Missionary Ethics

Missionary Ethics

1987 9 September 19-24 Missionary Ethics (2336) Paradoxical as it may seem, the ethics of the missionary bear a striking resemblance to the code of conduct adopted, consciously or unconsciously, by a businessman. Though differently motivated, neither the missionary nor the businessman can afford to offend or discourage those with whom he comes in contact. Just as the profit-seeking businessman makes all kinds of concessions to his customers, putting up with awkwardness and inconvenience in the hopes of doing good business, the divinely inspired missionary goes out to meet his congregation with a lenient, tolerant attitude, ready to ignore taunts and insults, and eager to forgive lapses in decorum or downright obstructive behaviour. Just as the businessman will be extra careful never to do anything which would put a potential consumer off buying his goods, the missionary will take great pains to see that a tension-free ambience is created in which his sermons can have their full effect. Both will avoid evoking negative responses at all costs. This concept of missionary ethics is exactly according to the message of the Prophet Jesus as well as the teachings of Islam. Here we quote a part of a sermon given by Jesus Christ:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if any man will sue thee, at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

That ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

And if ye salute your brethren only what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:38-48

Those who fail to plumb the depths of the Prophet Jesus’ teaching tend to raise objections to this passivity. To them it appears little better than passive submission, which is surely not practicable in this material world.

I would venture to state that this is a gross misinterpretation of the sermon. Actually, what Jesus has prescribed is a strict moral code for preachers, and not for the general public. In conveying his message to others, the preacher is supposed to bring about an intellectual revolution among the people. To do this, he has to impress it upon the hearts of the people that his message is of paramount importance. This is possible only when the preacher and his congregation have a normal, tension-free environment.

This normal environment can never become a reality if the preacher demands that it be established bilaterally. If a preacher decides that he will only remain calm provided that others do so, and that he will allow himself to slip into being provoked by his audience, a receptive environment can never be created in which proper attention is paid to the message conveyed. This is why it is the responsibility of a preacher to create such a rapport unaided. If he is to pave the way for truly harmonious relationships, he shall have to rise at all times, above retaliatory tactics.

In most cases, conflicts and discord between the preacher and his audience are caused by worldly issues. To obviate this problem, the Prophet Jesus enjoined upon his followers that on any such occasions the preacher must be willing to bear material loss unilaterally so that no unnecessary obstacles be placed in the path of the dissemination of the message. If the congregation wanted to rob the preacher of his shirt, he had to be ready to hand over his cloak as well, so that no attention should be diverted from his message.

The Teaching of Islam

Contrary to what is generally believed, the teachings of Islam do not differ from the teachings of Christ: the code of ethics formulated by Christ for his preachers is identical to that laid down by the Prophet of Islam.

A notable example is that of Suhaib ibn San’an, an inhabitant of Rome who came to live and work in Mecca where, by dint of hard work, he amassed a considerable quantity of gold. Like so many others, after receiving the message of the Prophet, he accepted Islam. In those days, however, there was terrible persecution of the Muslims at the hands of Meccan non-Muslims and, when it became intolerable, the. Prophet asked the Muslims to migrate to Medina, to which place he too subsequently emigrated. Suhaib soon followed the Prophet, but, hardly had he set off when the Quraysh lighted upon him and barred his way. They said to him, “You came to us in an abject state of destitution, but then, while you were with us in Mecca, you gradually improved your position until you reached your present state of affluence. Do you really think we will let you run away and take everything with you?” A heated argument ensued, then Suhaib asked, “If I hand over all of my gold to you, will you let me go?” They readily agreed, whereupon Suhaib handed over his entire fortune to them. On arriving at Medina, he told the Prophet of his encounter with the Quraysh. The Prophet was greatly pleased to hear of how Suhaib had come to join the caravan of Islam after turning over all of his possessions to the enemy. “You have made a good bargain!” he exclaimed.

Many other incidents can be quoted from the lives of the Prophet and his companions which are illuminating on this point. One outstanding example is that of the Muhajirs (Emigrants) who left for Medina, leaving behind their homes and their properties in Mecca, returning only after eight long years when Mecca was finally conquered by the Muslims. The real point of the story is that even after the conquest, the Prophet did not allow his companions to retrieve their properties from the usurpers, the reason being that the dwellings and other such places were still occupied. In many cases their Meccan occupants had even sold them off to others. Now the Prophet still had to project Islam to those who were as yet unconverted, and he was fully determined to bring them into his fold. But were the Muslims to claim their rights, this would spark off an unending series of clashes and conflicts and, in the process, missionary activity would be severely hampered. In his wisdom, then, the Prophet prohibited the emigrants from raising any material issues with their non-Muslim compatriots.

The Path of Patience

A part of the Quran on patience reads like this:

“And who speaks better than he who calls others to the service of God, does what is right, and says: ‘1 am one of the Muslims.’ Good and evil deeds are not alike. Requite evil with good and he between whom and you is enmity, will become your dearest friend. But none will attain this save those who endure with fortitude and are truly fortunate.

