Dalil al-Furas wal-Wasail al-Dawiya

Author died
-
Editions
Dalil al-Furas wal-Wasail al-Dawiya

Dalil al-Furas wal-Wasail al-Dawiya (Guide to Opportunities and Means of Dawah) is a practical handbook on Islamic proselytization authored by Khalid bin Muhammad al-Dubaykhi, outlining practical opportunities and diverse modern methods for callers to Islam (du'at) .

Purpose and Methodology

The work was compiled to assist callers to Islam by identifying available proselytization opportunities across diverse public and private settings, broadening their practical options, and offering innovative alternatives . In his introduction, al-Dubaykhi highlights that the ultimate goal of the caller is saving people from Hellfire and guiding them to obey God, which requires adapting one's approach to the circumstances of the audience . He emphasizes essential principles for success in da'wah, including sincerity (ikhlas), adherence to the Prophetic model, earnest supplication, compassion toward the addressed audience, and framing guidance through the language of Sharia rather than mere social custom or health justifications alone .

The author explains that the material was gathered from various contemporary sources, including books, audio recordings, visual media, and internet publications . He explicitly notes that the manual does not claim to encompass all da'wah opportunities and tools, as an exhaustive compilation is impossible, but rather offers an extensive foundation for further exploration and initiative . He also reminds the reader that the ideas presented may overlap, that specific methods suit certain locations but not others, and that the success of one tool does not preclude the validity of others .

Structure and Contents

The manual is organized into two main parts:

Part One: Dawah Opportunities (al-Furas al-Da'wiyya)

This part surveys specific venues, environments, and occasions, providing itemized suggestions for da'wah activities within each:

  • Mosques (al-Masajid): Conducting educational lessons, Quran memorization circles, distribution of books and audio tapes at exits, setting up a mosque wall bulletin (Majallat al-Masjid), community fatwa boards, organizing iftars, and arranging programs for foreign expatriate workers .
  • Graveyards and Mortuaries (al-Maqabir wa-Maghasil al-Mawta): Placing signage regarding visitation etiquette, offering funeral prayer guides, providing instruction on washing the deceased, and occasional post-burial reminders .
  • Parks and Public Gardens (al-Hada'iq wal-Muntazahat): Designating congregational prayer spaces, displaying educational banners, distributing pamphlets, and personal advice .
  • Hospitals (al-Mustashfayat): Placing bedside leaflets on prayer for the sick and patience during affliction, providing scholar contact numbers for religious queries, setting up internal Islamic radio broadcasts, and charitable medical clinics for the needy .
  • Hotels (al-Fanadiq): Ensuring prayer rugs and Qibla indicators in rooms, stocking travel jurisprudence books, and collaborating with management to provide lectures and media free of objectionable content .
  • Audio Stores and Publishing Houses (al-Tasjilat wa-Dur al-Nashr): Offering discounted scholarly series, categorizing topics, and spotlighting lesser-known scholars .
  • Schools and Educational Institutions (al-Madaris): Integrating da'wah themes into morning assemblies, hosting periodic competitions, maintaining teacher-room reference libraries, and promoting positive behavior .
  • Workplaces (Amakin al-'Amal): Short weekly post-prayer reminders, notice boards, and caring for expatriate employees .
  • Transportation (Wasa'il al-Mawaslat): Utilizing waiting halls at airports and bus stations, playing beneficial audio on public transport, and maintaining roadside rest-area prayer areas and checkpoints .
  • Prisons and Juvenile Detention Centers (al-Sujun wa-Dur al-Mullahaza): Running Quran memorization circles and family-support initiatives .
  • Seasonal Occasions: Maximizing the spiritual atmosphere of Ramadan through communal iftars, taraweeh reflections, and itikaf, as well as utilizing seasonal vacations (al-Ijazat al-Mawsimiyya) for intensive educational seminars and summer centers .
  • Family, Relief Work, and Modern Media: Implementing family reading sessions, coupling humanitarian aid distributions with Islamic instruction, individual counseling (al-Da'wah al-Fardiyya), and using websites, email, and digital presentations .

Part Two: Dawah Tools (al-Wasa'il al-Da'wiyya)

This part describes sixteen numbered practical da'wah devices and projects. Each entry specifies the objective, target audience, required equipment, locations of implementation, and practical considerations:

  1. Garment gift (Hadiyyat al-Libas): Placing booklets or remembrance cards inside tailored clothes, laundry packages, and ready-made clothing .
  2. Taxi gift (Hadiyyat Sayyarat al-Ujrah): Distributing audio tapes and multilingual pamphlets to taxi drivers .
  3. Rental car gift (Hadiyyat Sayyarat al-Ta'jir): Equipping rental cars with Quranic recordings and travel brochures .
  4. Patients' gift (Hadiyyat al-Marda): Tailored packages of audio and reading materials for hospitalized individuals .
  5. Barbershop and salon gift (Hadiyyat al-Hallaqin wal-Mashaghil al-Nisa'iyya): Supplying constructive magazines and tracts to replace frivolous publications in waiting areas .
  6. The dawah library/stand (al-Maktabah al-Da'wiyya): Compact display stands for pamphlets and booklets in waiting rooms, government offices, and clinics .
  7. "Take Your Copy" stand (Hamil Khudh Nuskhatak): Free distribution racks positioned at exits and reception counters .
  8. Dawah phrases on commercial bags (al-'Ibarat al-Da'wiyya 'ala al-Akyas): Printing short general moral reminders on retail shopping bags and dining table covers, avoiding the explicit mention of God's names to prevent desecration .
  9. Wall magazine (al-Majallah al-Ha'ituyya): Bulletin boards with periodically rotated educational articles .
  10. Guidance banners (al-Lawhat al-Irshadiyya / al-Bannarat): Large informational signs for public squares, parks, and institutions .
  11. Dhikr commemorative plaques (Duru' al-Adhkar): Acrylic or wooden gift plaques inscribed with prayers presented at weddings, new homes, or promotions .
  12. The sponsor as a caller (al-Kafil al-Da'iyah): Supplying employers with materials in their foreign workers' native languages and letters for their families .
  13. The expatriate dawah bag (al-Haqibah al-Da'wiyya): Compartmentalized bags containing multilingual literature for outreach at service stations and workshops .
  14. The waiting bag (Haqibat al-Intizar): Multi-compartment kits containing recorders, educational games, and books for youth aged 6–18 during social gatherings .
  15. The traveler's bag (Haqibat al-Musafir): Curated literature bags for businesspeople and travelers going abroad .
  16. Dawah tourist excursions (al-Rihlat al-Siyahiyya al-Da'wiyya lil-Jaliyat): Outings organized for non-Muslim expatriates, particularly specialized professionals like physicians and engineers, facilitating cultural and religious dialogue .

Institutional Collaboration and Sources

The author concludes the manual with contact information for several Cooperative Offices for Da'wah, Guidance, and Expatriate Awareness in the Al-Qassim Province—including branches in al-Asyah, al-Badai', al-Butayn, al-Shiqqah, and Unayzah—noting that many of the tools detailed in the second part were physically produced and made available through these centers . The book concludes with a bibliography listing over forty published manuals, booklets, institutional guidelines, and online sources dedicated to da'wah methodology .

Answer updated