We have not sent you except as mercy
for all creatures (Qur’an, 21:107).
Verily, Allah is only merciful to those of
his servants who are merciful (Hadith Bukhārī).
Foreword
Essentially, da’wah
is a means to transform moral values and the quality of life of human beings
-as individuals or as a group- to be more positive, constructive and
productive. Da’wah
to transform one’s self and society is clearly inspired by the Al-Qur’an.[3]
A
concrete example of social transformation that the Prophet Muhammad
successfully achieved through da’wah
is a testimony or narrative by the Prophet’s companion who was also his cousin
named Ja’far ibn Abi Thalib (629 AD). He recounted: “We were ignorant people, worshipping idols, feeding on
carcass, doing hideous acts, cutting off family ties, being hostile to our neighbors,
the powerful would trample the weak. And thus we were until God selected from
among us a Prophet of whom his lineage,
honesty, trustworthiness and piousness were known to us. The Prophet
urged us to practice monotheism, only worshipping Allah, to abandon worshipping
other than Allah such as divinizing idols, race, ethnicity, and ancestry. The
Prophet also encouraged us to enforce justice, speak honestly, uphold
righteousness and purity. He also urged
us to be kin-loving, maintain good relationships with our neighbors, to avoid
evil acts and stop all forms of conflicts and blood-shed. The Prophet also forbade us to carry out
heinous acts and speak falsely, exploit and neglect orphans, and commit
violence against women, including slandering pious women.[4]
Ja’far
ibn Abi Thalib’s testimony clearly depicts the reforms that the Prophet carried
out during his time, which was by transforming ignorant people into an Islamic
society with many changes towards a more positive, constructive and productive
life. If we measure the Prophet’s success in da’wah by his companions’ narratives and testimonies, so can we
measure our own success in da’wah by
several survey methods such as the Islamic City Index developed by the Ma’arif
Institute.
The
Islamic City Index intends to measure the extent that Islamic values are
practiced in the daily lives of citizens, and how those Islamic values are used
as the foundation for development and growth of the city. This index uses three
main aspects, namely security, welfare and happiness of the citizens. The Islamic
dimension of security is further elaborated in several variables such as
freedom to practice religion, legal protection, fulfillment of women’s
political rights, children’s rights and the rights of the disabled. The aspect
of welfare is set out in several variables such as education, employment, and
health. Lastly, the aspect of happiness is divided into several variables such
as the willingness to share, solidarity, and harmony with nature. It is
interesting to note that cities enforcing Islamic Shari’a laws or have
Islamic bylaws (Perda Shari’ah) have not attained a very high ICI index.
Measuring
the success of da’wah using this
index as an instrument is certainly not absolute; it is just a concept. We can
all develop better instruments of measurements. In essence, there needs to be a
way to measure the effectiveness of da’wah
as a means to transform one’s self and society for the better. This kind of
assessment is an important tool in evaluation, self-introspection for all who
are involved in da’wah activities. It
is important that all parties, especially those who carry out da’wah must be open-minded and willing
to be corrected and then try to update or reform, and enhance the quality of
their future da’wah.
II
Dakwah for living moral values : Improving spiritual quality
Human beings have been given the duty as khalifah
fil ardh,[5]
and that is why humans have been blessed with fitrah (natural belief) to differentiate between right and wrong.[6] Fitrah is no other than religious moral
values that are in essence the same as universal humanity. The misuse of fitrah involves denial of one’s
innermost feelings thus living a life without balance and in turn resulting in
decadence (safilin), even to the point of being even lower than
reptiles.
Religious morals that are a given part of human beings
have been instilled since birth. It is the duty of the parents, teachers and
religious teachers as well as their closest environment to actively enforce
those values to ensure their function in directing humans towards goodness and righteousness.
The essence of da’wah is to reiterate
those values. This should be done since early childhood, beginning from family
life and continuously developed so as to ensure akhlak karimah (commendable virtues).
The underlying substance of those religious morals is
values of justice. In truth, justice is the quintessential teaching of Islam,[7] and
even of all religions and faith that teach the importance of justice.
Justice, in relation with God results in absolute
obedience only to Him, tawadhu
(humility), tawakkal (resignation),
forbearance and thankfulness. Justice, in its relation among human beings
brings out compassion, love, sincerity, solidarity, courage and a sense of responsibility.
Justice guides human beings away from all forms of discrimination, exploitation
and violence. Also to avoid all things that may harm humanity, such as
corruption, nepotism, consumerism, hedonism, and arrogant as well as despotic
attitudes. Justice, in relation with nature, generates a caring attitude for
the environment, and helps us avoid all forms of exploitation that ends in
humanitarian disasters.
The Al-Qur’an asserts[8]
that mankind has an important capability regarding humanism, liberation and
transcendence. Humanism in this case means that mankind has the potential to
turn themselves and their society into becoming more humanistic through
activities such as education, trainings, cultural events, seminars, workshops
and research.
