Islam Rediscovered
21. Islam in History
~ 374 ~
Normal human relations between the
da‘i
and the
madu’
(the person addressed) are essential for the
success of any
da’wah
mission. The only way to
establish a favourable atmosphere is for the
da‘i
to
adopt the ethics of unilateralism, that is to behave
well, consistently and unconditionally, even if his
hearers (the
madu’
) do not behave well towards
him. In refusing to copy the attitude and conduct of
the
madu’
, the
da‘i
adheres to the highest code of
ethics based on Islamic principles.
“And from him who takes away your cloak, do not
withhold your tunic either” (Luke, 6:29). We are
told here in symbolic language what our behaviour
should be. The
da‘i
does all he can so that no
controversy is created between himself and the
madu; all he does is convey the message of
da’wah
.
That is why the
da‘i
takes sole responsibility for the
maintaining of a propitious atmosphere for
da’wah
by unilaterally bringing all controversies to an end.
Such an approach was not peculiar to Christianity;
it was a feature common to the missions of all of the
prophets.
This
principle
of
unilateral
accommodation is a sine qua non for success in the
task of
da’wah
.
