Leadership

06
Apr
2019
How Social Media is ruining Dawah

How Social Media is ruining Dawah

Exhibit A:

Shaykh posts on social media a list of rights of wives. He gets thousands of likes, comments praising him, and shares.

He then posts an equally valid and similar sized list of rights of husband. He received hundreds of angry comments, accusations of being a misogynist and calls for him to be fired. Quietly, he deleted the posts and never discusses the topic again.

Exhibit B:

A Muslim activist discusses how racism is prohibited in Islam. She posts various verses of the Quran, hadiths, and quotes from scholars to prove her point. She is praised for serving the Deen and advocating human rights.

She then posts a similarly valid discussion about how homosexual practices are prohibited in Islam.
She posts various verses of the Quran, hadiths, and quotes from scholars to prove her point. She is accused of being an extremist and homophobe, with threats to get her fired from her job. She deletes the post. A few weeks later, she is seen at a rally supporting LGBT rights.

Exhibit C:

An elderly scholar has spent his entire life studying and teaching Islam. He is boycotted on social media for being too old fashioned, out of touch and conservative. He is unable to reach the youth because people keep sharing lies and slanders about him. Quietly, he fades away and nobody notices.

A hip young guy starts making funny YouTube videos and snarky tweets. He gains a large following on social media. After a while, he starts posting his own opinions on various Fiqh issues. He has no Islamic qualifications, but his fans don’t care. They take his views as Gospel and follow it as if it is the Quran itself. He becomes the next big thing in social media.

So what’s going on?

Simply put, Muslims have embraced several unIslamic practices as the norm on social media. These include cyber-bullying, backbiting, slander, threatening to get people fired from their jobs, and a mob mentality.

The result is a very hostile environment to do Dawah in. Slowly, over the past few years I have seen more and more scholars quietly move away from social media, while many Non-scholars gain thousands of followers who take their religion from them. We need to figure out a way forward for the ummah as soon as possible.

Advice to Islamic teachers

Being bullied by those who disagree with you is part of the job. In the past, it may be one or two people in a crowd that you have to deal with. Now it is thousands of people online threatening you, your family and your livelihood. We have to be brave, yet careful.

We need to gain a thick skin when dealing with cyber-bullying. It is simply part of the job and we need to learn to live with it. It is not possible to go through life teaching Islam without facing harassment from the public.

However, I also recommend two other things. The first is to secure such sources of income that nobody can threaten to get you fired. This can be done either by working for organizations that share your opinions, or being financially independent. Either way, try to get into a position where these threats can’t be carried out.

The second is to keep most of your Dawah off social media. I honestly no longer consider social media (with the exception of YouTube) as a good avenue for Dawah. People on social media tend to be too emotional. They tend to misunderstand posts easily. And they have a mob mentality.

Instead consider doing Dawah in person, teaching classes (both online and offline), having your own website and being active in your communities. Leave social media as simply a means to draw people towards all of these. Keep the more controversial discussions for more controlled environments where you can discuss things maturely, and with as much details as possible. This is far more fruitful than trying to explain things through a Facebook post (or worse, a tweet).

For Everybody Else

There is no place for bullying in Islam, especially bullying people of knowledge. This modern day ‘call out culture’ is unIslamic in most cases. (The exception being when someone is genuinely harming society)

And threatening to get someone fired from their job because you disagree with them is never justifiable. Will you deprive an entire family of income and subject them to potential poverty because you disagreed with a tweet? Don’t be so selfish! People’s income should never be threatened. It doesn’t just affect them, but their families too. (Again the exception being if a person is abusing that job/position to harm people)

We must maintain Islamic manners, both online and offline. We must learn to discuss things politely, maturely and with a willingness to learn. And we must be willing to follow the truth even when it goes against popular opinion.

If we don’t do this, then we risk changing the religion and being accountable for that on the Last Day.

Summary

Cyber-bullying is ruining Dawah on social media. Scholars need to be braver, but also need to secure better sources of income and focus more on their Dawah outside social media. Leave social media to be a means of drawing people towards your other resources.

Muslims, in general, must let go off cyber-bullying, mob mentality and threatening people’s livelihood. We must start being more emphatic towards each other, and deal with each other maturely. These steps are necessary if we want Islam to thrive.

