How do YOU Give Dawah? What are Your Responses to Questions?
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A sister and I sat down for coffee a couple of days ago, when two girls around the same ages as us approached us:
Girls: “Where are you guys from?”
Us:“ I’m originally from Egypt, and I (my friend) am half Laotian and half Palestinian. But born and raised here.”
I saw one of the girls eying me while I was in line, I had a feeling she wanted to strike up conversation. She asks about the hijab and why we’re wearing it, and she asks what religion we are and when we told her we’re Muslims, she asked to know a little more about our beliefs.
I asked her if her and her friend had some time and asked them to sit down. So they sat.
From the beginning I knew she wasn’t genuinely asking in order to know about our beliefs, but I knew she wanted to try to convert us to Christianity. I love it when they try to do it, because never once has someone approached me for that purpose without them leaving defeated in all their arguments 
, walhamdulillah.
I could make this post just on the dawah that was given that one day, but I think to make this post a little more interactive and beneficial I want to know what techniques and responses YOU give to Christians when they come with certain arguments.
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I will give you a question, and give you my response, and I would like you to give the responses you give to them when they tell you these things, let’s call it the “Frequently Asked Dawah Questions:”
1. Jesus is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit — He came down to earth, in the flesh, so that he may die for our sins! (Insert some hallelujahs.)
My Technique: Break down the concept of the Trinity.
What I say: OK, Let’s take the concept of the Trinity. Christians believe that every person must accept the this in order to be saved, yet no two Christians will ever agree upon their explanation of the Trinity. Ask many questions to explain it, and they’ll say “Well, it’s kind of complicated but…” If this concept was truly 
from God sent down so that all of mankind should follow it, why is it so complicated? The very core of the Christian religion, it’s whole belief system is based on a concept Christians themselves cannot agree upon. Truely, if something was sent from God, he would make it very clear and easy to understand and to follow.
That is why in Islam, we have the concept of the oneness of God. If you leave a baby in the middle of the desert with no outside influences, will that baby grow up naturally calling upon God, or will that baby call upon Jesus? Every person is born upon the natural instinct of worshiping God alone, not associating partners with Him.
Also, just to go back to the concept of the trinity. Christians believe that Jesus was crucified, and while he was on the cross they said he said, “God, why have you forsaken me?” So if he is God? Was he talking to himself while he was on the cross? Or didn’t he know that he was going to be crucified if that’s the whole reason he came to earth in the first place?
(When I brought this argument to the girl, all she could say was that he just said that because it was such a hard time for him) lol.
2. But he died for our sins, so that we can be forgiven!
My Technique: Point to the injustice caused by this concept.
What I say: This concept goes against the perfect justice of God. And let’s use an example: Hitler. Hitler claimed to be a Christian. He was responsible for the killing of millions of people. Would it be fair for him to die and go straight to heaven without being punished, just because he says he accepts Jesus as his savior, and that he died for his sins? No. This goes against the perfect justice of God. What prevents a Christian from not doing crimes and heinous actions, if all their sins will be forgiven? This is not logical.
We as Muslims believe that we are responsible for our own sins. And we must first be Muslims, submitters to Allah alone, to enter paradise. However, that’s not to say that we cannot be punished for our sins. No one enters paradise without the Mercy of Allah. So we can repent before our death, and He will forgive us of our sins. But on the day of Judgment, Allah may send us to be punished in hell for what we’ve committed for a while, then after the punishment bring us to paradise.
3. No, but, Christians will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment, We have to act in accordance with Christ.
My Technique: Show them they just contradicted themselves
What I say: (What do you guys say?) I honestly just say, you just said that he died for your sins, and now you’re telling me that there’s a possibility that you will not go to heaven because of your sins?
Sometimes I get a reply “People are punished in this world.”
4. But in the Bible it says, no person can get to heaven except through me.
My Technique: Prove the Bible is no longer the true word of Allah.
What I say: There are really too many things that I say in this case. But I usually go the route of saying all historians and in any secular religious class you learn that the Bible was altered after it was revealed; by Mark, Luke, Paul, John — not only that, over 100 years after Jesus was gone. No one denies this. It was altered and therefore does not remain the true word of God, but rather the words of men. Therefore, any evidenced used from the Bible cannot be taken, because it’s no longer a true message.
