I. Ways of Relating to People
A. Be attentive and show concern. When shaking hands. The Prophet (pbuh) never
released his hand first, and never turned his face away from others until they
did.
1. Be consistently considerate
4. Share in others' interests.
2. Inquire about the absent
5. Exchange gifts
3. Visit the sick
6. Listen to and look at the speaker
B. Address people by the names they like One day the prophet asked a man about
his name, and he replied that it was Abdulhajjar (slave of stone). The prophet
said "No, you're Abdullah" (the slave of Allah)
II. Requirements for Effective Da'wah
A. Don't blame the people for their mistakes or be critical.
1. Many people are hypersenstive to
criticism.
2. Some people become defensive when
blamed. When Musa went
to Pharoah,
Allah said, "but speak to him mildly........
perchance he may take warning or fear (Allah)".
B. Don't embarrass by correcting someone in front of others.
The Prophet (pbuh) used to use plurality
when correcting a
particular person in front of a group. For
example, he would
ask the group, "what do you think about
those who do
such-and-such a bad thing?".
C. Satisfy the people's halal needs.
1. Help those in need
2. Don't wait to assist the needy until
they ask you
3. The prophet (pbuh) always helped the
needy
4. The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Whosoever
removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the
griefs of the Day of Judgement. whoever alleviates [the lot of] a needy person,
Allah will alleviate [his lot] in this world and the next.
D. Always be fair, just, and honest
E. Give others sincere respect and heighten their
self-esteem.
1. Remember, if the respect you show others
is not genuine you will be showing hypocrisy, rather than respect.
2. One day a mushrik came to the prophet (pbuh)
who was sitting with Abu Bakr on his right. The Prophet had Abu Bakr move to
left,and had the mushrik sit on his right,a position of honor.
3. Two brothers came to speak to the
Prophet (pbuh) when the younger of them spoke first, the Prophet interrupted him
and asked the older to start.
F. Don't be angry or retaliate for injury to yourself, but be angry
or retaliate only for wrongdoing in the view of Allah.
III. Techniques for Growing Closer to Others
A. Attempt to understand deeply those you deal with
1. Find out their background (cultural, educational,
social, etc)
because that helps in finding access
to their minds and hearts.
2. Attempt to know everyone equally well. Favoritism
creates
mistrust and hurt feelings.
B. Be simple, moderate, and respectful
C. Do not insulate yourself from the bad people. They need you more than
the others.
D. Be tactful
1. Avoid
personal questions and embarassing comments
2. Address
the person according to his level of understanding
E. Be cheerful and enthuisiastic
Al-Harith, a companion said, I have never seen
anyone who smiled
most of the time as the Prophet (pbuh) did.
F. Present a pleasant appearance
1. Be clean and neat
2. Observe decency in dress
3. Wear clothing that is harmonious to the total outfit
4. The prophet (pbuh) saw someone with uncombed hair
and asked,
"Didn't you find something with which
to comb it?"
5. Never eat raw onion or garlic when going to the
masjid or to
meet with people.
IV. Obstacles to Da'wah
A. Don't be afraid of temptation.
Some peole fear contact with non-Muslims
for fear of
succumbing to their bad influence. the
remedy for this is
to strengthen one's faith.
B. Don't be shy.
1. Some people lack the courage to mix with
others and socialize.
2. The remedy for this is practice.
C. Fear of one's inability to express oneself and lack of
confidence in one's capabilities for
logical analysis and
persuation. The remedy for this is
practice.
V. The field for Da'wah: school, neighborhood, workplace and family.
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