Author: Amjad Khan

This is a continuation of the series on “The Correct Manner of Calling to Allāh” by Imām Shaykh Rabīʿ bin Hādī ʿUmayr al-Madkhali (ḥafiẓahullāh). Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Part 5:

وَقَالَ إِنَّنِى مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

“And says: Indeed, I am one of the Muslims.” [Fussilat: 33]

Meaning, I am one of this group that has submitted, surrendered and yielded to Allāh, the Most High. Thus, he does not differ from this group, separate from it, oppose it or deviate from it.

I am one of the Muslims in heart and soul, in Daʿwah and Manhaj. I am one of those who have submitted and yielded to Allāh, the Most High, and not one of those who are Muslims in name only, without being Muslims in reality.

Those who submit and yield to Allāh, the Most High, and follow His Messengers in their beliefs, methodologies and manners—this is the type of Muslim who submits himself to Allāh. He does not submit to anyone other than Allāh, nor does he yield except to Allāh, His Messenger ﷺ and that which he came with.

Responding to Evil with That Which Is Better

وَلَا تَسْتَوِى ٱلْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ٱدْفَعْ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ

“The good deed and the evil deed are not equal. Repel (the evil) with that which is better.” [Fussilat: 34]

This is an important lesson in moral conduct. How different good and evil are!

That is, if someone wrongs you, then as a matter of justice, you are entitled to take your right. However, out of virtue and for the sake of this Daʿwah, you should adorn yourself with forbearance and patience, forgive and overlook, and neither seek revenge nor retaliate.

Do not respond to evil with evil; rather, respond to evil with that which is better. Be good to him, for this will have a very positive effect on the heart and mind of the person who wronged you.

How much harm the caller to Allāh will encounter! If he fortifies himself with patience, forbearance, pardon and noble manners, then these are the qualities required by Daʿwah, and it is through them that Daʿwah efforts succeed.

The Effects of Responding to Evil with Good

فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُۥ عَدَٰوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌ

“Then the one between whom and you there was enmity will become as though he were a close friend.” [Fussilat: 34]

Suddenly, the effects of this kindness cause him to change.

It was narrated to me that there was a caller who resembled Ibn Taymiyyah in intelligence, knowledge and memorisation. Thousands of disbelievers entered Islam through him. He was someone who never retaliated against anyone. He would respond to harm with goodness.

It was even said that a wicked person once came to him and struck him on the head with a pickaxe until he was almost dead. He lost consciousness due to the beating he received.

Then the authorities came, apprehended this offender and placed him in prison. This occurred while the caller was unconscious.

When he regained consciousness, the first person he asked about was the one who had beaten him, and where he had been taken.

The people said to him, “They have taken him to prison.”

The caller replied, “Never! I am not content for him to remain imprisoned.”

He requested that the man be released from prison. However, the authorities refused to release him.

Consequently, the caller continued spending money on the offender’s family until he was released from prison.

Upon his release, the offender went directly to the caller, embraced his Daʿwah and became one of his finest followers!

Therefore, the callers to Allāh, the Blessed and Most High, must adorn themselves with these noble qualities.

Patience and Noble Manners in Daʿwah

وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ

“But none is granted it except those who are patient, and none is granted it except one who possesses a great portion (of good).” [Fussilat: 35]

No one is granted success in attaining these noble qualities except those who are patient: calling to Allāh, exercising patience, pardoning others, showing forbearance, refraining from seeking revenge, and responding to an evil deed with good—with that which is better, not merely with good, but with that which is better—so that these excellent efforts come to fruition.

فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُۥ عَدَٰوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌ

Then Allāh explained that those who possess these manners are the people of patience, and they possess a great share of good with Allāh, the Blessed and Most High.

Therefore, these are among the methods of Daʿwah.

The Salafi Daʿwah and the Unity of the Muslim Ummah

Among the successful methods and means of Daʿwah employed by the callers to Allāh are knowledge, patience, affiliation with Islam, and being eager to unite the Muslims.

