Advice For Dawa

Bismillah Alhamdulillah Salaam Alaikum peace be unto you. Welcome to another episode of the deen show, which is a way of life we try to put out there for everyone to see helping you understand Islam and Muslims. And my next guest is one who is well known in the Muslim community who has intensively studied different religions and has been active in the Dawa for many years. I'm very honored to have him as our guest here on the deen show. Shabbir Li a salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato. How are you? hamdulillah. Fantastic. Thank you for being with us today. My pleasure radio. So we want to get straight to the to the topic here which is dolla dolla, which is a duty on

every Muslim to invite people to this beautiful message of Islam. Can you give us some advice now, where you see many Muslims are not fulfilling this duty? Can you elaborate on this a little bit? Yes, that was a very important responsibility of Muslims. And yet, you're right. Many Muslims do not understand this as a responsibility and hence do not fulfill it. But we find in the Quran that there is a direct command from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi Salaam Odwalla Sybil Arabic call to the way of your Lord. And as much as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is our example, we have to follow that example, in Surah, Yusuf one, our number 112.

Or rather 108, Allah tells the Prophet peace be upon him to say that this is my way I call to the way of my Lord with clear evidence, I and those who follow me, so it's not only he that does it, but also his followers. And if we claim to be followers of the Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him, then naturally, we should be giving that message as well. Now you've been doing dour, inviting people to submission and to surrender to the Creator of the heavens and earth along with all known partners for many years. Now, what enticed you to go ahead and study not only your way of life, which is a way of life for all mankind, but to study Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, what enticed

you to do this? Well, in the end, we have to say, this is the blessing of Allah on me that he has inspired me or guided me to follow this path and to learn about the world's religions in this way. But if we ask about the natural causes, we can say that people came knocking on my door to entice me to follow some other religion. And I've always had a curious mind, I like to get to the bottom of things. So it was not enough for me to just simply say, look, Islam is the truth. And I'm a Muslim, because Islam is the truth. I wanted to know how true it is. And in what way is it true, and and why not something else. So I had to study to satisfy myself that what I believe really is true, and that

it can withstand the attacks and the criticisms that other others launch against it. and by extension, I wanted to study the other faiths as well, to see what the faith followers present as evidence for the truth of their own belief systems, and to see whether those pieces of evidence actually do measure up against scrutiny and criticism. Did that strengthen your faith even more? Definitely, because it's one thing to say, look, I believe, but it's another thing to quietly confidently in in a laid back manner to be able to say, look, I have studied whatever is out there. And I, in the end, conclude that what I have is really the truth. That is a conviction that comes

after looking at the evidence. Of course, I'm not saying that all faith is it depends on evidence, there is a certain elements of faith, but that comes after the evidential matters have been explored. So evidence takes us to a certain extent, and we can build faith on top of that. But faith should not be a replacement for evidence. Tell us give us some advice, you have a lot of experience in this area.

For the person that wants to do dallah and now he might have watched some comedy videos, and he likes his style or he watched some other person and you know, these debates that go on between people over the face and Muslims, you've been in a lot of them. All right, sometimes ends up like a boxing match. So give us some some advice on what's the best way to go about talking to someone who is of an other faith in our modern context. When we're dealing with very literate societies. People are not attracted to the idea of the boxing match approach where you know, we

Tried to disprove other faiths and prove ours to be true.

But there is great scope for dialogue and for understanding at the major problem we're facing is that the vast majority of Americans, for example, do not understand much about Islam. And what they know about Islam just ain't so. And our responsibility, then is to convey to them the message in a way that is palatable that they can understand and appreciate. And dialogue sometimes gives us the opportunity, dialogues give us the opportunity to present the message when they're listening, if we had just simply a lecture, and we invited people to come out, they may not have but if we have a dialogue, it is already understood that people are both faced with coming off and should be coming

out, and supporters of the other speaker will naturally come to the event. And that will give them an opportunity to hear directly from a Muslim Imam for the first time, perhaps, a positive presentation of the message of Islam. More than this, it often is such that the other speakers, though a Christian, may already have studied Islam to a certain extent, and appreciate some features of Islam. And that person may actually tell his audience, the degree to which he already appreciates Islam. And his audience may never have expected that this could be a Christian response to Islam, they might have thought that as Christians, they have to not necessarily reject everything Islamic,

and when their pastor or preacher or minister tells them that from his own study, he has come to appreciate certain aspects of Islam, that already is a message in favor of us. And it already relieves us of some of the burden of having to explain this from scratch.

