4. Difference between Dawah Work and Community Work
Dawah work is totally different than that of community work. Both have their own importance. But the main deference between the two is that community work derives its importance from the viewpoint of constructing the present world while dawah work derives its importance from the viewpoint of constructing one’s hereafter.
Today, there is only a small number of Muslims who are performing dawah work in the real sense. However, in many countries, the Muslims are performing community work on a large scale. The fields they are working in include – education, economics, community issues, communal disputes, relief work, social welfare, finding solutions to the problems they are facing etc.
Such type of activities is called community work. The people of all races and regions perform such type of work in every age on a large scale. When a community has a considerable number in any society a feeling of national honour comes to arise in its members in a natural way. They wish that their community be one the strong and developed ones in terms of worldly progress and that their national cultural identity could be protected.
As a result, in each community such members are continually born who perform such type of work under the feeling of well wishing for their community. It is also one of the motives of participating in such activities that by doing so one gains popularity and fame among the people. He is accorded the status of respect and honour. He finds a place in media. Media talks of him in beautiful words.
But according to the Quran and the Hadith, such type of community work will have no weight in the divine scales on the Judgement Day. According to the teachings of the Quran and Hadith, on the Day of Judgement only two things will weigh—one powerlessness and the other dawah work or calling people to God. Powerlessness means that one should acknowledge his total helplessness and powerlessness in comparison of God’s all powerfulness. The most valuable thing in God’s view is a slave’s powerlessness. In actuality, this expression is of his inner realization. It is not the mere repetition of certain words.
And what is meant by dawah work is as is termed in the Quran ‘dawah ilallah’ or calling people to God and ‘being witness on the people’. This is the same duty of conveying the true message of God which His messengers perform in every age and nation. This work is required in each place and time. It is, therefore, essential that this task of dawah should be continued without a single pause. The fact is that the faith that does not engender the state of powerlessness in a man is not faith in the real sense. Similarly, faith of those is also doubtful who do not perform the task of dawah.
