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Daʿwah (Arabic:دعوة,Arabic:[ˈdaʕwah], "invitation", also speltdâvah,daawa,dawah,daawah ordakwah[1][2][3]) is the act ofproselytizing people toIslam. The plural isdaʿwāt (دَعْوات) ordaʿawāt (دَعَوات). Preachers who engage in dawah are known asda'i.
Daʿwah[ˈdæʕwæh] literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Grammatically, the word represents agerund of a verb with thetriconsonantal rootd-ʕ-w (د-ع-و) meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite". AMuslim who practicesdaʿwah, either as a religious worker or in a volunteer community effort, is called adāʿī (داعي, pluralduʿāhدعاة[dʊˈʕæː]).
Adāʿī, is a person who invites people to understand and accept Islam throughdialogue and other techniques, who may be regarded as amissionary inviting people to the faith, prayer, and manner of Islamic life.[4]
The termdaʿwah has other senses in theQur'an. Insurah (chapter) 30:25, for example, it denotes the call to thedead to rise on theDay of Judgment. When used in the Qur'an, it generally refers to Allah's invitation to live according to his will. Thus, when used in the first centuries of Islam, it usually referred to that message and was sometimes used interchangeably withSharia anddīn.
Daʿwah is also described as 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 tocontemporary Islamic thought.[5]
During theExpedition of Al Raji in 625,[6]Muhammad sent some men as missionaries to various different tribes. Some men came to Muhammad and requested that Muhammad send instructors to teach them Islam,[6] but the men were bribed by the two tribes of Khuzaymah, who wanted revenge for theassassination of Khalid bin Sufyan (Chief of theBanu Lahyan tribe) by Muhammad's followers.[7] A number of missionaries were killed in this expedition, either eight[6] or, according to another account, ten.[8]
Then during theExpedition of Bir Maona in July 625[9] Muhammad sent some missionaries at the request of some men from the Banu Amir tribe,[10] but the Muslims were again killed in revenge for theassassination of Khalid bin Sufyan by Muhammad's followers.[7] 70 Muslims were killed during this expedition.[10]
During theExpedition of Khalid ibn al-Walid (Banu Jadhimah) in January 630,[11] Muhammad sent Khalid ibn Walid to invite the Banu Jadhimah tribe to Islam.[12] This is mentioned in the Sunni HadithSahih al-Bukhari,5:59:628.[13]
Mus'ab ibn 'Umair was the first Muslim envoy in September 621.[14][15] He was sent to Yathrib (nowMedina) to teach the people the doctrines of Islam and give them guidance.[15]
After Muhammad's death in 632, from the available historical evidence it appears that after Muhammad's death Muslims did not immediately embark upon daʿwah activities—during and after the rapid conquests of theByzantine andPersian lands, they ventured little if at all to preach to local non-Muslims. Daʿwah came into wider usage almost a hundred years after Muhammad's death, in the wake of 'Abbasid propaganda against the then ruling Umayyad clan in the 720s. However, the 'Abbasid daʿwah ceased as soon as the 'Abbasids were in power—a fact that attests to its political nature. Daʿwah as a truly missionary activity, albeit still within the MuslimUmmah, appeared in the form of theIsma'ili daʿwah of the 9th through 13th centuries. Isma'ilis, in many ways, can be seen as the pioneers of the organized Muslim missionary activities: their highly institutionalized and sophisticated daʿwah structure has hardly been repeated until today. Moreover, for the Isma'ilis, daʿwah was a state priority. The Isma'ili daʿwah encompassed extra- and intra-ummatic forms and blended both theology and politics.[16]
InIslamic theology, the purpose ofdaʿwah is to invite people, Muslims and non-Muslims, to understand the worship of God as expressed in the Qur'an and thesunnah ofMuhammad and to inform them about Muhammad.
Daʿwah as the "Call towards God" is the means by which Muhammad began spreading the message of the Qur'an to mankind. After Muhammad, his followers and theUmmah (Muslim community) assumed responsibility for it.[5] They convey the message of the Qur'an by providing information on why and how the Qur'an preachesmonotheism. Muhammad saw Islam as the true religion and mission of all earlier prophets. He believed that their call had been limited to their own people but that his was universal. His mission as the final prophet was to repeat to the whole world this call and invitation (daʿwah) to Islam. Muhammad wrote to various non-Muslim rulers, inviting them to convert.[17]
The importance ofdaʿwah has been emphasised many times in the Quran:
Who is better in speech than one who calls to Allah, does righteous deeds and says indeed I am among the Muslims.
— Quran, Sura 41 (Fussilat), ayah 33[18]
You are the best nation raised up for humankind. You enjoin righteousness, forbid corruption and you believe inAllah.
— Quran, Sura 3 (Al-Imran), ayah 110[19]
Let there arise among you a group inviting to all that is good, enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil. Those are the successful ones.
— Quran, Sura 3 (Al-Imran), ayah 104[20]
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good preaching.