Now, tell me, I get very excited because the message of submission and surrender to the Creator of the heavens and the earth is very simple. It fits like a glove to what you have already embedded in you inside. It brings solace to the heart. And I'm very earnest about delivering this in a very simple way because the message is simple. Now, what do you do when you come across someone who, you know that when that person has hasn't been exposed, really? And when you tell them? Don't you agree that the Creator is one and to worship Him alone? He's like, yes, yes. And, you know, it's very simple to to communicate with a person like this. But on the flip side, when somebody has studied

Islam now, and it seems like his intentions are somewhat off, he takes snapshots of the Prophet, the last and final mission to mankind of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him snapshots of his life. And he'll start quoting us certain ideas, certain things out of context. And it looks like he's trying to maybe shake your faith, or the faith of the Muslim, you've come across people like this, how do you deal with them shake? Well, sometimes it's a quicker explanation

of their of their questions, or a simple answer to their questions is really, to refer to the scriptures that they already believe in. It is said that the best defensive is often a well calculated offensive. And you see, if if somebody wants to be critical, and they and hypercritical and just wants to find faults, then sometimes it doesn't matter how much or how well you answer them. It never it never budges from where they started with their questioning. So if you turn the tables around and start asking them about certain passages of the Scriptures that they already believe in, then that helps matters very simply, let me put it to you this way, as the Quran has a

verse which speaks about the cutting of the of the hands of deceives, both male and female. Yes, so many launched an objection against Islam on the score saying that this is a barbaric practice. Now, I'm not saying what should be done in our modern context here. And if I were to answer the question, I would, I would go into the details of this. But if I'm dealing with somebody who doesn't really want to hear the answer, and just wants to find fault with Islam, I might point out that in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 25, verse 11, it says that if, if two men are struggling with each other, and a woman were to grab, as the other man, by a certain area and in defense of our own husband,

then you are to cut off her hand and show her no mercy. Well, here we have a biblical verse about the cutting off of a hand for a certain reason. And one might say that this does not seem to be a very good reason, because in a situation like that, naturally, the woman would rush forward to help her husband. And it seems that her offense was that she grabbed the other man, where she was not supposed to. Yeah.

Whereas the Islamic requirement, as was traditionally done of cutting the hand of the thief was for the purpose of ensuring the safety and security of all citizens in an area. And the rationale for that seems well, based on reasonable grounds. So answering it with reference to the biblical verse just simply closes the issue very quickly, rather than having to go into a long explanation will come to a close I wanted to let you for our viewers, non Muslims who are tuning in for the first time to the deen show, and you know what they like what we have to say, and they want to know more about Islam, can you first deliver the message real simply plainly, as I talked about, to the non

Muslim, explain to them what the main message of Islam is, and then how they can actually contact you and you have a website that they can visit for more information also? Sure. Well, the message of Islam simply folks is that there is only one God, all philosophical arguments regarding proofs for the existence of God actually point to the belief in one God, the biblical prophets, whether we speak of Abraham or Moses or Jesus, they all spoke about the belief in one God. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter six, verse four, Moses spoke of one God. In the Gospel according to Mark chapter 12, verse 27, Jesus speaks of one God, and the Prophet Mohammed whom bpce was inspired by

God to deliver a message that there is only one God and he was obviously the messenger of that one God. It is from his message that Islam now comes to be established. The religion of Islam, then is simply based on that belief that was already established by reason, and confirmed by divine revelation given to God's prophets. Over time, the Quran is about to reveal to the Prophet Mohammed on whom bpce a divine revelation as a guidance to all humankind and it is to this book that we invite you, we asked you to have a chance to read the book of God and find out for yourself that God really speaks to you through this book. If you'd like more information, you can contact me by

visiting a website on which my articles are posted. www dot Islam info.com. Islam info ismif.com. Sure, thank you very much for being with us. JazakAllah Haida and we look forward to having you again, it's my pleasure I feel for you excellent work, man. Thank you. Thank you, but I can help you work for probably Yeah, thank you. And I thank everybody for tuning in to the deen show. Remember every week here, the deen show calm th e d. e. n show.com. We bring you a new show every week. Thank you for tuning in. And we'll see you again next time. I sit down Aleykum peace be unto you

aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato. May Allah peace, mercy and blessings be upon you. Welcome once again, to your show the deen show to this part of it mailbag, where we answer your questions. Today's question is an interesting question. And in light of perhaps what may what some may have heard or seen of different public figures having said, All religions are the same, this questioner asks, aren't all religions the same? Good question. It's a really good question. The reality is this. In Islam, we believe that the origins of all these religions were the same meaning that the ultimate absolute truth is that there is only one God, Allah in the Arabic The one unique God.

He, Allah subhanho, wa Taala, Allah, the glorified, the Most High.

