One of the tricks of shaytān upon us these days is for us to shy away from admonishing people, especially our relatives out of fear of being regarded as an extremist.
The truth must be said and the first point of call here is our immediate family and relatives. This is in line with the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He started his da’wah from home with his wife, children, friends, relatives etc.. Allāh ordered him saying:
وَاَ نْذِرْ عَشِيْرَتَكَ الْاَ قْرَبِيْنَ
And warn, [O Muhammad], your closest kindred. (QS. Ash-Shu’araa: Verse 214)
Therefore, calling one’s close relatives and allies to the truth (Qur’ān and Sunnah) is a priority. Even if you are not able to speak to them directly, with the advent of social media, sharing information about the Deen should not be difficult. Send naseehah (admonitions) to individuals and groups, post on your statuses and reels beneficial contents. You will be glad to meet these weighing heavily in your meezān (scale) on the Day money and other material things will be useless.
Yours is to deliver or spread the message. Allāh guides whoever He wishes. Don’t be the only one practicing Sunnah in your family or among your friends. You should wish for them what you wish for yourself.
Remember, for Allāh to guide a soul through you is better for you than everything in this world. In the famous Hadith of Sahl Ibn Sa’d رضي الله عنه regarding the battle of Khaibar, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was reported to have said to ‘Ai Ibn Abi Tālib رضي الله عنه :
فوالله لأن يهدي الله بك رجلاً واحداً خير لك من حمر النعم
By Allah, if Allah guides even one person through you that is better for you than possessing a whole lot of red camels [Bukhari and Muslim]
May Allāh make da’wah and acting upon knowledge easy for us and accept our efforts as acts of ibādah.
© Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori
