Etymology
The English term ''Dawah'' derives from the Arabic word , which comes from the root variously meaning 'to invite' or 'to pray'. ''Da‘wah'' literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Grammatically, the word represents a gerund of a verb with the triconsonantal root ''d-ʕ-w'' meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite". A Muslim who practices ''da‘wah'', either as a religious worker or in a volunteer community effort, is called a ' (, plural ' ). A ''dā‘ī'', is a person who invites people to understand and accept Islam through dialogue and other techniques, may be regarded as a missionary inviting people to the faith, prayer and manner of Islamic life. The term ''da'wah'' has other senses in the Qur'an. In '' sura'' (chapter) 30:25, for example, it denotes the call to the dead to rise on the Day of Judgment. When used in the Qur'an, it generally refers to Allah's invitation to live according to his will. Thus, when used in the first centuries of Islam, it usually referred to that message and was sometimes used interchangeably with '' sharī‘a'' and '' dīn''. ''Da‘wah'' is also described as the duty to "actively encourage fellow Muslims in the pursuance of greater piety in all aspects of their lives", a definition which has become central to contemporary Islamic thought.See entry for ''da‘wah'' in the '' Encyclopaedia of Islam''. Dawah is also spelt ''dâvah'', ''daawa'', ''dawah'', ''daawah'' or ''dakwah.'' For certain groups within Islam like the Salafis and Jamaat-e-Islami, Dawah is also considered as a political activity. For these groups, the aim of Dawah outreach is also to engineer a reversal of what they perceive as the decline of Islam in the modern era, through the systematic propagation of Islamist ideology and ultimately enable the establishment of an Islamic state.During Muhammad's era
During the Expedition of Al Raji in 625,Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, p. 187Post-Muhammad
After Muhammad's death in 632, from the available historical evidence, it appears that after Muhammad's death Muslims did not immediately embark upon da'wa activities—during and after the rapid conquests of the Byzantine and Persian lands, they ventured little if at all to preach to local non-Muslims. Da'wa came into wider usage almost a hundred years after Muhammad's death, in the wake of 'Abbasid propaganda against the then ruling Umayyad clan in the 720s. However, the 'Abbasid da'wa ceased as soon as the 'Abbasids were in power—a fact that attests to its political nature. Da'wa as a truly missionary activity, albeit still within the Muslim Umma, appeared in the form of the Isma'ili da'wa of the 9th through 13th centuries. Isma'ilis, in many ways, can be seen as the pioneers of the organized Muslim missionary activities: their highly institutionalized and sophisticated da'wa structure has hardly been repeated until today. Moreover, for the Isma'ilis, da'wa was a state priority. The Isma'ili da'wa encompassed extra- and intra-ummatic forms and blended both theology and politics.Purpose
In Islamic theology, the purpose of ''da‘wah'' is to invite people, Muslims and non-Muslims, to understand the worship of God as expressed in the Qur'an and the '' sunnah'' of Muhammad and to inform them about Muhammad."''Da‘wah'' produces converts to Islam, which in turn ncreasesthe size of the Muslim '' Ummah'' ommunity of Muslims" ''Da'wah'' as the "Call towards God" is the means by which Muhammad began spreading the message of the Qur'an to mankind. After Muhammad, his followers and the '' Ummah'' (Muslim community) assumed responsibility for it. They convey the message of the Qur'an by providing information on why and how the Qur'an preaches monotheism. Muhammad saw Islam as the true religion and mission of all earlier prophets. He believed that their call had been limited to their own people but that his was universal. His mission as the final prophet was to repeat to the whole world this call and invitation (dawa) to Islam. Muhammad wrote to various non-Muslim rulers, inviting them to convert.Scriptural basis
The importance of ''Dawah'' has been emphasised many times in the Quran: In the '' Hadith'' ("sayings") of Muhammad, ''dawah'' is mentioned to emphasise importance and virtues: : "Whoever directs someone to do good will gain the same reward as the one who does good." : "Whoever calls to guidance will receive the same reward as the one who follows him without any decrease in the reward of his follower." : "For Allah to guide someone by your hand is better for you than having red camels."Methods
Gentleness
With regard to Muhammad's mild nature in preachingAnd by the mercy of Allah you dealt with them gently. If you were harsh and hardhearted, they would have fled from around you. ().The Quran says about Moses and Aaron who preached to Pharaoh, the claimant of God:
So speak to him, both of you, mildly in order that he may reflect or fear God. ().Muhammad was reported by his wife, Aisha to have said “Whenever gentleness is in a thing, it beautifies it, and whenever it is withdrawn from something, it defaces.” Muhammad was quoted by Jareer as saying,“One deprived of gentleness is deprived of all good."