And if a malicious attempt is made by the devil to tempt you, seek refuge in God. He hears all and knows all.” (41:33-36).

This verse of the Quran shows that for one to become a preacher of Truth, it is necessary to be virtuous. Here ‘virtuous’ means being true in both word and deed.

Total dedication to his goal helps the preacher to observe this strict code. A true preacher is so serious about his message that it assumes the utmost importance in his eyes. All else is relegated to a secondary place. When such a dedicated man appears on the scene of Dawah he becomes the-embodiment of the same character as IS described in the verse quoted above.

The life of a preacher has to be governed by the strictest moral code of conduct. This implies that even when he is treated badly, his treatment of the wrong-doer should be magnanimous. When he is harmed, he must pray for the person who has harmed him. A preacher is duty-bound to behave correctly in all circumstances. The adoption of such a code calls for great courage, patience and endurance on the part of the preacher. But there is no doubt about it that it is in this unilateral good behaviour that all the secrets of success are hidden.

Man’s nature, as God has made it, can be won over by such acts. This is the greatest and most positive weapon that a preacher can have. Whenever a preacher discovers that the urge to revenge and retaliation is gaining the upper hand, he should stop short in what he is doing and allow the full realization to come to him that this is the work of Satan. It is Satan placing temptation in his way, trying to drag him down from the pedestal of virtue. It is Satan trying to rob him of the priceless weapon of good behaviour so that he will lose his audience and his missionary efforts will come to naught. Should Satan succeed, the missionary will be a failure both in this world and in the hereafter.

All the prophets of God have served as His preacher. The Quran says of them that all were well-wishers of the nations to which they addressed themselves. In chapter 79, various prophets are mentioned as having told their respective nations that they were their sincere friends and advisers and had come to “give you honest counsel”.

The preacher must figure as the well-wisher of his congregation. This should radiate from his personality, for it is the source of all missionary virtues. Being well-intentioned towards others means being eager to guide and reform, and to seek the benefit of his interlocutors – never his own personal gain. Sincerity urges him on to striving for greater powers of conviction and, even in solitude, he puts his heart and soul into praying for others. When he brings a message to his congregation, no matter how passionate his own feelings may be on the subject, he takes every care to introduce his ideas gently and gradually, wisely and with consideration, so that no one should take offence. He must take into account the character, temperament, education and mood of his audience, and mould what he has to say accordingly. Suddenly confronting people with truths, no matter how noble, can frighten away the faint of heart and the poorly educated, and every concession should be made to whatever human inadequacy is likely to obstruct, distort or halt the preacher in his work. Provocation must be borne with patience, or turned aside with good humour and pleasantry, and on no account should clashes and confrontation vitiate the atmosphere of tranquility so necessary for moral receptiveness. There can be no fruitful response if this atmosphere is dissipated or destroyed.

Avoidance

One important principle which the preacher must observe is avoidance, as it is stated in the Quran at one place that the ignorant should be avoided.

This is something which the preacher must do independently. For it is he who is required to avoid ignorance and not the congregation. This means viewing in a spirit of cool detachment whatever the congregation says and does to thwart him in his missionary activities. The responsibility of maintaining a peaceable environment clearly falls on the preacher. No matter what heckling he has to suffer and no matter how unruly his congregation, he must adhere to the principle of reacting positively and under no circumstances should he ever evince even the merest hint of a negative reaction. He must never allow himself to digress from the true path, even if success is nowhere in sight.

A Shining Example

Maulana Mohd. llyas (1886-1944), one of the famous Muslim reformers of modern times, was endowed with this missionary temperament. Here is an event which illustrates this very clearly.

In the first quarter of the twentieth century, Maulana Ilyas was working in Mewat, in Haryana, an area he used to visit frequently. One day while he was stressing the importance of Kalma (article of faith) and Namaz (prayer) to a Mewati – the Mewatis were an uncouth, uneducated, ignorant people – the latter took offence and hit the Maulana so hard that he staggered and fell down. Far from becoming angry, he picked himself up as soon as he had recovered from the blow and said to his assailant. “You have done your work. Now let me do mine. Now listen to what I have to say.”

Thus without wasting a single moment on recriminations, Maulana llyas submitted to this gross injustice, and moments later, he was again trying his best to help the Mewati to understand Kalma and Namaz. This way of dealing with the situation was so unprecedented, and moreover, so gentle, that the Mewati could not but be moved. He not only listened to him then with patience and attention, but asked his forgiveness and expressed his determination to mend his ways. He ultimately became a permanent helper in the mission. The missionary ethics, in a word, has unilateral good behaviour at its core, and it is only those who have the courage to adopt this code of ethics who can carry out the mission of truth. It is they alone who are worthy of the task.