The difference between Da’wah & al-Walaa wal Baraa 

Many of our Muslims, unfortunately, confuse these two obligations or are ignorant of one of them. This is due to either the lack of knowledge that the Imam’s and Shuyookh in the West have or the lack of Iman since the proper manhaj (methodology) of partaking in these two obligations leads to confrontation just like our Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) and his Sahaba were led into confrontation – all for the best cause one can possibly be a part of: the spread of Tawheed. The spreading of Tawheed comes in various forms and the best of all these forms is Jihad fe Sabeelillah.

Da’wah is defined as inviting people to the fold of Islam. This can be done, for example, by talking to the Kuffar about Islam in an unadulterated form. We say unadulterated because if one is lying about their Deen or covering up aspects of this Deen in order to please the ears of the Kafir, then verily, he is not doing da’wah and there is no good in it. There is no good in saying something about Allah’s Deen that isn’t true or is a lie; so the Haqq must be presented as the Haqq whether the Kafireen like it or not.

On a side note, the purpose of ones da’wah should not be for the sake of converting the individual to Islam. Why? If this is going to be ones intention, then the result will be that this individual who is doing da’wah will only say things which will please the ears of the Kafir and he will avoid things which the Kafir would not like. So for example, if the Kafir asks, “What is Jihad?” This Muslim who has the wrong intention, in most cases, would say, “It means striving and struggling” when this is the wrong definition according to the consensus of the Scholars of Fiqh. The proper definition of Jihad is “To fight [with the sword] for the sake of Allah to make His Word the highest of the high and the word of the disbelievers the lowest of the low.”

Da’wah is to be done in a kind manner and not in a manner where you are only humiliating the Kafir. Allah says,

ٱدْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ وَٱلْمَوْعِظَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُم بِٱلَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for your Lord knows best those who have strayed from His Path, and those who receive guidance. (an-Nahl: 125)

There are three things Allah mentions here:
1. Da’wah bil Hikmah – spreading Islam with wisdom.
2. Da’wah bil Mow’idha – spreading Islam in a simple and sincere language with admonition.
3. Mujadalah – debating or clearing an issue that the Kafireen may have.

This is Da’wah.

Now what is al-Walaa wal Baraa? Al-Walaa is where you loyalty belongs to. It means that you love for the sake of Allah that which He loves. So for example, Allah says,

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفّاً كَأَنَّهُم بُنْيَانٌ مَّرْصُوصٌ
Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure. (as-Saff: 4)

Allah says that He loves Jihad fe Sabeelillah. So you must show that love and be practical regarding that love. This is how you show your loyalty to Allah ‘Azza wa Jall. And as long as you don’t show that love, then it is clear where your disloyalty is to: to that which Allah loves. And this is Kufr.

Al-Baraa is where your disloyalty is towards. It means that you hate for the sake of Allah that which He hates. So for example, Allah says,

قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِيۤ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُ إِذْ قَالُواْ لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَءآؤُاْ مِّنْكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ ٱلْعَدَاوَةُ وَٱلْبَغْضَآءُ أَبَداً حَتَّىٰ تُؤْمِنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ
There is for you an excellent example (to follow) in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people: “We are clear of you and of whatever you worship besides Allah! We have rejected you, and there has arisen, between us and you, enmity and hatred forever unless you believe in Allah and Him alone!” (al-Mumtahinah: 4)

Allah says here that Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam) is an excellent example to follow because he showed his Baraa (hatred, enmity, practical disloyalty) to the people of Shirk. Allah loved the fact that he showed his hatred towards that which Allah hates since Allah says regarding the crime of Shirk:

إِنَّ ٱلشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ
Indeed, Shirk is the greatest injustice! (Luqman: 13)

And He, The Exalted, said,

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ إِثْماً عَظِيماً
Surely Allah does not forgive that anything should be associated with Him (Shirk), and forgives what is besides that to whomsoever He pleases; and whoever associates anything with Allah, he devises indeed a great sin. (an-Nisa: 48)

