Some of us, are unfortunately not gifted with the ability to naturally give da’wah. The words will not flow from our tongues, nor will we think fast enough to grab the opportunity before us.

For others, we are too busy wasting hours browsing online, scrolling through endless unimportant posts on Facebook, playing games and too addicted to technology to give it up and take a moment to speak to our non-muslim acquaintance. As much as I hate to admit it, there are even some of us who are merely too lazy, not bothered and could not care less about da’wah, claiming it is not their duty.

The prophet Muhammad (Saw) used every opportunity before him to convey the message of Islam. When Allah revealed the verses, “And warn your tribe of near kindred[1],” He (saw) threw off the blanket which he was enveloped in and went on to deliver the message. He (saw) tried to secure an audience and went out to the Mount of Safa, and called out to his people[2]. He had no microphone, no megaphone, no speakers. He had no easy method of passing on the message with a simple ‘click’ of a button, as we do today. Yet, he still warned them. Despite, Waraqah bin Nawfil’s forewarning[3] that his people would cast him out, the prophet (saw) still fought to preserve Tawheed. He devoted all his energies into delivering the message so that we have it ‘on a tray’ presented to us. He (saw) was beaten by the children of Ta’if until his feet bled and he was forced to flee[4], just because he taught the Oneness of Allah. He lost his molar tooth on the day of Uhud[5], because he struggled to ensure that Allah would be worshipped. How many of us, are willing to sacrifice one minute of the millions of minutes that Allah has blessed us with, to convey this beautiful message?

With the advancement of technology and its invasion of every household, not knowing how to give da’wah is no excuse. The internet is scattered with da’wah training, Muslim television and radio channels have da’wah advertisements and now, social networking sites are brimming with it.

Perhaps the easiest way to become involved is to donate to a da’wah organisation. This can be done in various ways; through the post, in da’wah collection boxes at your local mosque… But this is not a way of truly being involved, nor will you be able to convey the message to your non-muslim acquaintance directly through this method.

Next up on the list is to give your non-muslim acquaintance a Quraan, or some da’wah material (which are available for free). You can drop it through their letter box, wrap it up as an Eid gift, or pair it with a box of chocolates. However this may be troublesome and hassling for those who cannot move an inch from their desk, though the free resources can be ordered online.

No fuss necessary, this is about da’wah from my desk, so I’ll move straight back to it….so what can we do using the screen in front of us? All of us reading this will have a webpage open, most of us may have our social network page also open. Some of us will even have a mobile beside us within arm’s reach. That’s a start.

With all the available material, da’wah has never been easier.

If you have a social network account, follow or like a world-renowned da’ee. That way you can ‘like’ or ‘share’ their thought-provoking posts on your own page. You can also share their posts on to a friend’s page; thereby fulfilling your obligation of da’wah, without really having to do much work yourself. Sharing videos and video links is another simple method of doing da’wah. It can easily be done on social networking sites or mobile chat applications.

A different technique; is to come up with your own inspirational quote and post it as a ‘status’ or tweet, etc… Your friends are more than likely to read it, and Inshallah it will get them thinking. This is an easy way to prepare yourself beforehand for da’wah, rather than thinking on the spot. If you cannot think up a quote, why not choose your favourite ayah from the Qura’an? To have a bigger impact, research the tafseer of the ayah (again this can be found online) and post it together.

As I mentioned earlier, donations are the simplest way. Though not the most effective; it is an effort, nonetheless. These can also be done online, right on the screen in front of you. For example, ‘AAT’ has a ‘go fund me’ page where you can easily donate as much or as little as you want to help us to produce da’wah material, and maintain a da’wah friendly site.

Forums, are another good way to get involved in da’wah. You can either answer participants questions about Islam (after you have sought out authentic information), or you can spark a discussion about any important da’wah topic, such as “what is the purpose of life?”

Blogs and Vlogs can also be used to spread the message. You can research the information you will be presenting in advance and phrase it in a way which suits you. You don’t have to worry about awkward situations or answering questions. In addition, you can inform your non-muslim acquaintance about your blog or vlog, and ask them for their opinion about your grammar for example. They will have no idea of the content of your Blog or Vlog, and will be surprised, yet intrigued when they check it out. You can also be smart and upload the video on to Youtube.

Similarly presentations can be used in the same way. If you are uncomfortable with talking, don’t present it, simply send your acquaintance the slides and ask them to double check it for you.

Subscribing to da’wah newsletters and websites is a helpful way to learn more about da’wah. But, make sure you read the newsletters/articles and remember their advice, or it will be of no benefit, apart from taking up space in your inbox.

E-books are also widely available on the topic of da’wah. Many Muslim publishers are transcribing their works into electronic form, to make access even easier. Please, save the excuse of ‘I don’t like reading,’ because the first word revealed to Muhammad (saw) from Allah, was the command to “Read!” Check out Br Rayan’s e-publications available on his website www.rayanarab.com

In conclusion, we have no reason not pass on the message. Allah has facilitated it and made it easy for us in so many different ways. It is not a painstaking nor exhaustive task, as can be gathered from the methods above. Rather, it is an almost effortless, yet effective way of fulfilling our duty and obligation of doing da’wah.

On the day of Resurrection we will all be judged about everything we did, whether small or big; a day on which we will be standing for fifty thousand years[6]. Imagine the scene. You will be questioned about your time and how you spent it, and how you utilised the resources available to you. How will we answer to Allah for time and opportunities that were placed right before us, but we wasted them away?

May Allah make us of those able to deliver His message, and may He forgive us for our shortcomings.

Bint Mohammud