Posted by Ismail Kamdar
02
Feb
2018

Ertugrul Season 1: 4 Lessons I Learned

Ertugrul Poster

Ertugrul Season 1: 4 Lessons I Learned

Note: Dirilis Ertugrul (Resurrection: Ertugrul) is a Turkish Historical Fiction TV Series.
Seasons 1-3 are currently available on Netflix.

This isn’t a review of Ertugrul Season 1. It is a reflection on some lessons that hit me when watching it. It took me a while to get down to watching the show, but after several recommendations, I am glad that I did.

Ertugrul is everything I wished for in a Muslim TV series. It is grounded, realistic, well acted, and portrays Islamic teachings is a practical, non-preachy, manner. I really love the show. Having finished watching Season 1 a few weeks ago, I decided to reflect on it for a while before writing.

I learned a lot watching Ertugrul but here are the four things that really hit me, which many people aren’t talking about:

1. The power of Media (especially TV Series) in shaping our cultures

I always knew that TV Series played an important role in shaping cultures. But until now almost any example I have seen is negative. Over the past two decades, I have seen the cultures of many Muslim homes eroded by Secular TV Series and their (lack of) morals. Slowly, some Muslims became accepting of Zina, Homosexuality, and all kinds of sin. The power of TV to influence the minds of the average person is scary.

Ertugrul is the first true example I have seen of the opposite. Over the past two months, I have been amazed by how many good qualities my friends, family and myself have picked up from this show. Ertugrul is bursting with good examples of everything: parenting, respecting parents and elders, treatment of spouses, honoring guests and so much more. And it really amazes me at how fast people are picking up these good qualities from watching this show.

Just imagine, two months of watching a Muslim TV series influenced some people so positively, imagine a generation raised on such wholesome media!

2. There is room for Historical Fiction in the Muslim world

I love fiction and believe it to be an extremely powerful tool for motivating people. A lot of people’s minds are captured by fictional stories. And they are influenced by these stories, whether they realize it or not.

However, the Muslim world has mixed opinions on fiction. There are Muslims who consider fiction completely Haraam and a waste of time. I know this, because such people gave me a hard time about my latest book ‘Ahmad Climbs A Mountain” which is fictional.

But there are also many others who appreciate a beneficial fictional story and realize there isn’t anything Haraam about it.

Ertugrul is historical fiction. Meaning that although it is based on history, with Ertugrul, Sulaiman Shah, Ibn Arabi, etc. all being real people from our history. The core story-lines are fictional to create an exciting Action-Adventure series.

And despite this, people have been very accepting of the show. In fact, I am yet to find Muslims bashing it for being fictional. This shows that there is room for more historical fiction in the Muslim world. Which gives me courage to finally work on some ideas I’ve been keeping locked away for the past few years. 馃槈

3. We really need our own media

It has become extremely difficult for Muslims families to find wholesome programs to watch. Almost every modern-day show promotes the liberal agenda and tries to force the LGBT agenda upon viewers. Now, more than ever, we need to invest in Muslim media.

Ertugrul is a great first step in the right direction. It is proof that Muslims can produce high quality exciting TV series that are grounded in Islamic culture and beliefs. Ertugrul clearly shows what we are capable of producing and that there is a demand for such products.

Now we need more companies to follow in its footsteps and produce more awesomeness. We know that the average person’s beliefs and views are shaped by the media they view. So we really need to invest in and produce our own awesome media.

My hope is that this will lead to a generation of Muslims that will grow up on Muslim media. And as a result, they will be proud of their Muslim heritage and culture. Such a generation could really make a different is revitalizing Islam in their countries.

4. Dignity, Honor and Respect are beautiful but forgotten aspects of Muslim culture

We don’t talk about these topics enough, and as a result we live in a time when the Muslim world lacks honor, dignity and respect. This show is proof that the best way to teach these qualities is not through talking, rather it is through demonstrating.

In this show, we see so many beautiful examples of men and women who are honorable, dignified and respectful to each other. When you see characters like Hayme and Ertugrul, you actual feel respect for them because of the way they carry themselves. It is really something that needs to be seen to be understood.

In an era in which people are confused about gender, Ertugrul teaches us that when men are real men, and women are real women, people will love and respect them. There is no need to try to be like the opposite gender. If you want respect, be true to the teachings of Islam.

If for no other reason, I would love for more people to watch this show just to observe the manners, dignity and respect the characters carry themselves with. I hope that through repeated viewings of such beautiful manners, we will all start to mimic their behavior, and revive these Sunnahs in our lives.

