Questions and Answers

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Is there a relations between fasting and dawah ilallah? The Quran is a book of mission. In the month of Ramadan, every believer goes through the Quran to find out the message of the Quran. This awakens in a believer the spirit of sharing this message with others. And understanding his responsibility of dawah ilallah as a member of Prophet Muhammad’s ummah, he makes the spreading of this message of calling people to God as his mission. Fasting prepares one for such a mission. Fasting does not simply amount to observing hunger for a temporary period. It symbolizes a lifelong culture, a culture of dedication. According to Islamic ideology, a believer is a man of mission. A man of mission has little time for anything other than his mission. He eschews all activities as are irrelevant to his mission. This is the spirit of the man of mission and fasting symbolizes this spirit. So, every year, one month is meant to prepare a believer to carry on this divine mission and in eleven months he spreads the message of the Quran (and Islam) to all mankind. One who observes fasting in this sense and prepares himself for the mission of the Quran and dedicates himself for this dawah mission, is promised unlimited reward. Spreading the message of the Quran is a divine mission. According to the Quran, it is akin to providing support to God as mentioned in this verse” “Believers, be God’s helpers. (The Quran, 61:14) Due to this speciality, the Prophet of Islam informed that fasting is preparing oneself for the sake of the divine mission. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1151) This is the greatest mission, so one who devotes himself for it is liable for the greatest reward. Can zakat be given for dawah ilallah? Zakat, alms-tax is one of the five basic tenets of Islam. Its payment is obligatory, at the rate of 2.5%, on all wealth that is subject to growth. Eight categories of people, eligible to receive Zakat, have