CHARACTERISTICS OF CALLED-2

EDUCATION:-
The second point concerning an individual that must be considered is their level of
education and understanding. Talking to somebody who is a university graduate is
different from talking to someone who is a common laborer. One my quote many things
to a university graduate which the average laborer would not normally understand.
Complicated ideas and philosophical concepts like the trinity, and discrepancies in Bible
manuscripts are not suitable for discussion with people of limited education. A perfect
example of that is Thul-Qarnayn mentioned in Soorah al-Kahf. Thul-Qarnayn went to
three groups of people. One group of people who were a strong nation, according to the
scholars, he conquered and made very clear statements regarding them. He said: “I will
punish whoever does wrong and is unjust, and I will give a reward to whoever believes in
and does righteous deeds.” He talked to them in a precise law-giving manner, because
they were a civilized nation, and a strong community. But when he went to the other side
of the world, he met a group of people who couldn’t understand what Thul-Qarnayn was
saying, and he could barely understand what they were saying; a completely different
group of people. Did Thul-Qarnayn tell them to either believe or suffer punishment? No.
He saw that these people were a mild people. Some scholars said that they were lazy,
because they were not able to build a wall to prevent the Gog and Magog and they had to
ask Thul-Qarnayn to do it. Perhaps they were a materialistic people as they offered Thul-
Qarnayn money. Or perhaps, they were ignorant of advanced methods of construction
and were not educated in the ways of great civilizations. They were used to paying other
people to do jobs for them. So what did Thul-Qarnayn do with them? He told them that
he did not want their money. Instead, he instructed them to help him do the job. This was
not because he needed their help as he had an army with him, but because he wanted to
educate them about hard work. He wanted to teach them about what it means to take
matters into your own hands, to defend yourselves. So he dealt with them in a different
manner than he dealt with the first nation. Consequently, you have to look at the level of
education and understanding of the people you’re talking to and deal with them
accordingly.

MISCONCEPTION:-

The third issue we have to look at is preconceived ideas and misconceptions those being
called to Islaam may have. Of course, that can only be determined if we allow them to
express their thoughts, if we listen first, before trying to teach them. Once we have heard
a misconception, we have to decide whether to spend a lot of time trying to correct the
misconception or to choose another tactic, or another topic. For example, raising the sun
from the west. This is in reference to the story of Prophet Abraham when he went to the
king and said:

“My Lord is the One who gives life and causes death.” And the king said:


“I can give life and cause death.” Obviously the king had a misunderstanding about the
meaning of giving life and causing death, a misconception. What did Abraham do? Did
he spend time trying to explain to the king the correct meaning? No. Instead he chose
another way. He challenged him saying,

“Indeed Allaah brings the sun from the east. Raise the sun from the west,’ and the
disbeliever was dumfounded.” (Soorah al-Baqarah, 2: 258)

He was stupefied and completely unable to respond. Similarly, rather than stopping to
explain each and every time a misconception is raised, and becoming so bogged down in
defensive explanations, the situation may be avoided by raising issues which clearly
demonstrate Islaam’s superiority. For example, when misconceptions concerning
polygamy in Islaam are raised, those raising them may be asked if monogamy is actually
being practiced in the so-called monogamous countries of the West, or if one wife and
innumerable girl-friends, mistresses, etc. can realistically be called monogamy.
Furthermore, it may be noted that Islaam is the only religion whose scriptures explicitly
say to marry only one wife.


“And if you fear you will not be just, then marry only one.” (Soorah an-Nisaa, 4: 3)
That statement often stupefies the detractors as neither the Bible, Torah, Gospel, nor the
Hindu Scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, etc.) contain such a statement. Instead, their
scriptures encourage unrestricted polygamy. On such occasions it is important to read the
circumstances accurately, to see where the discussion is going. Whether it is a case of
honest misunderstandings which need to be cleared, or deliberate misconceptions being
thrown out to disable the caller.

