Imaan(Belief)
The topic‘The Necessities of Dawah in the Light of Current Conditions’ is extremely vastin its scope. People are accepting Islam in the West (USA, Canada, UK, Franceand Germany), in the Middle Eastern countries (Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States,Jordan), in Africa and the Far East (Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong, etc.).Each region has its own peculiar characteristics and the reasons for conversionvary accordingly. Furthermore, in each of these areas, the reasons forconversion differ depending on the point of contact with Islam. In fact, thenumbers of reasons are probably as many as the number of people who haveaccepted Islam, as each person has his or her own special reasons why theydecide to accept Islam. However, if the subject is considered from the generalperspective of the shared characteristics of human beings, the reasons may benarrowed down to a few general groups of reasons.
If one assumes, as Islam proposes, that the nature of human beings has notchanged since the time the first human being was first created, then thereasons for conversion in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) shouldessentially be the same reasons as found in the present age. According toIslam, there is only one revealed religion which has been repeatedly revealedfrom the time of Adam until the last of the prophets, Muhammad (pbuh).Consequently, the essential message of all the prophets was one and the same:
“Verily, We have sent to every nation a messenger (saying),‘Worship Allah and avoid false gods.”1
There was nodifference in their basic messages also because the purpose of creation hasonly been one; to worship Allah.
“I did not create the jinn and mankind except for My worship.”2
This messageaddressed a fundamental need in human beings to worship. That primordial needwas created in all human beings at the time of Adam’s creation. Allah addressedthis need saying:
“When your Lord drew forth from the loins of the children of Adam theirdescendant and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): ‘Am I notyour Lord?’ they said, ‘Yes, we testify to it.’ (This) in case you say shouldsay on the Day of Judgement, ‘We were unaware of this.” Or in case you shouldsay, ‘It was our ancestors who made partners (with Allah) and we are only theirdescendants. Will you then destroy us for what those liars did?’”3
Man’sNatural Disposition : the Fitrah
Since Allahmade all human beings swear to His Godhood when He created Adam, this oath isprinted on the human soul even before it enters the fetus in the fifth month ofpregnancy. So when a child is born, it has with it a natural belief in Allah.This natural belief is called in Arabic the fitrah.4 If the child were leftalone, it would grow up aware of Allah in His unity, but all children areaffected by the pressures of their environment, whether directly or indirectly.The Prophet (pbuh) reported that Allah said,
“I created My servants in the right religion but the devils made them goastray.”5
The Prophet(pbuh) also said,
“Each child is born in a state of ‘fitrah’, but his parents makehim a Jew or a Christian. It is like the way an animal gives birth to a normaloffspring. Have you noticed any (young animal) born mutilated before youmutilate them?”6
So just as the child’s body submits to the physical laws which Allah has put innature, its soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah is its Lord andCreator. However, its parents try to make it follow their own way and the childis not strong enough in the early stages of its life to resist or oppose itsparents.
The religion which the child follows at this stage is one of custom andupbringing, and Allah does not hold it to account or punish it for thisreligion. When the child matures in youth and clear proofs of the falsehood ofits religion are brought to it, the adult must now follow the religion ofknowledge and reason.7 At this point the devils try their best to encourage himto stay as he is or to go further astray. Evils are made pleasing to him and hemust now live in the midst of a struggle between his fitrah and his desires inorder to find the right road. If he chooses his fitrah, Allah will help himovercome his desires, even though it may take most of his life to do so; formany people enter Islam in their old age, although most tend to do so beforethat.
THE ERA OF THE PROPHET
During the Prophet’s era, as in the modern era, people may be divided into twomain groups with respect to their preparedness to receive the message:
1. Those searching for the truth, who are dissatisfied withthe religion, followed by their contemporaries, and
2. Those not searching. This second group may be furtherdivided into those not searching because they are content with their religionand those not searching because they have rejected belief in God. The secondgroup has been a minority throughout history.
The first group also consistently represented a minority as the majority ofpeople tend to accept the cultural norms of society without question. In theProphet’s time, that minority was called the hunafaa’. Most of them convertedto Islam as soon as the message reached them. A few, due to tribal jealousiesrejected the message. Thus, the first group responded to the clear truth ofrevelation. On the other hand, the second group based their response on theirtrust in the Prophet’s (pbuh) character. They knew him to be truthful andhonest throughout his life, therefore, there was not reason to doubt his claimto Prophethood.
1. The Role Model
The first converts were from the Prophet’s household
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
‘Ali ibn Abi Talib
Zayd Ibn Harithah
They were followed by the Prophet’s close friend and confidant, Abu Bakr.
Their conversion was due to their intimate contact with the Prophet (pbuh) andtheir unquestioned belief in him his truthfulness due their personal experiencewith him. This reason for conversion may be called the “role model.”
