Gusht in ‘Dawah’ an act of revival of Islamic consciousness
Dr Sheikh Arshid Ahmad
When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) invited the people to Islam, He (peace be upon him) was opposed openly and was dealt with harshly. Some of them were pelting stones, spitting on His bright and cheerful face and using abusing and slang language against Him (SAW).
This trend continued from the non-believers during His (peace be upon him) Dawah work, as the leaders of the tribes were also agitating the common people especially youth, using them against the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)and tortured him mercilessly and this nonsensical act continued without any letup.
There is no one to learn from who better responded to difficult times other than our beloved Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Not only He (peace be upon him) was a great man with noble character and fair heart but he was also guided by revelations from Allah Almighty from time to time.
Following his footsteps is essential to live a successful life and is part of us, being Muslims we must stick to the principles and practices which were shown by Him (peace be upon him) during the Dawah work.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) went through a lot of difficult times both on a personal and a community level. His (peace be upon him) life was extremely successful, yet it was the most challenging. By the will and the guidance of Allah, He( peace be upon him) was able to meet all the challenges He faced and come out of difficult times much stronger than ever before.
For Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was ridiculed and those who converted to Islam were persecuted and tortured. The people boycotted Him (peace be upon him) and even Muslims suffered from all corners of life that is sickness, opposition, hunger, and poverty.
In the same way all the companions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) have faced hardships throughout their life and proved to be the strongest supporters and sources of comfort for Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and never ever left him alone in the practices of Dawah or in the battlefield. Almighty Allah accepted their sacrifices with deepest reverence and honour.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) finally needed to reach out and seek support beyond the city of Makkah. He (peace be upon him) wanted to spread the message to the people of Taif, with the hopes that they would believe and accept the message of Islam. He trekked from Makkah to Taif to invite the people to the belief in One God. He (peace be upon him) met with the chieftains of the major tribe in Taif. He (peace be upon him) told them about Islam, worshipping only one God, and leaving idol worshipping.
They rejected His message and insulted him. Not only did they refuse to listen to His message, but they unleashed the children of their tribe to throw stones at Him and drive Him out of their town. With people jeering at Him as His ankles bled, He ran out, finding shelter in an empty orchard. This was the worst kind of suffering and insults that prophet Muhammad (SAW) has faced in His life.
With this bleeding moment and sufferings from all around He (peace be upon him) rests on rock and opens up the beautiful and merciful hands and prays for all the people of Taif and didn’t speak any evil or show any kind of reprimand. He (peace be upon him) was so compassionate and merciful, that he does not ask Allah to punish the people of Taif or to execute revenge against them.
The dua that prophet Muhammad (SAW) made for the people of Taif which was full of mercy and forgiveness “To You, my Lord, I complain of my weakness, lack of support, and the humiliation I am made to receive. Most Compassionate and Merciful, You are the Lord of the weak, and You are my Lord. To whom do You leave me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy You have given power over me? As long as you are not displeased with me, I do not care what I face. I would, however, be much happier with Your mercy. I seek refuge in the light of Your face by which all darkness is dispelled and both this life and the life to come are put in their right course against incurring your wrath or being the subject of your anger. To You I submit, until I earn Your pleasure. Everything is powerless without your support.”
How did Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) react to those who had insulted him and threw stones at him? He (peace be upon him) opted for mercy not violence towards them. He was not overcome with rage or hate. Instead of seeking revenge against the people of Taif, He said to Angel Jibreel, “I rather hope that Allah will raise from among their descendants people who will worship Allah the One, and will not ascribe partners to Him.”
We look today that followers of Dawah face such kind of hardships and rebuke from the common people, they face this kind of disapproval with perseverance and patience as we can see the Prophet’s vision full of patience and mercy all that have shown by Him (peace be upon him) all his life.
The “Gusht”is an act of complete revival of “Fikri Nabowat” and Islamic consciousness and is done on following the complete footprints of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions. In the “Gusht” followers of Dawah go door to door to carry out the light of” Kalima” search the people of all corners of society and interact with them as guided by Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
On individual meetings the followers talks about the Eeman, its virtues and sacrifices of Sohabah. They try to take them to masjid so that he can understand in a better way with smooth heart in the atmosphere of Noor and angels of Allah. Exuberantly the followers of Dawah talk about the Eeman and he comes to know about the purpose of his life and this practice continues upto the Magrib Nimaz in Dawah work.
The followers of Dawah go door to door, calling out the person from the house with three times Salam as it was the habit of prophet Muhammad (SAW) sometimes it can be painful and hurtful incidents while doing “Gusht”, but actually some good do come out of it as this is the act done by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and His followers and the message of Islam should be spread with peace, patience and perseverance.
Before doing the “Gusht” all the followers of Dawah raise their hands to Allah, and calling out to Almighty Allah. After Praising the greatness and supremacy of Almighty Allah all followers invoke like this that “O, Allah we are weak people, we are beggars, we are nothing, we are subordinate to your orders, we are full of evils and sins, we have weak Eeman, we go door to door to take your “Kalima” to each and every person O, Allah help us at every step , don’t ignore us, help us in favour of your Deen, every follower invoke to Almighty Allah with deep sighs and pure heart and break into tears.”
After doing “Gusht” every follower invokes to Almighty Allah individually in Masjid and seek forgiveness about the breaching the principles of “Gusht” if happened so. Though it is impossible to follow exactly what prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his companions have done in their own lives. So every follower repent in front of Almighty Allah and seeking forgiveness about their weaknesses in the “Gusht”.
The lesson we can take from the Dawah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his companions is never taken as belittle and every kind of effort or act done by Him (peace be upon him) was full of goodness and for the betterment of Deen. Persevere; smooth heart and patience are the key factors for propagation of Dawah work. Work of Dawah needs sincere heart and do what you know is right, regardless of what the outcome may be, and sooner or later, the results will come in the light Islam.
Giving Dawah is in general a communal obligation. But practically in our times, one can argue that in many cases it becomes an individual (fard) and each and every one needs to build the habit of calling people to Allah. May Allah accept us in his path upto end of our life. Ameen!
(The author is a resident of Kuchmullah Tral and is involved in ‘Dawah’ work)
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