Also, another thing I say, is for them to look at a “Red Lettered Bible” what this is, is a Bible that supposedly highlights the “Words that Jesus said” in red. Tell them that even their own altered book, if they look through it, and look at all those highlight places, they will not ever find a place where Jesus said to worship him, he said to “Worship thy father alone.” i.e. Worship Allah alone.
Then bring it back to saying that Jesus came with the exact same message as all the other prophets, “To worship Allah alone.”
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These are a couple of questions that almost always come up when giving dawah to Christians. These are my typical responses, what are yours?
What other FAQs can you think of, and what are your replies?
I heard all of these same questions from the girls at the coffee shop, and those were my responses. Needless to say the girl that was doing all the talking was left with no arguments. And the other girl, just sat there listening, looking a little shaken by her belief system. She didn’t look like she was ready to argue any of it, but subhanAllah, the girl looked like perhaps she just stumbled upon the truth. Wallahu alem. May Allah guide them both. ameen.
Looking forward to hearing your dawah techniques, inshaAllah.
Sister Says: 06.01.09 at 6:08 am
interesting. I get these statements alot.
and always they will say, “God Sent Jesus” or He was here to fulfill Gods orders.
It’s like, “Did you just say they were the same thing?”
Subhanallah they are so confused, and it’s so obvious how mixed up they are that they contradict themselves even in the core of their belief system!
Alhamdulillah for Islam!
shirien Says: 06.01.09 at 6:16 am
I remember listening to a lecture recently, where the sheikh was talking about how the Muslims feel that we are so divided and weak, but if you really study and look at the reality of Christianity, they are actually pretty divided amongst themselves as well. Some sects hate each other and condemn the other to hell too. so yeah…
The beautiful thing about Islam is that it all makes sense.
I was looking at Wikipedia earlier and found this describing the trinity:
“The distinction lies in their relations, the Father being unbegotten; the Son being eternally begotten of the Father; and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and (in Western theology) from the Son.[63] Regardless of this apparent difference, the three ‘persons’ are each eternal and omnipotent.”
it’s like !!! hello, you just said it was one, and now you say they are all distinct and even call them three “persons” subhanallah, that’s messed up. lol
OumAmir Says: 06.01.09 at 11:46 am
Honey, those arguments only work for Christians who have never seriously thought about their faith. If you want a Christian who has responded to common misconceptions about Christianity as presented by Ahmed Deedat, Shabir Ally, Zakir Naik, Khaled Yasin, and a few others whose names escape me, may I recommend, (link edited)
shirien Says: 06.01.09 at 12:00 pm
I don’t agree. Yes, I believe there are some people who know responses to those arguments, but they are flawed. There is always a flaw and something you can pinpoint in their arguments as being contradicting, unjust, doesnt make sense, and so on.
All those sheiookh are masters of dawah no doubt, but even those who study their religion in depth, the average Muslim with knowledge of their deen can defeat any argument they bring forth.
We’re sent with the truth, a message that is clear, and the arguments they make are the same ones they made during the time of Rasool Allah, salallahu alayhi wa sallam.
That’s not to say that some Christians haven’t mastered the art of debate, but it has nothing to do with how much knowledge they have about Christianity, it’s all about their persuasion and debate skills.
Wallahu alem.
sacbutteredtoast Says: 18.01.09 at 9:16 am
Assalamualaikum,
I remember Dr. Zakir Naik wrote an excellent list of questions and answers:
http://www.irf.net/book2.zip
It’s Called “The 20 Most Frequently Asked Questions By Non-Muslims” (on subjects like Polygamy, Hijab, etc.)
Contradictions Says: 25.01.09 at 6:42 am
Here is a whole list of contradictions in the Qur’an. (link removed)
And I’m sure that after you read these, you will still fully believe in your religion and will try to explain some of that. My point is, every religion has holes to people who don’t believe and are uneducated and a lot of people are uneducated about their own and other religions. Your religion is your religion and my religion is mine. Yours works great for you and mine is great for me.
