بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Circle 11: The Intellectual Struggles in The Prophet’s (saw) Da’wah
In this halaqah we continue with the third stage on the Prophet’s (saw) methodology for revival. In addition, today we will talk about the intellectual struggles in the Prophet’s (saw) da’wah.
Intellectual Struggle on Aqeedah
In order that the rule belong to Allah alone, and the worship be to Him alone, the Prophet (saw) used to struggle with kufr and shirk of idol worship. He recited to them Allah (swt) saying:
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا إِبْرَٰهِيمَ رُشْدَهُۥ مِن قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا بِهِۦ عَٰلِمِينَ
And We had certainly given Abraham his sound judgement before, and We were of him well-Knowing
إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِۦ مَا هَٰذِهِ ٱلتَّمَاثِيلُ ٱلَّتِى أَنتُمْ لَهَا عَٰكِفُونَ
They said, “We found our fathers worshippers of them.”
قَالُوا وَجَدْنَا ءَابَاءَنَا لَهَا عَٰبِدِينَ
They said, “We found our fathers worshippers of them.”
قَالَ لَقَدْ كُنتُمْ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَاؤُكُمْ فِى ضَلَٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ
He said, “You were certainly, you and your fathers, in manifest error.”
[Al-Anbiya: 51-54]
And he (saw) recited:
قالَ أَفَتَعبُدونَ مِن دونِ اللَّهِ ما لا يَنفَعُكُم شَيئًا وَلا يَضُرُّكُم
He said, ‘Do you then worship, besides Allah, that which cannot cause you any benefit or harm?
[Al-Anbiya: 66]
And he (saw) recited:
إِنَّكُم وَما تَعبُدونَ مِن دونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ أَنتُم لَها وارِدونَ
Indeed, you and what you worship besides Allah shall be fuel for hell, and you will come to it
[Al-Anbiya :98]
Intellectual Struggle on Customs and Traditions
In order to elaborate on the justice of the Islamic ideology, the Prophet (saw) struggled with the declined thoughts of the ignorant attached to customs and traditions dominant at the time, this was through undermining them; for instance, the female infanticide. He (saw) recited to them Allah (swt) saying:
وَإِذَا المَوءودَةُ سُئِلَت
when the girl buried-alive will be asked
بِأَيِّ ذَنبٍ قُتِلَت
for what sin she was killed?
[At-Takwir: 8-9]
And he (saw) recited:
وَإِذا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُم بِالأُنثىٰ ظَلَّ وَجهُهُ مُسوَدًّا وَهُوَ كَظيمٌ* يَتَوارىٰ مِنَ القَومِ مِن سوءِ ما بُشِّرَ بِهِ ۚ أَيُمسِكُهُ عَلىٰ هونٍ أَم يَدُسُّهُ فِي التُّرابِ ۗ أَلا ساءَ ما يَحكُمونَ
When one of them is brought the news of a female [newborn], his face becomes darkened and he chokes with suppressed agony. He hides from the people out of distress at the news he has been brought: shall he retain it in humiliation, or bury it in the ground!1 Look! Evil is the judgement that they make.
[An-Nahl: 58-59]
Intellectual Struggle on Livelihood
In order to elaborate on the vast economic system of Islam, the Prophet (saw) struggled with the Jahiliya economic system ran at the time. He undermined usurious transactions, and cheating in weight and measure; he (saw) used to recite to them:
وَما آتَيتُم مِن رِبًا لِيَربُوَ في أَموالِ النّاسِ فَلا يَربو عِندَ اللَّهِ ۖ وَما آتَيتُم مِن زَكاةٍ تُريدونَ وَجهَ اللَّهِ فَأُولٰئِكَ هُمُ المُضعِفونَ
That which you give in usury in order that it may increase people’s wealth does not increase with Allah. But what you pay as zakāt seeking Allah’s pleasure —it is they who will be given a manifold increase.
[Ar-Rum: 39]
وَيلٌ لِلمُطَفِّفينَ
Woe to the defrauders who use short measures!
الَّذينَ إِذَا اكتالوا عَلَى النّاسِ يَستَوفونَ
who, when they measure [a commodity bought] from the people, take the full measure,
وَإِذا كالوهُم أَو وَزَنوهُم يُخسِرونَ
but diminish when they measure or weigh for them.
أَلا يَظُنُّ أُولٰئِكَ أَنَّهُم مَبعوثونَ
Do they not know that they will be resurrected?
لِيَومٍ عَظيمٍ
on a tremendous day,
يَومَ يَقومُ النّاسُ لِرَبِّ العالَمينَ
a day when mankind will stand before the Lord of all the worlds?
[Al-Mutaffifin: 1-6]
The Prophet (saw) recited to them:
كَلّا ۖ بَل لا تُكرِمونَ اليَتيمَ
Rather you do not honour the orphan,
وَلا تَحاضّونَ عَلىٰ طَعامِ المِسكينِ
and do not urge the feeding of the needy;
وَتَأكُلونَ التُّراثَ أَكلًا لَمًّا
and you eat the inheritance rapaciously,
وَتُحِبّونَ المالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا
and you love wealth with much fondness.
[Al-Fajr: 17-20]
It will continue in UQAB Issue 16… In Shaa Allah.