Another important issue is the restoration of the bond between Muslims and non-Muslims as that of the Da’i with the Mad’u. As Muslim Ummah, the former are the Da’is (addressors or communicators) of the religion of God to other communities, who are their Mad’u (congregation or addressees). The greatest mistake made by Muslims today vis-à-vis other communities is to regard them as their national and material rivals, and to engage them in economic and political disputes all over the world. When Muslims seek their rights from such peoples, they negate their status as da’is. The da’i, according to the Qur’an, should seek no reward from his congregation. 

If we wish to be accorded a position of great honour as God’s chosen witnesses, we must be willing to forgo rightful claims on other communities. The object of this sacrifice would be to establish the relationship of da’i and mad’u on a sound and peaceable footing. 

The Hudaybiyya peace accord (6 A.H.) is a good example of such a strategic withdrawal. In this instance, Muslims acceded to all the national and economic demands of their rivals on a unilateral basis (the enemy did not meet any of the demands of the Muslims) in the drawing up of this treaty. Yet soon after this accord had been finalized, God revealed the following verse:

 “Verily, We have granted you a manifest victory.” (48:1) 

Why did God describe an apparent defeat as a clear victory? It was because the accord subsequently reached had shifted the field of encounter between Muslims and non-Muslims to a sphere in which the Muslims had a distinct advantage. In the face of non-Muslim aggression, encounters between Islam and non-Islam had formerly taken place on the battlefield. Islam, being militarily the weaker because of reduced numbers of fighting men and inferior weaponry, was not in a position to prevail against the enemy. A number of battles after the emigration had failed to resolve outstanding issues. But now, with the terms of the treaty guaranteeing that there would be no further fighting for a period of ten years, encounters now took place in the arena of the peaceful propagation of the faith. The da’wah mission, which had had to come to a standstill because of the continuous fighting over the years, was now resumed in full force, and the idolaters now found themselves bereft of weapons with which to resist the onslaught of the truth of Monotheism. In consequence, the Arab tribes entered the fold in such great numbers that the power of polytheism was considerably diminished. Ultimately, Mecca was conquered within just two years of the signing of the treaty. 

In the present era, Muslims everywhere have been fighting wars with other communities for material ends, but thanks to their own shortcomings, they have been defeated on all fronts and left behind in every field by other nations. What they need to do is to close down all fronts and change the field of encounter by reaching an understanding with their antagonists of the kind arrived at in Hudaybiyyah. By making this sacrifice, of their own volition, Muslims will be able to divert other communities from the material field of encounter to the sphere of purely intellectual activity. 

In the first phase of Islam, this change was brought about by the Muslims unilaterally laying down their arms; now this change can be effected by unilaterally putting an end to the campaign for Muslim rights. 

The sacrifice of national interests is difficult even to contemplate. Yet in such a loss there is gain. The day Muslims acknowledge this, a chain of events will be set in motion leading to the victory of Islam. In the material sphere Muslims may have conventional weapons as opposed to the modern weapons of other communities, but in the intellectual field they are equipped with the Truth. The prejudice and bigotry, which are the mainstay of other communities, can never withstand Reality for long.

 We invite you to join the dawah mission.