Lekki Muslims Ummah harps on effective Da’wah methodologies

Determined to rectify the perceived lapses pervading Da’wah circles in the country, the Lekki Muslim Umah (LEMU), has organizsed a workshop for Muslims to correct the poor Da’wah approach usually adopted by scholars.

President of LEMU, Dr. Kamoru Omotosho, at the quarterly Da’wah workshop, in Lagos said the forum was organized in order to rectify the emerging acrimony, antagonism and hullabaloo pervading Da’wah circles in this part of the country in recent times.

Speaking on theme: ‘Da’wah without Bitterness’ Omotosho said: “Some Muslim scholars have turned Da’wah to an avenue for throwing tantrums and unwarranted vitriolic attacks on fellow Muslim scholars. The bitterness is so much that some so-called scholars do not even hesitate to declare fellow Muslims as unbelievers, on account of minor differences in jurisprudential opinions,”

The Chairman of the workshop, Prince Shamsideen Ope, said he was fascinated by the theme of the workshop due to the emerging acrimony in Da’wah circles in the state. He said: “Many of our scholars who are the champions of Da’wah seem to be at loggerheads with one another, their Da’wah messages in recent times are replete with invectives directed at fellow Muslims. The effect of this development is that Da’wah messages now contain more abuses than constructive admonitions and glad tidings”.

The Chief Imam of Lekki Central Mosque, Imam Ridwan Jamiu, charged every Muslim to participate in the act of Da’wah according to their capacity. “Da’wah is not the responsibility of scholars alone, every Muslim must invite people to the way of Allah as stated in Qur’an 3:104. It is compulsory on every Muslim to promote virtues in his family, community and the society and to forbid vices,” he said.

He added that, Da’wah as enjoined by Allah and practiced by His prophets (peace be upon them) should simply be a mix of innocuous admonition and glad tidings. Therefore we must all continue to seek knowledge about our religion because you can’t give what you don’t have.

Jamiu noted that calling to God is a honourable task in the sight of Allah and its success depends on how closely the faithful adhere to the guidance and methodologies set out by the Prophet.

“The act of preaching and educating in the field of Da’wah are not easy tasks. They did not only need massive effort and God fearing character, but also instigate a comprehensive systematic approach that is based on the Qur’an and Sunnah. Without such a proper approach, the success of the efforts of inviting to Islam is a remote possibility,” he said.He urged Da’wah scholars to master the best methodologies before calling other people to Islam.

“Such a person must first display his religious call through his own good actions and beautiful manners according to the doing of the prophet (SAW) before calling other people to implementing the laws of Islam. He urged the scholars calling to the way of Allah to desist from imposing themselves on people or monitor their affairs, adding that such persons should not request any reward from people for doing Da’wah, should not become intolerant or abusive when criticize, should never say what he does not know or what is not sure of.

A guest lecturer, Ustaadh Shuaib Salis, during his lecture on ‘Social work as a Da’wah tool’ said some social works have universal application regardless of religion, saying that 75 per cent of Muslim daily activities must bring benefit to mankind while 25 per cent should be base on spirituality in order to attain paradise.

He recalled that the Prophet (SAW) is the first global social worker and his first social work was the role he played in settling the dispute that erupted between the people of Mecca in certain stage of constructing the Kaaba, which would have led to a massacre if it weren’t for the Prophet’s wisdom that satisfied all parties.

“The prophet (SAW), ended the dispute between the Quraish when all the tribes wanted to have the honor to put the Black Stone in place, So he asked them to bring him a dress and He took the Black Stone and put it over the dress and turned to the elders of the crowd and said: “Let every tribe hold one side of the dress and lift it all together at once. The crowd praised the idea and act according to the advice. Once the stone become along its reserved position, the Prophet (as) took it and put it in the decent place, and completed rebuilding Kaaba according to the plan.Therefore, by his wisdom and loyalty, the Prophet pleased everyone and prevented a devastating war.