The rule of “The means has the regulations of the ends” and its applications in contemporary work of Dawah

Abstract

All praise and gratitude is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and prayers and peace be upon the best of messengers, our Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, and upon his family and companions all together, and after;Dawah to Allah is acknowledged as one of the most noble and honorable actions and deeds. Allah the Almighty said: ﴾And whose words are better than someone who calls ˹others˺ to Allah, does good, and says, “I am truly one of those who submit.”? (Fussilat: 33). Imam Al-Hassan Al-Basri, after he recited this verse, said: “This is the one who is beloved to Allah, the ally of Allah, this is Allah’s chosen one. He is, among the people of the earth, the most beloved one to Allah; he answered Allah’s call, and he persuaded and inspired people to do the same, and he perfected his deed and his call and said; I am among those who submitted to their Lord. He is khalifatu Allah”. (Ibn Al-Mubarak, 2008, p. 2060).Dawah is one of the most profound and significant portions of Islam that are closely adjacent to ‘ilm al-Maqāsid. Indeed, the texts of Shari’a in this matter all arose to be absolute, without subjecting or restricting the essence of Dawah to specific means or certain procedures. As Allah, the Almighty, said: “Invite ˹all˺ to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner. Surely your Lord ˹alone˺ knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is ˹rightly˺ guided” (An-Nahl: 125). And He, the Almighty, said: “O believers! Be mindful of Allah and seek what brings you closer to Him and struggle in His Way, so you may be successful” (Al-Ma’idah: 35).Then, due to the development that shaped all facets of life and every so often shifted the way it operated, including contemporary electronic means of Dawah, it was necessary to present these means on the premise of: “The means are subjected to the regulations of the ends”, which organizes the branches under the principles and approves for only that which is in accordance with the premise, and rejects what is not.