Karim Abuzaid – Know Your Lord Audio Book 01 00 – Introduction
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the importance of good character in Islam, citing the example of the ambassador to Islam Dalsha facts. They stress the need for a skilled salesperson to communicate with non-M-thinkers and encourage them to use their strong character to influence others to call Islam. The speaker also discusses the importance of good character in building one's faith and preparing for Islam's call.
AI: Summary ©
Part 1,
introduction.
Islam
is an exceptional product
that needs a skilled
and a qualified sales person
that knows his commodity
and conveys it wisely
and with pleasant teaching.
The West is a fertile field for the
work of inviting non Muslims to Islam,
Dawa.
Many Westerners concern themselves with material items,
thus cravings for whims and desires.
However,
they will suffer
from spiritual emptiness
and an inner vacuum
that they can only fulfill through spiritual nourishment,
and this nourishment
is perfected
in Islam.
Despite the excellent commodity
and the great demand,
the harvest of the work of calling to
Islam
Dua
is still unsatisfactory.
The court to Islam
Dawah faces 2 vital and linked obstacles
in the west.
These obstacles
are as follows
a deficiency
of knowledge,
the callers,
duhat
in the parts of monotheism,
tawhid
that deal with the knowledge and perception
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Actions associated
with the lordship of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
His names
and attributes.
Unfortunately,
many Muslims in the west
don't realize
that they live in a predominantly
Judeo Christian
Ahlul Kitab community
who already believe in God.
However
they distorted
the concept of God.
Outreach to the Jewish and Christian communities
must begin from the foundation
of their cultivated passion
for knowing our Lord.
Callers to Islam Duhad
must feed this passion
with authentic knowledge of our Lord from revelation
inviting to know the oneness of our Lord
comes before inviting to the actions
and symbols of Islam.
The following narration, Hadith
confirms the above.
Ibn Abbas
reported
that Mu'adh
said, the messenger of Allah sent me
to Yemen
and said, you are going to some of
the people of the book.
Call them to bear witness that none has
the right to be worshipped but Allah
and that I am the messenger of Allah.
If they accept that, then teach them that
Allah has enjoined on them 5 prayers to
be offered each day
night. If they accept that,
then teach them that Allah has enjoined on
them charity,
to be taken from the rich and given
to the poor.
If they accept that, then beware
of taking the best of their wealth
and protect yourself
from the supplication
of the one who has been wronged
for there is no barrier between it and
Allah.
Many Muslims
are deficient
in calling to Allah
because
they lack knowledge about him
or they have an incorrect understanding
of his names,
attributes
and actions of lordship.
This is the objective
behind our first book of the right belief
series,
know your Lord.
Poor conduct
is another obstacle
that stands in the way of a fruitful
call to Islam
Dua.
Muslims
must invite while conducting themselves
with good character
in all aspects of their lives.
The excellence of good character is a vital
component of the work
of calling others to Islam.
A sign
of possessing the correct knowledge of Allah, Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala
and excelling and performing the rituals of Islam
is to have an exceptional character,
knowledge.
Knowledge and character
are linked together.
Umar ibn Khattab
is reported to have said,
acquire knowledge and teach people, learn with it
dignity,
tranquility,
and humility
for those who teach you, and humility for
those you teach.
Sadly
we may frequently hear a Muslim
say, I would rather deal with Christians or
Jews
but not Muslims
because of their bad character.
Of course it is wrong to say that
about Muslims
despite the lawfulness of dealing with non Muslims
in general.
This statement shows 2 essential facts:
1 Good character
radiates one's faith. Iman
before its content testifies to truth or falsehood.
Hence
regardless of the caller's contents of faith, Iman
his good or bad character
will radiate and degrade his faith, Iman
respectively.
Such is the case with many Christians and
Jews in the West who build their faith
on translated second person testimonials
and thousands of conflicting manuscripts
full of errors and contradictions.
2.
Bad character
defames one's faith, Iman.
Even if one holds the correct belief system
Aqidah.
Many Muslims do not realize that their first
tool of calling others to Islam
should be the excellence of character
which presents before the content
of author praxi.
The story of Abudar al Ghifari
one of the first ten people to accept
Islam
is a testimony
to the prominence of good character.
Abudar
Radiallahu Anhu
was distressed
by the custom of idol worshiping
that proliferated
at the time in Arabia.
He was one of those who abandoned idolatry
to worship Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
following the way of the patriarch
and prophet Ibrahim,
Abram
When the news reached Abudar
that a man in Mecca claimed prophethood,
He immediately
sent his brothers Unais
to Makkah to investigate.
Unais
spent days in Makkah carefully
examining the prophet
behavior and social interactions.
He returned to his brother Abu Dara
and reported,
I have seen him exhorting people to virtues
and his speech was not like poetry.
Notice
that the first attraction the prophet
had was his excellent character.
His speech
was substantial and commanded virtues
rather
than indulgences
like poetry and gossip.
This is what non Muslims
should see in a practicing Muslim
and it will become the magnet that attracts
them to Islam.
For the above reason and many other reasons
Allah
sent his messenger
to teach his followers
the excellence
of good character.
Allah said:
It is he who has sent among the
unlettered a messenger
from themselves
reciting to them his verses,
ayaat,
and purifying them
and teaching them the book and wisdom, although
they were before in clear error.
Verse 2.
Furthermore,
the above verse aya
reveals one of the favors Allah
has bestowed on the believers
stating
that he has sent them his messenger,
Muhammad
to teach them the Quran
and to purify them. The prophet
once declared,
I was sent to perfect good character.
This statement clarifies
that one of the reasons behind the prophet
mission
was to elevate
and perfect
the moral character of the individual
and society
at large.