The best way to tell people about Islam

 Question (dated): September 11, 2003 -
 "I am a sister who would like to know the best way to tell people about
 Islam. How can I begin and what should I say? Are there any specific
 teachings about this in Islam? Who can I contact for assistance? Are there
 any organizations that take responsibility for helping people to know the
 correct message of Islam? Where can I find more information about this?
 Thank you very much for any help in this matter. Your sister in Islam,
 salam alaykum."

 Bismillah Rahman Raheem
 Thanks for your question about your good question concerning the spreading
 of Islam. This indicates a strong commitment from you to share this
 message of worshipping Allah as One God, Alone and without any associates
 or partners. This is a basic duty for each of us as Muslims. We commend
 you on your endeavor for learning and search for correct knowledge in
 matters concerning Islam.

 First let us begin with Basics Of Islam
 Here are some important points to keep in mind:
 1. As Muslims we cannot lie about anything, especially about our religion.


 2. Islam has the proof for everything that it teaches. Our sources are
 authentic and original. They are:

    The Quran


    Teachings of Muhammad


 This is a unique part of Islam, not available in any other ancient
 religions.

This is not quite true. The things in the Qur'an are also in many other
'Sacred Texts' and teachings. The thing that makes Islam unique is the
fundamentalist dogmas surrounding it....THEY are rather unique, in how
much they go against what Muhammad taught.

 Also, keep in mind while talking with people and answering their
 questions, sometimes "questions" contain misinformation. We must qualify
 what it is that someone is saying against what they mean.

 Take special care in offer your answers. Keep your replies simple and to
 the point. Do not wander from subject to subject while answering a
 question.

 Another important point is to remember that patience is an important part
 of the character of the Muslim and that you must not become angry or
 outraged at what people say to you or by the quesitons that they are
 asking. If you feel that it is too much for you to deal with, then simply
 walk away.

 Also, don't try to be funny or sarcastic. This is distracting and not
 appropriate. Very often while giving the answer, we hear the person we are
 talking to saying something like, "I didn't know that." Or they might say,
 "This is actually something good." When this occurs we ask them, "Are you
 ready to rethink your position? Are you prepared to worship your God and
 your Lord without and partners?"


 After all, isn't this what Islam is really all about? The most important
 subject is the worship of Almighty God, without any partners or associates
 or "gods" besides Almighty God.

 "Have no other Gods before me" - Old Test


 Dawah is a word in Arabic that means "to invite" or "to offer to share."
 This is a very important part of being a Muslim and it can be somewhat
 difficult at times. Yet it is not impossible. The fact is that sharing
 Islam is a very simple concept. The difficulty comes in when you are
 trying to communicate the idea to others, especially when they have
 already been predisposed to believe in something else and to believe that
 Islam is something bad.

It isn't. Just the blasphemous misinterpretations of it, that are widely
prevelant ( Mostly in the maistream, as with Christianity )

 Keep in mind at all times that you are on a special mission to deliver a
 message of inviting people to worship Allah according to the way that He
 wants to be worshipped. You are to call them to know the truth and how to
 follow it. You do this with both your kind words and correct actions.

 Your words are used in lectures, sermons, books, tapes and dialogs. These
 words help people to understand the truth of Islam.

 Your actions are observed by others through your behavior and manners. You
 become the role model for what Islam is all about.

 Both methods (dawah by words and actions) were used by the Prophet (peace
 and blessings be upon him) when delivering the message of Islam. He was
 the perfect example of what he was calling the people to do. Ayesah, may
 Allah be pleased with her, said that if you would like to see a living
 example of the Quran walking, then simply look to Muhammad, peace be upon
 him. His life was the best example of the noble teachings and principles
 set forth in the Quran.

 Muslims are supposed to advise everyone by using a gentle and simple
 approach to attract the hungry souls to the Way of Allah. For sure today
 more than ever, people need to know about Islam and be able to put it into
 practice. We all need an example to follow.

 Actually, the problem is not so much calling or inviting to people to the
 message of Islam, as it is the way that we go about it. The way that we
 present ourselves and the message is most important and unfortunately,
 something that many of the Muslims are not taking into consideration these
 days.