Allah forgives all sins except Shirk as Shirk is the greatest of all crimes in the sight of Allah ‘Azza wa Jall. Keep in mind, we are talking about Shirk al-Akbar or the Greatest forms of Shirk such as ascribing a son unto Allah, or worshiping graves, or polytheism and so on. Every Kafir is doing Shirk al-Akbar until they become Muslim and practice Islam properly because they are all Mushrikeen. So it is clear that Allah doesn’t love the Kafireen as they are the Mushrikeen and by this ayah from al-Mumtahinah, Allah mentions that Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam) was an excellent example for all of us to follow because he showed his practicality in his hatred (Baraa) for Shirk of the Mushrikeen by saying, “We are clear of you and of whatever you worship besides Allah! We have rejected you, and there has arisen, between us and you, enmity and hatred forever unless you believe in Allah and Him alone!” And by doing other acts such as breaking the idols, which will we mention later here inshAllah.

And all of this is called the Millah (path, way) of Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam) which the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) and his companions followed. And you will even find similar incidents where the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) broke the idols of the Quraysh during the Makkan period as well as the Madinan period. Everyone knows that after the Fath al-Makkah, the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) and the Sahaba broke all of the idols within the Ka’aba. But what many Muslims don’t know is the following hadith which was an event that took place during the Prophet’s (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) lengthy stay in Makkah:

‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said, “The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) and I went out until we came to the Ka’aba. So the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) said to me, ‘Sit’, and he climbed upon my shoulders. So I began to lift him up, but he perceived a weakness from me. So he got down and the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) sat for me and said, ‘Climb upon my shoulders.’ He (i.e., ‘Ali) said, ‘So I climbed upon his shoulders.’ He (i.e., ‘Ali) said, ‘So he stood up with me.’ He (i.e., ‘Ali) said, ‘So it seemed to me that if I wished, I could have reached the horizon of the sky, until I climbed upon the house (i.e., Ka’aba) upon which, were copper or brass statues. So I would engage it on its right and its left and in front and behind it, until I was in control of it. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) said to me, ‘Now throw it!’ So I threw it and it shattered like a broken bottle. Then I got down and the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) and I left, racing until we would hide amongst the houses, due to the fear that someone from the people would discover us.” (Ahmad & Abu Ya’la & Al-Bazzaar: Hasan chain)

So this Millah is a Millah of showing the society what is Haqq and what is Baatil in the most powerful forms. So setting up a table in the middle of Times Square to tell the Kafireen why the Mujahideen are the people of Truth and that their crime is only for adhering to ‘Laa Ilaaha Illallah’ is a great form of showing ones al-Walaa wal Baraa. And for those who disagree with this, we say to them: Is Jihad not a part of this Deen? When does Jihad become fard al ‘ayn? When the Kuffar start to kill and rape every single last Muslim?! Jihad becomes fard al ‘ayn when our lands are attacked; and the obligation of Jihad will keep spreading around the world until it becomes fard al ‘ayn on all of the Ummah like it is today. This is the Ijmaa’ of the Fuqahaa and MaShaayikh. So to believe in ‘Laa Ilaaha Illallah’ implies that you also believe in Jihad fe Sabeelillah against the enemies of Allah, both Defensive Jihad and Offensive Jihad. To disbelieve in this is an act of Kufr which will take one out of the fold of Islam.

Some Muslims will say, “Brother, we are living in dangerous times where people have great hatred against Islam, therefore, we must show Islam in a peaceful manner and not in a confrontational manner!” And to Allah belongs all that is within the heavens and the earth! Who are you, O Muslim, to say that this Millah changes for the time? Verily, this Millah never changes and whosoever abandons it, Allah calls him a fool:

وَمَن يَرْغَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلاَّ مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ
And who forsakes the Millah of Ibrahim except he who makes a fool of himself? (al-Baqarah: 130)

So let him stay a fool in the sight of Allah ‘Azza wa Jall till death overcomes him! If you wish for Allah to humiliate you O Muslim, then tell the people we are back in the Makkan stage and that therefore we can’t do Jihad fe Sabeelillah today. Tell them this crooked version of the Millah if you think you stand a chance against the wrath of Allah ‘Azza wa Jall. This is the path of destruction from the point of Qur’an and Sunnah.

