The Mahdi Times October 2011 | Page 21

Are there any good Excuses for not giving the Dawah? Perhaps one may feel they are not ready, because they are not knowledgeable enough, or perhaps they may believe you still have many defects inside of them and they feel that they need to increase their faith and piety before reaching out to others.   A Hadith by Anas, collected in AlTabarani states,  "Anas relates that, "We asked the Prophet, 'O Messenger of Allah, shouldn't we refrain from calling others to goodness if we don't practice all good things ourselves, and shouldn't we refrain from forbidding wrong things until we ourselves have abatained from all the bad?'   'No,' he replied, 'You should call others to goodness even if you don't do all good, and you should forbid bad things even if you don't abstain from all of them yourselves.'"   Perhaps one may feel that they do not have the time with work and family, or they just don't know how to go about it.  Firstly, fear Allah (swt) and be grateful for the Blessings He (swt) has bestowed upon you.  Share those blessings with others. Don't you want others to know the Truth that Allah (swt) has brought you to?   Also, recognize what you working for and who you are working for.  What are you investing your time and efforts in, this life or the next? What are the benefits of giving Dawah? Being pious, a great worshiper, and doing all the supergratory acts is a great benefit to the believer and something very hard to achieve.  But so many have these characteristics in the apparent, yet lack the sincerity or truth on the inside.  Also, there are those who know the Truth and hold it for themselves.  This could seem selfish. As if there are believing brothers and sisters in the ummah growing, yet not sharing the knowledge which is helping them, then ummah will become like still water.  Having knowledge and being pious is great Alhamdulillah, but taking action and spreading this blessed message is so very important and a great benefit to the believing brothers and sisters. There are several Hadiths which mention the high reward and status of those that give Dawah and in them it states that spreading the call of Islam is even greater than those extra acts. There is one specifically which gives the simultude of those who work to spread the call of Islam is equal to that of the worship of 70,000 pious believers. If one is involved in the Dawah, he will be encouraged to learn more knowledge from the Yamani (a.s) and will see the many evidences that support the call of Allah (swt) in all  three religions of Allah (swt).  So what a great blessing from Allah (swt), as you are helping others recognize the Truth, and at the same time you are becoming stronger in it. Where and how can we give it and in what methods? It is necessary to tell the youths about the Dawah in a place where there are minds  and hearts that are opened and ready to learn, (i.e. Youtube, Forums, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social internet platform, and in likeminded atmospheres where you live.)   Making sure that the atmosphere is a tolerant one is necessary in ensuring that the proofs will be heard, and that questions will be asked.   Obviously in spreading the Dawah, whether it be through the internet or in the physical world, one must have a good understanding of the proofs and how to present them, and be ready for an array of questions and attacks. And they must be handled with the best of manners, the manners which were taught to us by the Ahlul Bayt (as). Youtube- Create an account if you have not already, and if you have the ability to begin making your own videos, InshaAllah begin doing so.  If you do not however, that is not a problem.  Begin uploading and sharing videos on the Dawah (i.e. The Arrived, Imam's Sermons, etc.), and start favoriting videos on the Dawah.   Also, be active in youtube comment pages.  Engage in debates and in helping brothers and sisters seeking the truth, to find the necessary websites and people who can present it to them.  Right now promoting the new series The Arrived is a very important role and one that can bring many truth-seekers to what they are seeking. Facebook- Facebook is another great social media that can reach many people seeking the Truth.  There you can post notes on the Dawah, status reports, share links to videos and websites, and communicate with fellow Ansar. Forums-  There are several forums you can direct the people to.  The Mehdyoon forum, The Savior forum, and The HashemStudios Forum.  These three sites have a great deal of information on the Dawah and many Ansar who can answer questions, InshaAllah.  Also become active in sharing topics yourself, and in answering questions and debating others. Paltalk- The Arabic and English Paltalk rooms are great places to direct new Ansar and those asking questions about the Dawah.  You can find the links to get to these rooms on the Savior website, and on the HashemStudios Forum.  Also, if you are an Ansar and have been in the Dawah for some time, get involved with Paltalk, help Administrate the rooms, and share the mic time, so you too have the opportunity to spread this blessed message. Also remember, you may just be repl 她