The Efforts of the Sahaabah in Spreading Islam

Some examples of how the Companions spread Islam

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• Da’wah is a very important aspect in Qur’aan and Sunnah. It was a concept that the Prophet taught the Companions in word and deed. The Prophet himself engaged in inviting people to Islam to the extent that he was called and labeled crazy and insane.
• The Sahaabah understood the importance of inviting people to Islam and passionately involved themselves in this noble task. Many of the earlier Companions, for example, came into the fold of Islam on the da’wah of Companions such a Aboo Bakr who made it his task to invite people to Islam.

When the first migration of Companions to Abyssinia took place, the cousin of the Prophet, Ja’far, was quick to give the message of Isalm to Najashi the King of Abyssinia.

• When a small group of people from Madinah (known at the time as Yathrib) accepted Islam, the Prophet selected Mus’ab ibn ‘Umair to go with them to Madinah as a teacher, and more importantly a daa’ee (inviter) to the religion of Islam.
• When the people of Yemen requested the Prophet to send someone back with them, Mu’aadh ibn Jabal rose to accept the appointment of the Prophet and undertook the journey for the sake of spreading the true message of Islam.
• The same Mu’aadh ibn Jabal was sent, later in his life, by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab to Palestine for the sake of da’wah, and it is here that he passed away.
• The Companions of the Prophet sacrificed their lives spreading Islam for the sake of Allah. They knew the importance of giving da’wah and the great benefits of taking the message of Islam to the people. The Companions were active in this field both in the time of the Prophet ﷺ and after his death. Some Companions went to different parts of the world giving da’wah. While there are many examples showing the great lengths that the Companions went to for the sake of Allah ﷻ .
• The Companions numbered tens of thousands and reports indicate that at the farewell pil- grimage of the Prophet (in the year before his demise) the Sahaabah numbered close to 120 000. A cursory glance at the limited number of graves of the Companions within the country of Saudi Arabia and even within the immediate precincts of what was then known as Arabia tells us that most of the Companions passed away out of the Arabian peninsula.
• Scholars explain that the reason for this is that the Companions travelled to far-away lands for the sake of spreading the message of Islam. Companions travelled to the depths of Africa, the Byzantine Empire, the East and even the Far East to spread Islam.
• The Companions loved the Prophet ﷺ and were prepared to sacrifice their wealth, their families and their lives for him. They travelled to the far corners of the world often leaving their families behind. Because of their love, they did not hesitate in carrying out the orders of the Prophet ﷺ . The example of the Companions is what all Muslims should aspire toward.

Learning from the lesson.

1. The Companions made many sacrifices in order to spread Islam.
2. The Companions were keen to obey the orders of the Prophet ﷺ .

“Discussion:”

1. Explain what is meant by da’wah.
2. What is a daa’ee
3. Provide one proof from the Qur’aan and one proof from the hadeeth that shows the importance of da’wah.
4. List some etiquettes to be observed when giving da’wah.