The Foundation of Da'wah: Start With Tawheed

Alhamdulillah.

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We mentioned that these first verses of are a preparation for the prophet sallall.aii Wasam in order for him to call to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The more any person has these traits, the more the prophet sallall.aii wasallam they are in their calling to Allah. Calling to Allah is the greatest opportunity and the highest order of affairs that any human being can be used by Allah for. And that is that a person helps to free people from the slavery of this world and the slavery of hellfire and bring them into the light of the of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Now what are the traits that a person needs to have in order to be effective and to be qualified in calling to Allah and what are the points that a person should focus on in their calling to Allah. Often times we find that some personalities are very well known for inviting people to Islam or calling people to Islam but often times they get distracted by details that are peripheral in their invitation to Islam. So they will go into deep nuance discussions with people of other religions regarding the minutia and details of the Bible and the New Testament and the Old Testament and the Quran and this issue and that issue and the you know the the Gospel of Barnabas and all of these things. This is not necessary for a person who calls to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. When a person calls to Allah, they focus on the most important issues. And so what are those issues? Well, the prophet sallall.aii wasallam told us and he understood that from these verses and verses it. When we look at Noisam, Ibraim MSa, we look at the stories of Hud and L and all of these great highly esteemed messengers of Allah. Allah tells us when they come to their people, what do they all say in one word or another? worship Allah and worship none other than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That is the beginning and end and what the entire religion of Islam and the relationship between a servant and his creator revolves around and is founded upon. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said He says in the chapter of he says, "And we have never sent a messenger before you, oh Muhammad, except that we send revelation to him that none is rightfully worshiped, but I so worship me." This is what a person focuses on when they call to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They focus on the worship of Allah alone and the worship of Allah in the way that.

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They focus on and Bkari Muslim Abbas and others they narrate that when the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam sent Muad to Yemen. He said to him and this was when he was instructing him sending him there to invite the people to Islam to call the people of Yemen to Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala. He said,.

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"The prophet Prophet sallallah.aii wasallam said to him you are going to arrive upon a people who are a people of the book. So let the first thing that you call them to and invite them to be the worship of Allah. that they the oneness that they worship Allah alone without any partners. And in another wording, he said, "Let the first thing that you invite them to be that none is rightfully worshiped but Allah and that I am the messenger of Allah." This is what a person calls people to Islam with. And this is what all of the teachings are based on. A person does not go off into peripheral issues. four wives and a person should have three wives or two wives or if a person cuts the hand off of a thief or the nuances of the story of Jalut and Talut or what really happened between and the what was MS's stick made out of and what was the type of tree that Adam and Hwah ate from and all of these things that are nothing but details that detract from the core core and essence of the da of Islam. The da and the invitation, the calling, the way of the prophets and messengers and the scholars and and imams of Islam throughout history. A person focuses on what? Focuses on the worship of Allah alone without any partners. Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala makes that the first thing that he he tells the prophet sallall.aii wasallam to do and instructs him with. He says stand and warn. What shall I warn? What shall I do? And your lord exalt exalt your lord. Be that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala be the main thing that you discuss that the names the attributes of Allah. Exalt Allah and his commandments. Exalt Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Exalt Allah in that the beginning and end of your da'wah be based upon the exaltation of Allah. What is it that for instance how do we embody the exaltation of Allah? It's not just saying Allahbar. How do we embody it? If a person worships Allah and worships another along with Allah, have they exalted Allah? No. They have made something of his creation equal to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So you exalt Allah by worshiping only Allah. You exalt Allah by not affirming superstitions, by rejecting superstition and trickery and astrology and all of these things even to the point that we do not swear by other than Allah. We only fear Allah. We only love Allah in the way that we love Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and an unconditional worship right we hope in Allah we fear Allah only Allah none other if we fear someone or something else we fear Allah we have not exalted Allah we have not fulfilled the statement of Allah He says, "Purify your clothing, purify your actions, fulfill your your testaments, and fulfill your alliances and allegiances. All of these meanings purify your actions." He then says the third point and abandon. Now what is arroges? The scholars mention arroges. In the Quran the word is a punishment. It's a calamity. It's a punishment from Allah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that he sends down a ridges he sends down from the heavens a punishment upon those who disobey him subhanahu wa ta'ala. So is that which brings on calamity and what is the main thing that brings on destruction from Allah? the worship of other than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So many of the companions explain this narrate this verse to mean and abandon the worship of idols. Abandon idolatry and all that is connected to idolatry. Not just bowing to a not just bowing to an idol but the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam prohibited even worshiping Allah in a place where idols are exalted in the way that the worship of idols take place. A man came to the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam and said I have vowed to slaughter a sacrifice in Buena. Buena is a place out in the outskirts of Mecca. Why? Why Buena? Why is your oath that I swear I vow to slaughter a sacrifice specifically in Buana? Why buana? Why not anywhere in the world? So the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam asked him he said is there an idol that used to be worshiped there in Buana? He said no. He said, "Was there ever a holiday of the mushri or a celebration that they would make there in Bana?" He said, "No." He said, he said, "Then fulfill your vow." So a person is not allowed to not even just not worship idols or worship other than Allah but do not do anything that would confuse you with the worship of other than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that if someone saw you they would confuse you with an idoltor and so this is all part of the next statement is so important it cannot be emphasized ized enough. He says, "Subhan,.

