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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| how do u ppl do it? |
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| an |
| 06/21/02 at 04:49:18 |
| [slm] I've been reading about posts where ppl take the opportunity for dakwah to non-Muslims. And I'm wondering how u do u guys/gals do it? There were some occassions where ppl asked me questions about Islam .. but often I would get tounge-tied :'( I mean I really want to explain to them according to my knowledge but the words just got jumbled up .. ::) Like when this guy asked me why I wear that 'hat' thing on my head (the hijab).. I said that well it's actually an obligation in my religion.... I wanted to explain about surah An-Nur but I just got stuck! Then he asked me why I didn't wear it before if I knew that we have to wear it... Well I wanted to mention about fear of Allah, etc... but I don't know how to talk about it with ppl who have secular view, etc? Also, I want to talk or just discuss Islam with my non-muslim friends. We rarely talk about religion... probably it's a sensitive issue... but I want to talk to them to Islam or just discuss abt religion with them .. how do I initiate that without sounding like I'm trying to convert them or something? I think the first thing I ought to do is deepen my knowledge so I'll be able to answer the questions in the future? Jazakallah [wlm] |
| 06/21/02 at 04:53:36 |
| an |
| Re: how do u ppl do it? |
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| bismilla |
| 06/21/02 at 10:54:22 |
| [slm] Sister I know EXACTLY how you feel. I go through the same thing. It can be very frustrating, especially when you come up with this really great answer and hour or day AFTER the incident LOL I have found with myself that the more i read up, the more confident i get. Right now i am concentrating on "correcting" and "questioning" practices of those i know. Holding discussions and "debates" with FAMILY and MULSIM FRIENDS first. I think when i get all that pat down, it shouldn't be too difficult with work acqaintances. I have a long way to go b4 i can confidently "dive" into a question or comment with non-muslims...but Insha Allah.....one day.... Perhaps Sr. Kathy can tell us how she does this sirt of thing? ??? :-/ :-) |
| Re: how do u ppl do it? |
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| Kathy |
| 06/21/02 at 12:28:45 |
| [slm] When doing dawah I usually follow these points, it works well with my personality: Baby steps- Take it slooow- first answer their questions about the misinformation of Islam. After a couple of times... and they are still interested- go for tauheed. Never lecture- No one likes to be lectured to. In their mind they may be caught up in a statement you said ten minutes ago- and haven't heard a thing since. Open dialog is the best. Humor- Religion discussions are tense- if you can crack a joke- about yourself- go for it. Study- Read Read Read, go to lectures, watch dialog videos- the more comfortable you are with the nagging questions about Islam that you have- the more comfortable you will be with others. Question- Know your audience. Know thier religion, know their hot spots. Never debate- explain- your point of view. Family- I am not so successful here- better ask some one else! I have thoughts on why... but that would be another topic! Be what they wish to be- Emulate goodness, Let them see the moral, kind, compassionate, charitable people that we are. Never use Quran or hadith to prove a point- Not in the beginning. They have not accepted the truth of the Quran or the possibility of another prophet- so it would not have the impact. If some one told you to do something because Budha did it- how would you react? Plant the seed of doubt- The trinity- it is hard to explain- even for a Christian, so ask them to explain their religion- and you do the asking of questions?- in a proper non condescending tone. The accuracy of the Bible- the errors in the old testament. The new testament- and it's compilation has a lot of holes in it. Leave them wanting more- baby steps- give them enough to digest- give them an opportunity to talk with you again. E-mails are effective. Oh- another thing- I always make a dua and ask Allah swt for help! ps- this is something that I am trying that is kind of new: Don't defend Islam, We do not need to. Do offensive instead of defensive. |
| 06/21/02 at 12:33:09 |
| Kathy |
| Re: how do u ppl do it? |
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| se7en |
| 06/26/02 at 16:14:20 |
| as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatAllah, I don't think *anyone* here can come up with perfect, eloquent, and concise answers to daawa questions on the spot :) I think if you just talk about Islam honestly, from a personal perspective.. what you think about Islam, why you personally believe in something, your personal understanding of an issue, etc.. that really gives people a good impression of Islam. Just be yourself, be confident in your answers, and do your best, and remember that it's Allah who opens peoples hearts to this deen.. and inshaAllah Allah will reward you for it :) wAllahu a'lam. wasalaamu alaykum :-* |
