Reflections From The Qurʾān (7): Messengers’ Duty Is Only To Convey The Message

Alhamdulillāh… All praise and thanks are due to the Almighty Allāh. I send peace and blessings upon Ḥabībī Muḥammad, his household, his companions and all those who follow his guided path, till the Day of Judgement.

This is part 7 of the ‘Reflections from the Qur'an’ series, which is posted here on GSalam.Net, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, throughout the holy month of Ramaḍān 2014. I pray that Allāh grants us more understanding of His book and religion.

Sometimes, when the Dāʾī carries out his duty by either inviting the non-Muslim to Islam or reminding the existing Muslims in the form of Islah, he may forget that his sole mission is to convey the message, and that he can’t control the heart of his people in their reaction to his da’wah in accepting or rejecting.

Any one, who calls to Allāh with sincerity, is following the footsteps of the Prophets and Messengers of Allāh. To the messengers Allāh said in Surah al-Māʿidah, 5:99:

مَّا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ

“The Messenger's sole duty is to convey the message.”

The impression of this verse is repeated in the Qur’an six times, including this verse. In fact, every Messenger did inform his people in a way or the other, that his duty was to convey the message, and Allāh will be the One who judges the people, for all their deeds, which they did in this life.

In some verses, which the same words were not used but the implication applied, Allāh says, for instance, to the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam, in Sūrah al-Qaṣas, 28:56:

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ، وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

“You cannot guide whoever you please: it is Allāh who guides whom He will. He best knows those who would accept guidance.”

Down in Sūrah al-Ghāshiyah, 88:21-22, He says:

فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ ﴿٢١﴾ لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِرٍ

“So, [O Prophet] remind: Your are only a reminder. You are not their controller over them.”

The Prophets were chosen by Allāh Himself to convey His Message to His creatures. They knew very well what and why they had to do whatever they did in the process of daʾwah. Yet, Allāh tells them, that their duty was just to convey, and that’s it. They were told to leave alone those who denied and defied. The guidance of any individual is in the Hands of Allāh, alone.

Those were the Prophets. What about us, those who are in the field of “daʾwah” today? Why do we get frustrated when rejected? Are we serving Allāh or ourselves?

When you make daʾwah, never think your effort, knowledge, intelligence, intellectuality (and all the wow! factors) are the key factors, that influence people to accept (convert or revert to) Islam through you. If that has ever been the case, all those who had contact with the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʾalaihi wa sallam, would have accepted Islam. But we all know that even close relatives of the Prophet rejected Islam.

The only factor that influences people to accept Islam is Allāh’s guidance, which takes place with or without the interference of the one who carries the message. There are numerous cases where non-Muslims go the mosque or relevant Islamic centres, willingly, to embrace Islam, without anyone inviting him to it.

Your interference, therefore, as a Dāʾī, is for your own good. You are in need of Allāh’s Mercy, Acceptance and Pleasure for the daʾwah you do.

Let us invite to Islam and participate in Islāh, with total submission to Allāh’s decision, in the acceptance and denial of the audience we seek to see them our Muslim brothers and sisters one day.

May Allāh guide us and grant us the patience of the guided prophets in their mission of da’wah, to serve Islam wholeheartedly. Ameen.

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Allāh knows best.
Allāhu Ḥāfiẓ 🙂