2. Dawahto Islamic Monotheism (Tawheed)
The next five converts embraced Islam as a result of Abu Bakr’s invitation.
‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan
Az-Zubayr Ibn al- ‘Awwam
‘Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn ‘Awf
Sa ‘ad Ibn Abi Waqqas
Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaydullah
Their conversion was a result of the message being taken to them.8 This reasonmay be generally called the “Dawah”
3. Truth Seekers
Among the converts was ‘Amr Ibn‘Absah who had rejected the idolatry of his people and sought the truth. Likehim was Salman al-Farisi who journeyed from Zoroastrianism, Judaism,Christianity to Islam. The reason for the conversion of these companions andothers like them may be called “truth seekers”
4. Reading the Qur’an
‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab’s conversion isauthentically narrated as a result of his hearing the Prophet (pbuh) reciteSurah al-Haaqqah.9 The Najashi’s was due to his hearing Soorah Maryam. Theseand others like them may be referred under the general reason of “Reading theQur’an”.
5. Marriage
Abu Talhah al-Ansari was offered adowry of accepting Islam by Umm Sulaym (Mother of Anas Ibn Maalik). She alsogave him logical da’wah concerning his idol worship.
Abul-‘Aas who was married to the Prophet’s daughter, Zaynab, was separated fromher by the Prophet (pbuh) and was later ransomed from among the prisoners ofBadr by Zaynad. In both of these cases, marriage to a Muslim woman was a factorin their conversions.
The following eleven surveys of reasons for conversion were done in April,2001, in different parts of the world. From the surveys, it is evident that theabove-mentioned factors continue to be the main reasons for people acceptingIslam in the 21st century.
It should be noted that in the Middle East, one of the biggest factors inconversion is the religious example of employers. This is especially the caseof Far and Near-Eastern women working as domestic helpers in Arab homes. Thisis the role model reason which constituted the first major reason for convertsin the Prophet’s era. See surveys 2 and 3 of Discover Islam /Bahrain and QCPIof Qatar. In the West, living with Muslims is a minor factor because contactwith Muslims is much less frequent and Westerners do not usually work asdomestic helpers in Arab homes. However, the role model reason is stillsignificant in so far as it comes from contact with Muslims on the job, inuniversities, in the neighborhood, etc. See survey 6 of the convert communityin Detroit, Michigan, USA, where the majority of converts were introduced toIslam by someone trusted.
From the survey results it appears that the most critical conversion factor inthe West seems to be the availability of information.
In India, where the caste system is dominant, the oppressed classes find inIslam social justice and respect. Consequently, as indicated in survey 7Islamic justice and equality is among the biggest attractions.
DA‘WAHSTRATEGIES
Having understood many of the reasons why people accept Islam in this centuryand the way they differ relative to the environment, it is necessary to developsome methods of effectively dealing with giving da’wah to them.
1. The RoleModel
First, the factors shared by the Prophet’s time and themodern era should be looked at to determine what efforts are needed to makethem most effective. The first method is the “role model” method. In the MiddleEast, those families having servants should be informed through the media,tapes and pamphlets about the importance of setting a good example for thosewho work for them. Too often cases of abuse of maids are reported in the localnewspapers. Such adverse publicity will decrease the effectiveness of thefamily role in da’wah. On the other hand, in the Western context, Muslims haveto develop a stronger outreach program for the communities to meet the Muslims.This can be achieved by regular open house days at the local mosque or Islamiccenter, during which non-Muslim neighbors are invited to visit and to sharesome “Eastern cuisine”. Free exotic food is always a good attraction fornon-Muslims. Islamic weeks at universities in West have become some of the mostvibrant means to reach the student body.
2. The Dawahto Monotheism
The essential message of Islam needs to reach the masses ofWesterners. The majority of Westerners today do not have the slightest inkling ofwhat Islam teaches. The vast majority of converts in the West are a product offamily da’wah based on Allah’s instruction to the Prophet (pbuh):
“And warn your close family members.”10
When a person converts, he or she immediately attempts to invite all of theirfamily members to Islam. In this way, the numbers of converts increaseexponentially. However great this individual effort may be, it cannot supplantthe basic need for da‘wah materials in sufficiently large numbers to reach thegeneral masses. Likewise the impact of TV and Radio da’wah cannot beunderestimated. There are already a number of Islamic programs in Arabic beingbroadcast on sattelite, however, very little in the way of English da’wah istaking place. More useful da’wah tracts need to be developed. The Deedatapproach has become outmoded with its harsh rhetoric. Alternative materialsneed to be introduced internationally.