Your Thoughts

So there you have it, four things I learned from watching Season 1 of Ertugrul. Share your lessons in the comments below!

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Leadership
26
Nov
2016

Leadership lessons from the life of 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z (RA)

士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z – The Rightly Guided Umayyad

Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez

The Umayyad Masjid, Damascus

士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z aka 士Umar II was the eight Umayyad ruler, who ruled the ummah for just two years from 99 to 101 AH.

Despite the brevity of his reign, 士Umar (RA) is considered one of the greatest and most influential leaders in the history of this ummah. In fact, many historians even call him the Fifth Rightly Guided Caliph.

Many books and article have been written about this amazing man. If you would like to read his detailed biography, I highly recommend Dr Ali As-Sallabi’s book, Umar Bin Abd Al-Aziz. It is a 700 page detailed account of his life and lessons extracted from it. Alternatively, you can also purchase my book, which discusses his life from a productivity perspective. My book is available here.

In this article, however, I wish to discuss some of my personal reflections on the life of this great man. I have reflected a lot on the life of 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z聽as I consider him a role model, and someone I aspire to be like. From a leadership perspective, the following lessons stood out to me:

1. Extraordinary parenting produces extraordinary leaders

Nobody becomes a great person in a vacuum. There are many factors that lead to greatness. In the case of 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z, parenting played an important role. 士Umar’s mother was the granddaughter of 士Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA) and she raised her son to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather.

He was raised in Madinah, studied Islam under some of the greatest scholars among the Sahaba and Tabi’een, and was taught the confidence, skills, and manners needed to succeed in his field. 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z聽(RA) is a great example of what three generations of righteous parenting can produce.

2. It takes a community to produce extraordinary leaders

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers,聽proposes that there is no such thing as a self-made success. Rather every successful person is the combination of many factors including being born in the right time and place, having a good upbringing, and being part of the right community. All of these factors can clearly be seen in Umar’s success.

He was born into the Umayyad family, raised in Madinah, a descendant of rulers on both sides of his family, and given a great education. The factor I want to focus on here is the role his community played in shaping him. 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z (RA) was raised in the best possible community, Madinah!

Furthermore, he was raised there in a time when there were scholars in Madinah from among the Sahaba and Tabi’een. Add to this, his grandfather’s brother 士Abdullah Bin 士Umar (RA) was a scholar of Madinah who personally taught him Islam!

士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z (RA) was the product of not just good parenting, but also of great teachers, and a righteous community. If we want to produce great leaders, we too need to establish communities like that of early Madinah.

3. Setbacks聽can be opportunities in disguise

During the reign of his cousin, Walid, 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z served as the governor of Madinah. Due to political reasons, Walid dismissed him from this post and had him relocate from Madinah to Damascus. In theory, being forced out of a position of power and forced to move from your hometown to another town seems very negative.

However, Damascus was the capital of the empire, and it was there that 士Umar would become the vizier of the next Caliph, Sulaiman, and eventually after Sulaiman, 士Umar succeeded him and become the eight Umayyad Caliph. As is the case in the lives of many other amazing people, the so-called setback in Umar’s life was actually an opportunity, as Allah had much greater plans for him.

4. Importance of Good Counsel

One of the first things that 士Umar did as Caliph was establish for himself a counsel of righteous scholars and advisors. 士Umar (RA) would consult this counsel for all major decisions, leading to many brilliant politic moves that improved the overall state of the ummah.

The key lesson here is that Muslim leaders must surround themselves with righteous and qualified individuals who can offer counsel that is both wise and Islamic. Who you choose to advise you plays a major role in what you end up doing with your position of power.

Linked to this is the importance of the leader recognizing that he needs the advice of others. A leader should not be arrogant and think he can do it all on his own. Rather, leaders must be humble, take advice, reflect on it and follow it if it proves to be beneficial.

5. Leading by example

When 士Umar (RA) became Caliph, one of his first political moves was to undo the misuse of the Muslim treasury. This meant leading a simple life and avoiding luxuries himself, despite being raised in luxury. 士Umar (RA) and his righteous wife Fatima (RA) immediately changed their lifestyle, and chose to live a simple life until the very end.

This is a very important leadership lesson. A leader cannot expect sacrifice from his followers if he is not willing to make similar sacrifices himself. Leaders must do, and when they do, people will follow.

