The Companion of Ya Seen

وَجاءَ مِن أَقصَى المَدينَةِ رَجُلٌ يَسعىٰ قالَ يا قَومِ اتَّبِعُوا المُرسَلينَ

اتَّبِعوا مَن لا يَسأَلُكُم أَجرًا وَهُم مُهتَدونَ

وَما لِيَ لا أَعبُدُ الَّذي فَطَرَني وَإِلَيهِ تُرجَعونَ

أَأَتَّخِذُ مِن دونِهِ آلِهَةً إِن يُرِدنِ الرَّحمٰنُ بِضُرٍّ لا تُغنِ عَنّي شَفاعَتُهُم شَيئًا وَلا يُنقِذونِ

إِنّي إِذًا لَفي ضَلالٍ مُبينٍ

إِنّي آمَنتُ بِرَبِّكُم فَاسمَعونِ

قيلَ ادخُلِ الجَنَّةَ ۖ قالَ يا لَيتَ قَومي يَعلَمونَ

بِما غَفَرَ لي رَبّي وَجَعَلَني مِنَ المُكرَمينَ

And there came from the farthest end of the city a man, running. He said, “O my people, follow the messengers. Follow those who do not ask of you [any] payment, and they are [rightly] guided. And why should I not worship He who created me and to whom you will be returned? Should I take other than Him [false] deities [while], if the Most Merciful intends for me some adversity, their intercession will not avail me at all, nor can they save me? Indeed, I would then be in manifest error. Indeed, I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me.” It was said, “Enter Paradise.” He said, “I wish my people could know of how my Lord has forgiven me and placed me among the honoured.” (Ya Seen 36:20-27)

This is a story in the oft-recited surah, Ya Seen. It occurs in the context of a city to whom Allah had sent two Messengers, and then a third because the people were so stubborn and hard-hearted. And even with three Messengers calling them to the truth, they refused to believe. This is where the story of the man begins. A man from the farthest end of the city rushes to them. It is interesting to note a few things in this verse. Firstly, Allah uses a different word for the city. At the start of the story, Allah says he sent two Messengers (reinforced by a third later on) to the people of a ‘qaryah’ translated as city. At the beginning of this subplot however, Allah says a man rushed to them from the farthest end of the ‘madinah’ – also translated as city - not ‘qaryah’. This is interesting, as if to say, this man came not from the same city where the messengers were sent but another city, perhaps a neighbouring one. And, he did not come from the city centre, but from the farthest end of the city, the suburbs or rural areas. This teaches us that when we do da’wah openly, we must not grieve if people seem uninterested or even oppose us violently. The message of the da’wah will travel to places beyond our immediate surrounding, and we never know, someone far away from where we preached may hear the message and respond to it, like this man. 

Also, it is often the case that people in rural areas are more receptive to da’wah that those in the city centre. Allah knows best why this is the case, but perhaps people in city centres are too busy with their work lives, and are usually more economically well of than those in the suburbs, and so, many may not see the need for God in their lives, or feel they just don’t have the time for religion. People in the suburbs on the other hand live simpler lives, and have time to reflect about the natural surroundings they live in. They may not be very well off financially, and so are more willing to humble themselves before a greater Power they can depend on. These may be the reasons why people in rural areas are more responsive to da’wah. So receptive are their minds, they will listen to any da’wah whether it be from Muslims or anyone else. Indeed, it is no secret that Christian Evangelists focus their efforts in rural areas and aboriginal villages, taking advantage of the readiness and willingness of the people living in these areas to submit to a Higher Power. Rich Christian individuals and groups sponsor evangelists to travel around the world to call people to Christianity. Certain Muslim nations provide such and incentive too like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but we are still lagging behind the Christians in this regard.

Let us get back to the story. This man, came from the farthest end of the city to call his people to goodness. And he did not take his sweet time. He was so enthusiastic that he came running, so eager to reinforce the call of the messengers. He did not think to himself, “Why should I even bother to do da’wah to these people? They chose not to listen despite Allah sending three messengers, what difference am I gonna make? They are a lost cause!” No, he did not say that. He still felt he could do something, however small, to change the minds of his people. It is a bit like how when someone of authority says something, we disobey, but when a friend says the same thing, we listen. Everyone has a role to play and no effort when doing da’wah, is insignificant.

He start off by addressing his people, “O my people!” He did not say “O evil kuffar who have mocked the prophets!” or “O wretched ones doomed to Hell!” It is true that their actions make it justified for them to be addressed as such, but as a da’ie, such name calling and labelling is terribly counter-productive. Nobody will listen to anything you have to say, if you address them like that, regardless of how deserving they are of being addressed in that manner! The Prophet (peace be upon him, PBUH) always used to address the Quraisy as his people, never calling them, “O you who have disbelieved”, except when Allah commanded him to do so once in surah al-Kafiroon. That is the only place in the Quran where Allah commands the Prophet (PBUH) to address his people with such harshness, because they had proven their stubbornness and refusal to accept the message of Islam.

What did this man’s message to his people? “Follow the messengers.” So simple and straightforward. Just follow the messengers. Not only are messengers a model for mankind because their actions are guided by Allah, the ‘curriculum’ they deliver is designed by Allah Himself too, and so following them is the best course of action anyone can take. Things would be much less complicated in life if we would just follow the messengers, and not the opinions of any Tom, Dick or Harry. The other important point to make here is that, human beings love fame. People love to be praised and followed. So it is crucial that the da’ie does not lose sight of what he is meant to do i.e. ask people to follow the messengers, not himself! Syaitan has great powers of persuasion, and can easily cause one to fall into the trap of self-worship, so we must constantly purify our intentions and ask Allah to help us be sincere in our efforts to call people to righteousness.

How does he convince them that the messengers are worthy of being followed? He says, “Look at them. They ask you no reward for what they preach. They are doing it free of charge. There’s nothing in it for them. And look at their character. How upright they are! They are righteous people. Why would they tolerate all these insults and threats just to spread this message, and do it without being paid?? Some of them are even willing to die to spread the message. Why?? Because they are messengers of God.” He reasons with his people. Da’ies should never force things down the throats of people without providing an explanation, because humans are creatures of reason. They hate following orders just because they are told to do so. Reason with them gently, and they will be more receptive to the message, insya Allah.

He continues to reason with them, by posing a rhetorical question, “Why should I not worship the One who created me, and the one to whom you will be returned”? It’s interesting how he started the conversation by focusing on himself, why it would be illogical for him to not worship the Lord who created him, and then moved subtly to reminding his people that this same Lord is the one they would be returned to. We should always start with our selves when giving da’wah, and then move the focus to our audience. By using such a technique, the audience would feel less threatened because you started off by focusing on yourself first and then persuaded them to follow suit. It’s like saying, “I am in this, and I invite you to be a part of this too. Let us all be in this together!”

He continues to reason with them and then suddenly there is a dramatic change of scene. He is told to enter Jannah. Wait a minute, what happened there? One minute he was giving da’wah, and the next he is told to enter Jannah? Well, the scholars of tafsir tell us that he was violently murdered by his people because he refused to stop giving da’wah. What a gem! He knew his people would resort to murdering him, given how they mocked and threatened the messengers, and despite that, he still continued giving da’wah putting his life on the line. And the best part of it all, even after entering Jannah, he is still thinking about his people. “O, if only my people knew, how my Lord has forgiven me and placed me in the company of the honoured ones,” he says. Subhanallah! Even after death, he still worries for his people. Truly, the love of a sincere da’ie for his people transcends lifetimes!