We also say: The ‘Izzah (honor, dignity) of Islam will only come through rigorous tests and trials. As long as we avoid these tests and trials, then the victory of Islam will never even appear on the horizon! Islam only moves forward when the Ummah is put through difficult trials and tests. Obviously, we shouldn’t wish for the hardships upon our people because we love them all for the sake of Allah. However, to present Islam in such a way where one avoids all forms of confrontation – such as the kufr act of interfaith dialog’s – then not only have they left this Millah of Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam), but they have weakened the ‘Izzah of the Ummah of Islam, and made the Ummah move backwards instead of forwards. Allah says,

أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مَّسَّتْهُمُ ٱلْبَأْسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ مَعَهُ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ أَلاۤ إِنَّ نَصْرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ
Or do you think that ye shall enter the Garden (of bliss) without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They encountered suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith who were with him cried: “When (will come) the help of Allah?!” Ah! Verily, the help of Allah is (always) near! (al-Baqarah: 214)

The victory of Islam only and only comes from Allah and none else. Anyone who believes victory doesn’t solely come from Allah is a Kafir because he is denying the attributes of Allah that everything is done through His will. So if one thinks that the victory of Allah can only and only come through nuclear weapons, tanks, warplanes and so on, then he has denied an attribute of Allah ‘Azza wa Jall and this will only take him to the fire. So when one believes, with full conviction (Yaqeen) that only Allah ‘Azza wa Jall can bring about the victory and dominance and ‘Izzah of Islam, then that individual will only and only do what Allah has ordained for him to do in order to obtain that promised victory: al-Jihad fe Sabeelillah. Allah says,

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ هَلْ أَدُلُّكمْ عَلَىٰ تِجَارَةٍ تُنجِيكُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَيُدْخِلْكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلأَنْهَارُ وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ذَلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
وَأُخْرَىٰ تُحِبُّونَهَا نَصْرٌ مِّن ٱللَّهِ وَفَتْحٌ قَرِيبٌ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a merchandise which may deliver you from a painful chastisement? You shall believe in Allah and His Messenger, and make Jihad fe Sabeelillah with your wealth and your lives; that is better for you, if only you knew! (In return) He will forgive you your sins and cause you to enter into gardens, beneath which rivers flow, and goodly dwellings in gardens of perpetuity; that is the mighty achievement! And yet another (blessing) that you love: help from Allah and a victory near at hand; and give good news to the believers! (as-Saff: 10-13)

Allah is saying here that He will give you this victory if you have firm Iman, and that you make Jihad fe Sabeelillah with both your money and bodily self. This is the only way the victory of Allah will come. Notice, He didn’t say here that the prerequisite is, “A Peaceful non-violent Revolution,” or “giving lectures and holding protests in the street” or “voting in the Democratic Government” or anything of this nature. Allah said Jihad fe Sabeelillah which only and only means Qitaal fe Sabeelillah. Let me remind you with the statement by Ibn Rushd (rahimahullah) who said,

“…and Jihad of the Sword: to fight the Mushrikeen for the Deen. So whoever tires himself for the sake of Allah, he strove in the way of Allah. Except that when ‘Jihad Fe Sabeelillah’ is said, then it cannot be applied (to everything) in general except striving against the Kuffar with the sword until they enter Islam, or pay the Jizyah with willing submission and they are under humiliation.” (Muqaddamaat: 1/369)

So don’t fool around with the word Jihad fe Sabeelillah by saying, “It means here striving and struggling for Allah’s sake and not fighting.” This is from the greatest of invented lies in our times.

