inviting, for an ignorant person may call to something he believes to be true when it is in fact false, and he may forbid something he thinks is false when it is actually true. Knowledge must therefore come first: a person has to learn the matter to which he is calling.

Whether the caller is a scholar thoroughly versed in all branches of knowledge or is simply well-informed about the specific issue he is addressing, it is not a condition that he be learned in everything. Suppose, for instance, you want to urge people to establish the prayer. If you have understood its rulings and mastered them, then invite others to it—even though you may know nothing of the other fields of learning—because the Prophet ﷺ said, “Convey from me even a single verse.”

However, it is never permissible to call without knowledge, because that is dangerous—dangerous for you and dangerous for others. The danger to you lies in the fact that Allah has forbidden you to speak about Him without knowledge. The Exalted says, “Say, ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, whether open or hidden; sin; wrongful oppression; that you associate with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority; and that you say about Allah what you do not know.’” (al-Aʿrāf 7:33). And He says, “Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge” (al-Isrāʾ 17:36)—that is, do not follow what you have no knowledge of, for you will be questioned about it: “Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—each of those will be asked about” (al-Isrāʾ 17:36).

The caller must also be wise in his daʿwah, assigning things their rightful rank and placing them where they belong. He should address the person who is already receptive and turning toward Allah, the Mighty and Majestic