BENEFIT 282: Wisdom In Giving Da'wah

Sheikh ’Abdulhameed Az-Zu'kari ḥafidhahullāh states: I swear by Allāh, if you were to enter a village and explain the Da'wah (Salafiyyah) without clashing with them and without speaking against any of them, this approach hurts them (the opponents of the Da'wah) more than if you confronted them directly. Sheikh Muqbil used to say, "Not everything we say on the chair (i.e. during classes) should be shared with the general public." The setting matters. This is an academic centre, you turn to your left and right and find students of knowledge who can benefit, whereas the common folk lack understanding (miskeen). Once, our Sheikh Yahya visited the region of Hajoor, where Allāh greatly benefited the people through him. The people gathered around him and loved him, following him from village to village during the early days of the spread of the Salafi Da‘wah there. However, certain detractors wanted to distort this Da‘wah. Every day, they would raise a new question for him, asking provocatively, "Did the Prophet ﷺ urinate standing?" We continued to throw away the question and cut it up, until the last day of the week, during the final lecture. When the instigator saw that the question hadn’t been raised, he came running with his garment raised to the extent that his thigh was visible, hurrying in front of the crowd, and called out, “Sheikh Yahya, I ask you by Allāh to answer my question.” Sheikh Yahya replied, “Go ahead.” The man asked, “Did the Prophet ﷺ urinate while standing?” Sheikh Yahya responded, “Imam Al-Bukhāri (may Allāh have mercy on him) titled a chapter ‘Urinating While Standing’" and he transmitted a ḥadīth with a chain to Ḥudhayfah. The entire masjid erupted, both the supporters and opponents alike, protesting, “Are you comparing the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ to a dog? Are you saying he urinated standing up?” We understood that this commotion was precisely the outcome this man had intended. Had he genuinely sought clarification on the matter, he would have discussed it privately, asking whether the Prophet ﷺ urinated while standing or the ruling on it. But his goal was to incite the common people. A person must be astute, and our Sheikh, may Allāh preserve him, was indeed perceptive to this issue. Still, he was put in an awkward situation before the crowd. The Sheikh’s response included citing the ḥadīth with its chain of transmission, yet the general public does not understand chains of narration; they are unfamiliar with such matters. May Allāh bless you.