The Significance of Calling People to Tread the Path of God

and similar provisions, were, in a sense, economic and political concessions designed to pave the way for his Dawah work. If we fail to warn those around us of the Imminent Day, we must live in fear of being held responsible. This applied even to a prophet if he failed to carry the message to the people to whom he was sent. God did not accept even the ‘fast and worship’ from a prophet who left his people in the grip of polytheism or in a state of unbelief and did not convey the divine message to them. Then how can our individual observance of Islam be acceptable when we have around us millions of people who have never been told the truth of life, or the ways they must adopt in order to achieve real success in the life to come. A prophet who failed to fulfil his responsibilities in the world was doubly at risk of divine retribution (17:75). This was because a prophet had two distinct duties: one, to become a believer himself and, two, to proclaim God’s message to people throughout the world (5:67). With the end of the prophethood, the people of Muhammad must now act in his stead, having been selected by God (22:77) to carry His message to mankind. Thus, Muslims have two duties: one, to live to the full a life of belief and, two, to testify to God’s truth among mankind. According to the Quran, the followers of the Prophet are duty-bound to call people to the path of God, just as the Prophet was so bound. (10:108). The hadith says: “You are God’s witness on earth.” (Bukhari) As we all know, when a man dies, he does not cease to exist, but is transported to another life where there is eternal heaven or eternal hell. This is a very serious state of affairs: for, if one remains unaware of God’s creation plan in this present life, and dies in ignorance, without having followed God’s will, one will suddenly, after death, find oneself doomed to everlasting torture, with no possibility of escape. Worldly people may find other things more important, but truly, the most important thing in God’s eyes is for man to learn this truth. To save man from this horrifying danger, God began the chain of prophets since the time man was created. Every human settlement Calling People to Tread the Path of God