Someone once told me, “Brother, don’t preach this Jihad fe Sabeelillah and this harshness against the Kafireen! These people are not ready for it yet! You see, had these ayaat been revealed in the Makkan Stage, the Muslims would not have been ready for it and they would be disgusted by Islam or something of this nature! So don’t preach this akhee, these Muslims are not ready yet!” We say to them: It is true that these ayaat were not revealed in Makkah, however, these ayaat have already been revealed and the revelation Qur’an is completed and these ayaat now apply to every single person that calls himself a Muslim. So what excuse do we have when these ayaat were meant for us? How can we take some ayaat and ignore other ayaat? Does Allah not hate this?

Indeed, the Muslims are being attacked today because they believe in ‘Laa Ilaaha Illallah’; because to believe in this, it means that you believe in Jihad fe Sabeelillah. And to believe in Jihad fe Sabeelillah today, you become an enemy terrorist in the eyes of the Kuffar tomorrow. So this is the crime of the Muslims: Believing with full conviction in ‘Laa Ilaaha Illallah’. This is the same reason why the Muslims were persecuted in Makkah. The Kuffar of Quraysh even told them, “You can keep your religion without being persecuted by us by keeping it to yourself and not spreading it.” Why did the Quraysh have a problem with the spreading of this message? It was because the Muslims were not just spreading, “There is none worthy of worship except Allah,” but their spreading confronted and humiliated the Millah and Deen of the Mushrikeen. The Muslims were attacking, through al-Walaa wal Baraa, the Social, Economical, Political, and Religious institutions of the Mushrikeen with their heavy testimony of ‘Laa Ilaaha Illallah’.

If the Muslims of Makkah kept their religion inside their homes, they would have never been persecuted; and this is not a guess, but a fact from various ahadith. However, Allah had a plan for the Ummah and that was to go through difficulty in the tests and trials which would in turn purify and strengthen the hearts of the believers upon the Haqq - and this is what He is currently doing to the Ummah in Afghanistan and ‘Iraq and already we are seeing victory on the horizon because our brothers understood these tests and trials from Allah properly and so they are practicing Sabr (patience and steadfastness) because they believe in the promise of their Lord and this only strengthens their Iman, Yaqeen, and Tawakkul in Allah ‘Azza wa Jall. The message of the Sahaba was understood very clearly by the Quraysh because the Muslims were calling for an end to religious corruption of idol worshipping, social injustices such as racism and the burial of baby daughters alive, economical corruption such as interest and not giving the proper amount due, and political corruption such as not ruling with justice and with what Allah has revealed. This is what ‘Laa Illaaha Illallah’ implied and the Quraysh knew this very, very well.

Indeed, the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) and his companions did Jihad fe Sabeelillah after the Hijrah. So let’s say, for the sake of understanding our situation today in a clearer light, that there were some Muslims in Makkah who desired to make Hijrah but it was absolutely impossible for them to make Hijrah, for whatever reason, and they were excused. Now, would these Sahaba believe in Jihad fe Sabeelillah against Quraysh after the ayaat were revealed and they came to know of them through a messenger? Of course they would. But since they cannot make Hijrah, they will at least incite the other Sahaba amongst them to make Jihad fe Sabeelillah against Quraysh and to do whatever effort possible to destroy the Quraysh through all forms of al-Walaa wal Baraa, including its greatest of forms: al-Jihad fe Sabeelillah, and to establish the Deen of Allah in Makkah. So, would the Quraysh persecute them for accepting, preaching, and practicing those ayaat on Jihad fe Sabeelillah? Indeed they would. But what is the crime of these Sahaba? State Terrorism? Treason? No, rather their crime was ‘Laa Illaaha Ilallah’; they believed in whatever Allah revealed and put it to practice without giving pathetic excuses.

