21 Techniques for Dawah

Khutbah.com has an excellent article by Shaykh Muhmmad AlShareef entitled "Humanity’s Teacher: 21 Teaching Techniques of the Prophet". This outlines some of the different ways that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) passed on knowledge of the faith to his companions and how these methods might be used by us today to pass on that same knowledge and engage in dawah:

"So how does learning these teaching techniques benefit you? First, when you understand these techniques, you are better able to grasp what is being said. Now when you come across a hadith that you are already familiar with, you will be able to recognize the teaching technnique being used by the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam and it will help you in both your learning and teaching of the information.

Secondly, when you gain knowledge about the techniques of RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam and you see how beautiful they are, it will increase your love for RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam. If you notice for example, in the hadith of the man who urinated in the masjid, everybody got angry at him except the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam. And in the end of the story, because of the way the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam taught him, the man raised his hands and said, “Oh Allah, forgive me and forgive Muhammad and don’t forgive anyone else after this.” This is how much he loved the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam for the way he taught him and in sha Allah, when you learn the techniques of RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, your love for him will also increase.

Another benefit of learning these techniques is their effect on our da’wah efforts. Something interesting I have noticed is that so many people, including Muslims, constantly buy lottery tickets hoping to win the jackpot and never feel sad again. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:

“If one person gets guided on your hands, it is better for you than a red she-camel.”

This means that it is better for you than the dunya and everything in it. So in today’s terms, if the jackpot is three hundred million dollars, giving da’wah is your way to win it, and the odds are not one in twenty-five million; rather they are very good, in sha Allah.

For people who are involved in da’wah, learning the teaching techniques enables them to recognize when and how to apply these techniques. As a result, when people approach them to talk about Islam, they will be better able to convey the message of Islam to others.

Another benefit of learning the techniques is that it may be related to your work. Someone may be teaching at a Saturday or Sunday school or even at a full time Islamic school and may have knowledge of sciences, math, or literature, but not necessarily knowledge of Islam. Some of these techniques are taught in schools of education today. But these ‘modern’ teaching techniques are actually teachniques that the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam taught us; they are actually techniques of the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam that you’ll find in ahadith. When a teacher knows how to correctly use these techniques, it reflects well on himself, as the parents see that their child is understanding and is changing. That in turn also reflects that the school is able to touch the children and it brings more benefit to the entire system that is striving to educate."

You can read the full article which explains each of the techniques, it's benefits and how to apply them here.