Also, why don’t you just talk about how your religion works rather than try and explain how other ones don’t that way it may come off as less blind. (May not be the best word, but its the best one I can think of, admittedly my vocabulary has shrunk some.) Thanks for reading and I hope life is great
Contradictions Says: 25.01.09 at 6:42 am
Thats supposed to be a smiley face by the way.
Contradictions Says: 25.01.09 at 6:55 am
Also, reanalyzing the article, the statement, “I love when they do that” Using “they” sounds very, I dunno prejudice, just as it would if “they” were referring to two people of a race. In the statement they is used to refer to the whole religion. I hope you understand what I mean, as I’m sure your not prejudice, and that it is just a bad phrasing.
Also, while you believe you may have one the argument, the truth about almost all religious arguments is that there is no winner, because all sides always leave with the same religion and the same beliefs, despite what is said during the debate.
shirien Says: 25.01.09 at 7:00 am
No because there are no contradictions in the Quran. Anything that may seem to “contradict” in reality doesnt. And our scholars have gone into debunking all the arguments the non-believers bring forth. And that is for one simple reason. Islam is the truth and something that remains the true word of God will never have contradictions and that has been proven by the Quran.
“They” refers to non-believers in general.
And there is definitely a defeat that comes even if they person goes home with the same religion because if they come to you with an argument and you prove them wrong, you have one the argument based on evidence and proof.
Besides when someone is defeated it makes them question their own beliefs later sometimes.
WAllahu alem. And Allah knows best.
HK Says: 25.01.09 at 11:49 am
Contradictions: For the record, (link removed) is a fake site on Islam… it distorts the most basic teachings of Islam and interprets things completely out of context; if you’re interested in learning about Islam, that’s not a source to turn to. Going through the list of “contradictions” – it’s obvious that someone with little or no knowledge of the Arabic language (not limited to grammar/”translation”) and history of the Qur’aan would come up with those. Pick up a tafsir (commentary on the Qur’aan – Tafsir Ibn Kathir is an excellent one) or talk to an imam for an explanation of those “contradictions.”
why don’t you just talk about how your religion works rather than try and explain how other ones don’t
I agree with this advice… but I think it’s contradictory coming from you – with your comment on how Islam doesn’t work – seeing as you promote a site that (falsely) lists “errors” in the Qur’aan. Good day.
Contradictions Says: 25.01.09 at 12:53 pm
I was not trying to promote the site at all, I’m sure there are plenty more site with negative facts about Islam or something like that, I just pulled the first one that came up. My point being that how you feel when you saw that is how some people of other religions feel when you talk about their religions contradictions.
My point was that anyone can find what they believe to be holes in another’s religion. And that most knowledgeable people about their religion will try to explain the hole. Just as their our scholars who have gone over the Qur’an, I’m sure their are others who have explanations for all religions.
I bet you were offended, at the thought that one did suggest their was something wrong with your religion. Furthermore, I would guess that if I were to promote my religion by first offending you, you would automatically be turned off to listening.
All I am trying to say is that while she means well, there are more efficient ways to go about discussing religion.
HK Says: 25.01.09 at 2:40 pm
I see your point, thanks for clarifying… and sorry for jumping to conclusions.
As far as offense goes, it only lies in spreading inaccuracies about Islam. It doesn’t exactly spell “sincere inquiry” – and this is the case with answering-islam (and a host of other sites)…just thought I’d point that out. Whether anyone wants to argue about the logic of those religious accuracies, however, is a different issue – after all, that’s where true test to one’s faith comes in.
Religious commonalities, I think, makes staying away from explaining the “holes” tricky. Any number of religions may have a different version of the same thing. Does not that warrant discussion and – dare I say – refutation of some sort? (Obviously not to the point of being disrespectful and prejudiced). For example, because Islam rests upon monotheism and shares some things in common with Christianity and Judaism, it’s hard for Muslims not to address topics such as the Trinity being in conflict with God’s oneness – especially as the Qur’aan touches upon this very subject itself.
I would guess that if I were to promote my religion by first offending you, you would automatically be turned off to listening.
Yes, I think most people would be. In my experience, talking first about the things we share in common has led to real and constructive discussions about religion. I don’t think religious debate should be about “who’s right and who’s wrong” (that only leads to circular arguments) but to truthfully state what your religion mentions about the topic at hand. Our job is only to convey, the rest lies with God.
