Social Media is a powerful platform for Dawah
Since my childhood I was very much interested in Dawah (invitation towards Islam). But one thing was missing: a good platform.
In 2009, my dream came true when I first time logged in to social media platform Facebook. It gave me a great opportunity to reach to non- Muslims. By the grace of Allah, the feedback from non-Muslim brothers and sisters has been excellent, so far.
Once a non-Muslim sister, Garima Yadav, said and I quote:
“Hi, it feels so nice though. I do not know you that well but if you are what you write (sorry if it is offending) then I am so happy to see someone so passionate about one’s religion and giving his best shot to follow it. This world needs more people like you.”
May Allah grant her Hidaya to accept the beautiful religion of Islam! It reminds me the verse: Invite all to the way of Lord (Allah) with wisdom and beautiful preaching and argue with them in the ways that are best and most gracious. {Quran 16:125}. She is a research scholar at Lady Shri Ram College for women. This was the great compliment from a non-Muslim sister, though there were instances, when the feedback was against my views.
I believe that on Facebook, Dawah is very fast. Every time when you post an Islamic link, video or any other related information, you have to be very active to give answers to all the queries related to the post. Every time when I upload an Islamic post, I always care for its authenticity. Dawah- needs good and authentic knowledge and enthusiasm. Good and authentic knowledge may be not likely to be known by Facebook scholars but their courage, enthusiasm and their good intentions must be appreciated.
It is a good Dawah tool, which must be used by all those who have authentic and good knowledge of Islam. Now, it has been successful journey from past eight years. Alhamdullilah.
I clearly remember some good discussions on my Facebook wall on topics like hijab, jihad, sects among Muslims, and other topics. They were followed by strong arguments from Muslims as well as from non-Muslims. Facebook also gave me chance to interact with prominent scholars of Peace TV like Nisar Nadiadwala, Assim Alhakeem, Areeb Islam etc.
I believe lot of Dawah work is yet to be done, as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said:
“Whoever hides knowledge, Allah will brand him with the branding iron from the hell fire.” [Tirmidhi] You can invest a pretty good time on Facebook while giving Dawah. This may take a bit of your time initially, but if there is anything beneficial for the society then Inshallah, this will be a sound investment of your time.
The last prophet of Islam (SAW) said:
“Balligo anni walaw aayah (Relate from me, even if, only one verse).”
So, if you know one verse of the holy Quran or one Hadith, spread it. Let’s spread the word of Allah on Facebook to maintain peace, which is the need of the humanity in current times. I just pray to Allah that makes me steadfast on Islam, so that, I can serve the community in a best possible way.
You have heard about various professions across the globe like medical profession, legal profession, engineering as profession etc. I will tell you something about Dawah as a profession. Dawah means invitation toward Islam. And, it is given to non- Muslims. If you have chosen Dawah as a profession, you have certainly chosen the lengthiest, hardworking and at the same time, the most rewarding profession.
Dawah can change your personality from a shy to a bold person. And, it can uplift your character. It is becoming too corporate too. You have to wear dress formally, increase you vocabulary and most importantly, you have to increase and improve your communication skills.
While doing Dawah, you have to be very humble in your approach. And, make your presentation very simple, so that, the non- Muslims can understand the holy Quran and Hadith easily.
There are various forms of Dawah. One type is street Dawah. It is that kind of Dawah where group of da’ees (Muslims who invite people to understand Islam) of any particular Islamic organisation choose a place in their locality and interact with non-Muslims. These interactions are face to face and clear the misconceptions about Islam among non-Muslims.
You can also join Dawah organisation and help the community in various ways. It includes socio-economic and religious upliftment. Once you have chosen Dawah passionately, success will engulf you.
For Dawah, you can give 24×7, at any place, any time. While giving Dawah to non- Muslims, you can choose some common topics like why Muslim women wear hijab, jihad in Islam, women rights in Islam, is terrorism Muslims monopoly, etc.
These days you can give Dawah on other social networking sites like on Twitter, Google etc, where you can share the holy Quran and Hadith with non- Muslims. The online Dawah is fast growing. During Dawah, you have to keep certain things in mind. For Dawah, you have to be patient and humble and you have to work very hard as it needs real hard work.
You have to be knowledgeable while given Dawah to non-Muslims. When you choose a topic to present it before any non-Muslim, you have to be very confident and should have in depth analysis on the topic. There are hundreds of da’ees, who work day in and day out, in order to spread truth in the light of the holy Quran and Hadith.
So, brothers and sisters, what are you waiting for, start doing Dawah. If not full time, do it as part time. As you may be knowing, that Dawah is compulsory for every Muslim. If you want to be best, then carry out the work of Dawah. And, you will become the best.
(The writer is Law Graduate from Kashmir University and Masters in political science from IGNOU. He is serving as a Principal at Alamdar Public school Bandzoo Pulwama)
KV Correspondent