CHOOSING YOUR APPROACH:-

Choice of Subject:-

Next we have to choose our approach. After reading the situation carefully and correctly,
you must now choose the subject. What are you going to talk about? Prophet Muhammad
(r) told Mu‘aath ibn Jabal, “You are coming to a people from Ahl al-Kitaab, so the first
thing you should invite them to is Tawheed.” Notice the logic. You are coming to some
People of the Scripture; therefore choose to talk to them about Tawheed. When you know
the people, the situation and the circumstance, now you choose your topic.
There was a time some years back when enthusiastic Muslims used to
continuously engage Christians in discussions concerning the Gospel of Barnabus. The
origin and history of the Gospel of Barnabus is a long story. It is enough to note that there
is mention in it that Prophet Jesus was not crucified, and that a prophet would come after
him by the name of Ahmad. Consequently, Muslims spent a lot of time trying to convince
Christians about the authenticity of the Gospel of Barnabus. Was that really important? If
they believed in the Gospel of Barnabus, would it save them on the Day of Judgment?
No. Is everything mentioned in the Gospel of Barnabas the Gospel truth? No. In fact
there are passages and concepts contained in it which are incorrect and go against
Islaamic teachings. Consequently, we must choose our topics wisely. We should ask
ourselves: “What does this person really need to know to fulfill my obligation of
conveying the clear message of Islaam to them? What do I have to give this person so
that on the Day of Judgment I can say to Allaah: ‘O Allaah! I conveyed Your message,’?
The message which I have to give them is none other than Tawheed. We may begin our
discussions by talking about the trinity, but many Christians do not believe in the trinity.
Some believe that there is only one God and that Jesus Christ was a prophet of God. In
such cases, there is no need to go into a long debate about the trinity, since they have
already rejected it. Consequently, we have to find out what their actual beliefs are and not
preach to them based on assumptions. We have to take some time out to listen, as was
mentioned earlier. If we do so, we may find that it would be more beneficial to talk about
Prophet Muhammad (r). Thus, the choice of topic to discuss or share is as important as
reading the situation correctly.

Method of Delivery

The next thing which we need to keep in mind when approaching others is our method of
delivery. We have to decide how we are going to communicate our message. Are we
going to use an emotion approach? Although, emotional arguments are to be avoided in
general because they tend to cloud the issues and the facts, sometimes they are the best
method. On one occasion, the Prophet (r) gave a sermon in which his eyes became red,
voice became loud and his anger increased.3 However, that may be appropriate in a
Friday Sermon, because people are there in the Mosque for a particular religious reason.
It is also important for motivating people for Jihaad, or for giving in charity, etc. At other
times logic may be most appropriate. One of the Companions by the name of
Mu‘aawiyah ibn al-Hakam, mentioned that he came to see Prophet Muhammad (r) after
converting to Islaam, and he found him making his prayers, so he joined the prayers.
When one of those praying behind the Prophet sneezed, so he said, “Yarhamukallaah
[May Allaah have mercy on you],” while praying. The other Companions turned and
stared at him in the prayer and he asked, “What are you all staring at?” So they started
hitting their thighs to make him quiet. When the Prophet finished his prayer he simply
said:
.
“Indeed, the speech of people is not suitable for this prayer.”4
He gave Mu‘aawiyah a simple logical reason for not talking during formal prayers, as
opposed to raising his voice and screaming at him for his error.
Where possible, visual aids should be employed in conveying the message as it
helps get the message across. People today are very much visually oriented. TV, video,
computer, CD, DVD, etc., etc. have become the most popular media for communication.
Consequently, using power point presentations, or charts and over head projectors are
great aids in conveying the message today’s audiences. The Prophet (r) himself
employed visual aids in teaching his companions. On one occasion he prayed on top of
the mimbar (pulpit) and then informed his companions that he only did so for them to
learn his method of prayer.5 On another occasion he drew a straight line in the dirt and
other lines branching of from either side to demonstrate the significance of his straight
path and the abundance of deviant paths leading away from the true path. And on another
occasion he said, “The Last Hour and I have been sent like these two,” and he joined his
forefinger and his middle finger,6 in order to indicate how close the Final Hour was.
Everyone likes to hear information relayed in the form of a story. The human mind
seems to relax and be comfortable in the psychological environment created by
narratives. Consequently, stories from the bards and storytellers of the past to the authors


3 Sahih Muslim, vol. 2, p. 410, no. 1885.
4 Ibid., vol. 1, pp. 271-2, no. 1094.
5 Sahih Al Bukhari, vol. 2, pp. 18-9, no. 40 and Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, pp. 274-5, no. 1111.
6 Sahih Mus,im., vol. 2, p. 410, no. 1885.


of fiction of the present are held in high esteem by societies throughout the world.
Oftentimes, social criticisms have found their widest audiences through the vehicle of the
story. For example, in David Copperfield, Charles Dickens attacked the exploitation of
children by Victorian society; likewise, in 1984, George Orwell commented on state
interference in the lives of its citizens. The 90’s movie, Primary Colors, taken from a
book by Joe Klein, was a thinly disguised account of President Clinton’s philandering
while campaigning for office of the president.
Stories about people and civilizations of the past are especially interesting because
they represent mysteries to the people of the present. Hence the Qur’aan and the Sunnah
has, in a number of instances, employed the narrative (qissah) format in order to convey
its message to human beings in a most intriguing manner. It should be noted, however,
that while many of the most popular narratives are made up by their authors, the
Qur’aanic and hadeethic stories are all true. They are not made up by Allaah and His
Messenger () to convey His message, but are in fact true historical examples of the
message. This fact has been emphasized in the Qur’aan in numerous passages. For
example, Allaah refers to the Qur’aan as truth:

“I revealed the Book to you in truth.” ( Soorah al-Maa’idah (5):48)
Likewise, Allaah repudiates the idea that these narratives are invented. At the end of the
story of Prophet Yousuf (Joseph) and his brothers, He says,