— Quran, Sura 16 (An-Nahl), ayah 125[21]
In theHadith ("sayings") ofMuhammad,daʿwah is mentioned to emphasise importance and virtues:
Muhammad sentMuadh ibn Jabal toYemen and told him "You will be going toChristians andJews, so the first thing you should invite them to is the assertion of the oneness of Allah, Most High. If they realize that, then inform them that Allah has made five daily prayers obligatory on them. If they pray them, then inform them that Allah has made the payment of charity from their wealth obligatory on their rich to be given to their poor. If they accept that, then take it from them and avoid the best part of people's property."[26]
The verse (ayah) 256 ofAl-Baqara is a famous verse in theIslamic scripture, theQuran.[27] The verse includes the phrase that "there is no compulsion in religion".[28] Immediately after making this statement, the Quran offers a rationale for it: Since the revelation has, through explanation, clarification, and repetition, clearly distinguished the path of guidance from the path of misguidance, it is now up to people to choose the one or the other path.[27] This verse comes right after theThrone Verse.[29][30]
With regard to Muhammad's mild nature in preachingIslam, theQuran says:
And by the mercy of Allah you dealt with them gently. If you were harsh and hardhearted, they would have fled from around you. (Quran 3:159).
The Quran says aboutMoses andAaron who preached to Pharaoh, the claimant of God:
So speak to him, both of you, mildly in order that he may reflect or fear God. (Quran 20:44).
Muhammad was reported by his wife,Aisha to have said "Whenever gentleness is in a thing, it beautifies it, and whenever it is withdrawn from something, it defaces."[31]
Muhammad was quoted by Jareer as saying, "One deprived of gentleness is deprived of all good."[32]
Muslims made it a part of their political theory (through relatingdaʿwah to jihad) and life (using the concept ofdaʿwah in their political agendas). Taken in general, the intertwining ofdaʿwah and politics, then, has been a feature throughout the Muslim history, though practical implications of this have been different in different ages.[33]
A classical example of diversion indaʿwah can be seen in the case ofYusuf in prison when two prisoners asked him to interpret their dreams. One of them said: "I saw myself pressing wine." The other said: "I saw myself carrying bread on my head and birds were eating from it." They asked: "Inform us of the interpretation of these things. Indeed, we believe you are one of the righteous." He replied: "Whenever food came to you as your provision, I informed you about it before it came. That is from what my Lord has taught me.... As for one of you, he will pour wine for his lord to drink, and as for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head. This is the case judged concerning which you both inquire." (Quran 12:35–41)
Doingdaʿwah in the right location. For example,Mount Safa in the time of Muhammad was used for announcements. So Muhammad went there to make his point. He chose that particular location because he knew the people who he was inviting toIslam. He knew their nature and characteristics, so he chose Mount Safa. He climbed up to its summit and addressed his people saying: "O people ofQuraysh, if I were to tell you there was an army behind this hill would you listen to me?"[34]
Various Islamic institutions provide elaborate manuals, trainings and workshops todaʿi to prepare them for successfuldaʿwah.
Daʿis are given trainings in the form of physical workshops and training sessions.[35][36]Daʿwah trainings are also provided in the form of online video lessons, webinars, online discussion forums, handouts and quizzes.[37]
Moderndaʿwah movements are varied in their objectives and activities. Examples include:
Islamic educational and outreach organization based in Detroit, Michigan, United States.founded by Imam Ayham MishMishan.[49] The Institute serves as a support system for new Muslims, offering guidance, mentorship, and structured programs to help them transition into the faith and integrate into the Muslim community. It also provides community education, Friday sermons, and public daʿwah programs.
Methods may also depend upon specific creeds. For instance, among Ismailis,al-Naysaburi's Code of Conduct depicts the values in which dais should spread the word of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims.[51]Idris Imad al-Din's work presents us with an indigenous account of the traditions of thedaʿwa in Yaman. His account of theNizari–Musta'li succession dispute reflects the official view of theTayyibis.[52] Similarly, modern-day platforms designated for open-air public speaking in the western world also provide platforms for debate between different denominations in Islam, with documented instances of dialogue being reported between demographics such asQuranists and Mahdi'ist based creeds such asMahdavia.[53]
There are also Da'wah inspired movements that do not focus on the dissemination of Islamic creed, but rather on the promotion of secularism. Termed by Maya Mikdashi as evangelical secularism, these evangelical secularists in Lebanon attempt to encounter the sectarian state of their country by increasing the space of robustSecularism in a sectarian Lebanon. During theLaïque Pride, the organizers of the pride, referred to the Islamic Da' wah to describe the tactics of expanding their ideology.[54]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)The common version, however, is that B. Lihyan wanted to avenge the assassination of their chief at Muhammad's instigation, and bribed two clans of the tribe of Khuzaymah to say they wanted to become Muslims and ask Muhammad to send instructors.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) (online)Then in Safar (which began July 13, 625), four months after Uhud, he sent out the men of Bi'r Ma'unah
