Our goal in life is to please Allah by following His laws, not appease people by watering down His laws. Our pious predecessors always spoke out against the fitna of their times, even if it made them unpopular. Before going to Samarkand, Imam Bukhari رحمة الله عليه entered a town where he was so popular; 20,000 people came to meet him. As he settled there and became aware of the fitan, he began to speak out. The people did not like this.

Eventually, Imam Bukhari رحمة الله عليه was driven out of town, until there were only 3 people to walk him out. His supporters went down in number but that did not concern him. For he knew that to please Allah is to gain His support and to gain Allah’s support is the greatest gain deen offers. He then went on to become one of the greatest scholars of Islam, leaving behind works that millions still read on a daily basis.

Allah commanded Ibrahim عليه السلام to make an announcement for Hajj. At that time, Makkah Mukarramah was a barren land – there was no-one there to hear his call. If the masses were of importance, Ibrahim عليه السلام would not have made his announcement. But He made one anyway, because His goal was to please Allah, not to “reach out to the masses”. And now there are so many people travelling for Hajj that the authorities have to set a limit. Otherwise, the crowd would become unmanageable.

That is the system of Allah. When dawah is done sincerely for His sake, He places barakah in it and causes it to grow. Therefore, be wise and considerate but never water down Islam to please the masses. It may seem logical at the time but in the long run, it will bear little weight because Islam does not work according to our logic, it works according to the laws of Allah. His law is that we must convey sincerely and then He will guide, not that we try to guide via preaching a sugar-coated version of faith. May Allah make us sincere in our efforts like our pious predecessors, Aameen.

— Hazrat Ml. Dawood Seedat حفظه الله

Above is an article taken from www.islaahiadvices.com. It is an extract from Hazrat’s talk on 25/12/17 in Masjid-ut-Taqwa, Pietermaritzburg. To listen to the full talk, please click here.