To win the trust and reliance of a community is the first principle of IslamicDawah before presenting it to the community members. Even the prophets had followed the same rule and their society had relied upon them totally in all social affairs. They always worked for the betterment of their respective societies in their both periods—before and after their nomination as Messengers of Allah the Exalted. These views were expressed by Dr. Maulana EnayatullahSubhani, principal Al Qur’ān College, Al Jamia Al Islamia, Shantapuram, Kerala. Dr. Subhani was addressing a public gathering on “How to Undertake Islamic Dawah” at Jamaat-e-Islami Hind headquarters in New Delhi on 4 May.
Dr. Subhani, who has authored several books including the blockbuster MohammadeArabi, further elaborated the point by giving some examples from the life of the Last Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah of be to him) and stressed that a special enthusiasm and passion is a must for those who are engaged inDawahactivities.He said the Holy Qur’ān throws light on the prophetic enthusiasm in this regard saying, “O Muhammad! If they do not believe in this message, you will perhaps torment yourself to death with grief, sorrowing over them.” The speaker also asked the audience to avoid reactions while preaching and imbalance between their speech and actions. He said every action of a Muslim is supposed to be Dawah.
Dr. Subhaniasked why Islam that has ruled the world for centuries together cannot rule it once again. According to him, the world is still in search of peace and spirituality. But it is our fault that we could not present the Islamic way of life in an effective way. He says the Dawah includes better education and training of children and providing them with a conducive atmosphere so as to let them grow up in a desired manner. Illustrating the importance of education among girls, the learned speaker quoted a saying ofSalahddinAyubi, “Give me better trained mothers and I will give you a better generation.” He said the time is most favourable for the purpose.