The Prophet Muhammad ( )ﷺas a
Preacher and Reformer
Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and
Humanities, Riphah International University Islamabad, Pakistan
Email : [Link]@[Link] Contact # +92,320,7863888
Topics of Lecture
The Prophet Muhammad ( )ﷺas a Preacher and
Reformer
* Definition of Dawah (Preaching)
* Importance of Dawah (Preaching)
in Islam
* Ways of Preaching in the light of Qur’anic Verses
* Ways of Preaching in the light of Ahadeeth
Lecture Outcomes
* Students will know the Exemplary Role Model of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a Preacher and
Reformer
* They will learn their duties to spread the Message of Islam
to whole mankind.
* They will learn the Needs and Modes of Preaching in
Contemporary Time Period.
Let’s Think
*Preach to Perform
*Read to Lead
س ْل ٰن َك شَا ِهدًا ﱠو ُمبَ ِ ّ
ش ًرا ﱠو نَ ِذ ْي ًرا۔ ﱠو ر
ْ َ َ ا ۤ
ا ﱠ نِ ا ی بﱠ نال ا ٰ ﱡَ
ه يَ ا ۤ
ي
ِ ﱡ
دَا ِعيًا اِلَى ﱣ ِ ِب ِا ْذ ِن ٖه َو ِ
س َرا ًجا ﱡم ِن ْي ًرا)احزاب(45،46
Definition of Dawah (Islamic Preaching)
* Literally Dawah means “to call people.”
* Technically, Dawah means “to deliver the message of Allah, virtuous
deeds, ethical values and especially guidance in religious matters to the
people”.
* The practitioner of preaching is known as Da`i.
* In Qur’an, both Dawah & Tableegh have been used. Also the words like
“Nazeer” means “warner” and “Tazkeer” means “to give reminder” have
been stated in the Qur’an in the meaning of Dawah.
(Almas Muhammad Yaseen, Hafiz Muhammad Sani, (2020) The Methodology Of Preaching The Religion In Modern Age And
Its Effective Strategy (Scientific And Research Analysis, p.67)
Importance of Dawah (Preaching) in Islam
* It is a fundamental responsibility of every believer to convey the message of
Islam to every class of humanity and to every individual of the world in order to
make people attract to Islam. Allah and His Apostle have commanded and
emphasized this obligation of Muslims in many verses and Ahadeeth. On the
occasion of Farwell Hajj, the Prophet (peace be upon him) indicated in his Last
Sermon that from now on, preaching and propagation of Deen is collective duty of
Muslims.
ِ ب ُمبَلﱠ ٍغ أ َ ْو ٰعى ِم ْن َس
،ام ٍع َ ِشا ِهدُ ْالغَائ
فَ ُر ﱠ،ب فَ ْليُبَ ِلّ ِغ ال ﱠ
“So it is incumbent upon those who are present to convey it (this information) to
those who are absent because the informed one might comprehend it (what I have
said) better than the present audience, who will convey it to him.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith no.1741)
Importance of Dawah (Preaching) in Islam
* In modern times, in order to convey the universal
message of Islam, there are many challenges and problems
faced by Islam and Muslims. To overcome these problems,
it is very important to understand the Prophetic
methodology of Dawah, strategies and principles.
(Almas Muhammad Yaseen, Hafiz Muhammad Sani, (2020) The Methodology Of Preaching The Religion In Modern Age And
Its Effective Strategy (Scientific And Research Analysis, p.67)
Commandment of Dawah (Preaching) in the Qur’an
َ سو ُل بَ ِلّ ْغ َما أ ُ ْن ِز َل ِإلَي َْك ِم ْن َر ِبّ َك َو ِإ ْن لَ ْم ت َ ْف َع ْل فَ َما بَلﱠ ْغ
(67: ت ِر َسالَتَهُ ” )المائده “ َياأَيﱡ َها ﱠ
ُ الر
" O Messenger! Convey everything revealed to you from your Lord. If you do
not, then you have not delivered His message”.