6. Focus on Allah’s pleasure and justice

士Umar (RA) made many decisions that were not popular at his time. He sort to make a reform across the empire that took things back to the way they were at the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. In trying to change many things at once, he faced the anger of many people, including his own cousins and relatives.

士Umar (RA) stuck to his principles until the very end. Within two years of rising to power, 士Umar (RA) was poisoned by his relatives and died. He remained uncompromising on what he believed was justice and the right way.

士Umar’s Leadership Mistake:

No human is perfect, and no leader is perfect. 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z聽(RA) is someone I look up to, and consider a role model. Yet a detailed study of his life led me to realize his one mistake, which in my view also cost him his life.

Note:聽We believe that life and death is in Allah’s Hand, and we can’t change Qadar. But we can reflect on history, so that we do not make the same mistakes as those before us.

士Umar’s (RA) mistake was trying to change too much too fast. In doing so, he created a backlash that led to his own death. From my study of history, I have realized that the most effective leaders were those who focused on gradual sustainable change. In doing so, they eased change upon their followers and avoid major backlash.

Islam itself came gradually, and even the first generation of Muslims needed gradual change. People, in general, fear change and can react very poorly when they feel threatened by change. This is what happened when 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z (RA) tried to change too many things in two years. It created a negative reaction, which led to his death.

NOTE: I discuss and analyze this mistake in more details in the appendix of my book about 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z.

Final Word

It is crucial when studying history that we don’t just focus on memorizing facts. It was far more important to analyze, reflect and extract lessons. History is full of amazing people who accomplished great things. Take the time to learn their lives, and reflect on both their victories and mistakes.

Even the greatest of heroes made mistakes, and there is no shame in that. What amazes us is the fact that they existed, and accomplished so much, despite their human flaws. This should inspire us to realize that we too can accomplish amazing things, despite our mistakes.

To learn more about 士Umar bin 士Abd al-士Azi虅z, check out our full book on his life and lessons here: https://gumroad.com/l/umar2

Umar Book

Kindle Edition

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Leadership
14
Nov
2016

70 Facts About 70 Sahaba

Sahaba

Virtues of the Sahaba

Definition of Sahaba: Anybody who met the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), believed in him and died a believer.

“Allah looked into the hearts of His slaves, and He saw that the heart of Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the best of people鈥檚 hearts, so He chose him for Himself and sent him with His message. Then He looked into the hearts of His slaves after the heart of Muhammad, and He found that the hearts of his Sahaba (companions) were the best of people鈥檚 hearts, so He made them the supporters of His Prophet, who fought for His religion. So whatever they聽think is good, is good before Allah, and whatever they think is bad, is bad before Allah.” (Abdullah Ibn Masood)

The Sahaba were the first and best generation of Muslims. We need to learn about them, love them, and emulate them. To help you learn more about the Sahaba, here is a short list of 70 amazing facts about 70 Sahaba.

NOTE: I did not write (RA) after each Sahabi’s name, as聽it is recommended to say it but not obligatory to write it. (RA) is short for Radi Allahu Anhu/haa/hum which means ‘May Allah聽be pleased with him/her/them’.

The Rightly Guided Caliphs: (The four Great Sahaba who ruled after the Prophet)

  1. Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq – He was the Prophet’s (pbuh) chosen companion for the Hijrah. (Migration To Madinah)
  2. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab – During his reign, Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Egypt all became part of the Muslim Empire.
  3. Uthman Ibn Affan – He was considered the most modest of the Sahaba and even the angels would feel shy around him.
  4. Ali Ibn Abi Talib – He grew up in the Prophet’s (pbuh) home and accepted Islam when he was ten years old.

The Early Converts: (Those who converted before the Hijrah)