He is the same one who has created men and has intended for men a noble purpose in creation.

And because of that, it is he who said to me unkind different prophets and messengers, with a message revelation, calling them all to that divine, manual, that divine guide of how we should live life, so that we can maximise on happiness in this world, internally and externally, and likewise, even more importantly, in the life here after.

And so each and every prophet came with the same teaching the same religion, a way of life, known in Arabic

As Islam, and that is complete, voluntary submission to the one God.

And in doing so, you the servant of God, the living the Most Merciful, attain inner happiness and peace and salvation in the hereafter. However, mankind

is the person who has changed the actual teachings. And this is where we get the different religions from mankind is the one who actually took the original pure pristine revelation and message and adulterated, corrupted it changed it to suit their desires, their wants, instead of being in accordance with their needs, which was the actual revelation, the message that God Almighty sent for them.

And so, in origin, all religions came from the one God, were basically the same main message of Bill messages of belief in the One God living the life of righteousness, obeying His commandments, refraining from the prohibitions, emulating the messenger, the prophet that was sent to you. And in doing so you will have happiness in this world, and salvation, eternal bliss and in paradise in the hereafter. But since the reality is that all of these different religions have changed. And that's why if we were to compare them, you'll find that each one has its own creed. It has its own dogmas of beliefs, and acts of worship, that make it different from others. Not only that, but you'll find

that even within a religion, you'll have different denominations or sex that have formed from them.

And so, if we realize that, we'll come to see that they're not all the same, they're not all spokes, on the same rim, leading to the same core God.

Perhaps that would be a nice thing. And perhaps it's a view that may bring something of, of hope or happiness to a person. But we need to be true to ourselves, can a person who, for example, believes that the cow is God, and therefore it is holy in that you cannot and as divine and that you cannot, in any way harm it

be equal to a person who enjoys having beef burgers and steaks, seeing that there is no problem with it? Can we equate, for example, Hinduism with what we find the Judaism, Christianity and Islam, where they hold the count to be divine, and therefore they cannot in any way harm it. And they're inundated with cows, where they can't even sell it to different markets to make money off of it. Because there would be something there God

will with us, it's something that we can do. And then take a look at these three monotheistic Abrahamic faiths.

You'll see that even within them, there's differences that make them stand apart. In Judaism in Islam, we believe that the oneness of God is

uncompromising, absolute one. There is no belief in God having a son that Jesus is his son, and that there's a third part of this, this godhead of the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit.

And at the same time, when you look at what Islam itself teaches, you'll find that there are some core similarities.

But the general greater picture itself, you'll find that it's very different, you'll find that perhaps all of these religions may have seen teachings, where they profess belief in God, or some gods, and to live a life of righteousness, to worship, to do things and to prevent yourself or to refrain from other things. But at the core, you'll find that

salvation can only be one.

Salvation can only be when you truly submit and surrender yourself to God's will, to God's teachings. And if you look at these religions, you will find that they have been changed. They are distorted. Their messages are not the original messages, therefore they themselves are no longer applicable today. And this is why we believe as God Almighty himself tells us, that only the revelation of the Koran is to remain pure is to remain uncorrupted. And it's not because Muslims are special people that they're the ones who've done this, because God Almighty himself who intended the final prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam allows peace and blessings be upon him in the

final revelation that he accompanied the Quran that God Almighty himself would preserve it would protect it, so that no one would mess with it, that no one would be able to corrupt it and that if they did the backups, the security measures are so stringent, so strong, so well established and built in, that those individual efforts would have no effect upon the whole. Why because it's them as it is now through the final

Profit would have to remain this way until the end of the base until the day of judgment.

And so this is why brothers and sisters, if you were to look at and compare Islam with the others, you will realize that they are not all the same, that they are not all the same at all. Because if you take the Shahada, the testimony of faith, the main thing that must be said, professing what you should believe in your heart that there is only one God, and that Muhammad is His Prophet and Messenger, what are the religion tells you to affirm those two?

None except for Islam. And to believe in one God alone, is not enough, because without the proper guidance, without the proper understanding, and that understanding is only with the final prophet and messenger, then you'll be worshiping God based upon what your rationale based on the upon what your feelings and your emotions and what your fathers have done in the past upon what your pastor priest, whoever it is, of religious figure, tells you or shows you, how would you know that what clarity do you have? And so because of this, we say that all religions are not the same. And that the way to God is only one way it has always been only one way and it will continue to only be one

way, and that is the straight path to him. The path of humbly, voluntarily, lovingly living your life according to the teachings, the final teachings that he sent with his final prophet and messenger. This is Islam the complete way of life. Thank you very much. And until next time, assalamu Aleikum