I was surprised when someone was saying to me that he is also doing dakwah by joining Pas. He said to me that he is doing dakwah through siasah. He tried to use the world siasah since it sounds more Islamic when compared with the word politic. He told me that he is the leader of Pas in the area and twice he was chosen as the representative of Pas in the general election but he lost in both attempts. He told me since Pas joining DAP and PKR, many non-Muslims start to understand about Islam and he believes in this way Pas is doing dakwah to the non-Muslims. Dato’ Nik Aziz also believes that Pas is doing the work of dakwah when Pas join the Pakatan Rakyat. How Pas believes that they are doing the work of dakwah by joining Pakatan Rakyat? I really do not understand what to the peoples of Pas understand on what dakwah means. Having association with the non-Muslims such as working with the non-Muslims or having business association with the non-Muslims is not called dakwah. In order to do the work of dakwah, we need to have good association with the non-Muslims. In order to have good association with the non-Muslims, Muslims must have good conduct and kept their promises that they have made with the non-Muslims. Akhlak or good conduct is not dakwah. Dakwah and akhlak or good conducts are exactly two different orders of Allah. Many Muslims and some Muslims scholars have the understanding that dakwah and Akhlak are the same orders of Allah. Many including some Muslims scholars say that by having good conduct when you have dealing with the non-Muslims is also dakwah. Prophet Muhammad saw has good conduct or good akhlak but he also does the work of dakwah. In case dakwah and akhlak is the same order of Allah, Prophet Muhammad saw would not have to do the work of inviting the non-Muslims to recite the Great Kalimah because Prophet Muhammad saw already has good akhlak, Prophet Muhammad saw had such a very good akhlak, and his good akhlak was testified by all the peoples of Mecca even before he was declared as the Prophet of Allah and he was known to the peoples of Mecca as Al-Amin, which means the trustworthy.

Even Dato’ Nik Abdul Aziz the Menteri Besar of Kelantan and the Mursyidul-Am of Pas is not sure the different between having good conduct or akhlak and the work of dakwah. When the leaders of Pas do not understand what the meaning of the word of dakwah is, what more to the followers of Pas. Since hundreds of years Muslims have not done the work of dakwah and naturally they do not understand what the meaning of the work of dakwah is and what the meaning of good akhlak is. We need to do the work of dakwah with good akhlak but dakwah and akhlak are two different orders of Allah. Although we need to do the work of dakwah with good akhlak but good akhlak is not the basic prerequisite to do the work of dakwah. Even when a Muslim has bad akhlak, upon him lays the responsibilities to do the work of dakwah. The work of dakwah means to convey or to proclaim to the non-Muslims the Great Kalimah and to invite the non-Muslims to recite the Great Kalimah. The only prerequisite to do the work of dakwah is only to know the Great Kalimah and nothing else. When a person has recited the Great Kalimah and has become a Muslims, upon him laid the responsibilities to convey the Great Kalimah to another non-Muslims and all other non-Muslims in the whole world. When Hazrat Abu Bakar embraced Islam, the first order of Allah that the Prophet Muhammad saw asked him to do was to do the work of dakwah or to invite the others who has not recited the Great Kalimah to recite the Kalimah. On the first day after Hazrat Abu Bakar recited the Great Kalimah, he did the work of dakwah.

During the time of Prophet Muhammad saw, every Muslims were doing the work of dakwah. When anyone embraces Islam and has recited the Great Kalimah even the poor illiterate Arab Badawi, the first order of Allah that the Prophet saw asked them to do was the work of dakwah. Muslims at that time will never be able to imagine that the Muslims at later times will ever leave the work of dakwah. Dakwah and Muslims was so synonym and no Muslims at that time will ever think they will leave the work of dakwah. Nowadays the situation of Muslims is completely different from the situation of Muslim at the time of Prophet Muhammad saw and the four righteous Caliphs. At that time it was strange to see a Muslims not doing the work of dakwah and at our time it is strange to see a Muslims do the work of dakwah. In our time the word dakwah is wrongly being understood by Muslims and Muslims scholars. When Muslims are doing good services towards Muslims or non-Muslims, they also call it as dakwah. When Muslims do any good services towards the mosques, they also call it as dakwah and when they have a political association with the non-Muslims like PAS they also call it as dakwah. It is clear that nowadays Muslims have greatly misunderstood the order of dakwah, the word of dakwah and the action that can be called as the action of dakwah.

