The Preachers’ Predicament

Muslim preachers - be they writers, orators, teachers, graphic designers, poets, artists or other such pious souls who spread the message of Islam using their knowledge and skills - are often faced with a tremendous internal conflict and dilemma. They are confronted with the following questions:

a) Should they promote their work? Would promoting their own work violate the premises of ikhlas? Would it be counted as an ostentatious act? Would it be seen as an act of arrogance and pride? Would it amount to narcissism?

b) What moral right do they have to preach Islam when they are themselves not perfect Muslims?

c) If they are preaching something that they do not themselves practice, would that not amount to hypocrisy?

Let us take up these dilemmas one by one and see how we can overcome them.

a) Neeyah:

Islam lays great importance on ikhlas, i.e. to perform an act with the sole intention of pleasing Allah. The parameters of ikhlas are so exacting that even a slight deviation from absolute sincerity is not acceptable.

Abu Umamah alBahili ؓ narrates that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Indeed, Allah does not accept any deed, except that done sincerely for Him and to obtain His pleasure”. [Nisai]

So, if a person does something fi sabilillah, his neeyah should be completely free and purged of ostentation, arrogance, pride, pretentiousness, narcissism, egotism and hubris, for even a miniscule amount of these diseases would render his entire work futile, and he would end up earning sin instead of any virtue at all.

Allah curses those worshippers in the Qur'an who “make a show of their deeds”. [Surah alMa’un, ayat 6]

Hence, pious Muslim writers, orators and other such people are very conscious about their neeyah, especially when they are rendering their services fi sabilillah. They either refuse any payment for their work altogether, or accept only a bare minimum fee for their efforts. But there is something more important than monetary gain; it is the tempting urge to receive recognition and fame and respect and admiration for one's work. And it is here that Satan tries to play his part.

Let us not talk about those people who take up a project with the sole intention of earning money, fame, recognition, respect and/or admiration. We are speaking about those preachers here who have preached their message - written an article or book on Islam, for instance - and are then in self-doubt about promoting their work fearing they would succumb to sin.

I had once confessed to Zafar Ansari sahab, the then Secretary of Shoba e Tarbiyah, Maharashtra that I feel somewhat uncomfortable about sharing the articles I write with others. Zafar sahab assured me that I should definitely share them, for what is the purpose of writing an article if it is not read? That was an epiphany for me. I still recall those words to reassure myself. The same logic applies to orators who have recorded a speech or graphic designers who have designed an image or poets who have composed a naat/hamd/tarana. If I don't promote my articles, the entire object of writing them is rendered waste.

We need to realise that any fear of being ostentatious, that keeps a person away from performing a good deed, is actually a satanic trap. What does Satan want? That we stop performing good deeds. So one of his weapons is to dupe us into believing that performing a good deed would open the gateways to sin. Thus, if an otherwise pious writer does not share his articles, he is infact playing into the Satan's hands.

Let me give you an example. I used to wear an amamah to Juma prayers. But when I used to look around, I could notice that I was the only person wearing it. I felt conscious that people would take it as an ostentatious act, so I stopped wearing it. The Imam of the masjid called me after a couple of weeks and asked me why I had discontinued my practice of wearing the amamah. When I told him about my reservations, he pointed out that by abandoning a Sunnah, I have actually been tricked by the Satan. He advised me to wear the amamah so often and make it a part of my Juma attire that the very thought of it being an ostentatious act would not bother me in the future. Make it a habit! Taking cue from this incident, and applying it to my writing dilemma, I began sharing my articles so routinely that Satan could no longer trick me into abandoning writing altogether.

Everyone likes being appreciated. In a Hadith narrated by Abu Zarr Ghiffari ؓ and recorded in Sahih Muslim, a man approached Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and submitted that he performs good deeds purely for the sake of Allah, but also feels good when he is praised for it. He was concerned that this might fall under the category of ostentation. The Prophet relieved his anxiety by telling him that this is not ostentation; rather, it is the reward Allah gives His servants in this world, and his ultimate reward would be reserved for him in Paradise.

As for the fear of getting pelfed up with pride and desiring recognition, the least we can do is just share the article and not look back at how many likes and shares it has amassed. We should also be strong enough not be get swayed away by congratulatory messages and comments, and focus on only those critical comments which would help us improve in the future. Additionally, we should also share the lectures and articles of other preachers, and not indulge in exclusive self-promotion.

I had read about a Shaikh in some Arab country who felt a whiff of pride after delivering a speech. He felt so uneasy about it that while returning home, he stopped at a public lavatory and cleaned it with his bare hands to remind himself of his humble position before Allah. We can do something similar if we ever feel that pride and pelf is making inroads into our minds.

It is equally important to spend quality time with the Qur'an daily, engage in zikr, astaghfaar, honest introspection and fervently beseech Allah to purge our hearts of all such diseases. The need for a strong relationship with God to keep Satanic whisperings and diseases of the heart at bay cannot be overemphasized upon.