With this in mind, is it possible or impossible for us to make Hijrah to the lands where the Shari’ah is implemented by the lions of Allah ‘Azza wa Jall? For the majority of us, it is possible bi idhnillahi Ta’aala. So Hijrah becomes no excuse when we are living in Darul Harb (the land of the enemies). But for those whom it is absolutely impossible to make Hijrah, what is their duty? To cozy up to the enemies? To keep Islam hidden in the homes? No, rather, he would do what the Sahaba would do if they were in that situation. Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam) didn’t cozy-up to them or showed his love for them. Rather, he showed his hatred for them until they would become the people of Tawheed. One of his practical examples of this Baraa that Allah mentions in Qur’an is when he destroyed their idols that they worshiped and then placed the ax on the last idol standing. Why didn’t he destroy that idol? Because he wanted to humiliate the logic and understanding of the Mushrikeen so that they might say to themselves, “Woe to us! We are destroying our own selves with this stupidity!” From this, the Shuyookh have dived deep into the subject of humiliating and insulting the Kafir. Humiliating and insulting them is to be only done to show them their foolishness and backwardness in their logic, worship and/or obedience to Taghoot (idols, governments, leaders, laws, religions etc.). However, if the Kafir insults and attacks the religion of Allah ‘Azza wa Jall with remarks that Allah hates, then hatred and enmity (Baraa) is to be shown to this person and not love. And the highest form of showing Baraa to this person is Jihad fe Sabeelillah. An example of this is the assassination of Ka’b bin al-Ashraf; a Mushrik who insulted the Deen of Allah ‘Azza wa Jall and the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) ordered for his assassination. The hadith is as follows:

Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah (radiyallahu ‘anhu):

Allah’s Apostle (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) said, “Who is willing to kill Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His Apostle?” Thereupon Muhammad bin Maslama got up saying, “O Allah’s Apostle! Would you like that I kill him?” The Prophet said, “Yes.” Muhammad bin Maslama said, “Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Ka’b).” The Prophet said, “You may say it.” Then Muhammad bin Maslama went to Ka’b and said, “That man (i.e. Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam)) demands Sadaqa (i.e. Zakat) from us, and he has troubled us, and I have come to borrow something from you.” On that, Ka’b said, “By Allah, you will get tired of him!” Muhammad bin Maslama said, “Now as we have followed him, we do not want to leave him unless and until we see how his end is going to be. Now we want you to lend us a camel load or two of food.” (Some difference between narrators about a camel load or two.) Ka’b said, “Yes, (I will lend you), but you should mortgage something to me.” Muhammad bin Maslama and his companion said, “What do you want?” Ka’b replied, “Mortgage your women to me.” They said, “How can we mortgage our women to you and you are the most handsome of the ‘Arabs?” Ka’b said, “Then mortgage your sons to me.” They said, “How can we mortgage our sons to you? Later they would be abused by the people’s saying that so-and-so has been mortgaged for a camel load of food. That would cause us great disgrace, but we will mortgage our arms to you.” Muhammad bin Maslama and his companion promised Ka’b that Muhammad (bin Maslama) would return to him. He came to Ka’b at night along with Ka’b’s foster brother, Abu Na’ila. Ka’b invited them to come into his fort, and then he went down to them. His wife asked him, “Where are you going at this time?” Ka’b replied, “None but Muhammad bin Maslama and my (foster) brother Abu Na’ila have come.” His wife said, “I hear a voice as if dropping blood is from him.” Ka’b said, “They are none but my brother Muhammad bin Maslama and my foster brother Abu Na’ila. A generous man should respond to a call at night even if invited to be killed.” Muhammad bin Maslama went with two men (Some narrators mention the men as Abu bin Jabr al Harith bin Aus and ‘Abbad bin Bishr). So Muhammad bin Maslama went in together with two men, and said to them, “When Ka’b comes, I will touch his hair and smell it, and when you see that I have got hold of his head, strip him. I will let you smell his head.” Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf came down to them wrapped in his clothes, and diffusing perfume. Muhammad bin Maslama said, “I have never smelt a better scent than this!” Ka’b replied, “I have got the best ‘Arab women who knows how to use the high class of perfume.” Muhammad bin Maslama requested Ka’b, “Will you allow me to smell your head?” Ka’b said, “Yes.” Muhammad smelt it and made his companions smell it as well. Then he requested Ka’b again, “Will you let me (smell your head again)?” Ka’b said, “Yes.” When Muhammad got a strong hold of him, he said (to his companions), “Get at him!” So they killed him and went to the Prophet and informed him. (Abu Rafi) was killed after Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf. (Sahih Bukhari: Volume 5, Book 59, Number 369)

