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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