Muslims have not stayed away from the caravan of civilization as a result of their adherence to their religion. In truth, their backwardness started when they rejected Islam and became careless about it, allowed foreign culture to invade their countries, dominate their minds, and fascinate their children. They stood behind when they gave up intellectual leadership, and turned mild in calling for Islam and misapplied it’s rulings. Therefore, they must resume Islamic life in order to progress, but they will not resume this life unless they carry the Islamic Da’wa.

The Islamic Da’wa should be carried today as it was carried before, and it should follow the example of the Prophet of Allah without deviating a single inch from the main ideas and details of the message, regardless of different periods and places. This is because what changes from age to age methods and means, but essence and meaning do not change at all. Therefore, carrying the Islamic Da’wa to the world needs frankness in truth, bravery against the absurd, strength in Faith, and enlightened thought. In addition, it needs the exhibitions of corrupt false notions, and it demands that the Islamic doctrine be sovereign, regardless of whether the majority of the people accept it or reject it, or whether it conforms to their customs or antagonizes them. This is because the holder of the Da’wa is not a flatterer of the people, nor is he courteous to the rulers. The Islamic Da’wa demands all it’s actions to be directed toward a definite goal, for the Da’ee does not accept a notion without action but dismisses such an attitude as an imaginary philosophy. Moreover, he does not accept notion and action separate from a goal. He rather condemns that as a viscous movement which ends in despair.

The Prophetheld intellectual leadership in Mecca, but when he found that it’s citizens could not achieve his goal he prepared the citizens of Medina for that task. Their he founded the state, applied Islam, carried the message and prepared the community (ummah) to carry it after him, and move along his path.

In preaching Islam, beliefs should be corrected, and the relation of man with Allah should be reinforced. In addition, the preacher should show people the solutions of their problems so that this Da’wa will be present in all areas of life, because the success of the Islamic message is based on the fact that it deals with all the problems which man may face.

The carriers of the message cannot hold their responsibilities and do their duties unless they develop in themselves the inclination towards perfection. For this reason, they always search for truth, examine all that they know thoroughly in order to purify it from all errors, thus keeping all the ideas they hold, true. Of course, purification of ideas is the only guarantee of success. The carriers of the message should do their duties as an obligation which Allah demands, and they are responsible before Him if they don’t do them. Allah makes them assume this responsibility in His words; “And lo! it is in Truth a reminder for thee and for thy folk; and ye will be questioned!” In this respect, Ali the Amir of the Faithful(raa) asked, “Who will inform about Allah after the Prophets of Heaven save men?”

This is how the Islamic message is carried in order to realize a sound intellectual progress, boost the entire world and deliver it from it’s miserable condition. This is because the world is moving towards suicide, it’s problems accumulate and it stands before them baffled, confused and perplexed, knowing not how to begin in order to know how to end.

The way to carry the Islamic Da’wa to the world may be summed up in ten points.

1. Only Islam is right.
2. An intellectual leadership should carry Islam.
3. The Islamic doctrine is sovereign.
4. Corrupt foreign notions should be challenged.
5. No mildness, no leniency in matters which contradict Islam.
6. The practical basic rule.
7. There should be a critical objective revision of beliefs, strengthening man’s relation with Allah, and showing the ruling which solves the people’s problems as they had been shown before at a time when people used to worship numerous gods and bury alive new-born girls and kill a relative because of one of his tribe’s offenses.
8. The hypothetical rulings and notions are a truth which may bear error.
9. Holding the message for the sake of pleasing Allah, setting up these restrictions and respecting his interdictions.
10. Following the Prophet’s way in it’s political and intellectual aspects as it was pursued fourteen centuries ago. This is evident in Allah’s word to His Prophet ; “This is my way, I call on Allah with sure knowledge, I and whoever follows me.”

The way is of course the path. Politically, the Muslim’s status in the presence of Russia and China an the East, and Europe and USA in the West, is like their status in the time of the Prophet”Kisra” was in the East and “Caesar” in the West. So as the Prophetdid in the establishment of an Islamic nucleus in the Arab Island and started to exploit the international attitude which was governed by the balance of powers between Persia and Rome and the enmity which existed between them as regards belief and interest, he was able, within some years, to unify the whole Arab Island under one flag and to form a third power which later took the initiative and leadership from the two great states. So can we do today if we strengthen Faith, sharpen the will and move along the political path which the Prophettook in order to gather Muslims under one banner, utilize, the international attitude of the balance of powers and the enmity which exists between them with regard to principle and interest.

But the question which poses itself now is; ‘How can we follow the same path which the Prophetfollowed?’ With the presence of this severe resistance which we motivate and feel now, one done by a great number of Muslims who resist Islam because of their ignorance of it and of their belief that it is unfit for the modern age.

The answer to this question comes from Allah Who orders His Prophetthus, “Say; This is my way; I call on Allah with sure knowledge, I and whoever followeth me.”