When we want to know what is the action that can be called as dakwah, we cannot look at the actions of anyone other than the action of Prophet Muhammad saw. We cannot use our own mind and understanding to define the meaning of the word of dakwah. Dakwah is the action done by Prophet Muhammad saw to invite the non-Muslims to recite the Great Kalimah. When Prophet Muhammad saw went to see Khalid Al-Walid in Mecca for nearly seventy times, what did the Prophet saw wanted Khalid to do other than to recite the Great Kalimah. What was the Prophet saw want his uncle Abu Talib to do at the time when Abu Talib was about to die other than to recite the Great Kalimah. What did the Prophet wanted his uncle Abu Jahal to do when the Prophet saw went to see him more than hundred times while he was in Mecca other than the Prophet saw wanted his uncle Abu Jahal to recite the Great Kalimah. Dakwah means is to convey the Great Kalimah to the non-Muslims and to invite them to recite the Great Kalimah. Dakwah does not mean to convert the non-Muslims to become Muslims but to convey the Great Kalimah to the non-Muslims and to request them to recite the Great Kalimah. Dakwah is not to force the non-Muslims to recite the Great Kalimah but to invite them to recite the Great Kalimah. The choice to recite and not to recite lies in the hand of the non-Muslims. Whether a person who has recited the Great Kalimah is sincere or not is not our business. Whenever a person has recited the Great Kalimah, he or she has become a Muslim. The persons who have recited the Great Kalimah have to convey the Great Kalimah to all the other non-Muslims with the intention to please Allah until Allah is pleased with us. When Allah is pleased with us, Allah will place the Great Kalimah in our heart. When the Great Kalimah is in our heart then we will become a true believer or Mukmin.

Dakwah is the work of all the Prophets and all the Prophets may Allah is pleased with them were doing the same work, which is the work of calling mankind to recite the Great Kalimah. And to those who have already recited the Great Kalimah, they have to be reminded about the meaning of the Kalimah and to ask them to obey all the orders of Allah. And to those who are ready to obey the orders of Allah, teach them the ways on how to obey Allah. All the Prophets had received revelation from Allah and some of the Prophets were given by Allah, the book of guidance. Since there will be no more Prophets send by Allah to the entire mankind after the coming of Prophet Muhammad saw, Allah has ordered the whole Umat of Prophet Muhammad saw to do the work of the Prophet. Umat of Prophet Muhammad saw are not Prophets but they are given the work of the Prophet. The only different between all the Prophets and the Umat Muhammad saw is the Umat of Prophet Muhammad saw does not receive any revelation like all the Prophets but the same work given by Allah to all the Prophets is also given to the entire Umat of Prophet Muhammad saw. The Umat of Prophet Muhammad saw is the best Umat when compared to all the previous Umat because the Umat of Prophet Muhammad saw is given by Allah the work of the Prophet which is not given to all the other Umat. Dakwah work is simple but it is heavy to do. The Great Kalimah is heavy and the work of inviting peoples to recite the Great Kalimah is also heavy to be done. Hence, the reward of reciting this Great Kalimah is also heavy. A person who has committed sins even in the last seventy years and once he or she recite this Kalimah, all his or her previous sins will be forgiven by Allah. Although the work of dakwah is simple but since it is heavy, therefore very few peoples among this Umat are able to do the work of dakwah. Even there is only a small group among the Umat Muhammad saw is doing the work of dakwah, Allah is already pleased with this Umat and Allah is willing not to punish this Umat anymore. When the majority of the Umat Muhammad saw are doing the work of dakwah, Allah will be so pleased with this Umat and Allah will make this Umat glorious and par excellent.

The work of the Prophet or dakwah is a simple work and simple person of this Umat like me is able to do the work of the Prophet. Although the work of dakwah is simple but it is heavy and many people are not able to do it particularly when they are not included among the simple peoples like me.Those peoples who think they have status and prestige in the communities will not be able to do the work of the Prophet saw. Neither man of PAS nor man of Tabligh Jamat is doing the work of the Prophets. Both of this Islamic organization is exactly not a dakwah movement. PAS is a political movement and Tabligh Jamat is a world tarikat movement and ABIM probably a social and charitable Islamic movement. I’am not a Mujaddid and neither have I wanted to be called a Mujaddid or Banu Tamim as many are accusing me of doing it. Many accused me of self-proclaiming myself as Mujaddid or Pemuda Bani Tamim. I will never do that and I do not have any wishes to be a Mujaddid or Bani Tamim or Imam Mahadi or to be call as such. I am a simple person, by profession a Dean of an Optometry Faculty and Professor of optometry, herbal medicines and behaviour therapy practitioners. I do not wish to become a Mujaddid or Pemuda Bani Tamim. In my opinion, Mujaddid, or Pemuda Bani Tamim or Imam Mahadi is the work of the Prophet Muhammad saw and not a person who has the sanad of an Ulama or Prophets. This is my opinion and regarding the comment that I cannot read Quran with correct Tajwid and make tafsir Quran only with outward meaning have nothing to do with the work of the Prophet. Many Muslims are so engrossed with the coming of Mahdi and Pemuda Bani Tamim but are not interested to do the work of Prophet Muhammad saw and as we all know, Allah is not looking at our names or sanad but Allah looks at our actions. I am only interested to revive the work of the Prophet saw at times when none including the Muslims scholars want to revived it, I don’t care whether I am a Mujaddid or Pemuda Bani Tamim as I think it is not important to me and it is not my priorities. Whoever among the Ulama of Tabligh Jamat whose interested to become a Mujaddid or Pemuda Bani Tamim please proceed to become one and I will not challenge him for the post. I only want to revive the work of the Prophet saw with the intention to please Allah until Allah is pleased with me. May Allah accept me to be His beloved slave.

Prof Dr Nasoha Saabin
April 2011
Integrative Holistic Wellness Centre