People accuse the Salafi Daʿwah of causing division.

By Allāh, I do not know of any Daʿwah among the various movements present today that can compare with the Salafi methodology in this regard.

I do not find any Daʿwah more eager than the Salafi Daʿwah to see the entire Ummah become one Ummah, with all Muslims submitting to Allāh, the Most High.

For this reason, they call to holding firmly to the Rope of Allāh and returning to the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ.

In contrast, others besides them do not possess this same commitment. Thus, implicitly, even if they do not openly declare it, they approve of these differences, conflicts, divisions and fragmentation within the Ummah.

Whereas the Salafi Daʿwah does not approve of any of this whatsoever. It rejects this division and calls upon all Muslims to hold firmly to the Rope of Allāh and return to the true religion of Allāh, which He revealed to them.

Due to their departure from many of the fundamental principles, subsidiary matters and texts of this religion, humiliation and disgrace descended upon them. This is something witnessed and well known to every person of intellect and insight.

The adherents of the Salafi methodology understand that Allāh will not remove from this Ummah the humiliation and disgrace under which it lives until it returns to the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ.

The Prophetic Narration Concerning Humiliation

إِذَا تَبَايَعْتُمْ بِالْعِينَةِ، وَأَخَذْتُمْ أَذْنَابَ الْبَقَرِ، وَرَضِيتُمْ بِالزَّرْعِ، وَتَرَكْتُمُ الْجِهَادَ، سَلَّطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ ذُلًّا لَا يَنْزِعُهُ حَتَّى تَرْجِعُوا إِلَى دِينِكُمْ

“If you engage in ʿīnah transactions, take hold of the tails of cattle, become content with agriculture, and abandon jihād, Allāh will impose upon you humiliation which He will not remove until you return to your religion.”⁽¹⁾

We believe in Allāh, and we affirm the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ.

We call upon all Muslims to believe in all the Qur’ānic and Prophetic texts, to give these Prophetic texts great importance and the utmost consideration, and to be firmly convinced, in the depths of their souls, that all these slogans, approaches and proposed solutions can neither resolve the problems of the Muslims nor remove the humiliation that weighs upon their hearts.

This humiliation that weighs upon the hearts of the Muslims cannot be removed except through one matter—and it is a matter that is easy for whomever Allāh makes it easy for: returning to that which the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and his Companions, may Allāh be pleased with them, were upon, namely, the Qur’ān and the Sunnah.

Have we understood?!

“Allāh has imposed humiliation upon you, and He will not remove it from you until you return to your religion.”

It is impossible for this humiliation to be removed from this Ummah through any other means.

Even if all the powers of the world were to unite to remove this humiliation from the Muslims, they would be unable to do so.

How could that be, when all the powers of the world are uniting to inflict humiliation and disgrace upon this Ummah?!

There is only one thing that can remove this humiliation from the Muslims: returning to the Book of Allāh, the Most High, and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ; returning to the sound beliefs brought by the Prophets, peace and blessings be upon them; and returning to the correct methodologies brought by this noble Messenger ﷺ, whose Book has authority over all the revealed Books and Messages.

1. Reported by Abū Dāwūd (no. 3462), from Ibn ʿUmar (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhumā); graded ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī (raḥimahullāh).

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. in shāʾ Allāh

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Part 4:

There is no doubt that many factors have arisen and affected this Ummah, corrupting its concepts, beliefs, and methodologies. It requires large numbers of scholars  of the calibre of Ibn Taymiyyah — not the likes of so-and-so and so-and-so — to rectify this Ummah and return its people to that which the Noble Messenger ﷺ and his noble Companions may Allāh be pleased with them, were upon with regard to beliefs, methodology and manners. All of that is dependent upon rectifying the creed and the methodology.

