Reflection by Sister Shabnam
“What’s in it for me?” This is so often the first question that comes to a person’s mind when someone is asking for your time, money, or energy. What benefits will I have? How will this help me in my life?
When it comes to volunteering and doing something nice for someone else – another feeling often also follows for most people…The feeling that you did something good for someone else. It gives you those warm, fuzzy feelings. You feel useful. You feel good about yourself. You feel important.
When it comes to da’wah work and volunteering in the Muslim community, I often find myself reflecting on the true benefits of being part of these efforts. More so, I find myself fearing hypocrisy and riya (showing off for the praise of others, rather than for Allah SWT).
Let’s get one thing straight from the beginning – Allah SWT does not need us, rather we need Him. In the same vein, the community efforts and da’wah work do not need us, rather we need it.
Allah SWT says in the Qu’ran “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (51:56)
We have literally been created with the purpose of worshipping Allah SWT. To have our every action and deed be a source of serving Him.
Allah SWT is As-Samad. This means he is The Everlasting, The Master, The Self-Sufficient. Allah SWT does not need us.
So, when we do da’wah work or volunteer in the community – we should firstly do it with the intention of pleasing Allah SWT. As stated in the hadith where Umar ibn al-Khattab reported: The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said, “Verily, deeds are only with intentions, and every person will have only what they intended...” (Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 54, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1907).
Following this, we should realize that while we hope that our efforts will benefit others and bring some good to the Muslim community, it is ultimately us (the volunteers) who benefit the most. In an effort to minimize the fear of “riya” (showing off), we should be humbled and forever in need of what more work we can do solely to please Allah SWT alone by increasing our bank of good deeds. We should not be overcome by our ego or by our love to be loved by others. It is nothing to be loved by the people if we are not prioritizing earning the love of Allah SWT above everything.
In an effort to remind myself and others that we should always be humbled and never ungrateful, I have shared some of the many benefits of being part of da’wah efforts and Muslim community work.
Benefits of Volunteering in Da’wah Efforts & Muslim Community Work
1. You are surrounded by good company.
I learned very quickly that being involved in these efforts means you are surrounded by people who remind you of Allah SWT. This is a great blessing that you don’t realize you have until it’s gone.
Abu Musa reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, the parable of good and bad company is that of a seller of musk and a blacksmith. The seller of musk will give you perfume, you will buy some, or you will notice a pleasant smell. As for the blacksmith, he will burn your clothes, or you will notice a bad smell.” (Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5534, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2628)
We should always want to be with people who are equivalent to the seller of musk, rather than the blacksmith.
2. You are closer to the congregation.
Being alone and being isolated from the community can have a lot of negative effects on a person. This is known to even non-Muslims. As Muslims, being part of the jamat, with the Muslim community, allows you to be stronger in your iman.
Abu Darda reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If three people in a town or in the desert do not establish prayer among them, then Satan has overcome them. You must establish the congregation, for the wolf eats the isolated sheep.” (Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 547)
3. Allah SWT mentions those as successful.
In the Qu’ran Allah SWT says, “And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.” (3:104)
It is also stated, “And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allāh and does righteousness and says, ‘Indeed, I am of the Muslims.’” (41:33)
Being part of the da’wah efforts and involved in Muslim community work provides you with endless opportunities to enjoin good and forbid evil. We hope, inshaAllah, we can be among those as mentioned in the Qu’ran as being successful.
4. You receive constant reminders.
Being part of this work has allowed me to have increased opportunities to attend halaqat, receive reminders from teachers/mentors/etc., and constantly be reminded of the ilm we must implement. This is a huge blessing because it keeps you steadfast when your iman starts to waver.
In the Qu’ran, it states “And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.” (51:55).
Truly, when you receive those reminders, sometimes it feels like it comes at the perfect time because it might be something you are having doubts about or unsure of in that moment. SubhanAllah, the reminders always benefit the believers.
5. You gain skills & experience that benefits you in this life and the next.
Alhumdulillah, I have found that I am not only gaining reward (inshaAllah) from this work that will benefit me in the Hereafter, but I am also gaining valuable skills that have helped me in different stages of my life. For instance, I have gained experience in event planning, communication (written and verbal), organization of cross-province projects, and more.
This experience and skills have helped me in my personal relationships, school, and even throughout my career, alhumduilllah. But of course, the ultimate reward is in the next life…
6. Being someone who Allah SWT guides through you is better than…
Sahl ibn Sa’d reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “By Allah, that Allah guides a man through you is better for you than a herd of expensive red camels.” (Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3009, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2406)
Imagine you volunteer for a conference or for a da’wah booth and someone comes closer to the deen, following a small action you have taken. Of course, ultimately, hidaya (guidance) is from Allah SWT. And of course, even if someone is guided through you, it is still through Allah SWT. However, as mentioned in the hadith, if Allah SWT guides someone through you, there is reward in this. In fact, it specifically stated to be better than “a herd of expensive red camels.”
I hope inshAllah these outlined benefits can serve as a reminder for myself and for anyone who reads it, that we are the ones who benefit the most from being involved. Our intention should always be to please Allah SWT… and this intention requires consistent and constant renewal. However, ultimately, if we realize that this work benefits us (the volunteers) the most, then we will never want to leave it.
If I handed you a key and told you this is a master key to a very large castle with endless doors. Behind every door, you will find some rewards or benefits. There might be some more struggles involved in opening certain doors. And some doors might open easier than others, but inshaAllah there will be some reward for you behind every door… What would you do?
I’ll tell you right now, that any person in their right mind, would never, ever, ever, ever let go of that master key. They would never set that key down. They would never stop opening the doors. They would never give someone else that key. They would never give that key away. They would always be grateful for that key.
If Allah SWT tells us the benefits of being involved and supporting da’wah efforts and Muslim community work, then why would we stop? The Prophet SAWS and the Sahaba were embedded within their communities. They never only thought of themselves or only their families. Unfortunately, we live in a society today where hyper-individualism is endlessly promoted. However, that should not deter us. It should just be more of a means for us to struggle and fight to continue to stay involved with our community for the sake of pleasing Allah SWT and safeguarding our own iman and Islamic identity.
Don’t put that master key down. If you do, I promise you, someone else will pick it up. Allah SWT will replace you.
In Surah Ali-Imran, ayah 54, Allah SWT says “O you who have believed, whoever of you should revert from his religion – Allāh will bring forth [in place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him [who are] humble toward the believers, strong against the disbelievers; they strive in the cause of Allāh and do not fear the blame of a critic. That is the favor of Allāh; He bestows it upon whom He wills. And Allāh is all-Encompassing and Knowing.”
I ask Allah SWT to not make us among those who are replaced. I ask Allah SWT to keep us steadfast and sincere in our good efforts. Ameen.
