Kalima lil-Duat wal-Muslihin

Kalima lil-Duat wal-Muslihin (A Word to Callers and Reformers) is an anonymous contemporary Islamic treatise composed in 1424 AH (2003 CE) that addresses Islamic preachers and reformers regarding the shortcomings of contemporary discourse during crises and the spiritual responsibilities necessary for communal revival Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.

Composition and Structure

The booklet brings together two previously written essays supplemented by extensive explanatory footnotes, dated by the author to 4 Jumada al-Akhirah 1424 AH Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1. The text is divided into two primary sections:

1. Da'wah Discourse and the Tragedies of the Ummah (al-Khitab al-da'wi wa-ma'asi al-Muslimin): Diagnoses problems in Islamic rhetoric during calamities and proposes correctives Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.
2. Achieving Victory and Success (Hatta nuhaqqiq al-nasr wal-falah): Outlines the spiritual, moral, and methodological duties incumbent upon preachers Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.

Contents

Critique of Contemporary Da'wah Discourse

The first part argues that the root cause of the Muslim community's hardships and defeats is moral and spiritual distance from God, rather than merely material, technological, or political disadvantages Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1. The author identifies multiple recurring flaws in contemporary da'wah speeches and writings:

• Treating Symptoms over Causes: Preachers frequently focus on political analysis, enemy conspiracies, and material explanations while neglecting to remind Muslims of repentance (tawbah) and the direct spiritual consequences of sins Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.
• Passive Emotionalism: Calamities often elicit temporary weeping, poems, and superficial emotional outbursts that cool down rapidly rather than igniting lasting behavioral change Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.
• Limitation to Relief and Prayer Alone: While acknowledging the necessity of supplication and humanitarian fundraising, the text warns against using them as substitutes for genuine internal reform and repentance Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.
• Misunderstanding the Requisites of Victory: Slogans calling for unity, heroism, and armed defense without prior spiritual rectitude overlook the prophetic principle that military and communal triumph depends fundamentally on obedience to God Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.
• Superficial Optimism: Reassuring the public of inevitable victory without demanding actionable repentance is likened to falsely promising success to an idle student Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli….

To rectify these trends, the author urges preachers to offer concrete, practical guidance for individual reform—termed "boycotting sins" (muqata'at al-dhunub)—and to prioritize addressing persistent societal disobedience over abstract generalities Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.

Responsibilities of Callers and Reformers

The second part addresses reformers directly, setting out principles for personal cultivation and da'wah methodology Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1:

• Sincerity and Inner Cultivation: Prioritizing genuine devotion (ikhlas), love for God, and purification from spiritual diseases such as vanity, arrogance, and desire for leadership Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli….
• Exemplary Conduct and Gentleness: Cultivating high moral character and adopting leniency and kind speech rather than harshness, which repels listeners Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.
• Hierarchy of Priorities: Directing core efforts toward cultivating faith and creed (aqidah) before details, balancing multiple obligations, and utilizing management and communication skills to enhance preaching efficacy Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli….
• Avoiding Secondary Conflicts: Refraining from destructive internal disputes among religious figures over subordinate issues, which distracts from facing principal challenges Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli….
• Active Sacrifice: Dedicating time, wealth, and energy fully to religious reform rather than treating da'wah as a peripheral or routine activity Kalima lil-Duat wal-Musli…+1.