The word "Da'wah" in Arabic simply means  to invite to something.
 
Dawah is a word in Arabic that  means "to invite" or "to offer to share." 
This is a very important part of being  a Muslim and it can be somewhat difficult 
at times. Yet it is not impossible.  The fact is that sharing Islam is a very 
simple concept. The difficulty comes in  when you are trying to communicate 
the idea to others, especially when they have  already been predisposed to 
believe in something else and to believe that Islam  is something bad. 
 
Keep in mind at all times that you are on a special mission to deliver a  
message of inviting people to worship Allah according to the way that He wants  
to be worshipped. You are to call them to know the truth and how to follow it.  
You do this with both your kind words and correct actions. 
Your words are used in lectures, sermons, books, tapes and dialogs. These  
words help people to understand the truth of Islam. 
Your actions are observed by others through your behavior and manners.  You 
become the role model for what Islam is all about. 
Both methods (dawah by words and actions) were used by the Prophet (peace  
and blessings be upon him) when delivering the message of Islam. He was the  
perfect example of what he was calling the people to do. Ayesah, may Allah be  
pleased with her, said that if you would like to see a living example of the  
Quran walking, then simply look to Muhammad, peace be upon him. His life was the 
 best example of the noble teachings and principles set forth in the  Quran. 
Muslims are supposed to advise everyone by using a gentle and simple  
approach to attract the hungry souls to the Way of Allah. For sure today more  than 
ever, people need to know about Islam and be able to put it into practice.  We 
all need an example to follow. 
Actually, the problem is not so much calling or inviting to people to the  
message of Islam, as it is the way that we go about it. The way that we present  
ourselves and the message is most important and unfortunately, something that 
 many of the Muslims are not taking into consideration these days. 
Some have actually ruined the image of dawah due to the rigid methods,  
mistakes and misunderstandings they are applying. This gives a very negative  
impression about Islam and the Muslims in general. Considering all of the  
detraction and negative media against Islam and Muslims occuring in these days,  it is 
vital that we approach our dawah with wisdom, kind invitation and logical  
discussions. 
One example of negative dawah is the false concept that so many Muslims  have 
today about debating the Christians about their Bible. This is very  
incorrect and not a part of the teachings of the Quran or the way of Muhammad,  peace 
be upon him. While there are a number of things that we might be able to  
share with them about what we believe that is similar to what they might find in  
their Book, it is not correct to try to attack their Book, their beliefs nor  
their understandings. A wise man once said, "Debates bring a lot of heat, but  
not very much light." Leave the idea of debating and do not attend any 
functions  where these types of activities are taking place. Pray for the Muslims to 
wake  up to the dangers of this as a tool for dawah before it is too late. 
Another thing to stay away from is the so called "miracles" about the  Quran 
and Islam that are not mentioned in the Quran or in the Sunnah of the  
prophet, peace be upon him. One example of the idea of some trees in Germany  that 
are twisted around to spell, "Laa elaha illa lah, Muhammad rasoolulah."  This is 
not true. The picture is a fake and anyone can easily prove this is not  
real. So where would you be if you had insisted that this was a "proof" that  
Islam is the right religion? 
I could have advised all of  these, but I present the source so you may visit 
and read more to get the full  flavour 
_www.islamtomorrow.com/dawah/dawah1.asp_ (http://www.islamtomorrow.com/dawah/dawah1.asp) 



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