Abû Mûsâ Al-?abashî Says: 29.01.09 at 11:33 am
I advise the moderator to remove the anti-Islâmic links; you don’t want to give them any unnecessary traffic. If people want to present arguments against Islâm, they should do their homework and discuss. Anyone can argue by link. In fact, those non-muslims commenting here are obviously wrong because of this, and this, and this.
shirien Says: 29.01.09 at 11:39 am
Links Removed, Jazak Allah Khair akhi for bringing that to my attention
Abû Mûsâ Al-?abashî Says: 29.01.09 at 12:15 pm
Wa iyâki, dear sister. You forgot the youtube link by OumAmir
.
shirien Says: 29.01.09 at 12:20 pm
oops Got it, jazak Allah khair again!
Contradictions Says: 05.02.09 at 1:12 pm
I think your missing my point.
Also, you can search and easily find people who have converted from Islam to other religions.
Abû Mûsâ Al-?abashî Says: 08.02.09 at 8:33 pm
Actually you missed my point. As should have been clear from the context, my only purpose in posting those links was to demonstrate how ridiculous it is to make an argument solely by providing a link.
As far as converts from Islâm, from personal experience those testimonials don’t at all compare to Muslim testimonials in terms of quantity or apparent sincerity. Heck, many times they’re clearly fake (e.g. a person claims to have been raised in an Arab Muslim country yet can’t pronounce basic Arabic words – something the non-Arab viewers wouldn’t catch).
contradictions Says: 09.02.09 at 2:09 am
I would like to point out that, that works both ways. The same could be said by anyone of any religion. It could easily be said that from personal experience “converts” from other religions are fake. That is how it works with everything.
Overall, I think trying to spread something you love and believe in is great. But at the same time the only way to do that is to have an open mind, bc. attacking someone else’s beliefs will only turn them off to listening to you. You have to try not to only see things through your eyes.
You say the link I supplied was misinformed and the converts were fake, and I AM IN NO way denying that, you would certainly know more about it than me. However, I see most of your knocks against Christianity as misinformed. I am not here to talk religion though. I simply, am point out that if you want to talk religion and encourage people to your religion than the only way to really do that is through an unbiased, open-minded discussion, not a debate.
Abû Mûsâ Al-?abashî Says: 09.02.09 at 8:25 am
Well, I said that many testimonials are clearly fake. I don’t claim they’re fake just because they feel fake to me, but because there are things in the testimonial that clearly show them to be. I think the example I presented should have made that clear (I could give others) but I guess “personal experience” was a bad term to use. Also, I don’t deny that there are genuine converts to other religions (may Allâh guide them back to the truth, âmîn) but again, in terms of the material I read/seen online and all the many, many converts to Islâm I know personally from all types of backgrounds (Chinese, Spanish, White Canadian, African, Indian, Jamaican, etc, etc.) who are very much practicing (most have bigger beards than I do), there is absolutely no comparison and I don’t belive anyone could truthfully deny that.
Everything else you said, I agree with. By the way, if I may ask, why aren’t you Muslim?
contradictions Says: 14.02.09 at 11:17 am
Honestly, I just enjoy my current religion, I have nourished my spirituality and spent time thinking and developing my beliefs. And If I’m happy with what I have why change?
Remembrance of Allah Says: 17.11.09 at 7:50 am
U are happy with what u have?
U have spent time developing beliefs that are not completely correct? Good job, that makes u ignorant.
zain Says: 13.12.09 at 7:24 pm
assalamualaikum
i am an 11 year old student in oman
i worry greatly for the sake of two of my friends
they deny everything i say to them all the time, even stuff that is in the bible(bits of it that remain unchanged)
at my age i think i am a little to give dawah
but i worry to much. i do not want them to go to hell
they are very good friends. i tried giving dawah to one of them last year but it didn’t work
he denies EVERYTHING i say
if you have any suggestions please mail them at:
zain.burney@hotmail.com
zain Says: 13.12.09 at 7:25 pm
sorry i meant ‘too young’
k Says: 07.02.12 at 3:06 pm
good joshua evans@youtube
zakir naik@youtube
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