How did the Prophet give da’wah?
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The last of all the Prophets sent to mankind was Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullaah. He was the Messenger whom Allah ﷻ sent as a mercy to mankind and the jinn, as a bearer of glad tidings and a wamer. He did not leave any good except that he guided his Ummah and directed them to it. Similarly, he did not leave a single evil except that he wamed his Ummah against it.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ started his da’wah in the same way that all the Prophets and Messengers began their da’wah. He began his da’wah by calling to Tawheed and inviting the people to direct their worship to Allah and none besides Him.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ began by calling the people to the shahaadataan (Ash- hadu allaa ilaaha illallaah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar Rasoolullaah). The Messenger of Allah thus began his da’wah with this fundamental principle, until it became clear that his message is founded upon two important concepts; the concept that nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah ﷻ .
He continued calling to the worship of Allah Alone throughout his time in Makkah, which was a period that lasted thirteen years. He did not become tired from his call. He remained patient upon all types of harm that he faced from those who opposed him. The Prophet also taught people to show good manners towards relatives and to be truthful. In the tenth year of Prophethood the Salah was made compulsory upon the Muslims. However, the foundation of his da’wah was always Tawheed.
When Allah ﷻ revealed the first few aayaat of Soorat Al-‘Alaq, the Prophet Muhammad began to give da’wah secretly to those who were around him. He gave da’wah to his wife Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid. Then he gave da’wah to his close friend Aboo Bakr his cousin ‘Ali ibn Abee Taalib and other people from his family and those close to him. The Prophet gave da’wah secretly until Allah commanded him to promote his da’wah openly which Allah mentions in Soorat Al-Muddaththir. After this point, the Prophet’s da wah would extend to the streets of Makkah. He also gave da’wah to those people who would visit Makkah in the period of Hajj.
The Hajj season was an excellent opportunity to spread the concept of Tawheed. The people who arrived for Hajj met with the Prophet and returned to their family, friends and community with news of what the Prophet called them to. So they went back to their people and instructed them to worship Allah ﷻ Alone. There are many ahaadeeth that mention the da’wah efforts of the Prophet during Haji.
So the da’wah of the Prophet began with Tawheed. The Prophet also began his da’wah with those who were around him. The Prophet did not go to the people of Makkah first before going to his wife, family and close friends. Similarly, the Prophet did not go to the people of neighboring cities before calling the people of Makkah. Certainly in the Prophet we have a perfect example as Allah ﷻ says:
لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌۭ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًۭا ( سورة الأحزاب : ۲۱ )
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for the one who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” (Soorat Al-Ahzab:21)
So let us follow his prophetic example closely whenever we attempt to give da’wah and call the people to good.
Learning from the lesson
- The da’wah of the Prophet was based on Tawheed.
- The Prophet started giving da’wah to his family and friends before giving da’wah to the people in his community.
- The Hajj season was a good opportunity for the Prophet to give da’wah.
Discussion
- Why is it important to follow the same method of giving da’wah as the Prophets?
- Why did the Prophet give da’wah to his family and friends before he gave da’wah to the people of his community?
- Why did the Prophet give da’wah in secret first?
- What is the importance of basing da’wah on Tawheed?