 Some have actually ruined the image of dawah due to the rigid methods,
 mistakes and misunderstandings they are applying. This gives a very
 negative impression about Islam and the Muslims in general. Considering
 all of the detraction and negative media against Islam and Muslims
 occuring in these days, it is vital that we approach our dawah with
 wisdom, kind invitation and logical discussions.

 One example of negative dawah is the false concept that so many Muslims
 have today about debating the Christians about their Bible. This is very
 incorrect and not a part of the teachings of the Quran or the way of
 Muhammad, peace be upon him. While there are a number of things that we
 might be able to share with them about what we believe that is similar to
 what they might find in their Book, it is not correct to try to attack
 their Book, their beliefs nor their understandings. A wise man once said,
 "Debates bring a lot of heat, but not very much light." Leave the idea of
 debating and do not attend any functions where these types of activities
 are taking place. Pray for the Muslims to wake up to the dangers of this
 as a tool for dawah before it is too late.

 Another thing to stay away from is the so called "miracles" about the
 Quran and Islam that are not mentioned in the Quran or in the Sunnah of
 the prophet, peace be upon him. One example of the idea of some trees in
 Germany that are twisted around to spell, "Laa elaha illa lah, Muhammad
 rasoolulah." This is not true. The picture is a fake and anyone can easily
 prove this is not real. So where would you be if you had insisted that
 this was a "proof" that Islam is the right religion?

Yes, same fraudulent stuff is all over.

 Other fake "miracles" include; a fish with "Allah" written on it; a tree
 bent toward Mekkah in prayer; a pumpkin with "Bismillah Rahman Raheem" on
 it. Please verify this by visiting our website  page on these stories at:

 http://www.IslamTomorrow.com/pumpkin.htm

 Another area to avoid is the misconception about the "miracle of numbers"
 in the Quran. The stories are many and all of them are false. There is no
 miracle of "19" in the Quran; this not the occurance of the word "day" and
 "night" 365 times (the Muslim calendar is 354 days anyway); the words
 "angel" and "devil" do not occur the same number of times; and all of the
 mathematical equasions mentioned about the earth and the water are
 worthless to someone who is trying to understand about Allah and Islam. So
 please stop this propaganda and DO NOT FORWARD these messages to everyone
 on your list.

Indeed! Same thing has been done with the Bible.

 That is NOT dawah. That is a waste of time and energy. The fact is, that
 this will turn people away from the truth and destroy the pure message of
 Islam.

 When we are going to talk with folks about Islam, we should first begin
 with the word itself. Let people know that there is a difference between
 the word "Islam" and what some people are doing. Visit our page on this
 subject of the explanation of words before you try to discuss Islam with
 anyone:

 http://www.IslamTomorrow.com/word/

 "ISLAM" - Explain to them that "Islam" can be understood both, as a verb
 and as a noun. As a noun, it is the religion that was completed by Allah
 for all human beings 1,400 years ago. The message came with Muhammad,
 peace be upon him, in the Arabic language.

 As a verb, the word "Islam" means the surrender, submission, obedience and
 peace in sincerity with Allah.

 Next, explain to them that the word Muslim comes from the word Islam
 itself. And the Arabic uses a prefix to the verb rather than a suffix to
 indicate the one who is preforming the verb or action. So instead of being
 an "Islam-er" we are "Mu-islims" (Muslim).
 Remember: K.I.S.S. (Keep It So Simple)

 Next you might logically break down the word "Allah" and let them know
 what it comes from and how it is the perfect word to describe and
 represent the Lord of the Worlds, The Only Creator and Sustainer of the
 universe.

 "Allah" comes from the root "elah" and the plural is "awliha." When the
 article "the" is placed in front of "elah" in Arabic, it becomes "Al-lah."
 In this state the word can no longer be made plural, nor can it be
 associated with gender. That is to say, that "Allah" can actually be used
 to represent the meaning of "One only to be worshipped, never plural,
 always singular and never man nor woman."

