Ironically, the persecution and oppression of Muslims inside many Islamic countries could be much worse than that occurring at the hands of non-Muslims. This reminds me of an Arabic poem, translated as:

A little bit of scrutiny shows that this weakness encompasses both spiritual and secular aspects of the whole Islamic Umma. Yet, another symptom of this weakness appears in a wide cross section of the Muslim youth, our main assets for the future. It is common now to hear about a Muslim youth, suffering from depression, distress, etc, all of which are psychological diseases, which should not be on the map of a faithful Umma. Certainly, this phenomenon reflects a severe spiritual weakness, because Allah (swt) has said in Surat Al-Imran (3:139): "And lose not heart, nor fall into despair, as you should gain mastery if you are true believers."

Therefore, the present condition of our Islamic Umma can certainly be seen as weakness, and utter humiliation. It does not need much examination to realise that the reasons lie in deviating from the path of Allah, and following our desires: "Then, there have succeeded them a posterity who have given up Salaat and have followed there desires. So they will be thrown in Hell." (Q19:59)

The priority of any rational Dawah nowadays is to adopt all measures and strategies that counteract this weakness. In other words, it is incumbent to develop, promote and maintain strength within the Umma. On the other hand, the appropriate Dawah should relinquish all actions, which detract from achieving this strength.

Let us first recall what the Prophet (s) did when he first migrated to Medina. He (s) adopted two major measures. Firstly, he eradicated the main weakening factor; that is the blazing war between the Ansaar and Khazraj. Secondly, he spread security and peace within the city to seize the danger of the Jewish tribes. Meanwhile, the Muslim community was in a state of steady elevation by the revelation of the Quran and the guidance of the Prophet (s).

Similarly the Muslim Ummah at present needs to promote strength in all aspects of life, spiritually and secularly.

By the virtue of Islam, the true religion, it is sufficient for Muslims to claim, develop and promote strength. The evidence is that, despite the noticeable weakness of Muslims, Islam propagates faster than any other religion. Really, had not Islam been preserved by Allah, it would have been extinct a very long time ago.

However, the attainment of strength does not need special qualifications. Allah has instilled in humans unlimited power and determination. Amongst the companions and the followers of the Prophet (s), there were a great number of those who had physical disabilities, yet they excelled in many aspects of life. For example, Al-Ahnaf Ibn Qais was cripple, short, had a small head, deep eyes and a distorted chin. Nonetheless, he was the head of his tribe with a legendary wisdom and taqwa (piety).

The history also remembers a Muslim scholar who wrote more than 40 volumes in Islamic literature and languages. When he reached his 80s, he wrote a poem stating:

This is the spirit that we need to have nowadays. To build up strength within the Umma, we need to initiate this strength from inside ourselves, irrespective of the circumstances around us.

The first driving factor in achieving our goals is to acquire spiritual strength. Without a strong faith and firm aqeeda, no other means will impart strength. A strong faith is the fuel, which drives us to excel and proclaim Islam in the globe. Therefore, in practicing Dawah, we need to strike at that chord; that is to revive faith and bring Muslims closer to Allah. The da`iya needs to remind Muslims of Allah’s promise of victory when we grasp on that Deen. "Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds, that He will, certainly, grant them succession (to the present rulers) in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practice their religion which He has chosen for them. And He will surely give them in exchange security after their fear, provided that they worship Me and do not associate anything else with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the rebellious." (Q24:55)

The da`iya is required to lift Muslims up by the Quran to the level of the Quran. He needs to remind people of Allah’s mercy as much as he reminds them of His severe punishment. Once we acquire this strength, any other required effort will be readily and easily affordable.

Because we need every quality and skill, every Muslim needs to survey himself and pinpoint his strengths. We need every qualified Muslim in science, economy, engineering, medicine, etc. We need to establish databases and networks linking our resources and qualified personnel in all areas. We also need to pinpoint the areas of weakness to work on.

Allah (swt) counted wealth as one of the commodities He accepts from those true Muslims wanting to deal with Him in order to enter paradise. This is manifest in Surat Al-Tawba (9:111): "Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their wealth for (the price) that theirs shall be paradise…" However, some Muslims are cynical about wealth creation. The way I see it nowadays is that wealth is a very useful power and means of strength, if we use it for Islam.

Therefore, we need to educate Muslims economically, so that they know about wealth creation. We need to have Islamic bodies running business here and there, so that when we are called on to help, we find it easy to offer that help. Through the power of wealth, we will be able to employ Muslims, to improve the conditions of Muslims and to fight the enemies of Islam.

At this particular time, we need to put all differences aside and focus on how to bring strength to Islam and Muslims. It does not matter whether the establishment of Islamic Caliphate is established first or comes later. We need to accept and love each other, and capitalize on what we agree on, instead of what we differ on. Promotion of this merit should receive the highest attention and priority from those working in the field of Dawah. Relinquish any effort or resources that may widen the gaps between Islamic groups. Think about the enemy of Islam, which is always watching and waiting to attack.

As pointed out by Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi in his book, Priorities of Islamic Movement in the next period of time, the dialogue with non-Muslims should never stop. If this dialogue does not strengthen us, it may at least, neutralize the other party. Just remember that Allah (swt) in His utmost might made dialogue with His worst enemy, Satan, and this dialogue has been repeated many times in different chapters in the Holy Quran (e.g. 38:75).

In summary, the condition of our Muslim Umma reflects severe weakness, and this needs prioritization of our activities. The priority of Dawah now is to focus on development, promotion and radiation of strength in all aspects of life throughout the whole Muslim world. This mission needs us to lift our spirit to the level of the Quran. In addition, we need to adopt the measures, which gives us worldly strength in terms of wealth, education, etc. By fulfilling our duties in this regard, Allah’s aid will descend upon us, and on that day the believers will rejoice the victory of Allah.