Qualifications for Those Who Call to Islam

The success of any undertaking generally depends on the quality of those carrying it out. I therefore consider it necessary to establish qualifications defining the kind of callers we send into the field. These should be formally recorded with the responsible authorities and applied when selecting and appointing callers. They are as follows:

(1) The caller must have firmly rooted and sincere belief. How often have peoples been afflicted with callers whose hearts are devoid of sound Islamic belief! How often have they been afflicted with callers who neither grasp the reality of Islam nor understand it properly: promoters of mawlid (birthday) celebrations, of Rajabiyya and Sha‘bāniyya observances, and of innovated Sufi litanies. Indeed, some advocate denying the attributes of Allah Most High or negating their reality, even though Allah has affirmed them for Himself. They do this under the pretext of upholding His transcendence. Some callers even advocate moral laxity and abandoning virtue so that vice may take its place, in the name of freedom and progress. They advocate all this in the name of Islam. This is Islam as they falsely portray it.

(b) Sound understanding of the religion and insight into how to call people to Islam, as derived from the words of Allah Most High:

“Say, ‘This is my way: I call to Allah with clear insight—I and those who follow me.’”