Influence in politics
Muslims made it a part of their political theory (through relating da'wa to jihad) and life (using the concept of da'wa in their political agendas). Taken in general, the intertwining of da'wa and politics, then, has been a feature throughout the Muslim history, though practical implications of this have been different in different ages.Wisdom
:"Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is ightlyguided ...". (). A classical example of diversion in ''dawah'' can be seen in the case of Yusuf in prison when two prisoners asked him to interpret their dreams. One of them said: “I saw myself pressing wine.” The other said: “I saw myself carrying bread on my head and birds were eating from it.” They asked: “Inform us of the interpretation of these things. Indeed, we believe you are one of the righteous.” He replied: “Whenever food came to you as your provision, I informed you about it before it came. That is from what my Lord has taught me.... As for one of you, he will pour wine for his lord to drink, and as for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head. This is the case judged concerning which you both inquire.” ()Speaking a common language
:“I did not send any messenger except that he spoke the language of his people to explain to them.” ()Location
Doing ''dawah'' in the right location. For example, Mount Safa in the time of Muhammad was used for announcements. So Muhammad went there to make his point. He chose that particular location because he knew the people who he was inviting toDawah training
Various Islamic institutions provide elaborate manuals, trainings and workshops to ''da‘i'' to prepare them for successful dawah.Dawah manual
Dawah manuals, booklets or guides are training material that give a framework and methodology for a ''da‘i'' to invite non-Muslims to accept and convert to Islam. The manuals present detailed guidance on how to carry out dialogue, various techniques and detailed steps of implementing dawah for non-muslim individual or collective audiences as well as socio-religious groups like atheists, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus etc.Trainings and workshops
''Da‘i'' are given trainings in the form of physical workshops and training sessions. Dawah trainings are also provided in the form of online video lessons, webinars, online discussion forums, handouts and quizzes.Movements
Modern ''dawah'' movements are varied in their objectives and activities. Examples include: * The Muslim Brotherhood has focused on a methodology of building grassroots institutions and funding welfare projects, which has helped it survive decades of repression under hostile governments in many Middle Eastern countries, with the group and its many offshoots still enjoying popular support and power. * Jamaat-e-Islami has focused on presenting Islam as a complete way of life and on the methodology of building grassroots institutions and funding welfare projects. * Tablighi Jamaat works on trying to bring the Muslims back to the fundamental practices of Islam such as worship; they do this by encouraging members to speak and to teach them the virtues of good actions. The movement has a following of between 20 and 80 million people and, though it originated in India, now has a global following. * Ahmed Deedat was a notable debater who was a revolutionary figure among Muslims for his effort in debating Christian polemics. Many Muslim debaters from popular debaters to grassroots ''dawah'' campaigners use his books and videos as reference material. * Zakir Naik was a student of Ahmed Deedat and followed in his teacher's footsteps by debating Christian polemics and by holding Q&A sessions with Christians. Zakir Naik is particularly notable for taking the effort of debating Christian polemics to the Muslim mainstream with his popular channel Peace TV. *See also
* Spread of Islam * Islamic missionary activity * '' Jizyah''Footnotes
Bibliography
* * '' Encyclopaedia of Islam'', Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, * Hirschkind, Charles (2004). "Civic Virtue and Religious Reason: An Islamic Counter-Public" in Drobnick, Jim ''Aural Cultures''. .External links