Weekly Classroom Themes – Secondary

Dawah

In the Name of Allah; Most-Merciful, Most-Compassionate.

“Who is better in speech than one who calls to Allah (swt), does righteous deeds and says indeed I am among the Muslims.” (Qur’an 41:33)

From conferences to street corners Muslims are engaging in Dawah (calling to Islam) in many unique and inspiring ways. InshaAllah what will follow is not a how-to on dawah in general, but a reminder regarding what the message and focus ought to be when giving dawah. Alhamdulilah the Prophetic Sera (Biography) gives us plenty of material we can benefit from in this regard.

Mu'aadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) was sent to Yemen, as he was one of the most knowledgeable of the Prophet's companions (may Allah be pleased with them all). Herein lies the first point for us: dawah is to be based on knowledge and ought to be done by those who have knowledge. It also shows us the importance of calling others to Islam - that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent one of the most knowledgeable people from al-Madinah to Yemen.

He (may Allah be pleased with him) was not sent to Yemen solely to call people to Islam - in fact his was also allocated the responsibilities of zakaat collector, leader, judge and educator. Thus, we see a precedent that callers to Islam ought to have skills and abilities so as to benefit the community in other worldly ways as well as giving dawah. As Mu'aadh was preparing to leave (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him advice - specifically regarding the manners and methods with which he ought to use when calling others to Islam. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Verily, you are going to a people who are from the People of the Book, so when you go to them, invite them to bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If they obey you in that matter, then inform them that Allah has made obligatory upon them five prayers every day and night. If they obey you in that matter, then inform them that Allah has made charity compulsory upon them: wealth that is taken from the rich among them and that is given to the poor among them. And if they obey you regarding that matter, then beware of taking their best wealth. And, beware of the supplication of the person who is wronged, for between that supplication and Allah there is no veil." (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clearly outlined priorities and stages of dawah - an essential tool for us today in our efforts to explain Islam and call others to this diin. Not only advice and methods, but also guidance for the person calling others to Islam - that he must be just, he must be fair and he must be easy and cooperate with the people. Regarding these final matters, Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) gave advice to another companion (abu Musa al-Ash'ari - may Allah be pleased with him) along with Mu'aadh, in which he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Be easy [with people] and do not make matters difficult; give glad tidings and do not drive people away; cooperate with one another, and do not quarrel with one another." (Sahih al-Bukhari).

Questions:

With regard to dawah, what can be learned from the following verse, “If you were harsh and hard hearted, they would have fled from around you? (Qur’an 3:159)”

What is the main topic that the caller to Allah (swt) should focus on? Which aspects of this topic should the caller focus on?

What are some good questions to ask while giving dawah? Some questions include: What do you know or think about Islam? What does your religion say is the purpose of existence/creation? Write down 3 more possible questions to ask while giving dawah.

What might stop someone from giving dawah? What are some ways to overcome these issues? For some, shyness and feelings of inferiority stop them from dawah. What are some ways to overcome shyness and feelings of inferiority so that one can give dawah effectively?

What advice would you give to a caller who focuses on conversion to Islam rather than conveying the message of Islam? Reflect on the following verse, “Your responsibility is only to convey the message and the accounting is on Me (Qur’an 13:40).”

What are some characteristics that a caller to Islam should have?

Rate the following in order of importance while giving dawah and explain why they are important: location, timing, demographics, clearing misconceptions, visual aids, patience, short speech, wisdom, kindness/gentleness, listening before speaking.

What is agnosticism?

What does a deist believe?

Activities:

In the classroom, practice giving dawah to individuals, as well as groups of people.

Create a classroom magazine by having the whole class participate in writing essays or including articles and pictures related to Islam.

Invite lecturers in the community. Focus on open forums in which students are able to ask the questions that are most important to them.

Have the class design Islam themed pamphlets, posters, stickers, post cards and greeting cards.



Week 19

Caring for Orphans

In the Name of Allah; Most-Merciful, Most-Compassionate.

Previously I have written about the great rewards in caring for, raising and being kind toward orphans (here).

Let me briefly now provide an extraordinary example from the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) regarding how they acted upon this Prophetic guidance and displayed excellence in conduct and behavior. Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) was a brave and courageous sahaba who gave his life for the cause of Islam, being killed in the Battle of Uhud. With his death (may Allah be pleased with him) he left behind a daughter. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led a group of two-thousand Sahaba to make an Umrah, following the treaty of al-Hudaibiyyah, this young girl approached Allah's Messenger saying: "O my uncle, O my uncle!"

The response of the Sahaba when seeing the situation of this orphaned child, may Allah be pleased with her, is truly amazing. First, Ali ibn abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said to his wife Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her), "Here is the daughter of your uncle", suggesting to her that their family ought to raise this child. Following that, Ja'far ibn abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "She is the daughter of my uncle, and her maternal aunt is under me [his wife]." Next, Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "She is the daughter of my brother." SubhanAllah each of them was struggling and striving to be the one who would take in the responsibility of caring for this orphaned girl - may Allah be pleased with them all. In the end, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) decided the matter saying that the daughter of Hamzah ought to be raised in the household of Ja'far, with her maternal aunt. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) praised each of these honorable sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) for their deeds and good intentions.

There are additional benefits we may take from this narration - briefly it was demonstrated that if both parents of a child have passed away, it is the maternal aunt who has the greatest right to care for that child - this became clear by the decision and explanation of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Furthermore we see the noble character of the Sahaba, and in particular Ali, Zaid and Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with them). They strove to support those in need, care for those who were facing difficult situations and support the Ummah in a general sense. Finally, we must reflect upon the situation of the Ummah today, wherein there are literally millions of orphans and so few Muslims stand up to bear the responsibilities that we ought to. May Allah have mercy on us and guide us to the straight path.

However, the connection between Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) does not end at this point. Some time later, when the Muslims sent an army north, Ja'far was selected as one of the leaders and while he was at the helm he was killed. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, knew through revelation what had happened and went to the family of Ja'far. He (peace be upon him) called upon the children of Ja'far one by one praised them; he had their heads shaved and made supplication for them. Asmaa bint Umais (may Allah be pleased with her) was Ja'far's wife, she cried upon hearing the news of her husband and mentioned the dire situation of the children. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Is it poverty that you fear for them, when I am their guardian in this world and in the Hereafter?" (Imam Ahmed) Thus, the Prophet himself (peace and blessings be upon him) further established the honor and care that ought to be shown towards orphans.

For additional details refer to: The Noble Life of the Prophet, p. 1635-1637, 1661-1663.

Questions:

What lessons can we learn from Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him)?

How can we help orphans in our community?

How can we help orphans around the world?

Activity:

Have the class hold a fundraiser to raise money to help sponsor an orphan.

Week 20