The Humble I

Q. DO I NEED to be a scholar or student of knowledge to make da‘wah? And what about the hadith: ‘Convey from me, even if it is one verse. [Al-Bukhari, no.3461] Does this mean that anything I know about Islam, large or small, I can preach and teach to others?

A. Perhaps a good place to start as a response to the question is with this verse of the Holy Qur’an: Say: ‘This is my path. I do call to God upon sure knowledge, I and those who follow me.’ [Q.12:108]

This verse tells us that the Prophet’s way, peace be upon him, is to call to Allah upon sound and sure knowledge (Ar. basirah), as should be the path of those who follow him. Da‘wah and preaching must be rooted in sure knowledge, and not speaking about the religion with ignorance or making-up answers. It is one of the worst sins in Islam, no less: And do not say, by way of what your tongues falsely utter, that this is lawful or that is forbidden, so as to forge a lie against Allah. Indeed, those who forge lies against Allah shall not prosper. [Q.16:116]

Of course, the amount of knowledge required to call non-Muslims to Islam is not anywhere as great as is needed to teach the details of Islam — as per the sole privilege of scholars and seasoned students of sacred knowledge. However, engaging  non-Muslims today is not as simple as it was in pre-modern times. Often, non-Muslims can come with complex queries and complex psychologies, all of which makes today’s da‘wah more of a fine art than just the act of simply conveying revealed truths.

So a sound, serious share of knowledge, maturity, courteous engagement, and a patient and understanding temperament must be the stock-in-trade of today’s callers. This isn’t to say that every non-Muslim today has a deeply damaged fitrah, or innate disposition. Many are still upon their fitrah — as evidenced by just how many accept Islam merely by hearing or reading the Qur’an; or by the conveyance of simple, uncomplicated revealed truths. Lest we forget, Islam sees itself as din al-fitrah — the religious way of being that chimes with man’s primordial nature.

So discussing or inviting one’s neighbours, friends or work colleagues to the basic teachings of Islam can be done by any Muslim who has a good grasp of Islam’s basics teachings and can express them in a wise and articulate manner. But often, even these non-Muslims can have certain misunderstandings or confused ideas about Islam that need untangling. And often, general Muslims tend not to have the knowledge or skill to deal with such confusions. If that is the case, one should try to put such non-Muslims in contact with those Muslims scholars, institutions or callers that have dedicated their life or time to such work, and who are likely to have the skill and tact to address such confusions.

As for the hadith about conveying (tabligh) even one verse, or one piece of prophetically-revealed guidance, there are a few misconceptions that need clarifying.

Some have erringly taken this to mean that anything to do with sacred knowledge is open game for anyone to dabble in or discuss. But this is far from what is meant. 

The hadith imposes on each Muslim a duty of tabligh al-nass — ‘conveying the words’. That means, to pass on to others, for example, however much or little one knows of the Qur’an. This can involve informing non-Muslims about the core message of the Qur’an and its pure and straightforward monotheism, instructing a new convert how to recite the Fatihah, teaching some youngsters the last ten surahs of the Qur’an for them to recite in prayer, or guiding a fellow believer to an agreed upon religious obligation that no Muslim can be uneducated or unschooled about. 

But tabligh al-nass must not be confused with tabligh al-ma‘na — ‘conveying the meaning’ of the words with their detailed interpretation. This can only be done by qualified teachers. The same goes for the hadiths. Without rigorous Islamic learning, non-scholars should restrict themselves to tabligh al-nass: conveying the core incontrovertible outlines of Islam. And there’s plenty to do in that respect.

This, in brief, is the response to your question. And Allah knows best.