 "Quran" is another word that you might explain to them. Let them
 understand that the Quran is not a book and that it is actually "alive"
 today in the hearts of over nine million (9,000,000) Muslims around the
 world. This is a real miracle. There is no other book like it.
Quite a few like it, but do go on. :-)

 No book can
 compare to it and no other major religion today has their original
 preserved in the original language by so many followers of the religion.

Might be true. I can't verify this assertion

 For instance, you might ask the person, "Did you know? - Over NINE MILLION
 Muslims Memorized the Entire Quran. 9,000,000 + Muslims living today have
 memorized the entire Quran in the original Arabic language.


Yes but does anyone understand it?

 But
 surprisingly over 75% of all Muslims are not Arab. In fact, the largest
 number of Muslims today are in Indonesia.
 And did you know? That every Muslim in the world, over 1.5 billion have
 all memorized some of the Quran and each of them desires to memorize it
 entirely?

 "Prophethood" in Islam is also an area that brings people to a better
 understanding of Muslims and what Islam is really about about. Let them
 know that as much as we love and honor and respect all of the prophets
 from Adam to Abraham and Moses and David, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be
 upon them all, we never worship them.

"Cast your faith on no man's sleeve" - Bible

 As a matter of fact, that is where
 people begin to go the wrong way, by over praising something or someone in
 the creation. All praise and worship is due to Allah, alone.

 Indeed, we worship the messenger and forget the message.

 You might like to read and share the messages about Muhammad, peace be
 upon him, and Jesus, peace be upon him, from the Muslim perspective. You
 could print these pages out and share them or ask them to visit the links
 online if they can.

 "Muhammad" - "Jesus"

 "Human Rights" is a favorite of mine to talk about. And then rights in
 general in Islam. Of course it is Allah, who has the first and most
 exclusive right, that of being worshipped alone without any partners.

 "Women's rights" There are areas to discuss and in particular of great
 interest today, is the rights of women. Also, you could mention that today
 more than ever before, women are coming into Islam in greater numbers than
 men. This is a fact.

As Sufis, maybe.

 There are many areas to open up the dialog, but always keep in mind that
 the message is to call people to worship Allah, Alone without any
 partners.

 Make the clear distinction between what "Islam" teaches and what some
 "Muslims" do.

And make a clear distinction between what the Qur'an and the Hadifs say,
and what is currently taught in Islam's NAME.


 Ask them to consider some of the bad people in history who
 were supposed to be Christians, yet what they did does not represent the
 Christians or Jesus.

Indeed, Indeed, Indeed. This insanity is common in near all religions.

 "Islam" is not what some Muslims do. It is what all Muslims are "supposed"
 to do.

 So all in all, you need to adopt gentleness and politeness in presenting
 your arguments. Allah Almighty addresses His Prophet, saying:

 "Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching;
 and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord
 knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance."
 (An-Nahl: 125)

 The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said:
 "Indeed, gentleness adds more beauty to the atmosphere it reposes
 therein."

 Actually, nothing is more needed now, in making dawah, than correct
 knowledge, gentleness and wisdom. The reason for this is to dispel all the
 superstitions and lies spread against Islam. All this needs wisdom,
 patience and perseverance, and such polite methods brings quick results
 and has rapid effect on the audience.

 Consider the wife of Abu sufyan, Hind and her saying to Muhammad, peace be
 upon him, after she came to Islam; "I never wanted to see anyone on the
 face of the earth to be put down more than you and your family. But now, I
 do not see anyone on the face of the earth more honored than you and your
 family."

 This is a clear example of the prophet's effect on people's hearts and
 minds through his behavior and manners. Callers to Islam must follow this
 great example in their efforts to share the message of Islam instead of
 turning them away.

 Always consider your audience and who it is that you are speaking to. If
 the people are not familiar with the Arabic language, then there is no
 real need to speak Arabic or make all of your quotes in Arabic and then
 try to translate everything to English. This is silly and could turn
 people away. Remember to keep everything on their level and not try to
 talk above them or talk down to them.

Will keep this in mind here. Good point.

 Allah is the All Knower.


best to ya all,