  1. Zaid Ibn Haritha – He聽chose to live with the Prophet (pbuh) over his own father.
  2. Khadija Bint Khuwailid – She was the Prophet’s first wife and the first believer too.
  3. Fathima Bint Asad – She was the wife of Abu Talib and raised the Prophet (pbuh) after his grandfather passed away.
  4. Safiyya Bint Abdul Mutallib – She was the Prophet’s (pbuh) aunt and mother of Zubair Ibn Al-Awwam
  5. Abu Ubaidah Ibn Al-Jarrah – He was known as the trustworthy man of this ummah and was chosen to lead the Muslim armies by Umar Ibn Al-Khattab.
  6. Abu Dharr Al-Ghifaari – He was not from Makkah but went to Makkah in search of the Prophet (pbuh) and became an early convert.
  7. Zubair Ibn Al-Awwam – He was the first person to draw his sword in defense of Islam.
  8. Bilal Ibn Rabaa – He was an African slave who was freed and became the first Mu’addhin.
  9. Talha Ibn Ubaidullah – He was known as the living martyr due the number of injuries he sustained at Uhud.
  10. Sad Ibn Abi Waqqas – He was one of the blessed ten and the last of them to pass away.
  11. Fathima Bint Al-Khattab – She was the sister of Umar and converted to Islam before him.
  12. Zaid Ibn Al-Khattab – He was the elder brother of Umar, converted to Islam before him, and was martyred at Yamama.
  13. Abdur Rahman Ibn Awf – He was the wealthiest Sahabi and was extremely generous. He was also one of the blessed ten.
  14. Khabbab Ibnt Arrat – He was an early convert who endured the worst torture for the sake of Islam.
  15. Saeed Ibn Zaid – He was one of the blessed ten, husband of Fathima Bint Khattab and the son of the famous Zaid Ibn Amr Ibn Nufail. (look him up)
  16. Sumayya聽bint Khayyat – She was the first martyr to die for Islam. She was killed by Abu Jahl.
  17. Yasir Ibn Amir – Husband of Sumayya, he was the first male martyr to die for Islam. Also killed by Abu Jahl.
  18. Ammar Ibn Yasir – The son of Yasir Ibn Amir. He lived a long life and died during the civil war.
  19. Mus’ab Ibn Umair – He was the first person to be sent out of Makkah on an聽official mission of Dawah, and was responsible for the Dawah spreading through Madinah.
  20. Abu Hudhaifah Ibn Utbah – He was an early convert to Islam who was martyred at Yamama.
  21. Salim Mawla Abi Hudhaifah – He was the slave of Abu Hudhaifa, who freed him聽and adopted him.聽They died together in Yamama,
  22. Hamza Ibn Abdul Mutallib -He was the uncle of the Prophet (pbuh). He was martyred at Uhud.

The Ansar of Madinah: (The helpers, the Sahaba from Madinah)

  1. Sa’d Ibn Muadh – He was the leader of the Aus tribe, and was martyred after the Battle of the Trench.
  2. Sa’d Ibn Ubadah – He was the leader of the Khazraj tribe, and was appointed as the leader of the Ansaar.
  3. Abdullah Ibn Rawaaha – He was the poet who defended Islam with his words. He was martyred at Mut’ah.
  4. Umm Sulaim Ar-Rumaysa – When Abu Talha wanted to marry her, she asked him to convert to Islam and his conversion would suffice as her Mahr (wedding gift).
  5. Anas Ibn Malik – The son of Umm Sulaim, he served the Prophet (pbuh) for ten years and never encountered a bad word from him.
  6. Al-Baraa Ibn Malik – Another son of Umm Sulaim, he was a brave warrior responsible for the victory at Yamama.
  7. Abdullah Ibn Salaam – He was a Jewish Rabbi who converted to Islam.
  8. Salmaan Al-Farsee – He was a Persian who traveled in search of the truth. His travels brought him to Madinah and Islam.
  9. Abu Darda – He was known for his dislike for this world and love of the late night prayer.
  10. Abu Dujana – He was a brave warrior who was given the Prophet’s (pbuh) sword.
  11. Umm Haram Bint Milhan – The Prophet (pbuh) prophecized that she would sail with the first Muslim navy. She did so and was buried in Cyprus.

The Late Converts: (Those who converted in the last five years of the Prophet’s life)