(Qur’an 5:67, Khattab, 2016)
َع ِن ْٱل ُمن َك ِر ۚ َوأ ُ ۟و ٓلَئِ َك ُه ُم ْٱل ُم ْف ِل ُحون ِ َو ْلت َ ُكن ِ ّمن ُك ْم أ ُ ﱠم ۭةٌ يَ ْدعُونَ إِلَى ْٱل َخي ِْر َويَأ ْ ُم ُرونَ بِ ْٱل َم ْع ُر
َ َوف َويَ ْن َه ْون
(104:) آل عمران
“Let there be a group among you who call others to good, and enjoin what is
right, and forbid what is wrong: those who do this shall be successful”
(Qur’an 3:104, Wahiduddin, 2013)
Commandment of Dawah (Preaching) in the Qur’an
(125: “س ُن ۚ◌ ”)النحل َ ظ ِة ْال َح َسنَ ِة ۖ َو َجاد ِْل ُهم ِبالﱠتِي ِه
َ ي أ َ ْح َ يل َر ِبّ َك ِب ْال ِح ْك َم ِة َو ْال َم ْو ِع َ “ا ْدعُ ِإلَ ٰى
ِ س ِب
“Call people to the path of your Lord with wisdom and good advice and argue
with them in the most courteous way.”
(Qur’an 14:125, Kaskas, 2016)
(132: علَ ْي َها ) طه َ ص
َ ط ِب ْر َوأْ ُم ْر أَ ْهلَ َك ِبٱل ﱠ
ْ صلَ ٰوةِ َوٱ
“And enjoin (on) your family the prayer and be steadfast therein. ”
(Qur’an 20:132, Shaikh & Khatri , 2007)
Commandment of Dawah (Preaching) in Hadith
بظهُ َحتﱠى يُبَ ِلّغَهُ فَ ُر ﱠ َ ً ض َر ﱠ ُ ْام َرأ
َ س ِم َع ِمنﱠا َحدِيثًا فَ َح ِف سو َل ﱠ ِ صلى ﷲ عليه وسلم يَقُو ُل " نَ ﱠ
ُ قَا َل َس ِم ْعتُ َر،ٍَع ْن زَ ْي ِد ب ِْن ثَابِت
. " ْس ِبفَ ِقي ٍه َ ام ِل ِف ْق ٍه لَي
ِ ب َح ام ِل ِف ْق ٍه ِإلَى َم ْن ُه َو أَ ْفقَهُ ِم ْنهُ َو ُر ﱠ
ِ َح
Narrated Hazrat Zayd ibn Thabit:
“I heard the Messenger of Allah ( (ﷺsay: May Allah brighten a man who hears a
tradition from us, gets it by heart and passes it on to others. Many a bearer of
knowledge conveys it to one who is more versed than he is; and many a bearer of
knowledge is not versed in it.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith no. 3660)
من دعا إلى هدى كان له من اﻷجر مثل أجور من تبعه ﻻ ينقص ذلك من أجورهم شيئًا
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah ( (ﷺsaid, "He who calls others to follow the Right Guidance
will have a reward equal to the reward of those who follow him, without their
reward being diminished in any respect on that account."
(Sahih Muslim & Riyad as-Salihin, Hadith no. 1382)
Dawah Strategies in the Light of Qur’an
1. Call with Wisdom
Wisdom is the coherence in the mind, word and action. Therefore, it
is essential that the words to be uttered in Tabligh, should be
reasonable and done by the speaker.
ۡ َ شا ٓ ُء ۚ َو َم ۡن ي ۡﱡؤ
َ “يُ ۡؤتِى ۡال ِح ۡك َمةَ َم ۡن يﱠ
َ ِت ال ِح ۡك َمةَ فَقَ ۡد ا ُ ۡوت
269 :ى خ َۡي ًرا َكثِ ۡي ًرا ؕ◌ ” البقرة
“He grants [the] wisdom (to) whom He wills, and whoever is granted
[the] wisdom, then certainly he is granted good abundant.”
