Silsilat Mujtama al-Duah
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- Silsilat Mujtama al-Duah
Silsilat Mujtama al-Duah (The Society of Callers Series) is a short pedagogical treatise written in 1421 AH (2000–2001 CE) by Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Harafi, a preacher at the Center for Da'wah and Guidance in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The work is designed as an opening contribution to a broader series aimed at cultivating Islamic outreach across different societal spheres, specifically addressing how male and female schoolteachers can fulfill the role of callers to God.
Background and Methodology
The author compiled the work in Dammam after presenting the subject to several practicing teachers to incorporate their field experiences in education and da'wah. Methodologically, the treatise combines scriptural texts from the Quran and Sunnah with practical real-life scenarios reported by educators, illustrating how moral guidance and Islamic principles can be integrated into regular classroom teaching and student mentorship.
Structure and Contents
The book is arranged into an introduction and four core chapters:
- Chapter One: Introduction on the Obligation of Daʿwah (Muqaddimah fī Wujūb al-Daʿwah): Discusses the general duty incumbent upon Muslims to enjoin good and forbid wrong, emphasizing that the teacher holds a pastoral responsibility (rāʿin) over students to protect them and instruct them in their religious and worldly welfare.
- Chapter Two: Personal Daʿwah (al-Daʿwah al-Dhātiyyah): Focuses on the internal qualifications of the educator, dividing the topic into da'wah by living example (al-qudwah al-ḥasanah) and da'wah through the engaging and competent presentation of academic subjects—such as art, natural sciences, or grammar—highlighting divine signs and craftsmanship.
- Chapter Three: Practical Daʿwah (al-Daʿwah al-ʿAmaliyyah): Outlines concrete interpersonal methods for reaching students. These include showing mutual respect, offering assistance and mediation (shafāʿah) during crises, visiting students in times of bereavement or joy, connecting with their inner character through genuine empathy, offering sincere praise, keeping the primary goal of da'wah in mind rather than getting distracted by worldly rivalries, and maintaining consistent gentleness (rifq).
- Chapter Four: Obstacles to Daʿwah (Muʿawwiqāt al-Daʿwah): Identifies barriers that hinder a teacher's effectiveness, categorizing them into psychological obstacles (such as misunderstandings of authoritarian personality, erecting artificial social barriers by only associating with religious students, and adopting a pessimistic attitude toward youth) and external obstacles (such as flawed domestic upbringing, negative media influence, harmful companionship, unsupportive school administration, heavy administrative workloads, and overcrowded classrooms).
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