All these activities are aimed at reengineering
individuals and society towards a better condition. Liberation in this case
means mankind’s potential to liberate fellow human beings from injustice, the
restricting bid’ah (actions that
displeases Allah), khurafat
(superstions) and radicalism. Transcendence in this case is related to
mankind’s potential to improve their spirituality.
The al-khayr (universal wisdom) concept
in that verse refers to religious morals that are more or less the same has
universial humanitarian values. These values are the ones that constitute the
central point in all religions and faiths.[9]
Da’wah should be aimed at reiterating
those valies in each individual and group with the effect of improved spiritual
quality in every human being.
III
Reformulation of da’wah:
Bridging diversity and Enriching humanity
First
of all, allow me to convey my appreciation to all those who have done their
utmost to improve the quality of da’wah
in Indonesia, and that includes this seminar organized by UIN today. I admit
that much progress has been achieved through the hard work of many,
particularly da’wah activists.
However, that progress has yet to fulfill all expectations, especially in relation
to the objective condition of Muslims. In my opinion, there is an urgency to
reformulate da’wah to ensure that it
can be a tool in bridging diversity and enriching humanity.
As to the quality of da’wah, there are at least five elements that need to be improved:
Firstly, the actor of the da’wah itself ((da’i). A da’i must have the
knowledge, the skill, and experience related to da’wah. Not only must a da’i have competence, most importantly, he
has to have integrity and a passion for humanity. A da’i must be commited to
disseminating new interpretations that are more humanistic, democratic and
rational in line with the objective conditions of the community he is facing.
In the context of Indonesia, there is a need for da’is who understand the
philosophy behind the State Ideology (Pancasila)
and the Constitution, as well as human right values. In addition, a da’i must also have knowledge
of the local wisdoms that are practiced in society.
We need da’is who have the ability instill
moral values in each individual and society so that they always think
positively and actively contribute to the good of all human beings. And if
those moral values live and resonate, human beings will be encouraged to carry
out amar ma’ruf nahy munkar in courteous and civilized ways according to
their respective capacities. We need da’is who are committed to promote
progress for the people by spreading love and ensuring peace. We don’t need
da’is who always speak in anger, provoke people through their hate speech and
hostility and push people into a destruction of civilization.
The second element is the audience. People who
receive da’wah, even if they are all
Muslims, are very diverse, in terms of ethnicity, race, language, traditions,
gender, intellectuality, in their understanding of Islam and in their political
choice. Da’wah should educate people
to be more spiritual and civilized through the act of reviving the moral values
of religion. If recipients of da’wah
are people who are open-minded, critical, dynamic, love to learn, want to
change, then da’wah becomes a trigger
to accelerate that transformation.
On the contrary, if recipients of da’wah consist of people who are
skeptical, indifferent, easily provoked, uncritical and irrational, then da’wah activities will not be very
effective in transforming people. And as such, da’wah will no longer be a
platform of obligations but rather a performance that will turn recipients of da’wah into performers that people
watch, and even become political objects for the benefit of certain political
parties or groups.
The third element is the material of da’wah (maddah) itself, or what
we know as the message of da’wah. The
substance of da’wah should at least
offer an explanation of religious moral values that need to be practiced on
life by each human being so they can become people of commendable virtues (akhlak karimah). That is because this
was the main objective of the Prophet’s mission. As the Prophet proclaimed: ”I
was assigend solely to elevate noble morals.” At the very least this explains
the value of justice and equality for mankind, including gender equality and
equity. Renunciation of those values will result in injustice for the people.
Da’wah will succeed when the content of da’wah fulfill the needs of the people
as recipients of da’wah. For example,
da’wah content for farmers should be
focused on efforts to improve the quality of agricultural products. The
material should consist more of moral religious messages to enhance their
dignity as defenders of human rights. The content of da’wah should inspire hope, offer certainty and the promise of
happiness, not be full of threats, provocation to hate, cursing and horror
stories full of hoax and lies.
The fouth element is the da’wah media (wasilah). There several kinds of known wasilah,
da’wah can be verbal, written, portrayed in paintings, and in audiovisual form
through short films and videos, memes, photos and caligraphy. With the advances
in technology, particulary in telecommunication and informatics, there are so
many medias that can be used for da’wah.
We must have the courage and ability to use all media for the success of da’wah. We even need to create new
medias that are more effective for da’wah.
Whatever the media we choose, the important thing is to remain consistent in
using courteous language that inspires human empathy.
The last but
not least is the method of da’wah. The Al
Quran clearly states that there are three principles in the method of da’wah : hikmah, maw’izhati`l-hasanah, and mujadalah
bi`l-latî hiya ahsan. It is important to note that the maw’izhah
must be conveyed in a good (hasanah) manner and that mujadalah
must be done in an even better way (bi`l-lati
hiya ahsan). Remember that in Islam, how we do something is as important as
why we do it. Islam does not condone using despicable and unethical maneuvers,
such as hoaxes, fake data and false news to attain a purpose.