Intellectually, the Prophetset out in three stages;
In the first stage, he started to preach Islam collectively; he called Quraish to a feast in his house, began explaining the message to them and promised them of a paradise which is as vast as the earth and the heavens, and warned them of a fire which if asked; “On the Day when we say unto Hell; ‘Art thou filled?’ and it says; ‘Can there be more to come?’” The Prophetalso studied Islam with individuals such as Ali, Khadijah, Abu Bakr, and others until he had enough notable Islamic personalities who were distinct from their mates in both behavior and understanding.

In the second stage, the Prophetwent out with his faction and took an active role in blowing away the old, dealt with the relationship between people disparaged Quraish’s gods, defamed their creeds and standard their behavior. The revelations which point to this are many, such as “Woe unto the defrauders. Those who when they take the measure from mankind demand it full, but if they measure unto them or weigh for them, they cause them loss.” And this challenge brings in vengeance on those who take it, because if one is used to something easily, especially after it had become a part of his being, he revolts against will to change it.

Thus, Quraish and it’s allies laid snares for the Prophetand his faction and started to be hostile to the Prophet himself with all the strength they had. As a result, struggle between one doctrine and another began and raged.

Here are some examples which occurred in that period with the Prophet. Bin Khulf walked along putting a bone in his hand and broke it down into pieces before the Prophet of Allah who was sitting among a group of people whom he was calling for Islam. Bin Khulf blew it into the Prophet’s face and said; “O Muhammad Doth Allah bring this (the bones) back after you’ve thrown them.” In reply, the Prophet said firmly, Patiently and confidently; “Yes, then Allah will arise you with those bones and will hurl you to Hell (Fire).” Due to the severity of the situation Allah revealed to the Prophet the following verses; “Hath not man seen that we have created him from a drop of seed? yet lo! he is an open opponent.” And he has coined for us a similitude, and hath forgotten the fact of his creation, saying; “Who will revive these bones when they have rotted away? Say; He who revives them Who produced them in the first place, for He is Knower of every creation.” And no sooner has truth conquered falsehood and refuted it, and no sooner has light wasted darkness and ripped it apart than the Islamic notion prevailed in Al-Madina Al-Munawara after the departure of Mus’ab Bin Umair to Al-Madina and his return to Mecca, and his saying to the Prophet of Allah . And in Al-Madina was the Bay’a of Al Faqaha and Helpers unanimously affirmed that they will fight all people, black and white, who are against Islam. We conferred Bay’a on you; “We’ll listen to and obey you in times of distress and happiness and to say the truth, if we fear Allah, there is no censure.” There Al ‘Abbas Bin Ubada, the son of Fadul Al-Ansar told the Prophet of Allah; “I swear by Allah who sent you in truth that if you want, we shall turn to our sword against the citizens of Mena tomorrow.” the Prophet replied with; “We have not commanded you to do thus yet.” From what Al-Abbas Bin Ubada Al-Ansari and the Prophet said, we can conclude that the Prophet was moving along a definite path in order to attain power, a path which we must not violate. Nevertheless, most groups who set out nowadays to carry Islam and fix it in the people’s minds, do not follow the path which the Prophet has drawn. Instead they, Allah forbid! follow ways opposed to the notion of Islam. This attitude is due either to their ignorance of the notion or of the method, or out of their desire to obtain power quickly. These ways did harm to the nation, scattered it’s efforts, hindered it’s progress and sorted out a great number of people who were about to be desperate at arriving at the stage of applying Islam. But if we know that the way and the notion should go hand in hand, that the way is there to be carried out, and that any deviation from the way will not pursuit it’s followers to succeed in the execution and spread of the notion, then we can realize that the task of a Da’ee is hard.

The western concept of democracy as a way of life is based on spreading it from freedoms; freedom of religion, speech, person, and private ownership. This concept is executed by imposing military, economic or cultural control upon the people either through a domestic revolution or through a foreign country’s dominance.

The Socialist Communist system means;

1. Realizing actual equality among people.
2. The partial or entire abolition of private ownership of profits and the setting up of state owned economy.
3. Distribution of production on collective basis.

The way to carry out this concept is class and class antagonism, class and class struggle in all areas of life. Struggle is manifested either through military armed revolution as it occurred in Russia and China, or through strikes, demonstrations and the like.

The Islamic doctrine is a notion and a way of life. Islam’s notion is laid down in the Book and the Prophet’sSunnah. The method of spreading Islam and executing it is based on conviction, because Allah says; “Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way.” There is ther5efore no compulsion in religion. One can thus believe or disbelieve in Allah; “Remind them, for thou art but a reminder, thou art not a warder over them.” This is exactly what the Prophet did during the stages of Da’wa in spite of the harm, mockery, opposition and interruption which his preaching faced.

Again, in spite of the clarity of the way to everyone who pursued the Prophet’s steps, we still see some Muslim movements bolding the Islamic notion, yet following the socialist-communist way. That is to say, following the method of class struggle to attain power; or following the democratic way. That is to say, revolution from within or cultural, military, economic and political control. This is what made these movements fail in obtaining political power.

In the third stage, the Prophetwas urged to emigrate to Medina after he had been sure of his authority and there he has established the nucleus of the Islamic state.

With these definite notions and with this outlook from a specific corner to the way of holding the message and the qualities which the Da’ee should possess, the community will have started to move along the Prophet’sway in building the school in which the leaders of Islamic knowledge had graduated.