“Conveying the Divine message means guiding people to the right path, the straight path (sirat al-mustaqim). In essence, this is the very purpose for which all Prophets came—including the Master of the Prophets himself. That straight path is one every believer already knows, and indeed must know well. Every day, at least forty times in our prayers, we ask our Lord to guide us to the straight path—the path walked by the Prophets, the truthful, and the martyrs, and to reach the goal as they reached it. It is a broad road, and everyone has their share upon it. For the final Prophet, as the Qur’an states, was sent as a mercy to all the worlds.”¹⁾

“Guidance and conveying the Divine message are among the sha’air—the symbols and visible marks of Islam. Just as a military officer is recognized by the stars or stripes on his epaulet, so too enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong is, like the call to prayer, communal worship, or the pilgrimage, one of the most important emblems that show the rank of a Muslim. Because such duties involve the rights of the community, their spiritual merit is even greater than that of purely personal obligations, even if the individual responsibility is lighter.”²⁾

“What made the great Prophets the greatest was the immense test of carrying out the duty of conveying the Divine message, and the way they fulfilled it with their willpower, understanding, and devotion. This was essential to their very lives. If they had not fulfilled this duty, they could not truly live—for they would not have done justice to their mission. That is why the Qur’an declares: ‘O Messenger! Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord. If you do not, you will not have delivered His message.’ (Qur’an 5:67)”³⁾

“Even today, what touches hearts and brings people to fairness is living example. Few will say: ‘I found the truth through hearing such-and-such words!’ But many will say: ‘I was guided when I saw the sincerity and pure conduct of such-and-such a believer.’ In reality, even words that lead to guidance are the fruit of the language of the heart and the dialect of lived example. For tabligh reaches its true value only through authentic representation.”⁴⁾

“Of course, among believers there will be those engaged in trade, business, earning money, and possessing wealth and means. Yet, if divine destiny places someone in a role that requires, like a soldier, forgetting self-interest and laboring solely for the sake of the community, then one must recognize this privilege and act accordingly. A powerful decree has assigned duties to all: some to commerce and industry, others to teaching, guiding, or governing. But there are some positions that demand complete dedication, allowing no other concern besides guidance, conveying the Divine message, and representation. Therefore, each person must strive to do justice to their station and be productive in the role they have been given.”⁵⁾

“I consider it very important that today we develop a deep philosophy of the Prophet’s life (sirah) to reinterpret and present religion in a way meaningful to our age. The essential philosophy of life in the Age of Happiness under the Prophet’s leadership must be properly understood and adapted to present conditions. Attempting to transfer that life literally, word-for-word and detail-for-detail, into today may not be in harmony with the spirit of religion. What must be done is to grasp those events in their context, extract the principles and disciplines they embody, and then apply them to our own time. If we can do this, we will be able to develop approaches, methods, and strategies—true to the spirit of the religion—for dealing with evil, offering guidance and conveying the Divine message, fostering tolerance, and building dialogue.”⁶⁾

“The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, was not merely someone who brought and delivered a message. Receiving the truth from God and presenting it was his aspect of conveying the Divine message. But beyond that, he also embodied a life of representation (tamthil). In this respect, he lived out and fulfilled more than anyone else the very truths he commanded people to practice. Thus, he stood several steps ahead of the ordinary preacher of tabligh.”⁷⁾

“Those engaged in guidance and conveying the Divine message must also be united with sadness (huzn). In fact, sadness is a common trait shared—at some degree—by all the great ones. For if guidance and conveying the Divine message do not have the desired effect, it is only natural that the man of faith and mission should be bent double in grief.”⁸⁾

“Islam, by its very universality, addresses all humanity. Its scope is wider than our imagination. Therefore, those who present it to humankind must never overlook this universality. No one should be excluded from the circle of tabligh because of prior assumptions, personal temperament, or character. Except for outright disbelief and polytheism, everyone has a place within this spectrum—whether someone with imitative faith or someone aspiring to the highest stations of sainthood, saying: ‘I wish to feel in my conscience what I have learned from the Qur’an and Sunnah.’ In fact, to walk in the shade of the Qur’an means to act in this inclusive spirit.”⁹⁾

“Especially in our times, those who shoulder the Prophetic duty of tabligh and guidance must be very careful and sensitive in this matter. For the real power of words lies not in eloquence or rhetoric, but in sincerity. And sincerity requires selflessness and purity of intent.”¹⁰⁾

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