  1. Khalid Ibn Waleed – He was known as the sword of Allah and was undefeated in battle.
  2. Amr Ibn Al-Aas – He was a well-spoken diplomat and was responsible for the conquest of Egypt.
  3. Abu Sufyan – He fought against Islam most of his life, eventually converted and from his progeny came the first Muslim dynasty.
  4. Hind Bint Utbah – The wife of Abu Sufyan, and the mother of the first Muslim King, Muawiyah.
  5. Wahshi – He was a freed slave who was responsible for killing Hamza before becoming a Muslim, and accredited with killing the false prophet Musaylama after converting.
  6. Uthman Ibn Talha – He was responsible for the keys of the Kabah and this responsibility remains with his descendants until today.
  7. Ikrimah Ibn Abi Hakam – He was the son of Abu Jahl, and died a martyr at Yarmook.
  8. Safwan Ibn Umayyah – He was the son of Umayyah Ibn Khalaf and only converted to Islam after the battle of Hunayn.
  9. Suhail Ibn Amr – He was a dynamic speaker and initially a staunch enemy of Islam. He expressed great regret at accepting Islam so late, and made up for it in Jihad.
  10. Abu Hurairah – He converted to Islam three years before the Prophet (pbuh) passed away, yet narrated more Hadiths than any other Sahabi.
  11. Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan – He was the first Muslim king and founder of the Umayyad Dynasty.
  12. Yazeed Ibn Abi Sufyan – He was the elder brother of Muawiyah and considered more righteous than him.
  13. Abbas Ibn Abdul Mutallib – He was the uncle of the Prophet (pbuh) and is considered the last person to make Hijrah to Madinah.

The Prophet’s Wives: (Khadija was already mentioned earlier)

  1. Aisha Bint Abi Bakr – She narrated more Hadiths than any other woman and was a great scholar of Islam.
  2. Sauda Bint Zam’ah – She was the second woman that the Prophet (pbuh) married and helped raise his daughters.
  3. Hafsa Bint Umar – She was the daughter of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab and the custodian of the Qur’an.
  4. Zainab Bint Jahsh – She was the Prophet’s cousin and married to him through Surah Al-Ahzaab. She was known for her generosity.
  5. Safiyyah Bint Huyay – She was the daughter of a Jewish Chief,聽and a descendant of Prophet Harun (AS).
  6. Juwairiyyah Bint Al-Harith – She was known for spending most of her time in聽Salah and Dhikr.
  7. Zainab Bint Khuzayma – She was known for her generosity and passed away two years after marrying the Prophet (pbuh).
  8. Maymuna Bint Al-Harith – She was the last woman that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) married.
  9. Umm Habiba Bint Abi Sufyan – She was one of those who migrated to both Abyssinia and later Madinah.
  10. Umm Salama – She was known for her wisdom and knowledge. She narrated many important Hadiths.

The Prophet’s Family and Relatives:

  1. Fathima – She is the leader of the women of Paradise.
  2. Zainab – She was the Prophet’s eldest daughter and passed away during his lifetime.
  3. Ruqayya – She was married to Uthman Ibn Affan and passed away around the same time as the Battle of Badr.
  4. Umm Khulthoom – She married Uthman Ibn Affan after her sister passed away. She also passed away during the Prophet’s lifetime.
  5. Hassan Ibn Ali – He was responsible for ending the first civil war and reuniting the ummah.
  6. Hussain Ibn Ali – He was known for his courage in standing up聽for what he believed in. He was martyred at Karbala.
  7. Fadhl Ibn Abbas – He was the Prophet’s (pbuh) cousin and assisted in his burial.
  8. Abdullah Ibn Abbas – He was the younger brother of Fadhl and is known as the greatest authority on Tafseer.
  9. Jafar Ibn Abi Talib -He was the Prophet’s (pbuh) cousin, and represented聽the immigrants to Abyssinia in the court of聽the King of Abyssinia.
  10. Usamah Ibn Zaid – He was the son of Zaid Ibn Haritha and the Prophet (pbuh) appointed him as a leader when he was still a teenager.

 

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Leadership
08
Sep
2016

Stop Romanticizing Dawah

Romanticizing DawahRomanticizing Dawah

On social media today, Dawah is often portrayed as an exciting path full of great luxuries and perks. Glamorizing聽and romanticizing Dawah has distorted the perception of this noble act of worship in the minds of many. The result is that many people are getting into Dawah for wrong reasons and causing a lot of harm to the Dawah in the process.

The process, purpose and results聽of Dawah have been poorly portrayed in recent times. This has attracted too many showmen, hypocrites, fame-seekers, and copycats who lack the correct purpose, vision, goal and drive to truly make a difference in this ummah.聽There are so many wrong perceptions of Dawah that need clarification. These are some of the major ones.

Dawah is NOT a path to fame

Dawah does NOT lead to fame. If you see a famous Da’ee, know that is the exception, NOT the norm. For every Da’ee with one million Facebook followers, there are a dozen that nobody knows about. There are so many things wrong with thinking Dawah leads to fame, including the following:

That individual may have gone through decades of struggles and being hated by society before gaining millions of followers. All you see are the millions of followers today, and not the years of struggle without any followers.

