The Correct Manner of Calling to Allah (Part 1) – Shaykh Rabīʿ bin Hādī ‘Umayr al-Madkhali

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Imam, the Muhaddith, the Carrier of the Flag of al-Jarh wa at-Tadil (1) in our time, Shaykh Rabīʿ bin Hādī ‘Umayr al-Madkhali (2) delivered a lecture entitled “The Correct Manner of Calling to Allāh” in the year 1422h corresponding to 2001. This lecture was later transcribed and released in the year 1431H/2010. The translated benefits will be taken from both the audio and the printed book. Insha Allāh

“All praise belongs to Allāh , we praise Him (as he deserves to be praised), we seek his aid and assistance and we seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own selves, and from our misdeeds. Whomsoever Allāh guides then there is none to misguide, and whomsoever Allāh guides there is none to misguide. I bear witness that there is no deity truly deserving of worship except Allāh alone, having no partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad (ﷺ) is his slave and messenger.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
O you who have believed, fear Allāh as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]. (Aal-Imran: 102)

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَنِسَآءًۭ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْحَامَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًۭا
O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwâ (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allāh through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allāh is Ever an All-Watcher over you.  (An-Nisa: 1)

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُوا۟ قَوْلًۭا سَدِيدًۭا
O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allāh and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth.

يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَـٰلَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا
He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allāh and His Messenger (ﷺ), he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and admitted to Paradise). (Al-Ahzab: 70-71)

To proceed, indeed the best speech is the Speech of Allāh, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (ﷺ). The most evil of affairs are the newly invented matters, and every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the fire.

Then indeed, it is a blessed opportunity that we meet our brothers and sons in a house from the houses of Allāh (3), studying an important issue from the affairs of our religion.

It is the matter of calling to Allāh (تبارك وتعالى) and the correct methodology in doing so. Many people are ignorant of this, including some who are engaged in the field of da’wah, and they deviate from these sound methods. The masters, leaders and guides of the callers to Allah are the Prophets (عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ). Therefore, whoever desires to know the correct methods for calling to Allāh, then let him ponder over the stories of these noble Messengers, the leaders of the callers (عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ), and let him study the life of this noble Prophet, Muhammad (ﷺ), from the Qur’an itself and from the purified Prophetic Sunnah, which Allāh (تبارك وتعالى)  has preserved and safeguarded.

The Quran remains a guiding light for this nation, by which they are guided in all aspects of their lives, at the forefront of that is the call to Allāh (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) in what He revealed to this noble prophet (ﷺ), He تَعَالَى said,

قُلْ هَـٰذِهِۦ سَبِيلِىٓ أَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ عَلَىٰ بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا۠ وَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَنِى ۖ وَسُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم): “This is my way; I invite to Allāh with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me. And Glorified and Exalted be Allāh. And I am not of  those who worship others along with Allāh or set up rivals or partners to Allāh.” (Yusuf: 108)

قُلْ هَـٰذِهِۦ سَبِيلِىٓ
Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم): “This is my way;

i.e. the path of Tawhid, it is the path of the prophets (عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ), Allah did not send a single Prophet or Messenger from them, except that he called to tawhid and to making the religion sincerely for Allah.

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍۢ رَّسُولًا أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتَ
And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], “Worship Allāh and avoid ṭāghūt (all false deities i.e. do not worship Tâghût besides Allāh ).” (An-Nahl: 36)

The entire history of the divine messages are summarised in these concise, miraculous, and magnificent words. From the first messenger to the last of them, this was their methodology, this was their call. They called the people to the Oneness of Allāh, and to rejecting shirk, and all false objects of worship.

Many of these dawah movements that are present on the scene today – I do not say all of them – do not uphold this great methodology which Allāh prescribed for all of the Messengers, from the first of them to the last of them. Not one of them (عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ)) ever deviated from this path, nor would they deviate from it – and far removed were they from that. Allāh has safeguarded them from veering right or left away from this great methodology, the methodology which many da’wah movements reject and flee from. Those (da’wah movements)  have not increased this nation except in ruin, evil consequences, humiliation, and debasement, this is because they do not tread the path which Allāh legislated for his Prophets, and for this nation until the establishment of the Hour.

Indeed, many heads of these movements have been made aware that they have deviated and are far removed from this great methodology. Sadly, days, nights, months, and years go by, yet the warnings from the Book of Allāh, the Sunnah of the Messenger, and the advice of those calling to the way of the noble Messengers (عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ) bring them no benefit.

O callers! Wake up! Fear Allah concerning yourselves, fear Allāh regarding this nation that is in loss, except those whom Allah has saved. (4)

The Path of Allāh is clear.”

To be continued, insha Allah.

(1)  As stated by the Imam, Shaykh Al-Albani (rahimahullah)

(2) He is the Shaykh, the erudite scholar and expert in ḥadīth, Rabīʿ bin Hādī bin Muḥammad bin Rabīʿ, hailing from the ʿUmayr tribe. Some genealogists attribute this tribe to the Naʿāmiyyah, a group of leaders whose lineage can be traced back to al-Ḥasan bin ʿAlī (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا). The ʿUmayr clan is closely associated with the well-known Madākhilah tribe in the Jīzān region, and the lineage of the Madākhilah can be traced back to the Shabīl clan, and Shabīl is Yashjub bin Yaʿrab bin Qahtān. Taken from Al-Fusool al-Mudiyyah min Seerati ash-Shaykh Rabī bnHādī ‘Umayr Al-Madkhali

(3) From Abū Hurayrah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), that he said, “Whosoever removes a worldly distress from a believer, Allāh will remove from him one of the distresses of the Day of Judgment. Whosoever alleviates [the lot of] a needy person, Allāh will alleviate [his lot] in this world and the next. Whosoever shields a Muslim, Allāh will shield him in thisworld and the next. Allāh will aid a servant [of His] so long as the servant aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allāh will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allāh, reciting the Book of Allāh and studying it among themselves, without tranquility descending upon them, mercy enveloping them, the angels surrounding them, and Allāh making mention of them amongst those who are with Him. Whosoever is slowed down by his actions will not be hastened forward by his lineage.” Related by Muslim Nawawi’s Forty Hadith

(4) See Tafsir of Surah al-Asr