(Qur’an 2:269, Shaikh & Khatri , 2007)
Dawah Strategies in the Light of Qur’an
2. Motivation
ۤۡ ظلَ ُم ۡوا ِم ۡن ُه ۡم َوقُ ۡولُ ۡ ٓوا ٰا َمنﱠا بِالﱠذ
ِى ا ُ ۡن ِز َل َ َس ُن ۖ اِ ﱠﻻ الﱠذ ِۡين َ ى ا َ ۡحَ ب اِ ﱠﻻ بِالﱠتِ ۡى ِه ِ “ َو َﻻ ت ُ َجا ِدلُ ۡ ٓوا اَ ۡه َل ۡال ِك ٰت
46“احدٌ ﱠون َۡح ُن لَه ُم ۡس ِل ُم ۡونَ ” العنکبوت ِ اِلَ ۡينَا َوا ُ ۡن ِز َل اِلَ ۡي ُك ۡم َواِ ٰل ُهـنَا َواِ ٰل ُه ُك ۡم َو
“Do not argue with the People of the Book unless gracefully, except with
those of them who act wrongfully. And say, “We believe in what has
been revealed to us and what was revealed to you. Our God and your
God is ˹only˺ One. And to Him we ˹fully˺ submit."
(Qur’an 29: 46, Khattab, 2016)
Dawah Strategies in the Light of Seerah
1. Secret Dawah
In the beginning the Messenger of Allah, carried out the duty of calling to
Islam secretly for a while; three years later, he started to call people to Islam
openly when Allah ordered him to do so.
The Prophet proclaimed Islam secretly for three years. The center for these
activities was the house of Hazrat Arqam. The Prophet used to recite the
Quran, perform prayers and convey Islam to people who came there. At the end
of the third year, the Prophet was ordered to do Tabligh openly, starting from
his relatives:
(214:اﻻ ۡق َر ِب ۡي ۙنَ ” ) الشعراء
َ ۡ “ َوا َ ۡنذ ِۡر َعش ِۡي َرت َ َك
“And warn your kindred [the] closest.”
(Qur’an 26:214, Shaikh & Khatri , 2007)
Dawah Strategies in the Light of Seerah
2. Appealing to the Addressed People in Dawah
It is one of the strategies of Dawah of the Prophet to treat people in
accordance with their minds and levels. He forgave the roughness of the
Bedouins; he treated people in accordance with their positions. He joked with
children and treated them in accordance with their levels.
3. Displaying a Gentle Attitude
One of the most important properties of the Prophet Muhammad in his Dawah
was that he never used harsh or violent attitude. He always treated people
sweetly, politely and gently. Allah also does not like the people who treated
their family and people around them harshly.
Dawah Strategies in the Light of Seerah
4. Gradualism in Dawah
It is impossible to change the customs and traditions of a society overnight.
So one of the strategies of Dawah of the Prophet is gradualism. It is the most
appropriate behavior for the human psychology. The Glorious Quran was sent
down in accordance with this principle in 23 years. This principle is valid in
the verses about alcohol; this principle is also valid in the difference between
the Makkan and Madnan verses. Allah states that he will not lay on human
beings a burden greater than they have strength to bear. The religion that
started with the Prophet Adam evolved gradually and reached its peak with
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). All prophets used this method.
Dawah Strategies in the Light of Seerah
5. Nominating the Representatives as Instructors and Governors
Before migration to Madinah, The Prophet (peace be upon him) was interested
in the tribes that came to Makkah for Hajj. He used to meet them and convey
them the message of Islam. In one of those visits, in a place called Aqabah, he
met some people of Madinah and invited them to Islam.
The next year, those people came for Hajj again, showed great interest in
learning more about Islam and asked for a teacher for that prpose. Upon that
request, our Prophet sent Hazrat Mus'ab (Radi Allahu Anhu) to Madinah as
their teacher.
6. Calling Nations and Tribes to Islam
In the 6th year of hijrah, a ten-year peace treaty was signed with the
disbelievers of Makkah. Meanwhile, the Prophet called rulers and chiefs of
different countries and tribes to Islam by writing them letters.
Role Model of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a Preacher &
Reformer
1. The life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is a role model for every person of this world
who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment. This source of guidance (the Prophet
Muhammad) can lead us completely. The world has seen a lot of scholars, philosophers and
preachers but none was as great as the Prophet Muhammad.
2. The earliest efforts of the Prophet Muhammad were directed towards persuading his own
family to the truth of the new doctrine.
3. The Oneness of Allah, the abomination of idolatry, the duties laid upon man to the will of
his Creator, these were the simple truths to which he called people.