“It is not an invented story but a confirmation of the previous
(scripture). (Soorah Yoosuf (12):111)
Consequently, it is not surprising to find that the use of examples from human life to
illustrate points in the message is very effective.
Figurative speech is generally a more moving and effective method of
communication than direct commands and detailed explanations. Hence, Allaah has also
used them frequently in the Qur’aan:

“Certainly I have made all kinds of comparisons (mathal) in the Qur’aan for
humankind that perhaps they would reflect.” (Soorah az-Zumar, 39: 27)
There are also numerous examples in the statements of the Prophet (r) where he relied
on the mathal to get his message across.7
Gradual Progression
Read your progress by analyzing the level of your audience’s internal motivation. This is
a technique used by motivators to assess where somebody is relative to the point they are
7 They are too numerous to begin to list, but just as a tiny sample, refer to the simile of the people who
observe the limits set by Allaah and those who do not as people on the upper and lower decks of a ship
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 3, p. 406, no. 673). See also Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 278, no. 468, for a simile
of the believers as a structure whose bricks support each other.
trying to get across and to gradually get the person to agree with their point. By reading
the person’s body movements one can assess the person’s response position and his or
her progress according to the scale. At the bottom of the scale is “neglect – indifferent.”
If you are talking and somebody is ignoring you, it means that they are completely
indifferent to what you have to say and to the topic on which you are speaking. This is
what is known as a “difficult person”, because they just do not care about your point of
view. Convincing them is virtually impossible, because they have no interest in what you
have to say. They are simply out of your reach. So rather than trying to convince them to
agree with you, you have to find something emotional to get them into the discussion.
The ten-point scale show how a person can gradually evolve from being indifferent to
being hostile, to being neutral, to being curious, to finally agreeing. You have to take a
person based on where they are and gradually get them to a point of agreement. What
happens is, for instance, you meet somebody who is very hostile. You know the person is
hostile because they continually interrupt you saying, for example, “No, I don’t agree
with you.” Having read their language and assessed their hostile stance, do you then
argue back insisting that they have to agree with you? Will such a response produce a
positive result or simply degenerate in a shouting argument? You cannot change
somebody from feelings of anger and opposition to agreement immediately. In such a
circumstance, the method which should be used is called the PAR (Probe, Align, Raise)
method. Probe your adversary, meaning, ask them why are they so hostile? Find out the
reasons for their hostility. Then align yourself to their level. See the situation through
their eyes. Empathize with them. Then try to raise them to a point of neutrality. Say to
them, for example, “Would you mind if I tried another point with you? Is that ok? Can I
try another point?” “Ok, yes?” Once they respond positively, you have brought them to
neutral. So, rather than confronting their negativity with negativity and ending up in a
wrestling match, try to think instead how you can get the hostile audience to a neutral
point. Neutral is the same as saying, “I’m willing to listen.” He may be reserved, but at
least he is now listening. The next step is to get them interested and then to get them
excited, before they finally agree.
If somebody is fearful, saying, for example, “I’m very afraid of Muslims. You’re
all terrorists,” will you be able to get them to believe in Tawheed in five minutes? You
have to first remove the fear, you have to get them to be willing to listen, then you have
to get them interested, then you can finally get them to agree. This process may take days
or weeks before you raise the person above their negative feelings and emotions. It is a
skill requiring that we read the situations and the people, respond to their needs
appropriately. Like a doctor who does not start prescribing medicine for the patient as
soon as they step in his office, but, instead he listens patiently to the patient’s complaints
and assesses their illnesses, which my require further tests, then and only then, does he
prescribe the appropriate medicine. We should also have long-term goals, one month,
three months, and six months, before expecting people to commit. Human beings have to
grow through these emotional stages and levels. Humans cannot, like a light bulb, go on
and off immediately. Anger to happiness and back to anger, joy to sadness and back to
joy all take time.
Gradual progression can also be seen in the declaration of faith itself. First false
gods are negated, then the One True God, Allaah is affirmed. This principle is applicable
in many da‘wah situations. Where, for example, a Christian says that he believes in the
divinity of Jesus because his prayers to Jesus were answered. Logical arguments about
Jesus’ divinity do not work because he has practical experience which is enough to win
his emotional commitment. If we ask him about the prayers of a Hindu to his god of stone
being answered, the Christian will agree that the stone god did not answer the Hindu’s
prayers, he will affirm that it was the true God who did. However, by doing so, he has
also cancelled the basis of his argument for the divinity of Jesus and we can then affirm
that it was the One True God who answered his prayers and not his imaginary god, Jesus.
Gradual progression in Islaamic law is usually illustrated by the gradual prohibition of
alcohol. Similarly, if a person drinks alcohol, fornicates and worships idols, we should
not try to get him to quit everything all at once. We prioritize and work our way from the
most important to the very important and from there to the important.
                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                          SOURCE:- DR. BILAL PHILIP                                               ,                                                                                                                               BOOK OF DAWAH