A Benefit: What the above discussion also teaches us is that when we give da’wah and call people to Allaah and His Messenge, we have to sometimes us a bit of love, a bit of fear and a bit of hope. Or sometimes only hope - for someone who despairs, sometimes only fear - for someone who only hopes. In other words, understanding that different people’s hearts have different levels of love, fear and hope, helps us to to understand what types of approaches to take when we advise people, or enjoin the good or forbid the evil etc. So sometimes we warn of the Hellfire alone and other times we give hope to People of Paradise etc.

POINT 3 : The Basis of the Call to Allaah

A Final Note to make is that now you have understood the importance of love, fear and hope, you should now be able to realise why the calls and methodologies of many individuals/groups/parties will not work and that they are in fact in opposition to the call and methodology of the Prophets. This is because love, fear and hope (and what inculcates them - which is the correct knowledge and understanding of Tawheed etc.) is not their main concern. They have made the priority something else. Ikhwaan ul-Muslimoon for example, their sole concern is politics and getting Jerusalem back and toppling the rulers and establishing the state etc.. So you will see amongst them Soofees and Heretics (such as in Syria and Sudan) and the Khawaarij, (such as those in Egypt and Algeria) and all sorts of other strayers. It is likewise for HT, whose sole concern is to establish the khilaafah, but they do not know the way or the means and are not concerned with that. And likewise too, the Jamaat ut-Tableegh, (which is really a covering, or a veil for the Soofees), whose aim is to gain the largest numbers, promote the madhhab of Abu Haneefah (rh) and to get people to come to their world centre in India where they will take part in ridiculous rituals such as climbing up a rope which they suspend from the air, claiming that a person would actually be holding onto the rope of Allaah - and also so that they will perform tawaaf around the graves and tombs of some of their founders etc. like Muhammad Ilyaas. This is a reality, but most people will be unaware of it, since they cannot see the global orientation and connection of this group. The overall aim of JT is bring you eventually to their centre in India. In addition to that they destroy the family and cause ruin to the lives of wives and children  [Seer ‘al-Qawl-Mubeen’ of at-Tuwaijuree for an excellent documentation of all these things with proofs and evidences as clear as daylight.] . So all of this is far removed from the call of the Prophets and the Messengers, the call of love, fear and hope. But these calls are not concerned with love, fear or hope. Or they maybe concerned with only one at the expense of others. The important point that is being made here is that we should look at everything around us, and the Muslims and their affairs etc. and understand them in light of the foundations of worship, love fear and hope and see how their is neglect in or exaggeration in these three qualities.

Questions:

1. Give the definition of worship as described by Ibn Taymiyyah

2. Quote a section from the Qur’an which summarises the inner aspects of worship.

3. Show how each of these verses relates to the quality or feeling that it produces in the heart

4. Quote a verse to show that Allaah combines His Mercy with His Punishment

5. Quote a verse to show how Allaah has requested us to worship Him. (i.e. with what qualities)

6. Explain what would happen if :

   • someone worshipped out of love only

   • someone worshipped out of hope only

   • someone worshipped out of fear only

7. Name the three components of a genuine hope in something. In other words, for someone’s hope to be genuine, mention the three things that have to be present.

8. In small groups, discuss how this topic of love, fear and hope, can help us to see and understand why the Muslims are in the state that they are and how the calls and methodologies of many groups are incorrect and upon error.

9. In small groups, try to discuss how this topic is connected to the topics of the previous two lessons i.e. the meaning of eemaan, and how to believe in the Attributes of Allaah.