Submission by: Muslim Writers Society (
[EMAIL PROTECTED])
Topic:
Dawah il Allah — Whose Job Is It?
Text:
Dawah il Allah — Whose Job Is It?
by gerard ibn Earl bilal
My friend, Mohammed Naseem delivered a short talk on how a Muslim should
treat his neighbors, and I recorded it. Surely within the sixteen-year period
since discovering the Qur’an, I had read reports of what the Prophet [saws] said
about neighbors — but something in Imam Naseem’s presentation struck me as new,
and it stuck with me: A believer is responsible for x number of neighbors to
his right; x number of neighbors to his left; x number of neighbors in front;
and x number of neighbors behind.
Alhamdulillah, my wife and
daughters conscientiously observe hijab. Their clothing attracts attention, and
serves to remind observers, that we are Muslims. One evening we returned to our
home after a visit to friends. As we exited the vehicle, our next door neighbor
attempted to greet us in Arabic: "Su-lam mu-laykum."
This is not a new
experience for us. My family frequently receives good-natured mis-pronunciations
of the Arabic greeting in the community — many times from complete strangers. It
comes with the hijab.
We could tell from Mr. Blank’s slurred speech (not
his real name), that he was inebriated. Nevertheless, we returned his greeting
with smiles and a gentle Arabic reply, to let him know his effort was
appreciated. Next he inquired if we were returning from a meeting with Minister
Farrakhan.
To my family's relief, I suppressed the urge to deliver my
‘we’re with the other guys’ speech for the umpteenth time. Yet, I couldn't help
feeling disgusted that we'd been neighbors for many years, and he still didn't
get it. I resolved to wait for another time when Mr. Blank was sober, to explain
who it is that we follow. In the meantime, I played the mental blame game
for a while.
The media, I thought — always presenting inaccurate
pictures of al-Islam. They know what they’re doing. They’re confusing
people intentionally! I continued the exercise, finding fault with the
misleading actions of others, until Imam Naseem’s presentation welled to the
forefront of my mind: A believer is responsible for x number of neighbors in
four directions.
Is the news media to blame — when even some of my
closest relatives occasionally ask modified versions of Mr. Blank’s question?
Should I dismiss them all, simply as kuffar — ignorant of the tenets of
al-Islam? And whose job is it, to inform family and neighbors of our
deen? How will it be on Judgment Day if Allah [swt] asked my
neighbors had I invited them to know Him? What will be their
response?
Soon, an answer to the questions I pondered presented itself:
If I can live next door to someone for eight years, and they don't know about my
deen — it must be me — who is not doing the job. A few weeks later, after
returning from a trip to Asia, I found a great deal of curiosity from family
members and neighbors. Everyone wanted to hear of my experiences. I chatted with
family members on the phone; neighbors over the backyard fence, and while mowing
the lawn; until finally deciding, ‘I need to write an account of my trip, and
distribute it to these people.’ Thus was born The SADAQA
Newsletter.
Collaborating with other Muslims, we shared written
accounts of our life experiences in deen al-Islam with relatives and
neighbors. I was nicely surprised when after an issue in which I wrote about my
experiences fasting — first as a Christian during Lent, and later as a Muslim
during Ramadan — my neighbor, Mr. Blank rang my doorbell.
He was holding
a Bible in his hand, and remarked that he had learned something about the
spirit of fasting from my article. He asked if I would come to speak at
his church, and if he could study scripture with me. Of course, I answered in
the affirmative to both requests.
Unfortunately, I could tell from the
odor, and slurred speech, that he had consumed alcohol before his visit. So I
informed him that we could not study until his mind was clear. Subsequently, Mr.
Blank and I shared many conversations about al-Islam, but an encounter
about a year later, was particularly telling.
I arrived at my home, and
Mr. Blank was sitting on his front porch. He extended a slurred greeting, which
I returned. Recognizing his state of mind, I was intent on entering my residence
without further conversation, when he informed me that he had met my
brother.
Thinking that one of my siblings had come to visit while I was
away, I asked him for a description of the car. He corrected my understanding of
the situation, and let me know, he meant at the store where he purchased his
liquor.
He said that he entered the store and one of my brothers was
sitting on the counter eating a sandwich. Mr. Blank inquired, "Why aren’t you
fasting, isn’t this Ramadan?" Startled, my brother asked Mr. Blank, "Who told
you about that?", to which Mr. Blank replied, "My neighbor."
I asked Mr.
Blank how my brother responded. He said, "I fast, when I’m in my
country."
Mr. Blank has since returned to Allah, as have several other family members
and neighbors who received our newsletter. I can only hope and pray that when
Allah asks them if any of His servants invited them to know Him, they will
mention our efforts.
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