17. Dawah and Islah

To explain the responsibilities of the followers of the Prophet the Quran used two different terms: dawah ilallah (calling the people to God) and amr bil ma‘ruf wan nahy ‘anil munkar (enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil). These two are not synonymous words rather they have been used to describe two different duties.

What is meant by dawah ilallah is to call non-Muslims to one God. The word of dawah is used for the action carried out to convey the message of God to the non-Muslims. Some other words also have been used in this sense. They are indhar (giving warning), tabsheer (giving glad tidings) and shahadah (giving witness), etc. One can know the details and conditions of dawah work from the study of the Quran.

amr bil ma‘ruf wan nahy ‘anil munkar (enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil) is the name of that act which is carried out among the Muslims. It has no relation to any government or authority. This is the internal duty of each Muslim society that it should try to enjoin the Muslims what is right and forbid them what is evil. This is, in its entirety, a peaceful act. It has no connection with compulsion or violence.

Dawah work is required until the Day of Resurrection from generation to generation. It is a compulsory divine work so that hujjat (evidence) of God could be established against human beings. After the death of the Prophet, his followers have to perform this duty in the same way as was performed by him in his own time. The duty of islah or amr bil ma‘ruf wan nahy ‘anil munkar (enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil) is also compulsory as it ensures the internal reform of the Muslim community. According to the Quran, abandoning this duty is an unforgivable sin. If the Muslim community ceases to do this work they will come to deserve God’s curse. It is a duty of such nature that no other work can make compensation for this.