Just this afternoon we had a discussion regarding what makes da'wah slow in campuses all over Malaysia. There one point that came up to me speacially; da'wah fardiyyah (ﺩﻋﻭﺓ ﻓﺭﺩﻴﺔ) or individual da'wah.
Islam is *the* way of life. Following the teachings of Islam with faith and diligence could guarantee peace of mind and a well lived life. Islam is a religion of the community. The effects of its practices are best felt in a community that practices it. Anything will thrive in its most ideal environment and Islam and its practices thrive most in a solehah environment where there is always a positive atmosphere. The ultimate world would be a world where Islam is practiced unhindered. Where the solehah atmosphere is prevalent to all other ambiences. Where Allah can worshipped without prejudice. Thus a civilization where the core of it is Islam would the bliss.
Yet how can this vision be realised? How can we begin stepping towards this ideal picture of the ummah? It's hard to build a building if you do not have good material. It's hard to build a building if you don't build good foundations. And it's hard to build a building if you have too little resources and materials to work with. Likewise the Islamic civilization. This is where tajmii' plays a great part and hence the importance of da'wah fardiyyah.
Da'wah fardiyyah is a form of da'wah, where a da'ie (ﺍﻠﺩﺍﻋﻲ - person who calls others to embrace Islam wholly and fully) tries to recruit more da'ies and murrabbis (teachers/educators) on a personal level. Da'wah fardiyyah is a very important tool of tajmii' (ﺘﺠﻤﻴﻊ - process of gathering people). It gives emphasis on building the most basic blocks of the Ummah; the individual.
Many da'ies in IPTs all over downplay the importance of da'wah fardiyyah. Many have the tendency to focus more on very public and very general forms of da'wah. While the it's good to have majlis ilmu and exhibitions and road shows, these programmes can have only general objectives and targets. They also take up a lot of our time trying to set them up and get them running. In contrast, da'wah fardiyyah in application promotes a relaxed and informal atmosphere where it is much easier for a da'ie to get close to his/her mad'u (ﻤﺩﻋﻭ - the subject of da'wah).
Myself... I have only quite recently realised the importance of da'wah fardiyyah. It is not enough that people come to knowledge and information centric programmes. Every da'ie has to try and commit himself to calling more and more people towards Islam. And the simplest and most practical way, it seems, is to do da'wah fardiyyah. It takes up little more time than making a new friend and spending time with them. It gives a personal touch in instructing the mad'u in the teachings of Islam which in turn gives more effect than simply having the mad'u attend a ceramah/talk. The personal level of commitment that a da'ie gives for his mad'u could raise the mad'u's interest in Islam. It also gives room for the da'ie to supervise proper development of his/her mad'u.
Da'wah fardiyyah is something that every aspiring da'ie must do. Yet some people give excuses to themselves to get out of having to do da'wah fardiyyah. Here are some examples:
Allahua'lamu bissawab...
(pardon the rushed ending... it's nigh Maghrib now and I just have to finish)
Islam is *the* way of life. Following the teachings of Islam with faith and diligence could guarantee peace of mind and a well lived life. Islam is a religion of the community. The effects of its practices are best felt in a community that practices it. Anything will thrive in its most ideal environment and Islam and its practices thrive most in a solehah environment where there is always a positive atmosphere. The ultimate world would be a world where Islam is practiced unhindered. Where the solehah atmosphere is prevalent to all other ambiences. Where Allah can worshipped without prejudice. Thus a civilization where the core of it is Islam would the bliss.
Yet how can this vision be realised? How can we begin stepping towards this ideal picture of the ummah? It's hard to build a building if you do not have good material. It's hard to build a building if you don't build good foundations. And it's hard to build a building if you have too little resources and materials to work with. Likewise the Islamic civilization. This is where tajmii' plays a great part and hence the importance of da'wah fardiyyah.
Da'wah fardiyyah is a form of da'wah, where a da'ie (ﺍﻠﺩﺍﻋﻲ - person who calls others to embrace Islam wholly and fully) tries to recruit more da'ies and murrabbis (teachers/educators) on a personal level. Da'wah fardiyyah is a very important tool of tajmii' (ﺘﺠﻤﻴﻊ - process of gathering people). It gives emphasis on building the most basic blocks of the Ummah; the individual.
Many da'ies in IPTs all over downplay the importance of da'wah fardiyyah. Many have the tendency to focus more on very public and very general forms of da'wah. While the it's good to have majlis ilmu and exhibitions and road shows, these programmes can have only general objectives and targets. They also take up a lot of our time trying to set them up and get them running. In contrast, da'wah fardiyyah in application promotes a relaxed and informal atmosphere where it is much easier for a da'ie to get close to his/her mad'u (ﻤﺩﻋﻭ - the subject of da'wah).
Myself... I have only quite recently realised the importance of da'wah fardiyyah. It is not enough that people come to knowledge and information centric programmes. Every da'ie has to try and commit himself to calling more and more people towards Islam. And the simplest and most practical way, it seems, is to do da'wah fardiyyah. It takes up little more time than making a new friend and spending time with them. It gives a personal touch in instructing the mad'u in the teachings of Islam which in turn gives more effect than simply having the mad'u attend a ceramah/talk. The personal level of commitment that a da'ie gives for his mad'u could raise the mad'u's interest in Islam. It also gives room for the da'ie to supervise proper development of his/her mad'u.
Da'wah fardiyyah is something that every aspiring da'ie must do. Yet some people give excuses to themselves to get out of having to do da'wah fardiyyah. Here are some examples:
- I'm afraid that person will reject me after this.
- What if that guy doesn't want to listen?
- There are many others who can do this... Let them do it.
- What I say might be sensitive matter...
- What if I fail?
Allahua'lamu bissawab...
(pardon the rushed ending... it's nigh Maghrib now and I just have to finish)
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