BENEFIT 200: Those who do not employ المداراة (appeasement methods) will fail in their Da'wah!

"...Nevertheless, we should not say that the laypeople are not given attention; they must be handled with care. Appeasing them (المداراة) is crucial. One of the fundamentals of Da'wah is المداراة. Those who do not employ appeasement methods will fail in their Da'wah as well as in their path of seeking knowledge and practical life. We must appease them, smile at them, guide them towards good, pray for them, and treat them well. However, not every issue of criticism that occurs from them should cause us to react dramatically. On one occasion, when we were back in our hometown, when the Salafi Da‘wah first entered in our region, some individual brang a pair of new shoes and hid them until after the [Friday] Khutba, then he wore them for the prayer. After the prayer, there was chaos among the people, asking about the ruling on praying in shoes. I replied that it is a Sunnah. I did not realise that someone had prayed behind me in shoes. Some of the laypeople cursed this Sunnah out of ignorance. I said no bothers. I explained to them that the man who prayed in shoes in the masjid had made a mistake, as the people were not yet accustomed to this practice. The ruling itself is a well-established Sunnah, but we had to clarify the matter. Eventually, word spread among the people that praying in shoes is a Sunnah, so everyone knew about it. Thus, some actions, though permissible, may not be pleasing from our brothers, especially if it drives people away from goodness, Sunnah, and knowledge. So, we must handle the laypeople gently and treat them well, as they are our primary asset. The Prophet ﷺ a kept a gift aside for Makhramah. He distributed some gifts and hid something for Makhramah. When Makhramah came he raised his voice in anger, the Prophet ﷺ then gave him the gift, saying, "I kept this for you." Makhrramah then walked away smiling, and the Prophet said, "Mukhramah is pleased." @almanhajussalafi