Should a preacher be financially independent? by ASMA ANJUM KHAN
DAWA means a call or an invitation, which means to invite non-Muslims to Islam as well as the Muslims to the true understanding and practice of Islam, but many a time it refers to the invitation of Islam extended to those who are yet to believe in or accept Islam.Coming to the issue of whether today’s young preachers should become self-sufficient first or devote themselves fully to the work of Dawa.
What happens when a person invites others to Islam? After the initial exchange of greetings,
the question of his profession invariably crops up: “What do you do for a living?”
What would be his or her reply?
“I do Dawa.”
“24/7? Oh, you mean you do nothing?”
Of course dedication to God’s works 24/7 is noble. And there are some successful examples too. But when hoards of young men in almost every city declare to be full-time dayees (preachers), we need to sit up and think about it.
Should a preacher consider some other aspects of this issue as well?
What about his personal expenses and everyday expenditure involved in doing Dawa?
If he is not earning for himself, who is paying for him and his expenses?
If he is young, does he depend on his father?
Does a Dawa institute support him?
In that situation he can’t disagree with the institute’s approach, which would effectively mean he is reduced to parroting the given lines?
You can’t speak against the organization that feeds and clothes you; normally you don’t dare to or you tend to avoid it. If he is constantly dictated to by his “boss,” his teachings won’t be free of the outside influences. His Dawa will never be purely academic. The young preacher may be reduced to a mere propagandist for his organization or a group. He might feel suffocated. His frustration might hamper his work. This applies not only to young preachers, but also to several hundreds of fresh graduates of religious schools.
They lack proper training and experience and have to be at the mercy of their financers — usually a rich businessman of the neighborhood. In such cases, money does matter and it is for us to see that it should not matter. Not a penny, when it comes to the work of our religion. If they do not earn for themselves, eventually they become a burden on someone — community, father or worse father-in-law. There may also be a possibility of their distorting some teaching, some ruling, in order to suit the needs of the one who gives them money. Their contributions to Dawa suffer and become counterproductive. The confidence levels of the conscientious among them begin to dwindle.
But there have been some wonderful examples of people doing
full-time Dawa like Shaikh Ahmed Deedat, Dr. Zakir Naik, Noman Ali Khan etc, but they are few and far between. Though I have admiration and respect for full time preachers, I strongly believe one should have an independent source of income while being in the service of Allah. It helps eradicate lots of problems. Foremost among them, the preacher becomes independent and can work efficiently with enthusiasm with a proper understanding and approach to Islam.
Dawa by a well-qualified and well-educated young person is highly impressive. People will listen to him attentively and give him due respect. This will make his job easier and more beneficial. Sometimes, young boys announce to become full-time preachers which unfortunately translates into abandoning studies or some other worthwhile work or jobs which otherwise can bring some money and ease the burden on their aging fathers. And if someone objects to this, they might retort: “So you want to create hurdles in the way of Allah's work”?
The best solution is to earn a good educational degree, join a good profession or a business and then volunteer your free time for Dawa, either individually or through some organization. Yes, it sounds difficult but time management is the key.
Won’t it be beautiful to see a young preacher doing his work without being financially dependent on anyone — earning his own money, spending from his own pocket? Doesn’t it mean dignity? And what is more to a man than dignity? Didn’t our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, say that the first and foremost duty of a man is to earn halal rizq for him and his family?
When I see young men trying to do Dawa work while still being dependent on others for their food and other expenses, it saddens me. Their number is increasing. They must strive hard to gain in-depth knowledge of Islam first and not rely on shortcuts and (possibly) harm the cause and purpose of Dawa.
Preachers and their leader Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were doing Dawa in a unique and original way over 1,400 years ago. They involved their hearts, minds, bodies and spirit in it. This reflected in their conduct. Some of them were still employed with their cruel masters; some were skilled artisans or ran small businesses. They didn’t stop earning their livelihood because they had to practice and propagate the new religion. well all that is good to read on good for nothing fellows doing that Dawa and Hamza Tortoise is no exception to that ., but that Asma Anjum Khan is wrong w.r.t to that last paragraph .. That is bullshit...........that is cockadoodledoo noise
Topic: Hamza - how to make dawah to atheists