Inviting to God
Cont’d from page 1
Your responsibility is to invite to the path of God with wisdom
and kind enlightenment (16:125). If you get into a debate, stay
calm and speak in the best possible manner. A loud voice doesn’t
make your information more convincing. In fact, God describes such
a loud tone as ugly as a don-key’s voice (31:19).
If you are finding that the person is using a bad response, you
should reply in a good manner in-stead. Can you imagine the exam-ple
that you are showing when you respond with good words rather than
matching insults? Such a re-action has the power of turning even
an enemy into a friend (41:34).
Patience is a very important part of inviting to God. Keep in mind
that not everyone will appreciate God’s message in the same
way as you. Each person has a different pace and belief system.
Some will understand the message of Sub-mission quickly and are
not tied down to a belief they have been practicing for a long time
or a re-ligion they have inherited from their parents. Just imagine
how you would feel if someone told you that the religion you have
been practicing for all these years is not according to God’s
path.
A person may need time to examine their belief in light of the
new information you have given them. The best thing you can do is
to offer your support, give encouragement and be available to answer
the questions that come up. The first reaction of someone is not
always the final decision.
A person may criticize or deny your information at first but the
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QURAN
The Final Testament
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slowly begin to appreciate some parts
of your message. Focus on the parts you have in common and build
from there. According to the Quran, patience reflects a true strength
of character and is a qual-ity that comes by turning to God for
help (16:127, 42:43). We read about this quality in 20:130: “Therefore,
be patient in the face of their utterances, and praise and glorify
your Lord before sunrise and before sunset…”
Tolerance is another quality you must have when speaking with others
(7:199, 24:22). You should accept the person for who they are while
you are sharing God’s mes-sage with them. Tolerance means
you don’t label the person with such names as disbeliever,
idol worshipper, or hypocrite as you are inviting them. Yes, their
belief may be completely different than the message of worshiping
God alone, but you must be tolerant during the process.
Again, ask yourself how you would feel if the person who in-troduced
God’s message to you had been intolerant and judg-mental towards
you. Most likely, you would have jumped ship and refused to listen
to their message. A great example of this trait is re-flected in
verse 3:159 when God speaks of the prophet Muhammad: “It
was mercy from GOD that you became compassionate towards them. Had
you been harsh and mean-hearted, they would have abandoned you…”
Don’t give up! When you sense the person is struggling and
wants to believe but is not taking the steps, stay with them. Keep
re-minding and encouraging them by being a good example or inviting
them to occasions where they can feel the support of others who
are worshiping God alone.
Cont’d on page 3
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