4. The life of the Prophet and his methods of spreading Islam were a wonderful image of the
preacher, as he began his call in Makkah and met with great adversity, but he was patient and
he accomplished his mission step by step that is a great example for every preacher.
(The Ethical Aspect of the Life of Prophet | CPS International. (n.d.). CPS International. [Link]
life-prophet)
5. First, he called secretly inviting his family and close friends, then he declared the call
to all Arabs and then to the people outside Arabia. Thus he guided every caller not to rush
to a step impulsively.
(The Ethical Aspect of the Life of Prophet | CPS International. (n.d.). CPS International. [Link]
aspect-life-prophet)
6. He founded the Islamic State of Madinah, united the diverse communities into one
homogeneous nation and formed a code of law for them that governed all the tribes
without any distinction of class and background.
7. The charter (Pact of Madinah) which he gave to the world after his arrival at Madinah
granted the security of life, property and religion of both Muslims and Non-muslims. He
was the first and foremost man who brought permanent peace between the followers of
different religions there.
8. He made no Social Discrimination in extending his patronage and bore no ill-will to
the former Prophets.
(Sarwar, Zafar Alam. (2018). Prophet as world’s greatest reformer. The News International.
[Link]
9. There is a dire need for Total Unity and Discipline and study of the life
of the Prophet who established the world’s first welfare state, saved the
oppressed people, whose motto was justice and equality, who advocated
simplicity and sincerity, truthfulness and honesty and who devoted his life
for the good of the masses.
(Sarwar, Zafar Alam. (2018). Prophet as world’s greatest reformer. The News International.
[Link]
10. He broke down all artificial barriers which the society had set up to
fortify privileges of wealth, colour or cast.
علَى أ َ ْح َم َر ِإ ﱠﻻ
َ َي ٍ َو َﻻ ِﻷ َ ْح َم َر َعلَى أَ ْس َودَ َو َﻻ أ َ ْس َود
ّ علَى َع َر ِب ّ علَى أَ ْع َج ِم
ّ ي ٍ َو َﻻ ِلعَ َج ِم
َ ٍي ّ َﻻفَض َْل ِلعَ َر ِب
َ ٍي
ِبالت ﱠ ْق َوى
”There is no favor of an Arab over a foreigner, nor a foreigner over an Arab,
and neither white skin over black skin, nor black skin over white skin, except
by righteousness”. (Musnad Aḥmad, Hadith no.22978)
11. The Prophet Muhammad encouraged and facilitated the care and coaching of
Orphans, and Equal Rights of Slaves. He was able to change the hearts of people,
which, in turn, transformed their mindsets.
12. The Prophet motivated people to suppress their ego and Fear only Allah. He
abolished generation to generation rivalry and wars between tribes.
(13:ِإ ﱠن أ َ ْك َر َم ُك ْم ِعندَ ﱠ ِ أَتْقَا ُك ْم ) الحجرات
“Indeed, (the) most noble of you near Allah (is the) most righteous of you.”
(Qur’an 49:13, Shaikh & Khatri , 2007)
13. During his 23-year of mission as a Prophet and in the first few centuries following
it, women in Arabia went from being owned, inherited and treated as properties of men,
to independent members of society.
(Farooqi, Sadaf. (2018, January 22). Prophet Muhammad – The Best Social Reformer. About Islam.
[Link]
reformer/)
References:
1. Sahih Bukhari, [Link]
2. Sahih Muslim, [Link]
3. Sunan abi Dawud, [Link]
4. Musnad Ahmad, [Link]
5. Almas Muhammad Yaseen, Hafiz Muhammad Sani, (2020) The Methodology Of
Preaching The Religion In Modern Age And Its Effective Strategy (Scientific And Research
Analysis, p.67
6. The Ethical Aspect of the Life of Prophet | CPS International. (n.d.). CPS International.
[Link]
7. Farooqi, Sadaf. (2018, January 22). Prophet Muhammad – The Best Social Reformer.
About Islam. [Link]
the-best-social-
reformer/
8. Sarwar, Zafar Alam. (2018, September 6). Prophet as world’s greatest reformer. The
News International. [Link]
reformer