah to forbid them from doing what he had thought about doing.

There is no doubt that those chiefs and tribes to enter Islam would be a great Maslahah and benefit for the Ummah in practical or worldly but the prophet (saw) did not do that. Those who think that they are very clever and wise would have taken this offer for the benefit of the Da’wah. But this benefit of the Da’wah is not acceptable and Allah declared that it is oppression.

The True Maslahah (benefit) of the Da’wah


Two principles we should therefore look at to understand the real meaning of the benefit of the Da’wah are as follows:

1. Hifz ul Deen - On this basis he rejected to send his companions out.
2. Holding firm to the Shari’ah – this is by itself the real Maslahah of the Deen.

This is not like the false principle – “wherever there is benefit it will be acceptable in the Shari’ah”. The correct principle is ‘Wherever there is Shari’ah, there is benefit (Maslahah)’.

We can understand this principle from two angles. Allah (swt) set up the aim of obeying this Shari’ah as being to worship Him (swt). That is a test from Allah that he made as a responsibility (Takleef) upon us. Hence the one who can make things a duty, responsibility, obligations and accountability is Al Mukallif, and Al Mukallif is only Allah (swt), the Mukallaf (the one who is burdened with Takleef) is Abdullah – the slave of Allah. His Lord - Al Rabb is Allah and Al Marboob (the one is the servant of the Lord) is Abdullah. Hence we say Al Mukallaf is Abdun Marboob (a slave with a Lord over him), whereas Al Mukallif is Rabbun Ma’bood (Lord who is worshipped). This ultimately means that human beings can never make things a duty, obligation, sin, responsibility upon themselves or on others, that is solely the role of Allah (swt) without any partners.

Holding firm to the Shari’ah is the essence of the Maslahah, whenever you hold to the Shari’ah: that is the Maslahah – benefit and the interest. Moreover, the main aim of the Shari’ah is to preserve the Deen, to preserve the life, the wealth, the honour and the mind. You can never preserve the Deen unless you abide by the Shari’ah. That is because Allah did not legislate this Deen except for us to act upon it, and he is testing us with the Takleef, in order for us to be responsible for everything we say and do, and we will be accountable for that based on his commands.

So the real benefit of the Da’wah is to respond to the Lord, to obey Him (swt) and hold firm to His Shari’ah. Holding firm to the Shari’ah is the head and foundation of the benefit (Maslahah). There is no way to look to any interest that contradicts the Shari’ah or making things permissible or prohibited, which the Shari’ah did not legislate, even if you think it is beneficial.

This is the foundation of Islam and its purpose, to achieve the ultimate aim of worshipping Allah (swt). Allah (swt) created us to follow his commands, not to care about what the Kuffar think. Allah (swt) says,

هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ (9:33)
“He is the one who sent the messenger with the guidance and the Deen of truth to dominate with it over every other Deen, even though the Mushrikeen hate it.” [9:33]

Allah (swt) says,
وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا مُّبِينًا (33:36)
“It is not allowed for the believing men or women after Allah and his messenger have decreed/decided/obliged/ordered any matter, for them to have any choice/option in the matter. And whoever disobeys Allah and His messenger has been misguided a severe misguidance.” [33:36]

We do everything the way Allah has decided, even the way we approach our wives, how we clean ourselves in the toilet, we cannot have any choice in the matter, we must submit to the command, way and example obliged upon us in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Imam al Qurtubi, ibn Katheer, Shawkaani etc all explained that this ayah is general in all the affairs of the believers, that whenever Allah and His messenger have decreed a matter, the believers have no choice in it.

Allah (swt) says,
فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىَ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيمًا (4:65)
“But no, by your Lord! They do not [really] believe unless they make you [O Prophet] a judge of all on which they disagree among themselves, and then find in their hearts no bar to an acceptance of your decision and give themselves up [to it] in utter self-surrender.” [4:65]

Now people think that for the benefit of the Da’wah, we should leave the Da’wah, stop calling publicly, and stop criticizing the Deen of the Kuffar.

Where was the benefit of the Da’wah for Ja’far to recite to the Najashi in front of the envoy of Quraish who had already complained that the Muslims call Isa (as) a slave, verses that call him the slave of Allah? For the ‘benefit of the Da’wah’, he could have spoken about his being a messenger of Allah, the word of Allah and similar. Where was the benefit for him in refusing to bow in front of the Najashi? Allah (swt) says,
وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُولَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى وَنُصْلِهِ جَهَنَّمَ وَسَاءتْ مَصِيرًا (4:115)
“Whoever contradicts the messenger after the guidance has reached him and follows a path different than the believers, Allah will keep them on that path and throw them in hellfire and that is the worst destination.” [4:115]

And,
لَا تَجْعَلُوا دُعَاء الرَّسُولِ بَيْنَكُمْ كَدُعَاء بَعْضِكُم بَعْضًا قَدْ يَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ يَتَسَلَّلُونَ مِنكُمْ لِوَاذًا فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (24:63)
“Do not regard the Apostles summons to you [in the same light] as a summons of one of you to another: God is indeed aware of those of you who would withdraw surreptitiously: so let those who would go against His bidding beware, lest a [bitter] trial befall them [in this world] or grievous suffering befall them [in the life to come].” [24:63]

Allah (swt) says,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (49:1)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ (49:2)
‘O you who believe! Do not precede Allah and his messenger but remain conscious of God: for, verily, God is all-hearing, all-knowing! O you who have attained to faith! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and neither speak loudly to him, as you would speak loudly to one another, lest all your [good] deeds come to nought without your perceiving it.” [49:1-2]

The one who stands firm to the Shari’ah will have Maslahah in the Dunya (this life) and in the hereafter. In the Dunya, Allah will give him victor
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