| 06/26/02 at 16:21:16 |
| se7en |
| Re: how do u ppl do it? |
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| AbdulJalil |
| 06/26/02 at 18:50:48 |
| assalamu alaikum there are some guidelines here to public speaking in Islam http://www.wefound.org/publicspeaking.htm also http://www.wefound.org/FreeCD-PS.htm |
| 06/26/02 at 18:55:12 |
| AbdulJalil |
| Re: how do u ppl do it? |
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| sista |
| 07/01/02 at 11:44:46 |
| [slm] Sometimes analogies are better than in-your-face answers - as you know the Quran is full of them, and great people of the past, including our Beloved Prophet [saw] used them frequently. Of course, we're not all great thinkers with a talent for that kind of thing (me included ;D) so I would suggest looking into analogies used in the past - there are a few to be found for most topics. With hijab, I think Muhammad Ali puts it beautifully: ************************ [Muhammad Ali's words to his daughter, from "MORE THAN A HERO"] "Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You've got to work hard to get at them." He looked at me with serious eyes. "Your body is sacred. You're far more precious than diamonds or pearls, and you should be covered too." ************************ As a side note, a more down-to-earth answer for the Muslimah's 'hat' :D can be found at http://www.alharamain.org/english/articles/whyiwearhijab.htm Personally, when it comes to dawa, I make sure I read up on concise, wise words to answer FAQs at least, since I'm too dappy to come up with anything myself... ;) Wasalaam |
| Re: how do u ppl do it? |
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| Asifa |
| 07/01/02 at 14:16:37 |
| [slm] Dearest sister an: In addition to gain knowledge, confidence and "correcting" and "questioning" practices, I think the most important point in dawah is also portraying yourself as a good Muslims to attract non-Muslims. I strongly agree with se7en point of view of talking about Islam honestly from a personal perspective. I think this leaves a very strong impression on a listener. Sister: I will explain you my way of dealing with general answers from non-Muslims. I also work with large group of non-Muslims foreigners in Pakistan. I wear Hijab and don't shake hand with males. The first question I usually encounter is about my refusal to shake hand (in addition to the questons of wearing Hijab). I answer their questions very pleasantly with mild smile to not give them any impression of lecture talk ;)(although I always meant to give them a lecture... hehehe). Wearing Hijab and refusal of shaking hand with males is of course a religious obligation but I always take a start by telling them ( to grab their attention) my story, how and when I started observing Hijab and what were the practical advantages that convinced me to the extent that i feel myself incomplete without my Hijab etc;. Simailarly when peole ask me about the reason of my refusal to shake hands with males, i always come up with a very valid reasons to explain it’s religious justification/practical advantages in daily life. Once I had serious kind of an argument with an American on refusing to shake hands. Actually he took it as an insult. Then he came to my office the next day and he asked me the reason/justification of my act of not shaking hand with males. Believe me I was stuck for the first few moments. I couldn’t just make a sequence from where to start and then I mustered up courage and I explained him things in detail. I told him that as per my religious believes I cannot have any kind of physical contact other than with my husband. You can interact me till certain limitations and when I refuse handshake that's a clear indication that I want you to be at a certain distance from me. I would not like to get male touch at all. This keeps males alert and they do not cross their limitations. Then i explained him that Islam is thus the great religion to prescribe things in a manner that keeps women safe and pure like pearls...so when he was leaving he said, yes whatever you said is now making sense to me and it's really good that you give people very clear impression about your limitations in the very beginning instead of being in trouble afterwards. So this is the way I deal with different situations with non_Muslims. I try not to start a comprehensive lecture with quotes of Quran and Hadith. I basically try to take a start in a friendly way by expressing my personal perspective to end up talks in a convincing manner. But definitely acquiring knowledge and gaining confidence always helps you alot in these conversations. |
| NS |
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