3. TruthSeekers
As in the Prophet’s era there are people in our times seeking the truth. Inmany cases it is due to dissatisfaction with the dogmas of their religions.These seekers find that their questions are unanswered in their inheritedreligion and blind faith is insisted upon by its priests. This conversionfactor is very prominent among Westerners as indicated in surveys 5 - 12 aswell as QCPI and Discover Islam - Bahrain surveys among their Western converts.The Detroit survey gives 86% of Americans who converted from Christianity whilehaving difficulties in their belief system. Consequently, more literature,tapes and programs which present the Islamic solutions to religious mysteriesneeds to be developed. Literature which demonstrates that Prophet Jesus was infact a prophet of Islam and that his message was Islam needs to be widelydistributed.
4. Readingthe Qur’an
A large number of Western converts embraced Islam due toreading translations of the Qur’an. This mirrors those who converted in theProphet’s time due to hearing readings from the Qur’an. The two mostwide-spread translations of the Qur’an’s meanings are those of Yusuf Ali andMuhsin Khan. However, both have serious problems with regard to getting themessage across. Yusuf Ali’s translation is in old-English and his footnotescontain much mis-information. Muhsin Khan’s translation, on the other hand,while accurate has so much explanatory material between brackets that theaverage reader loses track of the verse. There needs to be a good cleartranslation in modern English with sufficient footnotes to explain unclearpassages and references.
5. Marriage
Many Western converts in Muslim countries convert formarriage purposes as is quite evident in the surveys. In a number of cases, theconversion is not genuine, but merely a ritual conversion. Although thissituation is abhorrent, one cannot refuse to convert others due to suspicions.The solution is to develop programs of study, which prospective converts mustgo through before conversion, to insure that the basic teaching have beenlearned. This approach was taken by the Muslim Convert’s Association inSingapore, where they were faced with the majority of its converts being formarriage purposes.
CONCLUSION: FOLLOW-UP
The factors leading to conversion are basically the same the world over. Theyare not limited to time periods, but can be found from the earliest of timesuntil the present. Those involved in propagating the religion and invitingothers to Islam, must familiarize themselves with these and other factors inorder to develop the correct strategies to deal with them. Furthermore, Islamicorganizations need to keep more accurate information concerning conversion sothat researchers can analyze the material and benefit those in the field. Mostorganizations internationally do not have proper records. Some only have namesand while others have little more than that. Follow-up programs cannot beeffectively implemented without proper records. Perhaps the greatest problemfacing converts is the lack of follow-up. In the Prophet’s time, converts wereintegrated into the Muslim community and way of life with the full support ofthe community. Today, converts are congratulated and left to fend forthemselves. As a result, when many are faced with difficulties, they revert totheir former faiths, if they do not find support from the Muslim community. Inthe West, there is a big need for institutions and Muslim social workers tocater to the needs of the new converts. Many who accept Islam in the prisonsend up in their destructive life-styles and back in prison like their non-Muslimcounterparts. Although their numbers are fewer, they are too many for thecommunity to ignore.
The other major problem facing convert Muslims, especially in the West, is thatwithout a Muslim community to support their families, their children oftenleave Islam by the time they graduate from high school. Consequently, among theda’wah strategies necessary is the development of Muslim schools to preservethe identity of Muslim children of the converts. Those children did not chooseIslam, and they lack strong cultural ties to Muslim culture. As a result, everydecade or two, a new wave of Westerners convert and during the same period,most of their children leave Islam. Those children sometimes go on to becomemajor stars in sports like Shaquille O’Neal (Basketball), or Rocket Raghib(American Football), who have no allegiance to Islam what so ever.
Survey 1.Discover Islam [Dubai]
Survey 2.Discover Islam [Bahrain]
Survey 3.QCPI [Qatar]
Survey 4. IRF[India]
Survey 5.Denmark
Survey 6.London [England]
Survey 7. ICQ[Canada]
Survey 8.Karachi [Pakistan]
Survey 9.Detroit [USA]
Survey 10.Internet Western Converts
Survey 11.Islam Our Choice
FOOTNOTES
1. Soorah an-Nahl, (16): 36.
2. Surah adh-Dhaariyaat, (51): 56.
3. Surah al-A‘raaf, (7): 172-3.
4. Al-‘Aqeedah at-Tahaaweeyah, (8th ed., 1984), p. 245.
5. Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol. 4, p. 1488, no. 6853.
6. Collected by Muslim, (Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol.4, p. 1398, no. 6423) and al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari (Arabic-English), vol.8, pp. 389-90, no. 597).
7. Al-‘Aqeedah at-Tahaaweeyah, (5th ed., 1972), p. 273.
8. Makkan Crucible, pp. 124-6, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum, p. 77.
9. Collected in Musnad Ahmad, vol. 1, pp. 17-8.
10. Surah ash-Shu‘araa, (26): 214.
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