Assalamou A’alykom Da’ayas; this might be long but very inspiring and enlightening. Please take the time to read with your heart before your eyes.
When the Preacher (Da’aya) Extinguishes His Lamp with His Own Hand:
Reflections on the Quiet Withdrawal from the Fields of Guidance
Dr. Abdullah bin Maayouf Al-Juaid
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Praise be to Allah who made da'wah a life not merely lived with the tongue, and peace and blessings be upon the one whose words were light, whose silence was guidance, and whose concern was mercy.
There was a time when the call to Islam burned in the heart of the Da’aya like a shining lamp: it blazed from within and its light extended outward. People did not come to him merely for the beauty of his words, but for the warmth of faith that permeated them.
But the lamp, no matter how bright, may dim if its keeper neglects its oil… and so the Da’aya sometimes withdraws from the field, not with footsteps that are seen, but through neglect of the oil that nourished the light of his heart.
The beginning: a small crack that no one sees
Every spiritual withdrawal begins from a place known only to God.
A moment where the devotion that used to open the door disappears, a moment where the remembrance that used to refresh the soul is postponed, and a moment where the warmth of sincerity is replaced by a cold formality.
And just as a wall does not fall all at once…
A Da’aya does not collapse suddenly.
Rather, the small cracks multiply: distraction, lethargy, frustration with people, heaviness of effort… until one day they wake up to find themselves standing at the edges of the path, after once walking in its heart.
Signs of Fading: A Presence That Feels Like Absence
Some Da'ayas move forward without their steps being noticed, yet their shadow is never gone; they are seen in gatherings, heard in meetings, and mentioned on occasions… But something in their eyes no longer shines as it did, and something in their voice no longer carries the hope that used to make people forget their pains.
It is as if the mission has become a garment they wear, rather than a spirit that inhabits them.
It is as if the heart that once burned for others now searches for a warmth to ignite itself, yet cannot find it.
People may not notice the change…
But the heart knows perfectly well that it now speaks more than it influences, and attends more than it enlivens.
The Deeper Reason: When the Source of the River Dries Up
Propagation (of faith) is not a skill, a craft, or a social role.
It is a river flowing from the servant’s relationship with their Lord.
So when the source dries up, the riverbed remains a mere outline without water.
A Da’aya may blame circumstances, people, or the stage… but the truth is that the drought begins when the Da’aya forgets that the oil which lights the lamp of the mission is sincerity in private, the solitude of the night, and genuine seeking.
No call has weakened whose support was God,
No heart has withered whose pillar was the prayer niche,
And a Da’aya loses their impact only when they lose their connection with their Lord.
The Moment of Confrontation: Does the Light Still Shine?
Sometimes the Da’aya needs to stand before himself/herself with courage:
Does the path still remain a path?
Do the words still travel from heart to heart, or have they ceased to come from the heart altogether? Is the call still a window to the Hereafter, or has it become merely a window to people?
The most dangerous kind of absence is when a person is absent while sitting in their place, and their heart has resigned while their tongue continues to function.
This kind of absence is unseen…
but it erases the mark that God had written for them in the lives of people.
The Path of Return: Reviving the Lamp Before Fixing the Road
Returning to the field is not about increasing activities or multiplying programs, but about reviving the lamp within the heart:
* Returning to the moment when the Da’aya first said: “O Lord, make me a reason for someone to be guided to You.”
* Returning to long ablutions, sincere prostrations, and tears that purify the heart from the impurities of this world.
* Returning to the Qur’an, not just as a methodology, but as a voice that speaks to the soul.
* Returning to companionship that breathes life, not to that which gives excuses.
And when the heart returns to God, the light returns to the lamp, the lamp returns to the path, and the path returns to the people.
Conclusion: Do not let your light wither while you are unaware
A Da’aya may be forgotten from a position, or neglected by a committee, but these are worldly losses that can be overcome.
However, the greatest loss…
is to withdraw from the position of conveying God’s message while still believing you are in it. To think that the light remains, while only an old trace of it is left.
Da'wah is not a stage to be closed, nor a work to be completed; it is a breath that comes from a heart that sees God before seeing people. So protect your soul from fading, and protect your lamp from withering, for the hearts that God has once illuminated… deserve not to extinguish it by your hand.
