Suffering in the path of Da'wah

Suffering is well nigh an inescapable phenomenon for the Islamic
movement of old and new, the reason being that Islam is a call to
rebel against the institutions, thoughts and customs of ignorance
(pre-Islamic era) in all its forms and shapes. This characteristic
which distinguishes Islam has made the Islamic movement more
susceptible to suffering.
Suffering is one of the most important factors of character-building
and selection in Islam. Theoretic training may have no value as long
as hardship and trial do not accompany it. Even faith is in need of
suffering to probe its depths and measure its extents. Allaah, the
Most Exalted, Says in the Quran (what means):
"And of the people are some whosay, "We believe in Allaah," but when
one [of them] is harmed for [the cause of] Allaah, they consider the
trial [i.e. harm] of the people as [if it were] the punishment of
Allaah. But if victory comes from your Lord, they say, "Indeed, We
were with you." Is not Allaah most knowingof what is within the
breasts of the worlds [i.e. all creatures]? And Allaah will surely
make evident those who believe, and He will surely make evident the
hypocrites." [Quran 29:10-11]
Thus, every claim must have its proof, and faith is a claim which
needs proof. Steadfastness in times of hardship is a manifestation of
faith and it is also the proof of its existence and its firmness.
Almighty Allaah Says (what means): "Do the people think that they will
be leftto say, We believe and they will not be tried? But We have
certainly tried those before them,and Allaah will surely make evident
those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.…."
[Quran 29:2-3]
Thus was the decree of Allaah: that the truth should be in eternal
conflict with falsehood, and every time a ray of light emerges, the
forces of darkness gather to extinguish it. Allaah, The Exalted Says
(what means): "They want to extinguish the light of Allaah with their
mouths,but Allaah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers
dislike it." [Quran 61:8]
Since the beginning of the creation and the first of Prophets (may
Allaah exalt their mention), since the birth of good and evil, the
struggle between the two has been violent and frightful. But the
reality which keeps on recurring and which appears clear is that truth
is always victorious and falsehood ever fading. Allaah Almighty Says
(what means):
"And Our word [i.e. decree] has already preceded for Our servants, the
messengers. [That] indeed, they would be those given victory. And
[that] indeed, Our soldiers [i.e. the believers] will be those who
overcome." [Quran 37:171-173]
Some of the people may come to the Daa'iyah (caller to Islam) and say,
"You're doing tremendous work, persisting day and night. But the end
result is little and thepeople are abandoning you. Yet you see the
reasons that devastation and destruction overwhelm the majority of
them." This begins to ruin in an hour what the Daa'iyah builds in a
year!
Such talk may influence many who are not used to steep roads. Here
lies the role of patience. Being hasty in picking the fruit of Da'wah
is not conformable to patience which must be a characteristic of the
Daai`yah. TheDaa'iyah may be in a certain place, a school or
institute, he is forbidding the forbidden, spreading the Da'wah (call
to Islam) and speaking to many people, but he won't notice the change
himself, because it is coming gradually. Just as the father does not
notice the growth of his child whom he sees every morning and evening!
He is growing gradually! How many Du'aat (pl. of Daa'iyah) deserted a
certain place thinking that he'd had no influence, but after he left,
his absence became noticeable, and his influence thenappeared.
So, the Daa'iyah should not rush the results and the fruits of the
Da'wah, but he should strive and depend upon Allaah, The Exalted, and
realize that according to the logical settled experience from the
historical aspect, and the realistic aspect, that any truthful effort
expended will yield fruit. Because it hasn't happened that when a
person gave Da'wah, nobody at all responded to him, or when he
advised, nobody at alltook his advice, or when a scholar sat down
teaching, nobody at all came to learn. EveryDaa'iyah will find a
respondent. For things have not yet reached what Prophet Muhammad
warned us of concerning submissiveness to greed (stinginess), pursuit
of desires, influence of the worldly life, and admiration of one's
opinion. This has not yet happened to the entire Muslim nation. It may
be soon an individual level or in a specific region, but there remain
many who respond and accept the Da'wah, or listen to the advice of the
advisor, provided that he speaks with knowledge and wisdom.