This hadith is Sahih and found in Bukhari. So its trustworthiness is unquestionable. Some Muslims might argue, “Well, what about that incident where that old woman threw trash upon the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) every time he passed by her house; and then when she was on her deathbed, he visited her and she was surprised and then became Muslim before death? How come he didn’t assassinate her or showed hatred for her?! Therefore, we must be peaceful and loving to everyone!” We say to them: Are you trying to condemn an action of Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam)?! Instead of being foolish by condemning it and concluding a feeble conclusion, why don’t you try to solve the “contradiction in action”? What will you tell the Kafir who asks you of this apparent contradiction? Will you tell him, ‘Oh our Prophet made a mistake’ or will you lie by telling him, ‘This story is not true; it doesn’t exist, it is weak’?! All power and glory belongs to Allah alone and we ask Him alone to guide us in knowledge and in matters where we are ignorant of!

Regarding this incident of the old woman, let’s mention a few things that should be considered and thought over properly:
1. She is old and not young.
2. The ayaat on Jihad were not revealed in Makkah.
3. The assassination of Ka’b bin al-Ashraf did not occur until after the revelation on the ayaat of Jihad in Madinah.
4. The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) indeed showed Baraa to her by not cozying-up to her or changing his message for her so that she doesn’t get hurt by him or go up to her and apologized for his Islam. He showed Baraa to her by ignoring her and continuing the message of Haqq whether the Kafireen liked it or not. So he continued the message even though she hated it and threw trash on him. We ask: O Muslim, is this not Baraa?!
5. When he visited her on her deathbed, it was an act of mixing Da’wah with al-Walaa wal Baraa. All his life, he showed Baraa to her, and since he is Rahmatulil ‘Alameen (Mercy unto humanity) and his Hikmah is far beyond anyone else’s Hikmah, he still wanted to save her from the Hellfire because this was his mission. He didn’t go to her on her deathbed to apologize or cozy-up to her, but he went to her with the mission of saving a soul right before it died. And when she saw that conviction in him - like the conviction of the Prophets in their belief - she was taken aback and astonished by his Iman and Yaqeen and converted to Islam on the spot. His Iman and Yaqeen was the highest out of all people and so for a person to even be around him in their state of Yaqeen or in their state of surety of death, it would be very hard to not become Muslim. Unfortunately, his Uncle held on to traditions with the grip of his teeth unlike this old woman and he died in a state of Kufr and will goto hellfire.

This matter should be clear now without a doubt.

Al-Walaa wal Baraa is certainly not to be done with the intention of pleasing the ears of the Kuffar so that you can avoid confrontation. The purpose of al-Walaa wal Baraa is to make clear to the people - whether they will hate you or not for doing it – what is the Truth and what is Falsehood and your loyalty, as a Muslim, to the Truth, and your hatred, disloyalty, and enmity to Falsehood. This is the Millah of Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam) which he had perfected for the sons of Tawheed to follow until Youm al-Qiyamah; and about him, Allah said in many places within His Noble Book that Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam) was not of the Mushrikeen. This was repeated many times for the purpose of showing the readers of Qur’an that Allah had perfected in the character of Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam) the concept of al-Walaa wal Baraa. The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) followed this exact Millah and was further instructed by Allah to show his al-Walaa wal Baraa through the greatest of forms: al-Jihad fe Sabeelillah. And whosoever turns away from the Millah of Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam) is only a fool.

