Points of Caution For The Callers to Islam

Do not judge others by your viewpoints only; judge them also by their viewpoints.
In some instances, a person may differ with our viewpoint. This should not cause us to condemn them on the basis and principles we believe to be correct. Looking at a wider picture, the person we are judging is judging us too. From their basis and principles we may be at fault. Being too judgmental and seeking faults with others can sometimes blind a person to his or her own flaws. We need to appreciate a difference of opinion if Sharee’ah permits.

Do not bad-mouth groups.
Allah says ‘Do not scoff at others lest they be better than you’ [49:11]. Maybe there are things that we have yet to find out, which we can accept if we remove issues of pride away. Secondly, slandering and backbiting is one of the deadly tools that Shaytaan can use on the unsuspecting believer, if the believer concedes to anger, jealousy or hatred. Finally, it creates animosity and partisanship and becomes an obstacle in the path of Islam.

Raise issues with those who have the power to make a change, rather than those who do not.
Rather than addressing points of concern of failure with those who have no power to make a change, it would be better and more logical to address them with those who can make the change. This will also block the bath to backbiting.

Seek evidences from anyone who gives Islamic verdicts.
The safety nets the Muslim has from being led astray are the Qur’an and Sunnah. Ensure that all Islamic verdicts correlate to them, based upon certainty, not assumption. Very often we take ahkam from the learned trusting their judgement of reality, their knowledge of the texts, and their ability to apply that text to the reality. In some cases, the learned may make a mistake which will not be detected unless the process is transparent and open to scrutiny.

Give people the benefit of the doubt and advise in a compassionate manner. If they are arrogant in Kufr, then be harsh.
Allah describes our relationship with each other “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers (but) compassionate amongst each other” [48:29]. It is our responsibility to convey the message of Islam correctly and that is what we should do. ‘The Believer to another believer is like a building whose parts reinforce each other.’ [Fath ul Bari 5/119, Ibn Katheer 9/179]. It is not becoming of the Muslims to be quarreling on even the most important issues. It is better to advise and walk away rather than cause unnecessary disputations. On issues of clear Kufr, we should warn then depart. As for the Kufaar who are harsh in their Kufr, we can be harsh in order for a strong word to reach their very souls.

Avoid being pragmatic and reactionary. Contemplate action before an event and act accordingly unless arrogance in Kufr is shown.
What others do and say should not divert us from the goals that Allah has laid out for us, especially if it to defend personal interests rather than the interests of the Muslims. The only time we should depart from this basis is when the reality provides us with a cause for us to address according to our criterion. Patience is a great virtue, and it should be appreciated at testing times.

Remain broad and open. Do not isolate yourself to a particular thought or group’s activities.
To have an open mind is lip service if we do not hear what others have to say. Rather than being restricted to our own views we should mingle with people of other Islamic views, and discuss thoughts with a view to learning and sharing information. For those who hold incorrect ideas we should seek to clarify and correct their misconceptions.

Believe in the idea and seek to challenge the leaders and scholars in order to test and confirm the strength.
A person driven by knowledge and conviction is sincere in his or her quest when he or she is willing to put their convictions to the most learned in order to accept the truth whether it conforms to their ideas or not. It is agreed that insincere learned people may be able to provide evidences for their warped ideas, but that should not be a cause to refrain from discussing.

Admit weaknesses without pride and seek to strengthen them.
Arrogance or pride are not becoming of the believer and humility is what should be sought. We must remember that whatever we do should be for the sake of Allah, and not for glory or self gratification. ‘Arrogance is refusing the truth and belittling others.” [Sahih Muslim 1/93, Ibn Katheer 9/198]

Understand that politics is a part of Islam, and Islam is not a part of politics.
Living in an age where the political system of Islam is absent, many Muslims have embarked on the road to halt the spread of secularism. The secular philosophy demands an emphasis on the spiritual and ritual worship, negating the political side. In order to redress this balance, we must avoid becoming political secularist ourselves, by ignoring the ritual and spiritual worship whilst engaging in political actions.

Acknowledge the Good in others.
Rather than focusing on the negative aspects of others, we should see how we can work together on the positive aspects and advise each other on our disagreements. We should be careful not to stereotype and nullify all actions and people in a group. Allah says, “And do not let your hatred of others make you depart from justice.” [5:8]

Compete for Allah’s pleasure and not the goals.
In some cases it seems that we may become distracted and start competing with each other to the extent that we are willing to sabotage the efforts of each other because we see them as a hindrance to our achievement of success. The hindrance to our success is our lack of activity, not the dedication of others.