Importance of Preaching in Islam

From Nabi Adam عَلَیْہِ السَّلَام to the final Nabi Muhammad صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ sends prophets to preach His message. Everyone can understand the importance of preaching as Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ sends His beloved prophets for this purpose. All the prophets did efforts in the path of Allah and conveyed the message of their religion to their nations. At the end Final Nabi of Allah came to this world and after him no one can be a prophet of Allah. The door of Nubuwa is closed forever. The responsibility to preach the religion of Allah is upon the Ummah of Beloved Prophet Muhammad صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم.

Allah Pak says in the Holy Quran about the preaching:

وَ  لْتَكُنْ  مِّنْكُمْ  اُمَّةٌ  یَّدْعُوْنَ  اِلَى  الْخَیْرِ  وَ  یَاْمُرُوْنَ  بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ  وَ  یَنْهَوْنَ  عَنِ  الْمُنْكَرِؕ-وَ  اُولٰٓىٕكَ  هُمُ  الْمُفْلِحُوْنَ(۱۰۴)

“And let there be such a group among you that may call towards goodness and command what is righteous and prevent evil. And the very same attained their goals.”

How clearly our Lord عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ordered us to preach and call people towards the goodness and prevent them from evil. The Beloved Rasool صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم also tells us the significance of preaching and calling people towards the good: ‏ إِنَّ الدَّالَّ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ كَفَاعِلِهِ The one who shows the right path is like the one who does the good. نَضَّرَ اللَّهُ امْرَأً سَمِعَ مِنَّا حَدِيثًا فَحَفِظَهُ حَتَّى يُبَلِّغَهُ غَيْرَهُ may Allah Pak make a man prosperous who hears a hadees from me and memorize it and conveys it to the others. “The person who has promoted a pious deed among Muslims and after him, the deed was followed, so the reward of those who act upon the deed will also be written in his book of deeds (i.e., the one who promoted it) and the reward of those acting upon it will not be reduced.”

“Undoubtedly, Allahعَزَّ وَجَلَّ  and His angels send mercy to the one who teaches good things to others, even the ants in their holes and the fishes (in water) beg for mercy for him.” The Noble Rasool صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم has stated, ‘If Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ blesses even a single person with guidance by you, this is better for you than having red camels.” The Beloved Rasool صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم has said:

“Amongst you the person who sees any evil, should change it with his hands. If he does not have this power, then he should change it with the tongue. If he does not even have this power, then he should consider it bad from his heart; and he is the one with weak faith”

Sayyiduna Noman bin Bashir has narrated that the Revered and Renowned Prophet صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم has stated: The example of those who show laziness in the commandment of Allah and who get involved in them is like those people who held a draw in the ship. Some of them got place in the lower part and some in the upper part. Thus those staying in the lower part had to go to the upper part to get water. Counting it as bother, they took a saw and one of them began to make a hole in the lower part of the ship. Those staying in the upper part came to him and asked, ‘What’s the matter with you?’ He said: ‘You were inconvenienced by me, and we cannot do without water.’ If they grab hold of his hand, they will save him and will also remain safe, and if they abandon him, they will make him meet his doom and will also meet their doom.

From these blessed Ahadees we come to know how important the preaching in Islam is. The reward of preaching is great as we just read. All other good deeds a person does he gets its benefit himself but preaching is a virtue that not only benefits the preacher; rather its benefit also spreads to others. Through the beautiful act of preaching Allah’s religion with sincerity and wisdom, we can step on to the path of making our society and our surroundings harmonious, peaceful, and fragrant with the beauty of pure Islamic teachings. Along with all of this, we can decorate our book of deeds and enlighten our afterlife through obeying and acting upon all the blessed sayings mentioned above. We sometimes complain about a lack of prosperity and about our problems, but we don’t realize that one solution is simpler than we thing. As you saw above, when we preach the teachings of Islam, this will grant us the honor of being recipients of the blessed Dua of prosperity and happiness from the beautiful and delicate lips of our Beloved Prophet صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم himself!

Furthermore, people all around us are sinking in the ocean of sins. They are spending their lives in heedlessness and ignorance; sometimes committing major sins for years on end, without even realizing what the rulings of Islam are. It is as if their actions and lifestyles are calling out for our help, to guide them and bring them back to the obedience of their Creator. It is our duty and responsibility to help these Muslim brothers of ours, and when we do come to their aid, we will see that Allah Almighty will come to our aid, and our difficulties will be eased. The Beloved Prophet صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم said, ‘Allah helps a person, as long as that person is engaged in helping his brother.’