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He says, "And do not reproach in that action and your allegiance to Allah, your calling to Allah, your good deeds. Do not reproach them and feel that you are doing a service to Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala. This cannot be emphasized enough. What is that? The statement of Allah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, "And whoever strives in Allah's obedience, they are striving for the good of their own soul." Indeed, Allah does not need any of his creation. And so he's telling the prophet sallall.aii wasallam, you are going to carry this message. You are going to deliver it as it is descended upon you. But do not reproach either your Lord or the recipients of that message. Do not reproach. What is reproach? Elman. What is alman? That a person feels they're doing others a favor. they are owed because of their service. That he is the messenger of Allah. He is receiving this huge responsibility. Now those who follow him, you all owe me. I'm higher than you. I am better than you because look what I'm doing for you. Right? Or that a person has this towards their Lord. What is that? That they feel that they are excellent. That Allah cannot do without them. That they are integral to Allah's message. That without them, what would the world do without me? Oh, it would fall apart without me. Right? This kind of emotion, this kind of feeling, this is called alman. And if it is towards another person, it will invalidate any charity a person gives. And if it is towards Allah, it is referred to as aljub means that a person takes himself very seriously and thinks that you know he is he he is profound. Look how great I am. Look what I've done. Look how great I am. Look how many people I've called to Islam and how many massagid I've built and I and then all these stories about how I rolled up my sleeves and I served and I did and I that as if somebody owes you something for this. You do this, it is for your own good. It is not for the good of anyone else. Yes, others may be benefited of it, but ultimately this is something for yourself. If you did not do it, you would be the loser, not others. Not others. Others would not be the loser because the religion of Allah continues no matter who is present for it. The messenger of Allah saiam died and the message continued. Imagine. So then who does Allah need? He needs no one. We need him. And anytime we do something good, I'm doing this for my own self. It doesn't mean that we don't thank people for their service. Doesn't mean that we don't owe those who serve us respect those who teach us, those who call us. We do. But this is to the person. This this statement of Allah is not speaking about the people, the recipients of the message. It's speaking about the person who delivers the message. Do not go through life feeling you are owed by people. Otherwise, you will burn yourself out. People will never repay you. They'll never repay you. How could a per how can you repay a prophet? How how could you how could we repay the prophet Muhammad? How could we repay Al Bkari? Tell me. Tell me how we could repay him. Is there any amount of money in the whole world that we could give him to repay him for his service? How could we repay any scholar, any messenger, any scholar, any prophet? How could we repay a martyr? Tell me, what amount of money could we pay? Someone who teaches us and opens the doors of Allah's mercy upon us. How could we repay them? Tell me the amount of money it would take to repay someone who teaches you one verse of the Quran. Tell me what is one verse worth? It's impossible to repay them. Impossible to repay them. This is why the prophet sallall.aii wasallam commanded us to constantly make dua for those who have come before us. Those who are with us, who teach us, they will never be able to be repaid. only by Allah only Allah could repay them. However, the person delivering that message don't expect payment because if you expect payment and reciprocity for your efforts, you won't ever receive it. People will never fulfill your rights or thank you enough. But if you are going through life feeling I do this, I am owed. I'm better. Right? I let's say I build a masid and then people come and I feel yeah thank me now who could now thank me for building you all this masid you could never thank me enough this behavior will invalidate a person's deeds it will invalidate a person's deeds oh you have believed do not invalidate your charities and your deeds by reproach. If I give someone and then I say, "I gave you, thank me." And then I wait till we're in a gather, I say, "Hey man, you remember when I gave you this and that? Huh? I did you a great service, man." So on and so it's better if you don't give him. Leave him poor and let him keep his dignity. That is better. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, He says, "Saying something good and refraining from harming someone is better than giving them charity and then reproaching them and harming them afterwards. It's better to leave someone poor with their dignity intact than to relieve something financial upon them and then drag their dignity through the mud and step on their neck figuratively. And so Allah tells him and then the final point he says and for your Lord be patient. And we will expound upon this and its connection to the following verses inshallah tomorrow night. for.

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Subhanahu aldulill. play on.