INVITING TO ISLAM
English translation of Islam ki Dawat
Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari
Markazi Maktaba Islami Publishers, New Delhi
Pages: 395
Price: 180
Reviewed by DR. PARVEZ MANDVIWALA
Calling fellow human beings to their Lord, to Islam, is not only a religious obligation; it is also a moral obligation. The religious obligations are too obvious. The Qur’an has repeatedly enjoined this task upon the Ummah, and the Prophet ﷺ has made it explicitly clear by his words and deeds that calling people towards Islam is the raison d’être of the Muslims. The Holy Messenger has also warned us against criminal neglect towards this task. But, as with everything in Islam, there is a moral and logical aspect to this endeavour as well. It is an essential part of humanity that we feel concerned for other human beings.
A friend had once explained how one feels restless when he sees a complete stranger on a bike with his side-stand precariously touching the road. He alerts him, shouts out to him, gestures to him to put the stand back in place, lest he meets with an accident on the next turn. He then exclaimed that we see millions of people who are away from Islam and who would eventually fall into hellfire, but we never reach out to them and lend them a word of caution!
Moreover, this is also a debt we owe society. Some good people must have approached our forefathers and invited them to Islam or we have been invited to Islam by some friend, so it is now our responsibility to pass on the message to others. And it is also unbecoming of human nature to be selfish; if I have something good with me, it is expected of me to share it with others instead of holding it back.
This book, Islam ki Dawat (translated into English as Inviting to Islam) by Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari (published by MMIP, New Delhi) is a quintessential textbook on Dawah. This book is in its 14th Edition now and has been translated into several languages. As explained by the author in the Preface, this is not meant to be a deep study into the philosophy and methodology of Dawah; it is a fundamental guidebook on Dawah- its needs and requirements.
The learned author has dealt with this exhaustive subject in a systematic manner, dividing the book in sections and chapters. He has begun by recalling the common Prophetic mission across the centuries and the approach adopted by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in particular.
He then discusses the scope of Dawah and how it encompasses within itself the introduction of Islam to non-Muslims as well as the reformation of those who have already professed faith in Islam- extending in concentric circles outwards from self to family, relatives, society and finally the entire world.
Moving on to the practical aspect, the author discusses how Dawah should be given, what should be the attitude of the caller and what response can be expected from the addressee. The author makes it clear that the caller would be deemed successful in the hereafter even if he does not succeed in his mission of spreading and establishing Islam in this world. It is the sincerity of effort that counts before God; he is not at all responsible for the results thereof.
Maulana Umari then elaborates upon the reasons why people decline the call, dedicating an entire chapter to it, and then contrasts these people with those who accept the call and accept Islam. He discusses the inherent perspectives and priorities of both these groups and lets the reader decide which side he is on.
After elaborating upon the essential attributes of a caller like his conviction in God and the hereafter, his attachment with the Qur’an, his adherence to prayers and charity, his sense of sacrifice, his sincerity to the cause and steadfastness, the learned author concludes his book with a discussion on the collective nature of this work. Drawing from the example of the Prophet ﷺ, the author argues that Dawah is such a holistic task that cannot be done on an individual basis. He then goes on to touch upon the mutual relations of these volunteers who have come together to champion the cause of Islam.
The benevolent language used by the author builds a personal rapport with his readers, and his deep knowledge on this subject is made evident from the ayaat and a Hadith he has cited to drive home his point. This book should assume great importance for any student of Islam in general, and every Dawah worker in particular. Any activity bereft of a sound knowledge base is rendered hollow and fruitless. We have often seen young uninformed people who, out of an impulsive urge to give Dawah, make their addresses more repulsive of Islam than drawing them any closer to it. Hence, it becomes all the more important for those interested in Dawah to go through this erudite piece of work and learn from a scholar who has been privileged to be at the helm of the most organised Dawah work in India.