Speaking good and encouraging others to speak good is best of the acts of a man. And what more could be better than calling others to Allah, that is to Islam, the final Divine religion. In the wake of stiff resistance, Islam continues to thrive and more and more people come under the fold of Islam every day. This has been a long and ardouous journey that commenced with the Da'wah / invitation to Islam by the last of the prophets, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He faced stiff resistance at the hands of the people of Makkah, tortured and humiliated, yet his resilence and steadfastness slowly and gradually led the once stubborn non Muslims of Makkah to Islam.
And ever since, Islam is expanding despite the many hurdles placed in its way of propagation. In fact, it is due to those Muslims who have dedicated their lives to convey the message of Islam to non Muslims and convince them of the unversality of Islam. And today, according to many indepepndent analysts, Islam is the fastest growing religion and is expected to be dominating religion by 2050.
We share today the 33rd verse of Surah 41 Al Fussilat (Clearly spelt out) in which Allah acknowledges the service of the those who call others to Islam:
وَمَنۡ اَحۡسَنُ قَوۡلًا مِّمَّنۡ دَعَاۤ اِلَى اللّٰهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَّقَالَ اِنَّنِىۡ مِنَ الۡمُسۡلِمِيۡنَ
(41:33) Who speaks better than he who calls people to Allah, does what is right, and says, 'I am one of those who have surrendered themselves to Allah?
An advocate of the Divine faith must put his addressees face to face with reality. He has to confront people's deviation, ignorance, inflated appreciation of their own deeds, as also their instinctive abhorrence of being told that they are wrong. He is opposed by people's determination to serve their own interests and maintain positions that might be threatened by the principle of equality of all people, which is basic to Divine faith. To face all this as part of the task of advocating Divine faith is indeed very hard. Yet it is something truly great: "Who speaks better than he who calls people to God, does what is right, and says, 'I am one of those who have surrendered themselves to God?" (Verse 33) Taking all this into account, a word of advocacy, calling on people to believe in God's oneness, is the best word that may be said on earth. It is at the forefront of good words that are raised to God in heaven, provided it is endorsed by good action and confirmed with self surrender to Him. Thus, such advocacy becomes pure and sincere, free of self interest. The advocate's aim is merely to discharge his duty by presenting the Divine message. Once he has discharged his duty, he should not care whether his words are rejected or whether people are rude or boastful in their denials. He is merely presenting what is good, which puts him in the higher position.
Explanation:
This verse highlights the noblest form of speech and action in the sight of Allah:
- "Who is better in speech..."
- This is a rhetorical question, implying that no one has better speech than this person.
- It sets a high standard for what truly good and impactful communication looks like.
- "...than one who calls to Allah"
- This refers to someone who invites others to know, worship, and obey Allah.
- It includes teaching, reminding, and encouraging others towards faith and truth.
- "...and does righteous deeds"
- Calling others to Allah is not enough on its own—personal conduct matters.
- The person practices what they preach: sincerity, honesty, humility, etc.
- "...and says, 'Indeed, I am of the Muslims.'"
- This is a declaration of identity and commitment.
- It shows the person is proud and clear about being a submitter to God (a Muslim), without hypocrisy or fear.
Takeaway:
This verse beautifully combines da'wah (inviting to Islam), personal piety, and clear identity as the traits of the most honorable speaker. It's a call to live with integrity, and share goodness with others while being openly committed to faith.
Let all Muslims do their best to call upon non Muslims and introduce them the true Islam, not the Islam of terrorism as being portrayed by the world. This is our moral and religious obligation to continnue to spread the word of Allah as was done by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and since him all those good Muslims who took upon them the great responsibility of da'wah / invitation to Islam as every Muslim has been ordained to do so.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
For more selected verse on Da'wah, please refer to our reference page: Da'wah - The Invitation to Non-Muslims to Islam
For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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