Among the verses that we can mention as a reminder on this topic is the statement of Allāh تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَىٰ ,

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّن دَعَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِى مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ ٣٣

وَلَا تَسْتَوِى ٱلْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ٱدْفَعْ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُۥ عَدَٰوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌ ٣٤

وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَمَا يُلَقَّىٰهَآ إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ ٣٥

And who is better in speech than he who [says: “My Lord is Allâh (believes in His Oneness),” and then stands firm (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allâh’s (Islâmic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: “I am one of the Muslims.” The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh orders the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly) then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. But none is granted it (the above quality) except those who are patient – and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion (of happiness in the Hereafter i.e. Paradise and of a high moral character) in this world.  [Fussilat: 33-35]

۞ أَتَأْمُرُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ بِٱلْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ٤٤

Do you order righteousness of the people and forget (to practise it) yourselves, while you recite the Scripture! Have you then no sense? [Al-Baqarah: 44].

It is incumbent upon the callers to benefit from the likes of this verse, so that they are among the most diligent of people in adhering to it in their call, and among the most diligent in striving to actualise it inwardly and outwardly. making these deeds sincerely for Allāh, and desiring nothing through them except the Face of Allāh.

Likewise, the caller must safeguard his call from being tainted by corruption and from giving people cause to think ill of him — that he calls to something while he himself does not act upon it.

A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and be cast into the Hellfire, and his intestines will pour forth in Hell. He will go around them as a donkey around a millstone. The people of Hell will gather around him and say: What has happened to you? Were you not enjoining good and forbidding evil? He will say: Of course, I used to enjoin good but I did not practice it myself, and I used to forbid evil but I practiced it myself.”(1)

This is the recompense and final outcome  for the one who calls to Allāh عَزَّ وَجَلَّ, enjoins the good, and forbids evil, yet does not act upon what he knows.  He has violations, deviations, and has departed from the methodology which Allāh تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَىٰ legislated.

Allāh تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَىٰ legislated knowledge and action and He obligated action. How can you call to something while not acting upon it?! How can you call the people and then evade and flee from acting upon it?!

The recompense and final outcome of the one who calls to Allāh تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَىٰ  while this is his condition – — he enjoins the good but does not do it, and forbids the evil but does it — is that he becomes a cause of astonishment for the people of the Hellfire. We seek refuge with Allāh. We seek refuge with Allāh from saying that which we do not do.

Beware, beware that the people see you as a caller to Allāh عَزَّ وَجَلَّ while you do not adhere to that which you call them to. This does occur. So, we ask Allāh تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَىٰ  to grant success to the callers to Allāh تَعَالَىٰ, that their call to Allāh be upon knowledge and insight, upon the methodology of the Prophets (عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ), adhering to their call, and adhering to this principle — the principle of acting upon one’s knowledge — the neglect of which results in tremendous harm.

Firstly, the deviation of the people: when the people see you calling to something while not acting upon it, they become among the furthest of people from you and among the furthest of people from applying that which you call them to. If you call to something but neither implement it nor act upon it, then how will your followers act upon it?!

For this reason, you see many callers who are corrupt, while their followers are even more corrupt than they are. This is from the effects of their corrupt call, their deviant call: the people deviate by following them. This deviation occurred amongst the Jews, amongst the Christians, amongst the Rawaafidh, amongst the Sufis, and amongst the political parties. Why? Because the one who leads them leads them to speech without action. So they rush after him, and the people are followers or every caller who cries out. Blind following predominates amongst them, except those whom Allāh protects. As the Prophet ﷺ said,

“People are just like one hundred camels, you can hardly find a single camel suitable to ride.” (2)

“Except for the one whom Allāh, تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَىٰ, protects and grants success, and who finds someone to direct him aright and take him by the hand—not this corrupt individual, not this deviant individual who calls but does not act.”

(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) Reported by Ahmad (22143), al-Bukhārī (6498), and Muslim (2547).

(4) Reported by Ahmad (4516), al-Bukhārī (3267), and Muslim (2989).