The Attributes and Goals of the Callers to Allāh

The one who (successfully) invites others to the religion of Allāh and His worship possesses a path and a means that facilitates his eventual attainment of this goal. In actuality, he has set two goals for himself:

1. Inviting to the Truth with Wisdom and Fair Preaching

   To invite others to the truth, in a truthful fashion, all for the sake of the Truth (Allāh). To truthfully call others is to do so with wisdom, exemplary and fair preaching, and to debate and argue with the subjects of one’s call in a manner that is superior. As for the truth one invites to, it is the path of Allāh—the Most High, His way, upon which the traverser becomes deserving of His munificence and generosity. Then, the call must be issued for the sake of the truth; that is, with complete sincerity to Allāh—the Most High, seeking by it His face alone. The one who is able to call while adopting these three (qualities) will undoubtedly attain either one of two goals: the reward granted to those who invite others to Allāh’s religion, and the reward of the inheritors of the messengers, the amount of reward being proportional to the extent that one displays these three attributes.

2. Guiding Others upon the Path of Allāh

   Guidance of Allāh’s creation as an outcome of one’s call, resulting in their subsequent traversal of Allāh’s path. This outcome may or may not occur, so let the caller to Allāh’s religion strive to perfect his call in the aforementioned way, and give him glad tidings of blessings and reward. Even if this second outcome never comes to fruition—which is the guidance of Allāh’s creation—or, in response to his call, he is victimised by the creation who harm him physically or verbally, then let him have patience and an expectation of Allāh’s impending reward. Let the harm that he is inflicted with never obligate his abandonment of that which proffers benefit to him: calling to Allāh in a perfect and complete manner. Let him never find his chest constricted by the creation’s mistreatment of him, to the extent that his determination waivers and he eventually feels remorse and regret. Rather, let him perform his duty with seriousness, expending strife to the very extent of his effort—all in spite of the opposition he is met with from the creation due to his call.

The aforementioned truthful advice of Allāh is being alluded to in the saying of the Most High:

فَلَعَلَّكَ تَارِكٌ بَعْضَ مَا يُوحَىٰ إِلَيْكَ وَضَائِقٌ بِهِ صَدْرُكَ أَن يَقُولُوا لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ كَنزٌ أَوْ جَاءَ مَعَهُ مَلَكٌ ۚ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ نَذِيرٌ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ

“So perchance you (Muḥammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)) may give up a part of what is revealed unto you, and that your breast feels straitened for it because they say, ‘Why has not a treasure been sent down unto him, or an angel has come with him?’ But you are only a warner. And Allāh is a Wakīl (Disposer of affairs, Trustee, Guardian, etc.) over all things.”
(Hūd, 11:12)

Here, Allāh commands His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to persist in his call with seriousness, expending effort to this end, with the express purpose of fulfilling and completing his goal, while outright refusing to abandon even a minute iota of it. He orders the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to never allow his chest to feel constricted or excessively tasked in relation to their harm of him (صلى الله عليه وسلم). For this is the mission that he was assigned. It is, therefore, his duty to issue the call only. As for guiding Allāh’s servants with His tawfīq [to recognise and adopt the guidance being presented] and the subsequent rewarding of them for their answering of the call, that is the dominion of Allāh alone, for He is the Disposer, Trustee and Guardian over all things.

Source: Al-Mawāhib al-Rabbāniyyah: 34-5
Translated by: Riyāḍ al-Kanadī