The Da’wah To Islam by Sheikh Ahmad Mahmoud

The clash of the Quraysh with the da’wah was natural, because the Messenger 􀁕 had made the group (kutla) public and carried it in a bold and challenging manner. The da’wah by its very nature carries a struggle against the Quraysh and the society in Makkah. It called for the tawheed (exclusive unity) and worship of Allah 􀀬 and rebellion against everything else, and the uprooting of the corrupt regime under which they were living. He used to insult their gods, attack their cheap life and expose their unjust way of living. He attacked them with the Truth, and they attacked him with propaganda and false rumours. He used to call the people explicitly, he did not equivocate, speak leniently or submissively, nor did he flatter them or come to a compromise with them. He 􀁕 did all this, despite meeting all forms of hurt, rejection, expulsion, rumours and boycott. The Messenger 􀁕 managed to reach people, and Islam began to spread.

When his uncle and wife died and the Quraysh’s harm against him intensified, he 􀁕 set out for Taa’if, seeking the support and protection and wishing they would embrace Islam, but they rejected him in the worst manner imaginable. He came to the situation where he could not enter Makkah without protection. That day he entered Makkah under the protection of al-Mut’im b. ‘Addi. The Quraysh began to harm the Rasool of Allah 􀁕 even more, and their rejection intensified. They began to forbid the people from listening to him, but that did not detract him 􀁕 from the da’wah. He began, in the pilgrimage season, to offer himself to the tribes, calling them to Islam and informing them that he was a Prophet sent by Allah 􀀬, and he asked them to believe in him. His uncle Abu Lahab used to stand up and accuse him of lying, and incite the people so that they did not listen to him. That had an impact on them, such that they would move away from listening to him. Thus, he went to the camp of the tribe of Kinda and he went to Banu Kalb, Banu Hanifah and Banu ‘Amir b. Sa’sa’ah, but not one listened to him. Some of them used to reject him in a disgusting manner. What increased the rejection of the tribes to the Messenger 􀁕 was that they saw the Quraysh declaring any supporter of the Prophet 􀁕 as an enemy and helper against it. The people, as individuals and tribes, increasingly rejected the Messenger 􀁕, such that he was more isolated and the da’wah became more difficult in Makkah and its surroundings. The Makkan society appeared to be steeped in kufr and stubborn opposition.When the affliction on the companions increased, ‘Abdur-Rahman b. ‘Awf with some other companions sought permission from the Messenger 􀁕 to bear arms. They said; “O Prophet of Allah 􀁕. We had dignity and power as Mushriks. When we believed, we became humiliated.” The Messenger 􀁕 forbade them from this when he said:

“Verily, I have been ordered to forgive, so do not fight the people.” [Reported by Ibn Abi Haatim, an-Nasa’i and al-Haakim] In this manner the Messenger 􀁕 in Makkah had proceeded in two stages:

- The stage of teaching, culturing, and intellectual and spiritual preparation. It is a stage of understanding thoughts and embodying them in individuals, and structuring around them.

- The stage of spreading the da’wah and the struggle. It is a stage of transferring the thoughts to a driving force in society, which pushes it to apply them in the mainstream of life, so that the masses believe in them, understand them, convey them, and struggle in the path of their application.

As for the first stage, it is a stage of calling people to Islam and culturing them with its thoughts, teaching them its rules, structuring in a block those who are able to do so, on the basis of the Islamic ‘Aqeedah.

It is the stage of secret structuring in the da’wah, where the Messenger 􀁕 did not slacken from the da’wah, but proceeded to culture those embracing Islam with the thoughts, gather them in dar al-Arqam and mould them into the structure. Each day their Imaan increased and the relationship between them strengthened. Their understanding of the reality, of the task they were to undertake, increased. Thus, they prepared themselves to sacrifice in the path of the da’wah, until this da’wah became firmly implanted in their hearts and minds. Islam flowed within them like the blood that flowed in their veins; they became Islam, walking in the streets. That is why the da’wah could not remain trapped within them despite their hiding, secrecy of their structuring, and their desire to conceal their meetings. They began to discuss with those whom they trusted, and in whom they felt a readiness to accept the da’wah. In this manner, the people felt their da’wah and presence. Thus the da’wah passed the starting point. It became inevitable the da’wah should take off. There were attempts to make it take off and address all the people.

With this the first stage came to an end, which is the stage of secret structuring and culturing that builds this structure.

Then another stage began, which is the stage of interaction and struggle. By making the people understand Islam - so they respond and turn to it - it mingles in their hearts, or they reject and attack it - thus clashing with its thoughts. From this clash, the kufr and corruption are defeated, Imaan and goodness are established and the correct thought prevails. Thus interaction started and the struggle took place between one thought and another, between Muslims and Kuffar. It began when the Messenger 􀁕 started to spread the da’wah to all the people in a public, bold and challenging manner. The verses started to come down upon the Messenger 􀁕 regarding the da’wah to Tawheed, campaigning against the thoughts of idolatry and polytheism, and criticising the following of the fathers and forefathers without scrutiny. They started to come down regarding the attack on the corrupt transactions; they attacked the corrupt trade and cheating in the weights and scales. The Messenger 􀁕 began to speak to the people as groups, and asked them to embrace Islam and support him. The dispute between the Quraysh and the Prophet 􀁕 increased. The da’wah started to add collective culturing to the concentrated culturing by halaqaat (circles) in houses, valleys and dar al- Arqam. It transferred from calling those in whom some goodness was perceived, to calling all the people. This collective da’wah and culturing had an effect on the Quraysh. Thus, their hatred intensified and they felt the danger drawing closer to them. They began to take serious steps to oppose the da’wah, after a period in which they paid no attention to Muhammad 􀁕 or his da’wah. Thus, the affliction and oppression increased. However, this collective da’wah had an effect on the da’wah itself. It made all the people hear the word of Islam, and the call to the deen of Allah 􀀬 spread amongst the people of Makkah. People entered into Islam, both men and women. The collective da’wah had the effect of transferring it to a wider horizon; though this took its carriers to hardship, torture and enduring all types of suffering. The hearts of the leaders of Quraysh flared up in rage when the Messenger 􀁕 attacked the injustice, cruelty and enslavement that prevailed in Makkah, and also when he exposed the conditions and actions of the Kuffar. This stage was the most difficult of stages for the Messenger 􀁕 and his companions.

If transferring from the cultural stage to the stage of interaction was the most delicate of stages because it requires wisdom, patience and precision in the way of acting, then the stage of interaction was the most difficult of stages. This is because it needs one to be brave, frank and challenging without giving any regard for the results or circumstances. In this stage the Muslims would be tempted away from their deen. The Imaan and the strength in bearing the hardship would appear in this stage, as well as their sincerity at the moment of confrontation.

In this manner the Messenger 􀁕 proceeded with his Sahabah to bear the suffering, injustice and suppression. Amongst them there were those who migrated to Abysinnia, fleeing with their deen, whilst others died under the torture, and others bore the suffering. They continued like this for an adequate enough period of time to change the society of Makkah.

However, the severity of the affliction prevented this from happening.

The Arabs and many others took the stance of onlookers and did not take a single step towards Imaan, because they tried to avoid angering the Quraysh. The work to transfer the da’wah to the third stage, which is the stage of implementation of Islam, moved outside of Makkah, whereby the Messenger 􀁕 started seeking the Nusrah (support) and protection from the tribes, so that he could clarify to the people what their Lord had revealed to him.