How many of us actively give Da’wah? Share ideas so others may be inspired!
It can even be methods of answering questions, badges that invite questions, etc etc! Even if you don’t do it yourself, think of an idea and share it so that if someone else does it, inshaAllah you will get reward too!
Seeing as I’m starting this thread, I’ll go first!
Trying to clear up misconceptions about Islam based on the Pakistani culture amongst family members (the toughest audience!)
Wearing a badge during Ramadan that says: “I’m hungry and thirsty- ask me why!” or “It’s called a hijab- ask me why I wear it!”
I think we need to first develop a friendly relationship with whoever we want to discuss the matter with. Than we must first come to the very basics and common terms, beliefs that are common between us and them. After that we may disagree anywhere but we must present our ideas politely, with logic and "Hikmat". (This must be done in a casual way in our daily life, NOT by telling them that we are doing Da'wa.)
But WE must remember that actions are louder than words. WE must also try our level best to practice what we convey to others as our beliefs otherwise our words would have no positive effect
Very good points indeed :) 'Working on the middle ground' and 'Practice what you preach' JazakAllah khair...
I guess being caught doing wudu or performing salat in a public place is a form of da'wah too! For non-Muslims and Muslims alike! :)
IF possible we may also give practical examples, scientific and philosophical proofs, along with interesting incidents and experiences through which not only the listener would not lose interest but by this reasonable method we can convey alot with few words and it would have long lasting effect on the listener.
(We must also keep in mind the way of thinking and the interests of our listener and we may emphasis in that area so that the listener is also encouraged to contribute in the discussion and share his views)
A wise person once told me that in order to do good Da'wah, we should never put down the other persons beliefs, as then it becomes like a score and demoralizes the other person and makes the Da'ee seem like he/she lacks understanding. Eg 'you do this but we r better' etc etc. One should simply speak about Islam and inshaAllah the other individual will be able to differentiate 'good' from 'better' by themself.
wAllahu A'lam! :)
Doing Da'wah in America is pretty easy. I usually just talk to my co-workers and see if there is anyone interested in discussing religion. Some people are and I talk to them, others aren't and it's best to leave them alone. If you keep harrassing the people that don't want to talk about religion they are even more put off by religion. In Pakistan I would suggest bringing up the topic and asking religous questions to people that are already muslims. Finally, never make loss of pride a condition for someone to accept something. Even if they acknowledge that it is right they will refuse to accept it because they don't want to be wrong.
I wouldn't advise bringing up religion with coworkers randomly. Its a working environment, and usually best to keep religion out of it.
You can get more involved in your local Islamic organization, and try to do volunteer projects. Mission work type stuff. I don't understand why muslim organizations are lagging behind in projects of that sort.
Come on everyone... More ideas? Only 3 people have responded so far...We're always here discussing so passionately about Islam- but what are we doing to propagate it? :)
How many of you have been caught with your foot in the sink at work or uni? Did anyone in this position ever explain: 'hehe I'm performing ablutions'?
hmmm the bldg where i worked some years ago had a lot of arab, desi, african muslims, and we would get together at sunset, break our fast and then pray together, it was nice coz u got to meet ppl u never saw the rest of the year. sometimes we had visitors who were interested.
at the end of ramadan, we also had an Eid Dawat, it was very well organized, with food catered from a desi restaurant... we emailed flyers to co-workers, and a lot of non-muslims would show up, if only for the food (it wasn't free though) and ppl would end up talking, asking abt Eid and Ramadan. I don't know if anyone ever embraced Islam, but at the very least, they walked away with a better understanding of Islam and Muslims...
At the same time, Da'wah has developed more than one thread of purpose, to invite people to Islam, and to clarify misconceptions about Islam, which I think is also our responsibility. One may justifiably argue that the two aren't very different.
I guess I'm just trying to emphasize the need, at this point in history, to educate the people around us, to build bridges.
Even if you don’t do it yourself, think of an idea and share it so that if someone else does it, inshaAllah you will get reward too!