You may think there is a shortcut to get the respect they have, but there isn’t! They sincerely worked hard for decades, wanting nothing but Allah’s pleasure and the followers are simply part of the Barakah from Allah. It was never the goal.

If Dawah led to fame, every prophet would be the most famous person of their time. Reality is that some Prophets had many followers and others only had a handful. What they had in common was not fame, but trials.

Dawah is NOT fun and easy

Where in the Quran will you find a story about a da’ee who had it easy and whose life was a fun adventure? Every story of every prophet is one of struggle, hardship, courage and often isolation. The same can be said of the stories of the sahaba and famous scholars throughout history.

So where did this idea come about that the Dawah is fun and exciting? Social Media! The selfies聽of duaat on business class flights staying in five star hotels and enjoying everything in this dunya has created a false image of what the life of a da’ee is. The truth is that the da’ee in that photo has his own struggles, but because only the good times are shared on Facebook, we have a distorted image.

The real Dawah is not a fun ride. It is a struggle to promote the truth in a world that hates to hear it. You will make more enemies than friends, and will find yourself in constant trouble for speaking the truth. The Dawah does not need people looking for fun and excitement, it needs people who are dedicated to the cause and willing to sacrifice everything for Allah.

Dawah is a form of worship

Dawah is an act of worship. It is from the great acts of worship and obligations done by the prophets and great Muslims throughout history. They never did it to rack up Shahadah High Scores and swap statistics. Nor聽did they do it for the money, the fame, or the attention. They had only one goal: to spread the message of Allah. The question we need to ask ourselves is why are we doing Dawah?

Your Intention is crucial

This leads to a key point. If you are choosing to join the Dawah world, you need to be very clear about your intentions. Dawah is only an act of worship when it is done to Allah for Allah with methods allowed by Allah, without any distortion to the message. It is a huge responsibility, and we are responsible for everything we say and do on this path.

There is no room in the Dawah world for attention seekers, fame seekers or gold-diggers. If you are in it for the wrong reasons, you are only harming the Deen and it will count against you on the Last Day.

Dawah is a form of Jihad

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The most virtuous form of Jihad is to speak the truth to a tyrant ruler.” (Abu Dawud)

Dawah means speaking the truth, even if it upsets people. In this day and age, almost every aspect of Islam is controversial to secular minded folk. This makes it an even bigger struggle to speak the truth, and as a result some compromise their message, while others give up doing Dawah altogether.

If you are serious about Dawah, you have to get used to being politically incorrect. You have to be brave and speak the truth, even if it gets you in trouble. You have to a pillar of strength for the Deen, even when the world is crumbling around you. If not, then you are not doing Dawah to Allah, but just to yourself.

The results of Dawah in this world are not guaranteed

For some strange reason, every year I end up meeting a naive young da’ee who thinks he/she is going to be the one to turn society around completely, and that it is only a matter of time before people are following him/her. Many of these people fall completely off the Dawah within a few months when they realize their Dawah is drawing criticism, instead of change.

Newsflash folks: That is exactly how Dawah works! Dawah means telling people what they don’t want to hear. What do you think will happen when you do that? Criticism, haters, trolls, and obstacles are norms in the path of Dawah.

Reality is that there is absolutely no guarantee that you will see any results to your Dawah in this world. It isn’t sales or marketing, it is Divine Guidance. You may try new methods and new audiences but nothing is guaranteed. Throughout history, there have been Du’aat who did not gain any real following during their lifetimes, yet they are rewarded by Allah for their effort.

This is the key point to understand. If you are doing Dawah for Allah, then you are not hear to win a popularity contest. You are hear to spread the pure聽message of Islam to as many people聽as possible. Whether people accept that message or not is not in your hands. We are not here to rack up Shahadah High Scores or gain a specific number of social media followers. We are here to serve Allah, and if Allah chooses for people to come to Him through us, then that is His Mercy and Blessing. Either way, we must continue doing our Dawah for Allah.

End of Rant

Let us stop portraying Dawah as this fictional perfect life. It isn’t the reality for any Da’ee. Dawah is a duty and responsibility, and with it comes many trials. If you do it, do it for Allah. Do not expect any worldly rewards, and stay focused on the real goal: spreading the message of Allah without distortion.

May Allah keep us all steadfast on the truth and protect our hearts from deviation.

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Leadership