Basic
Dawah
Surah: Al-Nahl (125)
Call to the Way of Your Lord With Wisdom and Good Admonition — The Divine Method of Calling
ٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ وَٱلۡمَوۡعِظَةِ ٱلۡحَسَنَةِ
— النحل الآية 125
Verse: "Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom, good admonition, and argue with them in the best manner." (16:125) — Three tools by scholarly consensus: wisdom = conclusive evidence for the convinced. Good admonition = encouragement and warning for the hesitant. Best argument = refuting the doubts of the stubborn. The verse orders them by the state of the one called, not the caller. "Way of your Lord" = the path leading to Him — the caller guides, does not own. "He knows best who is guided" = guidance belongs to Allah alone. Lesson: the wise caller first diagnoses the state of the one being called, then chooses the tool — not the reverse.
Source: Ibn Kathir (4/601); Al-Sadi
Test Yourself
What is the criterion for choosing the appropriate method among the three styles in the verse?
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