This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail-e-Amaal.
Allah Almighty selected the Prophets, peace be upon them, to convey His commands and messages to the people. They guided people away from the path of misguidance towards the right path by delivering the divine message. Since the chain of Prophets, peace be upon them, ended with the Imam of the Prophets, the Seal of the Prophets Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, this responsibility now lies with the Ummah of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. For this responsibility, acquiring knowledge of religion and awareness of Islamic teachings is essential and necessary. However, this does not mean that everyone should leave their work and business and devote themselves to this. Rather, some people should dedicate themselves to acquiring religious knowledge and then come to inform others about the religious commands. As Allah Almighty has said:
﴿وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُوا كَافَّةً ۚ فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ﴾
“It is not for the believers to go forth all at once. So why, if not that a word might be established for them, and they would then remember? But there should be among you a party who call to righteousness, enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong. And those are the successful.”
Reference: (9-At-Tawbah:122)
Allah Almighty has not only made it the responsibility of the Ummah to invite to religion but has also encouraged sacrificing life and fulfilling the duty in this regard. The verses of the Holy Quran bear witness to this. In such verses, Allah Almighty addresses His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and encourages him to convey the message of religion properly. The secret in this is that Allah Almighty actually said this to reassure the addressees of those Prophets, so that they may be comforted and assured that the Prophet is not speaking on his own, nor is he hiding anything in his statement, but is conveying everything from Allah. The second point is that the heirs of the Prophets should not be negligent in this matter but should declare it publicly in the best manner. As Allah Almighty has said:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۖ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ﴾
“O Messenger! Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.”
Reference: (5-Al-Ma'idah:67)
Allah Almighty has stated the purpose of the mission of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the Holy Quran as the propagation and spread of Islam and the dominance of Islam over false religions:
﴿هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ﴾
“He is Allah, who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allah dislike it.”
Reference: (9-At-Tawbah:33)
And this has been stated at other places as well. For example:
Reference: Surah Al-Fath verse: 28 and Surah As-Saff verse: 9.
And this work is not done sitting at home but by going out into the field, enduring hardships, difficulties, and troubles in the way of Allah. Wherever Allah Almighty gives the opportunity, invite people to religion with your own tongue, and where there is confrontation with stubborn, obstinate, and bigoted people who try to obstruct the propagation of Islam, act with wisdom.
In this way, Islam will dominate over other false religions. And when a servant strives and works for the exaltation of Allah’s religion, Allah’s help descends in such a manner:
﴿إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا ۖ فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلَىٰ ۗ وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾
“If you do not aid the Messenger, Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out, the second of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.’ And Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with soldiers you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah - that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.”
Reference: (9-At-Tawbah:40)
The word of Allah cannot be defeated or subdued. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said this in these words:
الإسلام يعلو ولا يعلى عليه .
“Islam remains dominant; it cannot be overcome.”
Reference: Musnad Al-Ruyani, No: 783 - Sunan Dar Qutni: 252/3 - Sahih Al-Bukhari commentary, before Hadith No: 1354 - Arwa Al-Ghaleel: 106/5, No: 1268
Praising those who convey the invitation to religion, Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ﴾
“And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, ‘Indeed, I am of the Muslims.’”
Reference: (41-Fussilat:33)
Dr. Luqman Salafi, may Allah preserve him, writes in the commentary of this noble verse:
After describing the disbelief and obstinacy of the disbelievers of Quraysh, their turning away from the Quran, and their obstruction in the Islamic invitation, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is advised not to pay attention to the mischief of the polytheists while reciting the Quran and to continue inviting people to monotheism with full commitment.
Allah Almighty said that who can have better speech than the one who invites people to worship only one Allah, practices the righteous deeds he calls others to, and proudly declares that he is among the Muslims. It is an established fact that these qualities were found in the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, to the highest degree. Therefore, his speech was the best speech, and he was the best caller to Allah. Allah Almighty advised him not to pay attention to the words of the polytheists and to continue his mission.
Exegetes write that the first to whom this verse applies are the Prophets, peace be upon them, then the scholars, then the Mujahideen, then the callers to prayer, and then those who call to pure monotheism and the Quran and Sunnah.
Reference: (Tafsir Al-Rahman: 1343/2)
Describing the virtue of propagating religion, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him:
فوالله لأن يهدي الله بك رجلا واحدا خير لك من حمر النعم .
“By Allah! If Allah guides one person through you, it is better for you than red camels.”
Reference: Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book of Military Expeditions, Chapter: Battle of Khaybar, No: 4210 - Sahih Muslim, Book of Virtues of the Companions, Chapter: Virtues of Ali ibn Abi Talib, No: 2406.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“Indeed, a believer continues to benefit from his deeds and good actions even after his death, including:
➊ Knowledge which he taught and spread,
➋ Righteous offspring,
➌ The Holy Quran which he left as inheritance,
➍ A mosque he built,
➎ A travelers’ inn he constructed,
➏ A canal he dug,
➐ Or charity he gave from his wealth during his life and health, for which he continues to receive reward after death.”
Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah, Introduction, Chapter: Reward of Teaching Good to People, No: 242 -
Al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him, graded it as “Hasan.”It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
إذا مات الإنسان انقطع عنه عمله إلا من ثلاث: صدقة جارية، أو علم ينتفع به، أو ولد صالح يدعو له .
“When a person dies, all his deeds are cut off except for three things: ➊ Ongoing charity, ➋ Knowledge from which benefit is gained, ➌ And righteous offspring who pray for him.”
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Wasaya, Chapter: What Reward Follows a Person After Death, No: 1631.
