Part of The Muslim's Treasure (series completed)
· Lesson 9 of 11
Muslim Treasure - On the Virtue of Calling to God | Episode (9) | Calling people to God Almighty is the greatest of all duties
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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We are pleased, at the Sheikh Hasa Islamic Center,
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to present to our esteemed listeners
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a reading of the book,
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"The Treasure of the Muslim,"
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regarding the virtue of calling to Allah.
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Its author is John Yar Bamarni.
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Calling to Allah is the greatest of all vocations,
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and abandoning it carries the most severe of all punishments.
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The punishments for abandoning this call are many,
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and among them, firstly,
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is being replaced by others.
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Allah the Almighty says:
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“Lo! ye are those who are called to spend in the way of Allah, yet among you there are some who hoard. And as for him who hoardeth, he hoardeth only from his soul. And Allah is the Rich, and ye are the poor. And if ye turn away He will exchange you for some other folk, and they will not be the likes of you.” (47:38)
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“Lo! ye are those who are called to spend in the way of Allah, yet among you there are some who hoard. And as for him who hoardeth, he hoardeth only from his soul. And Allah is the Rich, and ye are the poor. And if ye turn away He will exchange you for some other folk, and they will not be the likes of you.” (47:38)
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Secondly,
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being cursed and deprived of the mercy of Allah.
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Allah the Almighty says,
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“Those of the Children of Israel who went astray were cursed by the tongue of David, and of Jesus, son of Mary. That was because they rebelled and used to transgress.” (5:78)
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upon the tongues of David and Jesus, son of Mary:
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"That is because they disobeyed and used to transgress."
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"They did not prevent one another from wrongdoing that they did."
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“They restrained not one another from the wickedness they did. Verily evil was that they used to do!” (5:79)
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Thirdly,
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enmity and hatred.
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Allah the Almighty says:
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"And from those who said,
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'We are Christians,' We took their covenant;
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but they forgot a portion..."
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“And with those who say: "Lo! we are Christians," We made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished. Therefor We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them of their handiwork.” (5:14)
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“And with those who say: "Lo! we are Christians," We made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished. Therefor We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them of their handiwork.” (5:14)
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"...until the Day of Resurrection."
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“And with those who say: "Lo! we are Christians," We made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished. Therefor We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them of their handiwork.” (5:14)
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Fourthly,
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destruction and ruin.
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Allah the Almighty says:
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"So when they forgot that by which they had been reminded,"
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“Then, when they forgot that whereof they had been reminded, We opened unto them the gates of all things till, even as they were rejoicing in that which they were given, We seized them unawares, and lo! they were dumbfounded.” (6:44)
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"until, when they rejoiced..."
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“Then, when they forgot that whereof they had been reminded, We opened unto them the gates of all things till, even as they were rejoicing in that which they were given, We seized them unawares, and lo! they were dumbfounded.” (6:44)
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"We seized them suddenly,"
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"and thereupon they were [left] in despair."
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“So of the people who did wrong the last remnant was cut off. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!” (6:45)
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And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
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Fifthly,
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division, discord, and torment in this world and the Hereafter.
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Allah the Almighty says:
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“And there may spring from you a nation who invite to goodness, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency. Such are they who are successful.” (3:104)
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"...and they enjoin what is right"
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"and forbid what is wrong,"
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"and it is those who are the successful."
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“And be ye not as those who separated and disputed after the clear proofs had come unto them. For such there is an awful doom,” (3:105)
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“And be ye not as those who separated and disputed after the clear proofs had come unto them. For such there is an awful doom,” (3:105)
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“And be ye not as those who separated and disputed after the clear proofs had come unto them. For such there is an awful doom,” (3:105)
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When the Ummah abandons the call to Allah, three calamities befall it:
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First, preoccupation with the worldly life and neglect of the Hereafter.
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Second, spending wealth, time, and intellect on matters unrelated to the interests of the religion.
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Third, imitating the disbelievers in their way of life,
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and learning from them to transplant their lifestyle into Muslim lands.
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If the call to Allah is established, all doors of goodness are opened.
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Faith and righteous deeds enter the lives of the people,
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and noble character—such as patience and forgiveness—enters,
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as well as benevolence and mercy in their lives.
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The disbelievers enter the religion,
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and the disobedient return to acts of obedience.
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But if we do not undertake the call to Allah,
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all doors of evil are opened,
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and every evil enters while every good departs.
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When faith, righteous deeds, and noble character depart,
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they are replaced by disbelief, corrupt deeds, and vile character.
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Then, in the end, people leave the religion of Allah in crowds,
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just as they entered it in crowds.
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This is the Sunnah of Allah,
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and you will never find any change in the Sunnah of Allah.
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Every Muslim is responsible,
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and Allah will hold him accountable for his individual work,
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which is worship,
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and for his social work,
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which is the call to Allah.
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Allah will ask both the caller and the one called on the Day of Resurrection
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about what they used to do in this world.
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Allah the Almighty says:
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"Then We will surely question those to whom [a message] was sent,"
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"and We will surely question the messengers."
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“Then verily We shall narrate unto them (the event) with knowledge, for We were not absent (when it came to pass).” (7:7)
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"And the weighing [of deeds] that day will be the truth."
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"So those whose scales are heavy—it is they who are the successful."
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"And those whose scales are light—they are the ones who have lost themselves."