I am sure that reformulation of da’wah will be carried out along with
efforts to improve the quality of those elements of da’wah. In the end, da’wah
will succeed in bringing Muslims to the forefront in advancing huma
civilization and preserve world peace. I
would like to one day give a testimony on the success of da’wah in transforming people so that they become even better, like
the testimony given by Jafar at the beginning of my article. Hopefully!
IV
Da’wah as a tool for
upholding peace through interfaith dialogue
In a
generic way, Islam is a religion which carries the message of peace and
harmony. the word Islâm originate from salima which
means peace and preclusion from all that is condemned and disgraceful. From a
linguistic perspective, Islam generally means a profound concern for peace and
justice.
Islâm
also means the submission to Allah and it is based on humility. An attitude of
humility within one's own self cannot be accomplished without total rejection
of violence, and a personal attitude and alignment toward peace. Islam is
present in the face of mankind, in the realm of conveying a new morality for
social transformation. Islam is a teaching which is oriented to humanity. Based
on this principle, Islam is a religion which respects humanity.
Islamic
tradition has a glorious history of interfaith dialogue. The Prophet Muhammad
has set many examples of dialogue, both verbal and written. The prophetic
dialogue was also accompanied with the establishment of a tradition of
cooperation on common human grounds with followers of other religions. To
institutionalize this cooperation, the prophet concluded written agreements
with followers of different religions which can serve as models of cooperation
and coexistence for the pluralist societies of today.
Firstly,
‘Hilful Fudūl’. We witness the first ever instance of the Prophet’s
activism for cooperation with others in acts of goodness and to undo excesses
and injustice, in Mecca, when he was yet to be bestowed with the prophet hood.
He became part of this agreement, called ‘Hilful Fudūl’, and accorded so
much importance to it that even after he was granted prophet hood.
Secondly,
The Madina Pact. After migrating to Madina, the Prophet in order to
establish peace, stability and a civil society based on human rights, concluded
a deal with the Christians, Jews and mushrikīn
(idol worshippers) which is recorded in history as Madina Pact. The most
striking feature of the Pact that has a very meaningful relevance to our own
socio-political situation in this era of globalization. He has accepted all the
religious entities represented in the Pact as forming one single people (Ummah).
The Madina Pact accepts religious freedom as a core value and right and
guarantees equal rights and obligations of all the participants in the Pact in
matters of the State.
Thirdly, The Pact of Hudaibiya.
It is also forms a great landmark in the Islamic tradition of interfaith
dialogue. This Pact which was concluded with the Muslims, doing it seemingly
lying down, paved the way on one side for the suspension of hostilities against
Muslims and for opening interaction and negotiations with different religious
groups on the other. These negotiations facilitated the processes of mutual
understanding and coexistence becoming a reality as well as created conditions
for an unobstructed propagation of Islamic teachings.
Fourthly, the khutba hujjat
al-widā. The most important initiative taken by the Prophet having utmost
relevance in the context of the present interfaith dialogue is his Last Sermon
which was addressed not only to the Muslims but also for all human beings. It
is very interesting to note that The Sermon is containing the basic principles
of human rights in Islam in the most clear language. The Last Sermon, the khutba hujjat al-widā, not only
constitutes the first Charter of Human Rights but also provides a firm ground
for peaceful coexistence and promoting interfaith dialogue.
All these four models of the Prophet’s acts of building peace
through interfaith dialogue, Hilf ul-fudūl, Madina Pact, Pact of Hudaibiyyah,
the Last Sermon, contain a very clear guidance that can help us in the process
of initiating a model of interfaith dialogue in the present day pluralist
societies.
Conclusion
Experience has shown me that in many religious
dialogues, all religions have a common enemy, which is injustice. Injustice brings to many social problems which related to corruption,
lack of education, unemployment, migrant workers, trafficking, children marriage, prostitution, sexual harassments, domestic violence, social inequity, poverty, unemployment, a
tyrannical and despotic political system leading to colonialism and imperialism.
Injustice also
results in unequal relationships, which in turn give rise to domination,
discrimination, exploitation and many forms of violence and crime. That is why,
da’wah in all
religions, especially in Islam should be aimed at eliminating all forms of social
injustice, that is our common enemy.
The
conclusion is that da’wah be capable of reiterating or living the moral
values of religion of which the essence is universal human rights. I do believe
that by living values or revitalizing those values, a warm, intimate, intense
and meaningful human relationship can be established, and this starts with
one’s self within the family. Da’wah must ultimately produce a peaceful and happy
society, as is stated in the Holy Qur’an with the phrase baldatun thayyibah wa Rabbun ghafur.
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