﷽
Questioner:
Which mediums do you advise us to employ in spreading the correct message of Islam in this country [Britain], for example: TV, newspapers and visiting schools?
Shaykh Sulaymān ibn ʿAbdillāh Abā al-Khayl:
You are in a country that has its own laws and systems, and its own customs and practices. So your duty under this kind of circumstance is as follows:
Firstly, you should not engage in any activity of any sort except under the umbrella of an official organisation, and any such activity must receive proper authorisation from the relevant authorities. In this way, a person who is calling to Allāh ﷻ or a student of knowledge proceeds with wisdom and in accordance with what will protect him, his religion, his mind, and his honour, and does not expose himself to the penalties specified in these situations.
Secondly, among the issues that must be observed by the one you asked about is that he must arm himself with authentic knowledge, authentic, noble, and firmly grounded knowledge. When a person is like this, he will usually do things the right way and his mistakes will be few. However, if he is not like this, he may enjoin what he should prohibit or prohibit what he should enjoin, thereby ruining more than he reforms.
Thirdly, the person must have a full understanding of what he is calling to, the details of the message and the condition of the people he is calling. He must be aware of how they will respond and their stance toward what he intends to say or spread among them. He must call to Allāh ﷻ according to how Allāh ﷻ commanded in His Book:
۞ ادْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ ۖ وَجَادِلْهُم بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ
“Call to the path of your Lord using wisdom and good counsel, and debate with them with the best manners.” (Qur’ān 16:125)
He should therefore arm himself with wisdom and good counsel, and not go beyond the boundaries of debating in the best manner. He is calling to what is good and true and calling to what is good and true must not be done with harshness, aggression, or shaming. Rather, it must be done with knowledge, patience, and gentleness.
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah said: “The caller must be learned, gentle, kind, and patient: learned before the task, gentle and kind during the task, and patient, hoping for the reward from Allāh ﷻ after the task despite criticism and antagonism.”
Fourthly, one must look for the right opportunities, times, and places that are suitable for presenting what he has decided to present of the religion, according to its precise principles. The Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ used to give his Companions advice that was timely and appropriate in place, situation, and amount. He ﷺ did not bore them or prolong matters; rather, he limited it to what would not tire them, repel them, or cause them to oppose it. If a caller is able to do this, success will accompany him by Allāh’s ﷻ permission.
Fifthly, sincerity of devotion to Allāh ﷻ and purity of intention are essential. The student of knowledge or caller should seek by this work only the Face of Allāh ﷻ. It is reported that when Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was asked how to seek knowledge and tread its path, he said: “Seek knowledge to rid yourself and others of ignorance.”
With this, it becomes easy for a person to utilise the ways and means that will help him succeed in his call.
Sixthly, a person must realise that he is in a country different from Muslim lands, and that interacting with its people has specific ways and methods by which it is possible to have a positive impact. Allāh ﷻ says in His Noble Book:
۞ وَلَا تُجَادِلُوا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْهُمْ ۖ
“And do not debate the People of the Book except in the best manner except those who act unjustly among them.” (Qur’ān 29:46)
Some scholars said that the phrase “…except those who act unjustly among them” can be understood as ḥattā (even), meaning: do not debate them except in the best manner even if they are unjust. This is because their religion, economic life, social structures, and customs differ from ours as Muslims.
Seventhly, the caller must focus on rectifying himself before anyone else. After that, he rectifies his family, then his immediate community and relatives, and thereafter the wider society. When a person does this, Allāh ﷻ will help him achieve things he may never have anticipated. Those who have followed this path have witnessed its fruits clearly.
And Allāh ﷻ knows best.
