In the Name of Allah the Beneficent the Most Merciful
Allah (SWT) in the noble Qur’an says:
“And who is better in speech than the one who calls to Allah, works righteous deeds, and says “Indeed I am of those who are Muslims!” (Fusilat, v.33)
This noble ayah that Allah (SWT) mentioned in Surah Al Fusilat highlights many factors that the Muslim Ummah in general and especially the dawah carriers can benefit from and get an understanding of what is required from the Muslims at this current moment of change in the Muslim World. In this momentous time period in History where the tyrants of the Muslim world are falling we are seeing people calling for change. Allah (SWT) begins by making a statement which is rhetorical in nature but its effect is used to reflect an elevation of position of the action in question and the doer. Whenever Allah (SWT) makes a comparison and uses the rhetorical approach the intention is to show that nothing is better/worse than the example depending on its context. So as an illustration when Allah (SWT) says:
“And who are more unjust than those people who prevent the name of Allah from being mentioned in His mosques and strive toward their destruction.” (Baqarah, v.114) – he is highlighting that there is no one more unjust than the people who prevent Allah’s (SWT) name and reminder from being mentioned in the House of Allah.
or when Allah (SWT) says:
“And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie while he is being invited to Islam.” (Saff, v.7) – he is highlighting that there is no one more unjust than those people who lie about Allah and Islam while they are being invited to it.
or when Allah (SWT) says:
“And who is better than Allah as a judge, for a people who have certainty“ (Maeda, v.50) – Allah (SWT) is saying for a people who have conviction in Allah (SWT) there is no better judge or way of solving their disputes than through his commandments.
So in this ayah when Allah (SWT) says ‘And who is better in speech’ using the word أَحْسَنُ (Ahsanu) which is in the elative form ( اسم تفضيل /ismu tafdeel) of the word حسن (good) to show that the action that will follow is one of importance in the deen of Islam but more pressingly an act that is beloved to Allah (SWT) and the one who does it no one is better than him.
The ayah continues as whenever the elative form is used a comparison to that elevation follows to inform us of the nature of what is being asked. So what is this good action that has a great rank in the sight of Allah (SWT), we see that Allah says:
‘Than the one who calls to Allah’
Meaning the one who calls to the shariah of Allah (SWT) for it to be followed and implemented practically then…
‘Does good deeds’ i.e. he acts on the good that he is calling to…
‘And says indeed I am from the Muslims’.
Imam Ibn Kathir (RA) in his Tafsir of this ayah says:
“And who is better in speech than one who calls to Allah” – “Means he calls the servants of Allah to Him”
“works righteous deeds, and says “Indeed I am from the Muslims?” – “It means he himself follows that which he says, so it benefits him as well as others. He is not one of those who enjoin good, but do not do it themselves. He does good and avoids doing evil, and he calls to the creator, may he be blessed and exalted. This is general in meaning and applies to everyone who calls people to what is good (as opposed to just the Mu’azzin’s {the person who calls to prayer} as some scholars have attributed to) and is himself guided by what he himself says.”
So we can see that the dawah carrier who does the دَعَا (call) to Allah needs to take a special message for himself. In order for any person to reach this grand platform that Allah (SWT) is extolling, there are three things that the dawah carrier needs to do.
1. Allah (SWT) is saying that the dawah carrier needs to call to ‘Allah’ which reflects that he must have an Islamic call as any other call would be to other than Allah. This is important as whenever we face a problem we need to apply the hukm (rule) of Allah on that matter, so when we are now seeing these demonstrations and calls from the Muslim world demanding change, that change will only be in line with Allah’s call if it fell in line with the Islamic shariah. So when we see the crisis in the Muslim World we should not turn to and call for secular, nationalistic bodies. This will be going against the ayah and also his call to the deen of Allah needs to be complete and not one that is partial.
Also something to note is that Allah (SWT) has attributed success in this ayah with the verb دَعَا (call) as opposed to a noun. Many times in the Quran Allah (SWT) attributes success to a verb such as:
“Indeed he is successful who purifies it (i.e. the soul)” (Shams, v.8) – thus the word زَكَّٮهَا / zak’kaha shows it is an action that needs to be undertaken. Similarly in this ayah the verb دَعَا (call) highlights and signifies that it needs to be an action undertaken as the verb needs to be done, as opposed to it not having any practical implication on us. Allah (SWT) meticulously chooses every word in the Quran precisely and the use of the verb here, reflects the practical nature of the dawah.
