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Dawah

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This article is about the Muslim concept. For the Tibetan phrase, see Dawa (Tibet).

Dawah (Arabic دعوة daˤwah, literally: summons or call) is an Arabic term meaning "invite" or "invitation". It is considered to be an obligation on Muslims to invite others to Islam. Dawah is often referred to as the act of "preaching Islam". It can apply to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

For example, in the Qur'an, Sura An-Nahl 16:125 states:

"Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord is best aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who go aright." (Pickthall translation)

"Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance." (Yusuf Ali translation)

A Muslim who practices dawah is called a Da'ee or Da`i (plural: du'āt, singular: dā'iya, Arabic: داعي or داع). A da'i is thus a person who invites people to Islam, and may be categorised as a missionary or the Christian equivalent of an evangelist.

Dawah in Qu'ran

Resurrection on the day of Judgement

The term dawah is applied to the call to the dead to rise from the tomb on the day of Judgement. (sura 30)

Appeal to God

It also means an appeal to God or prayer or vow. Two examples are Abraham's prayer in sura 2 and Solomon's prayer in sura 38.

Invitation to believe

In the religious sense, the da'wa is the invitation, addressed to men by God and the prophets, to believe in the true religion, Islam, as claimed by Muslims. The religion of all the prophets is Islam, and each prophet has his dawah (see also Prophets of Islam). Dawah can also be seen as preaching to non-muslims to convert to Islam. [1]

Dawah in the first centuries of Islam

When used in the Quran it generally refers to God's invitation to live according to his will. Thus when used in the first centuries of Islam it increasingly referred to the content of that message and was sometimes used interchangeably with sharī'a (law) and dīn (religion). It also described the duty to "actively encourage fellow Muslims in the pursuance of greater piety in all aspects of their lives," a definition which has become central to contemporary Islamic thought. (ibid)

Purposes of dawah

From an Islamic standpoint, the purpose of dawah is to "invite" people to the worship of Allah as expressed in Tawheed as well as to inform them about their belief about Muhammad who Muslims believe is the last Prophet and Messenger. By doing so, Muslims hope to guide people to the religion of Islam. However, Muslims believe that if people come to Islam the decision is ultimately between them and their Creator.

Another purpose of dawah is to strengthen the Muslim community, or Ummah. For Muslims, it is the encouragement to be more observant of Allah and to increase the level of piety. That applies whether the person is just at the edge of Islam (applying very little of it) or someone who is already practicing well but wants to reach higher levels. For the non-Muslim, it is explaining Islam by a congruent person, through acts, discussions, and dialogue in the best manner possible.

The Sahih Muslim Hadith [1] indicates that a Da'wa is the first of three "courses of action" to be undertaken in attempting to avoid war with polytheistic enemies.

Approaches to dawah

Dawah, from the Islamic perspective, is an open and general act of informing others about the message of Islam by carrying it, living it, and making it available to others through all positive and engaging means. It is not the mere act of telling someone about Islam, although dialogue, discussion, presentations, etc. are a part of dawah. It is the steady engagement of living the message, exemplifying the behaviors and providing answers and material when necessary.

As a general principle, most Muslims agree that successful dawah includes knowledge of Islam, manners, and sincerity and intention in action. Many callers to Islam, such as imams, undergo dawah training to build their foundation on various aspects of the Islamic faith.

"Whereas in liberal society religious authority is generally understood to impose undue constraints on free and open discussion and is thus unwelcome within the secular public sphere, here it provides the foundation upon which opposing viewpoints are articulated." (ibid, p.195)

Opponents of Dawah

By some people, Dawah is believed to be the activity of proselytizing though it "has historically encompassed a wide range of meanings" (Hirschkind 2004, p.190).

Al-dawah

Al-da'wa is a broad movement started by the revivers of the concept and practice of da'wa, the Muslim Brotherhood and its founder Hassān al-Banna. al-Banna considered da'wa to be the "mode of action by which moral and political reform were to be brought about" that being speaking to those willing to listen in public places such as mosques, schools, cafes, or clubs. The Brotherhood also promoted the similar practice of isti'dhān, where a member asks to address the mosque on a matter or matters relevant to Muslims. (Hirschkind 2004, p.190 and 192)

See also

References

  1. ^ The Encyclopeadia of ISLAM, BRILL. Dawah has more meanings, but these three usages of the term dawah are mentioned in the Qu'ran

Source

  • Hirschkind, Charles (2004). "Civic Virtue and Religious Reason: An Islamic Counter-Public" in Drobnick, Jim Aural Cultures. ISBN 0-920397-80-8.
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