But if you do something new that they do not know is a Sunnah, and they have never heard that it was part of the Prophet’s ﷺ practice, they may reject it and ev

But first teach them the Sunnah, and then, In-shā-Allāh, they will accept it. The Prophet’s ﷺ Sunnah is already accepted among Muslims. The Sunnah naturally agrees with human instinct (fiṭrah). When people learn it, it aligns with what Allāh has placed in their hearts, so they love it and accept it. I also advise those who call to Allāh to cooperate, help each other, and avoid disagreements. Unity and cooperation are a source of strength, while disagreement and conflict lead to weakness and failure. Allāh says to the mujāhideen: ﴿وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُواْ وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكم﴾ “And do not dispute, lest you lose courage and your strength departs.” [Surah Al-Anfal: 46] In Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhāri and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ sent Mu‘ādh and Abū Mūsā to Yemen and said: ((يَسِّرَا وَلا تُعَسِّرَا، وَبَشِّرَا وَلَا تُنَفِّرَا، وَتَطَاوَعَا وَلا تَخْتَلِفَا)) “Make things easy, do not make them difficult. Give glad tidings, do not push [people] away. Cooperate, do not disagree.” So the caller to Allāh is commanded to cooperate and not differ with his fellow callers. He is also commanded to give glad tidings, make Islam beloved to people, and not push them away. Imām An-Nawawi, may Allāh have mercy on him, explained in his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: “The Prophet ﷺ combined these instructions—ease and not difficulty, glad tidings and not pushing away—because sometimes a person may act in one way at one time and the opposite at another. If the instruction were only ‘make things easy,’ it would only apply to those who made things easy at one time or many times, while ignoring those who were strict or harsh in most cases, but because the Prophet ﷺ said, “Do not make things difficult”, it means that harshness or difficulty should be avoided in all situations and in every way. This is the intended guidance. The same applies to “Give glad tidings and do not repel” and “Cooperate and do not disagree”—because sometimes they may cooperate at one time and disagree at another, or cooperate in one matter and differ in another. This ḥadīth also teaches the importance of: giving glad tidings of Allāh’s favour, His great reward, His abundant gifts, and His vast mercy. Avoiding pushing people away through fear, threats, or warnings alone without also giving encouragement. It emphasises gentleness with those whose Islam is new or weak, avoiding strictness with them, including: children approaching maturity, those who are reaching the age of responsibility, those who have repented from sins. All of them should be treated with care, gradually guided into obedience, little by little. The matters of Islam are meant to be learned and practiced step by step. When obedience is made easy for a beginner or someone willing to start, they are more likely to continue and even increase in good deeds. But if it is made difficult for them, they may fail to enter, may not continue, or may find it hard to embrace. This gradual, gentle approach ensures that people are encouraged and able to grow in their faith over time.” [End of quote] --- Avoid Mixing with People of Innovation and Ḥizbiyyah We also advise the brothers that when they go out for da‘wah, they should not mix closely with people of innovation or Ḥizbi groups, except for giving sincere advice. Sometimes it may seem friendly, and they may try to exploit your efforts for spreading your message to promote their own misguided ideas. They may get close to you so that your work supports their beliefs instead of the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. So, keep your da‘wah clear and distinct. When you meet such people, let it be only for advising, reminding, and correcting—do not let them influence your mission. Call people to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and the path of the Salaf. This is what will benefit people, In-shā-Allāh.