2. Allah (SWT) is saying that he must to good deeds.
That he must be the embodiment and the practical manifestation of the change that he is advocating.
We know this to be the case of the Prophet (SAW), as he was described in the Hadith of Aisha (RA) ‘as the walking Qur’an.’
Imam Qurtubi (RA) regarding the Tafsir of this ayah says:
“The messenger of Allah (SAW) is the foremost among the people in this regard as Muhammad bin Sirin, As Suddi and Abdur Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said.”
3. The last part of the ayah is what I want to review.
Significantly Allah says that the dawah carrier says:
“Indeed I am from the Muslims?”
This ayah in Surah Fusilat is a Makki verse and was revealed in a context where the Muslims were striving against the power holders of that time; Quraysh, who were constantly attacking Islam and being hostile towards the believers. The Prophet’s (SAW) time is Mecca was one of struggle and where the Muslims were challenging the falsehood of idol worship and holding steadfastly onto the values of the deen of Islam. Many stories of the Sahabah’s being tortured such as the likes of Bilal being put under the desert heat with a boulder on his chest, to Abu Dharr al Ghiffari being beaten up for professing his Shahadah or the brave little Ibn Masud reciting Ar-Rahman in the presence of the nobility of Quraysh in front of the Ka’bah are milestones in Islamic history of the challenges they faced. It is under this context that Allah (SWT) is saying “and who is better in speech…” referring to these people i.e. the Sahabah’s as better than those who are just remaining silent but more importantly better than those who are opposing them. Allah (SWT) is using the rhetorical nature of this ayah as a means of exhorting the believers to carry on and it is with this ayah that the Sahabah’s got energy and determination to continue in that path until Allah (SWT) gave them peace and security in the first Islamic State in Medina.
Thus we notice that the word that Allah (SWT) uses is إِنَّنِي ‘Indeed I am’ with the emphasis being on “Indeed.” Similarly this is a reflection of the stance of the dawah carrier that he is brave and not cowardly in his approach and silence is not an option for him when his allegiance is under question, whether he is British or Muslim. Or when he is asked does he believe comprehensively in the shariah regarding the role of women or the application of the hudud (punishment system in Islam) he replies:
‘Indeed I am from the Muslims.’
This ayah is trying to pass on the concept that Muslims should not be apologetic for believing in Islam and that our concerns should be for the wider Muslim community and not just ourselves. This last part of the ayah is very similar and a reflection of the Shahadah that every Muslim takes to become Muslim. Islam is not merely the confession of a faith which is made once in a lifetime neither is it purely verbal; it is an act of witnessing which must carry a radical change to the current status quo. You enter Islam by saying the Shahadah, but you can live in Islam only by constantly doing Shahadah and this is what made the Sahabah great. Thus Allah (SWT) says:
‘Thus we have appointed you a middle nation, that you may be witnesses against mankind, and that the messenger may be a witness against you.’ (Surah Baqarahm v.143)
Thus doing the Shahadah will bring you into a continual confrontation with false ideas both inside and outside of you. Becoming Muslim, after the seed of Imaan (belief) has been sown in the heart, is a two-fold process: to summon one’s own self and to summon mankind to live by Islam, both are inextricably linked together. All the three points mentioned above need to be taken up simultaneously as they are all connected by the ‘waw al atf’ ‘و’ ‘the connection letter.’ This letter shows that all of these things mentioned have been connected so all of things need to be done collectively for the dawah carrier to achieve this high platform.
Summoning mankind is not a passive call. It is an active, dynamic process. It must wage a concentrated effort with all accessible resources so that all false ideas are dethroned, oppression and corruption are over powered, and justice is established among mankind. With this comes immense reward as Hassan Al Basri (RA) after reciting this ayah in Surah Al Fusilat said:
“This is the beloved of Allah, this is the close friend of Allah, this is the chosen one of Allah, and this is the most beloved of all the people of earth to Allah. He responded to the call of Allah and called mankind to that which he responded. He did righteous deeds in response and said ‘I am one of the Muslims’. This is Allah’s khalifah (representative).”
And Allah knows best.
Rupon Haque is a regular contributor to Siyasahpress. He is currently a student at the University of SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) studying History and Arabic. He can be followed on Facebook under the user-name: ‘Shahid’ Rupon or followed on Twitter @shahidrupon or emailed at ruponhaque@googlemail.com
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