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|b All praise is due to Allah for enabling us to praise Him, and all thanks is owed to Him for His successive blessings and multiple favors. And may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent with the Clear Book Revealed as a Mercy to Creation; the criterion between guidance and misguidance, doubt and certainty. He delivered the Message, fulfilled the Trust, thereby making him a shining light among mankind. May Allah send His peace and blessings upon him, upon his Messenger brothers and upon all the righteous. Islam is a religion of justice and equity. Allah ordered it upon us where He said: {Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct} (16:90).He also made our committing to this principle a binding commandment upon us: {Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice.} (4:58). Justice, according to an Islamic perspective, is not the prerogative of any particular group or faction: {O you who have believed, be upright for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness.} (5:8). Justice is obligatory even when it is to the detriment of oneself or one’s kin: {O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.} (4:135) The Words of Allah Almighty: {Be upright for Allah} indicates the duty of having sincerity towards Him Almighty. His Words: {Witnesses in justice} indicates the duty of exercising justice and equity, irrespective of love and hatred, closeness or distance, agreement or disagreement. Justice prevails when the judge is steadfast in fulfilling the commands of Allah, refraining from oppression and bias when issuing his verdict. However, when one looks at the Dawah scene today, they can certainly notice that some preachers have become fanatical in their devotion to an idea, a methodology or a group. As a result, the field of Dawah, which is supposed to be one of cooperation and collaboration, has instead become one for scoring points against opponents – sometimes rightfully so, and other times wrongfully so. The pitfalls of fanatical preachers are many, not the least of which is their shifting away from inviting people to Truth, to inviting people to their party, school of thought or methodology! The matter has not been limited to the mere faulting of ideological opponents; instead, it has reached the point of attacking their integrity, labelling them as innovators and perhaps even excommunicating them from the religion altogether, Some of these preachers strive to spread their methodology with a good intention, or while oblivious to the fact that it is only one of many [correct] methodologies, and only one of many [correct] pathways. Instead, they have a firm conviction that their methodology is the absolute truth that is juxtaposed only by absolute falsehood! Then, they judge their ideological opponents based on their own standpoint and conviction, which they were raised upon; whosoever agrees with them is treated as ideologically moderate, and whosoever disagrees with them is an extremist and far from the truth (in their view). Thus, there is no avenue for disagreement with these fanatics, nor do they allow for their ideological opponents to participate in Dawah activity. For this reason, I wish to contribute by warning against this prevalent phenomenon. I wish to outline the danger it poses along with its repercussions on individuals and on the Muslim nation, both throughout history and at present. My discussion of this topic will be organized into the following sections: 1. The Introduction, which includes: Definitions of the terms in the thesis title, The research objective, The research methodology 2. The Danger of Methodological Fanaticism 3. The Repercussions of Fanaticism on the Dawah Scene 4. The Factors Causing the Prevalence of Fanaticism 5. Dawah Recommendations to Limit Methodological Fanaticism
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