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“And as for those whose scale is light: those are they who lose their souls because they used to wrong Our revelations.” (7:9)
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And Allah the Almighty says:
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"By time,"
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“Lo! man is a state of loss,” (103:2)
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"Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds."
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“Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance.” (103:3)
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Our Ummah in this time has become a weakened and targeted nation,
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against which the nations gather,
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just as diners gather around a platter,
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due to the Muslims' negligence in enjoining the good.
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Thus, ignorance and sin have begun to spread.
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Who is it that would be content to strip himself of the qualities of the believers:
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those who enjoin the good and forbid the wrong?
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There is no doubt that no rational Muslim wants this state for himself.
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Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"What religion and what goodness is in them,
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when they see the sacred prohibitions of Allah being violated,
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His limits being lost, His religion being abandoned,
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and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him) being shunned,
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while they remain cold-hearted and silent-tongued?
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They are 'mute devils,'
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just as those who speak falsehood are 'speaking devils.'
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Is the affliction of the religion anything other than these people,
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who, as long as their food and status are secure,
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have no concern for what happens to the religion?
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These people, along with their fall from the sight of Allah
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and the wrath of Allah upon them,
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have been afflicted in this world with the greatest of all afflictions,
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yet they do not perceive it:
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it is the death of the hearts.
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For the more alive a heart is,
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the stronger its anger for the sake of Allah and His Messenger,
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and the more complete its defense of the religion."
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The Ummah will never realize its goodness,
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nor attain its glory, honor, and dignity,
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nor achieve its success and prosperity,
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unless its members—men and women—arise,
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each according to their ability, to spread goodness.
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By doing so, and by hastening to it,
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and by preferring the pleasure of Allah over the world,
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and by advising one another to the truth and cooperating upon it—
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each according to their circumstances—
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this becomes a cause for His pleasure,
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a means to bring every good, and a way to repel every evil.
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Conversely, being deceived by the world and its adornments,
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being heedless of Allah,
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and turning away from His commands and prohibitions
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results in humiliation, disgrace, and shame
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in this world and the Hereafter.
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It brings anxiety and sorrow,
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blessings are removed, and calamities descend.
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May Allah have mercy on those who assist the religion,
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even with half a word.
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The true ruin
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lies in abandoning what the servant is capable of
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regarding the call to this religion.
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Look at your own state:
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with what does Allah occupy you?
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If He uses you for His religion,
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then remain steadfast,
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for perhaps this is among the reasons for His love for you.
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But if you are spending your energies, your time,
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and your wealth only for the world,
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then hasten to hold yourself to account
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before it is too late.
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For none hold back except those whom Allah disliked to send forth;
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"And if they had intended to go forth,
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they would have prepared for it equipment."
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"But Allah disliked their being sent forth,"
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"so He kept them back, and they were told, 'Remain with those who remain.'"
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And you do not know:
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perhaps Allah's holding them back from the call,
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or from providing services to its people,
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is due to His knowledge of their hypocrisy
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and their deceit toward Islam and its people,
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and that if they had participated with them,
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they would have harmed them and brought no benefit.
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Who is the caller (da'iyah)?
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Whoever offers a smile,
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or a gift, or a book,
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or teaches the ignorant,
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or enjoins the good and forbids the wrong,
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or delivers a word,
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or sends a clip via social media,
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and all of this is with the intention of the call,
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then he is a caller.
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That is the bounty of Allah, which He gives to whom He wills,
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and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.
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The wise and intelligent person
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does not stop calling to Allah as long as his heart beats.
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If he faces an obstacle or is unable to use one method,
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he searches for another,
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remaining steadfast until he meets his Lord.
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There are calamities that afflict the call to Allah,
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among them:
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showing off and lack of sincerity,
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consuming the world through religion,
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and selling the words of Allah and His Messenger for a fee.
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Also, calling to oneself and the love of fame,
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and calling to the zeal of ignorance and partisanship,
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like one who calls to a party, a sect, or a group,
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and does not accept the call from anyone else.
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Allah commanded us to call to Him, not to anyone else.
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Everyone who abandons the foundations of the call
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and calls according to his own whims
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is afflicted with many calamities,
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among them self-praise,
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vanity, and arrogance,
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greed for status and position,
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contempt for others,
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focusing on the faults of other callers to Allah,
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spending on one's own desires,
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and abandoning spending on the religion.
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Obligatory acts and righteous deeds become burdensome to him,
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he becomes excessive in permissible things,
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and wasting time in arguments and desires becomes trivial to him.
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Allah the Almighty says:
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“Then, when they forgot that whereof they had been reminded, We opened unto them the gates of all things till, even as they were rejoicing in that which they were given, We seized them unawares, and lo! they were dumbfounded.” (6:44)
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“Then, when they forgot that whereof they had been reminded, We opened unto them the gates of all things till, even as they were rejoicing in that which they were given, We seized them unawares, and lo! they were dumbfounded.” (6:44)
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“Then, when they forgot that whereof they had been reminded, We opened unto them the gates of all things till, even as they were rejoicing in that which they were given, We seized them unawares, and lo! they were dumbfounded.” (6:44)
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"We seized them suddenly, and thereupon they were in despair."
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“So of the people who did wrong the last remnant was cut off. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!” (6:45)
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And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
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The scholar Salih al-Fawzan,
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may Allah preserve him, said:
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"Some people, if they are not praised and encouraged,
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abandon the call.
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This is proof that he is not calling to Allah,
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but rather he is calling to himself."