What usually pulls us down in this regard is the attitude of certain negative people surrounding us. Some people tend to discourage us and insinuate that we are in the business of gathering fame and accolades for ourselves. When my second book, Chiseled Perceptions, was released, a man came up to Rashid Khan sahab and remarked that Parvez thinks too much of himself; why, we have also been through struggles in our life; he is not alone.... Rashid sahab simply asked him to write a book too. We should realise that we need not feel disheartened at the hollow advise of every Tom, Dick and Harry. People are sitting on the fence to let you down; we should learn to take their negative comments with a pinch of salt.

Let me narrate a very interesting incident which would drive home the point. Not exactly related to neeyah, but it would teach us how we can respond to unsolicited negative remarks. Michelangelo had just finished sculpting the statue David. He showed it to a friend for some critical feedback before the formal inauguration. His friend quipped that the nose seems to be a bit long. Convinced that it was not so, Michelangelo simply took a chisel in one hand and some marble dust in another and climbed up to the nose. He then pretended to chisel away the nose and allowed the marble dust to escape the palm of his hands. He then asked his friend if it looked better now, and his friend replied, “Yes, much better.”

b) Moral right:

I personally know of a good orator who kept declining requests to speak on ‘Guarding one's glance’ because he felt he did not have the moral authority to speak on this topic. Why? Because he had had a couple of flings during his college days. Thus, the guilt of not being a perfect believer is another factor that plunges a Muslim preacher into dilemma. Should he speak and write on topics which he feels he has no moral right to speak and write on?

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has said, “Kullu Bani Adam khattaa'un, wa khayrul khattaa'een at’tawwaaboon.” All people are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who repent. When a person sincerely repents before God, his sins are completely washed off. Hence, the guilt of having sinned sometime in our past life should not deter us from speaking on a virtue. We don't want Satan to win, remember?

Moreover, when can a person claim that he has become a perfect Muslim? God says in the Qur’an [Surah anNajm, ayat 32], “Do not claim purity for yourselves; He is most knowing of who fears Him”. A Muslim person can never claim to have perfected his faith. Even on his death bed, he would keep praying for guidance (as in Surah alFatihah, which he should compulsorily recite in prayer till his last breath). 

The truth is that Islam is an ideal point, towards which we are all trying to reach, in the footsteps of our guide and teacher ﷺ. We are ourselves pursuing that point and calling others (both Muslims and non-Muslims) towards that point. 

We should indeed try to become as good Muslims as we possibly can, but while we are at it, we cannot afford to abandon our task of enjoining the good and forbidding evil.

c) Hypocrisy:

The third dilemma a preacher faces stems from the apparent incoherence between his speech and actions. He hesitates in writing or speaking about those things which he himself does not practice. For instance, if a speaker does not offer tahajjud regularly, he feels shy of preaching about the merits of tahajjud or exhorting his audience for the same. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had foreseen this dilemma and has hence asked us to “Convey, even if it is one ayat”. He has also said that it is quite possible that the one to whom you convey the message practices it better than you. In his Hajj Sermon on Mt. Arafat, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had asked those present to convey the message of Islam to those who were not present there, adding that “for verily, it so happens that one to whom a message is conveyed will preserve it (i.e. understand and remember it with all its implications) better than he who conveys it”. [Bukhari]

In light of the aforementioned Hadith, we come to know that a preacher is obligated with the task of preaching the edicts of Islam whether or not he practices them in his personal life. By not preaching the commandments of Islam, he is only adding to the sin of not practicing them. If every person were to refrain from passing on the teachings of Islam citing his own lack of practice, there would be no one left to convey Islam to the next generation. Hence, lack of practice should never act as an impediment to preaching. A good speaker or writer can very effectively inspire others to offer tahajjud despite not being regular with tahajjud himself. 

But if that is so, then whom is Allah addressing in the 2nd and 3rd ayaat of Surah asSaff? He says, “O ye who believe! Why do you say that which you do not? Grievously odious is it in the sight of Allah that you say that which ye do not.” A deeper study tells us that these ayaat have been addressed to the hypocrites of Madinah who used to keep whining that they are not getting any opportunity to fight in the way of Allah, but flinched the moment the bugle was sounded. It turns out that these ayaat speak of the incoherence between one's hollow claims and actual conduct, and not between one's lack of practice and preaching.

This, too, then, turns out to be a ploy of the Satan. He deceives preachers by telling them ‘Physician, heal thyself’. If the preacher succumbs to his ploy, he would lose out on discharging his responsibilities of a preacher on the mere pretext of not being personally particular with what he preaches.

Conclusion:

“And never let Satan avert you. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.”

[Surah azZukhruf, ayat 62]

Allah has given every person a gift, a skill that he can employ to earn his ticket to Jannah. Those who have been granted the gift of writing should keep writing fi sabilillah. Those who have been granted the gift of speaking should keep speaking fi sabilillah. Those who have been granted the gift of graphic designing should keep designing fi sabilillah. And while doing so, they should stay alert and cautious of the Satan and his dirty tricks. We should be particularly wary of any thought that would eventually put a dent on our Book of deeds. For indeed, Satan is on a mission to deceive mankind. We need to pay heed to what God tells us: “And do not follow the footsteps of Satan, for he is indeed your clear and open enemy” [Surah alBaqarah, ayat 208]