(1) The Issue Concerning Watering Down the Dawah and an Important Distinction. That is, The Tremendous Principle of the

[Moin]

(1) The Issue Concerning Watering Down the Dawah and an Important Distinction. That is, The Tremendous Principle of the Difference Between ‘Mudarah’ (being amicable) and ‘Mudahanah’ (to compromise).

’Ā’ishah (radi Allāhu ’anha) reported

“that a man sought permission to enter upon the Prophet (sallallāhu alayhi wassallam) and when he saw the man the Prophet (sallallāhu ’alayhi wassallam) said: “Let him in, what a bad brother of his tribe he is and what a bad son of his tribe he is.” (Bukharee – Kitaab ul Fitan)

Imaam Nawawee (rahimahullāh) said:

“This Hadīth shows the permissibility of mudārah”

Haafidh Ibn Hajr (rahimahullāh) said about this Hadīth:

“Ibn Battāl said: Mudārah is from the good character of the believers, to be responsive to people, even with a word, without being coarse with them in speech, this is one of the strongest causes of harmony. Some people think that mudārah is mudahānah and this is an error, as mudārah is regrettable and mudāhanah is prohibited. The difference is: mudāhanah is taken from the word ad-Dahhān (the painter) who glosses over something and covers what is actually there. the scholars have explained it as lying with a sinner and openly displaying happiness with what he is doing without forbidding him at all. Mudārah is being kind with the ignorant in order to teach him, being kind with the sinner in order to forbid him from what he is doing, without being harsh with him so that he does not expose what he does, and forbidding him with gentle speech and action, especially if his comradeship is needed and the likes of that.” (Fath ul-Bārī [Dār ur-Rayyān], vol.10, pg.545)

Imām al-Qurtubī (rahimahullāh) stated:

“the difference between mudārah and mudāhanah is that mudārah is to surrender the dunya for the benefit of the religion and it is permissible and even recommended. Mudāhanah is leaving the religion for the dunya.” (ibid, vol.10, p.469)

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (rahimahullāh):

“Thus mudārah is praiseworthy and mudāhanah is censured, so there is a differenece between the two. The one who is mudāree uses kindness with a person in order for the truth to manifest from the person or make him retract from falsehood. The mudāhin (compromiser) uses kindness in order for the person to remain established upon falsehood and leaves him upon his desires. Mudārah is for the people of Imān while mudāhanah is for the hypocrites.” (Ar-Rūh pg. 231)

It is important to refer to the magnificent books by the great late, Allamah Bakr Abu Zayd (rahimahullāh) ‘Hukm ul Intimaa’ and ‘Hajr ul Mubtadi’ for a discussion on this topic further and I pray Allah will allow us to translate and publish the book soon, Inshaallaah.

So you will come to realise that it is not necessary to be harsh and rough all the time when giving dawah or responding to the one calling you, although this has its time and place. At the same token we should not ‘gloss over’ the current problems in the dawah and pretend that they are not there, such pertinent example are from the likes of al-Maghrib, al-Kauthar, these academies, institutes and cooperating with their speakers and promoter’s thus creating a confusion and void in the minds of the Salafee youth, not knowing whether to turn to the right or left.

Ultimately, the caller and the called become confused together and the sinner is left unspoken and not warned about, and this is displaying a support and aid for the sinner. It should not be difficult for the Salafee, as a minimum, to free himself from the one who places the Soofee, Mutazilee, Jahmee, Qadaree, Murjee and so on under the banner of Ahlus Sunnah, and by doing so he preserves the trust that Allah has placed with him through this blessed dawah. A lot, can be said but this will be detailed in a later book Inshaallaah. Allah’s aid is sought.