On November 5, 2007 (Shawwal 24, 1428), IslamOnline.net's (IOL) Living Shari`ah section invited its visitors to nominate their favorite English-speaking da`iyahs (Arabic for: callers to Islam) for 2007. The response was positive as we received till the time of conducting this analysis 247 nominations. The main objectives of our invitation were to give our audience a chance to publicize their favored da`iyahs, to introduce these da`iyahs to a larger audience and to make use of their works; all in an effort to spread the good word.
Therefore, we decided to ask our audience to provide some useful information (such as e-mail and website addresses) about their favorite nominees besides simply mentioning their names. Some people chose a single da`iyah while others preferred to name a list of them. The choices covered a wide range of geographical locations, which reflects that there are callers to Allah everywhere from North America and the Caribbean in the West, from Africa, and from Asia in the East. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "A group of my Ummah (Arabic for: community of Muslims) will continue to uphold the commands of Allah, unharmed by those who do not believe them or those who disagree with them, until they meet Allah in this condition." (Al-Bukhari)
Most Chosen Da`iyahs
The list of the most widely chosen contemporary da`yahs includes: Zakir Naik (20.2 percent), Hamzah Yusuf (10.1 percent), Yusuf Estes (8.1 percent), Siraj Wahaj (7.3 percent), Anwar Al- Awlaki (7 percent), Bilal Philipis (4 percent), among many others. Each one of them has his own style and specialization. Most of these da`iyahs either come from North America or have worked there for a significant period of time, which highlights the fast spread of Islam in the continent, a process that inevitably affects the future of the area in light of the growing weight of Muslims.
Women Dai`yahs
The visitors also did not forget to name a few women da`iyahs representing varied trends of da`wah just as the case with men da`iyahs who also belonged to varied schools of da`wah. The choices included Ruqqayah Mas`ud, Halimah Bint David, Waheedah Carvello, and Layla Nasheeba. Layla Nasheeba has a website where she runs an e-school teaching Shari`ah studies.
Yearning for the Past
It is noteworthy that a small number of our visitors chose da`iyahs who passed away such as Hassan Al-Banna (4.4 percent), Abdul Hamid Kishk (0.8 percent), Muhammad Mitwalli Ash-Sha`rawi (0.8 percent), Sayyid Qutb (2.5 percent), Abul A` la Al-Mawdudi (2.1 percent), Ahmad Deedat (11.7 percent) among others. Some of these da`iyahs passed away over 50 years ago, such as Imam Hassan Al-Banna.
Still, the majority of visitors chose contemporary da`iyahs rather than those who passed away. The only few who chose da`iyahs who no longer live among us probably nominated them because they were the ones who truly laid the foundations of modern and contemporary Islamic da`wah in the 20th and 21st centuries. The language they spoke, even though we asked our visitors to choose only English-speaking da`iyahs, was not a factor because they influenced Muslims everywhere to the extent that their books and lectures were translated to almost every language. A good example are the books and lectures of Imam Hassan Al-Banna, which were translated to over a dozen languages.
Another sign of yearning to the glorious past is that few visitors mentioned Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as the best da`iyah. One visitor said,"My favorite da'iyah is habibi [Arabic for: my beloved] Mohammed sallah allahu aleyhi wa sallam. The Sunnah is simple and not complicated. Most da`iyahs are good as they can talk, but our beloved talked and worked hard for us to be Muslims al-hamdu lillah."
Another visitor wrote,"Al–hamdu lillah, my favorite da`iyahs are the Qur'an and the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). They appeal to my heart and help me correct my mistakes and be a better person in this world and the Hereafter, in sha' Allah."
The remaining 21 percent included other da`iyahs who came from different backgrounds and geographical locations such as Zaid Shakir, Shadi Sulieman, Ahmad Sa'ad.
Interest in Comparative Religions
Both the late Ahmad Deedat (11.7 percent) and Dr. Zakir Naik (20.2 percent) topped the list of nominees, indicating a general yet strong interest on the part of our visitors in a particular type of da`wah: da`wah by comparative methodology. Deedat is very much known as he excelled in this methodology. He debated with a number of notable Christian priests using very strong logic and deep knowledge of the Bible. One viewer called Zakir Naik "Deedat Junior" as he follows the same steps of Deedat. In May 2000, Deedat awarded Dr. Zakir Naik for his achievement in the field of Da`wah and the study of comparative religions, an award with the engraving: Son, what you have managed to accomplish in four years took me 40 years to accomplish, al-hamdu lillah." Dr. Naik is a medical doctor by profession besides being a renowned international da'iyah for Islam. He acquired the highest number of nominations.
According to Naik's website, "Dr. Zakir is popular for his critical analysis and convincing answers to challenging questions posed by audiences after his public talks. In the last 6 years Dr. Zakir has delivered more than 600 public talks in the U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, South Africa, Mauritius, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Guyana (South America) and many other countries, in addition to numerous public talks in India."
Scholars and Activists
Some of our visitors confused da`iyahs for scholars and chose names like Tariq Ramadan and Mohamed Sa`eed Al-Bouti, both more of academics than da`iyahs. Yet the visitors' choices reflect that they make more efforts to learn from scholars, which is in itself a positive indication. Some even chose activists like Abu Hamza Al-Masri, Umar Bakri, and Abu Umar Al-Baghdadi.
Finally, the overall choices reflect a high awareness among our visitors with the most powerful and convincing da`iyahs of Islam at present. They also tell that the da`iyahs are spread over a wide geographical area. There is undoubtedly a yearning for more knowledge and spiritual nourishment among our visitors.
Last but not least, we would like to thank all our visitors who participated in this survey, and we do ask Almighty Allah to grant them all peace and tranquility in this life and in the Hereafter, amen.
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