Indeed, Da’wah is similar to al-Walaa wal Baraa since when one does da’wah, he makes clear to the people what is the Haqq and what is Baatil and what Islam stands for and what Islam rejects. This is how da’wah is supposed to be done because this is how Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) and his companions did da’wah. The difference, however, is that al-Walaa wal Baraa has a purpose within itself just like Da’wah. Da’wah is not only done to show people the Haqq and the rejection of Baatil, but it is to also invite them to become Muslim and to accept Islam in its totality; and when one doesn’t offer this, nor does he make clear what Islam rejects, then he is doing neither da’wah nor al-Walaa wal Baraa but only speaking from his evil desires in order to deceive the people. The purpose of al-Walaa wal Baraa is not to invite the people to become Muslim, although you can mix da’wah with al-Walaa wal Baraa very easily. But if one solely focuses on al-Walaa wal Baraa, then he only sticks to that which confronts the Mushrikeen, or whoever, of their crimes and that Islam rejects their crime and that the Muslims will show hatred, and enmity until these Mushrikeen give up their practices.

So what is a practical example of solely doing al-Walaa wal Baraa? The following video, by our brothers from the Islamic Thinkers Society – may Allah protect them all – is a perfect example of this:

Youtube

Some Muslims will look at these videos and actually be disgusted – may Allah forgive them and show them the Haqq. These Muslims will say, “Brother, this is not Da’wah…” and they will continue to quote ayaat on da’wah and gentleness with the Kuffar. We say to them: Brother, you are correct that this is not Da’wah. Instead, this is al-Walaa wal Baraa; this is the method of Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam)! It is to show where your loyalty and love belongs to and to be practical regarding it, like Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam). And it is to show where your disloyalty, hatred, and enmity is towards to and to be practical regarding it, like Ibraheem (‘alayhis salaam). And he was a person that destroyed the idols of the Mushrikeen; something which they held dear to their hearts. So to disrupt a speech of a Kafir enemy or tear apart an American flag is much, much lower in degree compared to what the father of this Millah (’alayhis salaam) has done.

An example of mixing Da’wah with al-Walaa wal Baraa can be found in this hadith,

Abu Muthana Al Abdi said I heard Abu Al Khasasyah say “I came to the Messenger of Allah and said I would pledge allegiance to him. The Messenger of Allah took the pledge from me ‘to testify that there is none worthy of worship other than Allah that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to pray the five prayers, to fast Ramadan, to pay Zakah, to make Hajj, and to fight in the sake of Allah.’ I said ‘O Messenger of Allah, Two of those I cannot do. The first is Zakah. I only have ten camels. They constitute my entire wealth. The second is Jihad; I heard that whoever runs away from the battlefield has incurred the wrath of Allah. I am afraid if fighting faces me I might fear death and my spirit would fail me.’ Rasulullah grabbed his hand and waved it and said, ‘No Sadaqah and no Jihad! How can you then enter into Jannah?’” Abu al Khasasyah then said: “The Messenger of Allah took my pledge on every term he mentioned.” (al-Hakim)

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) did da’wah by telling him what Islam is. But when this person said he couldn’t do Sadaqah and Jihad fe Sabeelillah, the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) didn’t say, “No, no, I meant striving for the sake of Allah and not fighting. Jihad fe Sabeelillah doesn’t always mean fighting” and then looked at him with a deceptive smile. Rather, our beloved Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) showed his al-Walaa wal Baraa in such a beautiful way – and he has shown us the most beautiful of ways in many ahadith - yet he made it very clear and straight to the point; he said, “No Sadaqah and no Jihad! How can you then enter into Jannah?” Khalas, he didn’t try to give long explanations of Jihad or talk about this-and-this level of Jihad or try to cozy-up to the person or apologize for the acts of the Mujahideen. He said either take it or leave it. This is a practical example of mixing da’wah with al-Walaa wal Baraa.

We invite all our readers to read the book by the Noble Shaykh, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi (fakkAllahu Asra), entitled, “Millat Ibraheem.” His book concentrates on this subject quite a lot and inshAllah everyone will find this book extremely beneficial and practical.