Allah Almighty says: {Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction} [Al-Nahl: 125]
Preaching is to mention the Islamic rulings along with encouragement and warning. The best thing to preach people therewith is the divine revelation, namely the Qur’an and Sunnah, for it encompasses all goodness. A preacher, however, should be moderate lest people get bored of what he preaches to them about. Boredom begets lethargy and tiredness.
1) Calling to the religion of Allah in a wise manner, putting things in their proper place at the right time and speaking in a suitable way.
2) Coupling the call to Allah with good admonition in terms of style and content as well as persuasion through divinely-revealed proofs. The best arguments are those that include: “Allah Almighty says,” and “the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) says”.
699/1 - Shaqīq ibn Salamah reported: Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to give us a reminder every Thursday. A man said to him: “O Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān, we would like for you to give us a reminder every day!” He said: “What prevents me from doing so is that I dislike to bore you. I give you admonitions every now and then, just as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to give us, out of fear that we might get bored.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) It is recommended to be brief in preaching people, lest they get bored. Indeed, the dearest deeds to Allah Almighty are those done continuously even if they are little.
2) A preacher is advised not to respond to everything he is asked. Rather, he should give admonition as much as suitable in a specific matter. He sees things from the perspective of his knowledge, while people are prodded by their passions. So, he should give them what is more suitable, not what they request based on their inclination.
700/2 - Ammār ibn Yāsir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “A man’s prolonged prayer and short sermon indicate his good religious knowledge. So, make your prayer long and your sermon short.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) A preacher should not make his sermon too long. He should limit his admonition to the purpose he wants to achieve. And the best guidance is that of Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
2) The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to make the Friday prayer longer than the (Friday) sermon.
701/3 - Mu‘āwiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: While I was praying with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), a man in the congregation sneezed and I responded saying “May Allah have mercy upon you”. The people stared at me with disapproving looks. So, I said: “May my mother lose me! Why are you staring at me?” Thereupon, they began to strike their thighs with their hands. When I saw them urging me to remain silent, I became angry but restrained myself. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) concluded his prayer. I have never seen before an instructor who gave better instruction than him, may my father and mother be sacrificed for him. He neither rebuked me, nor beat me, nor verbally abused me. He simply said: “Mundane speech is not permissible during prayer; rather, it consists of glorifying Allah, declaring His greatness, ands recitation of the Qur’an.” Or he said words to that effect. I said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have recently accepted Islam. Allah has favored us with Islam and there are still some people among us who go to consult soothsayers.” He said: “Do not consult them.” Then I said: “There are some of us who are guided by omens.” He said: “This is something that comes to their minds. They should not be influenced by it.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) Little movement during prayer does not harm, for the Companions, as related in the Hadīth, began to strike their thighs with their hands, and the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) did not criticize their act.
2) The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach people in a kind and lenient manner. A person should treat people in a way that suits them.
3) Preachers and teachers should adhere to the Prophet’s way in preaching the ignorant.
There is common belief among some Muslims that three movements during prayer nullifies it. This opinion, expressed in such general sense, is wrong. A person should be well aware of the types of movements in prayer:
1) Nullifying movement: This is the frequent successive movement without need, to the extent that those who see the praying person would think he is not in prayer. An example is when he brings out his wallet, searches it, and then returns it to its place.
2) Disliked movement: This is the little movement without need, like when he turns his watch, for example.
3) Permissible movement: This is the little movement for some need, like keeping away flies that fall on the worshiper’s face.
4) Recommended or required movement: An example is stepping forward or backwards for the benefit of prayer, like straightening a curved row or closing a gap in a row. And Allah knows best.
There are three types of people who go to a soothsayer:
First: He goes and asks him and does not believe him. If anyone does so, his prayer shall not be accepted for forty days. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If anyone goes to a soothsayer and asks him about something, no prayer will be accepted from him for forty nights.” [Narrated by Muslim]
Second: He goes to him and asks him and believes him. This is an act of disbelief, for the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If anyone goes to a soothsayer or a diviner and believes what he says, he has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad.” [Narrated by Ahmad]
Third: He asks him with the intention to belie him. He wants to test him and expose his falsehood among people. There is nothing wrong with that. This is even recommended, because it refutes the untruth.
702/4 - Al-‘Irbād ibn Sāriyah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “One day, the Messenger of Allah delivered to us a sermon on account of which hearts softened and eyes shed tears...” to the rest of the Hadīth. The complete Hadīth is narrated in a chapter titled “The command to maintain the Sunnah”. We mentioned that Al-Tirmidhi classified this Hadīth as sound and authentic.
1) It shows the Prophet’s guidance in terms of brevity and eloquence of sermons.
2) It describes the Companions’ hearts and how they tasted the sweetness of faith as they were immediately moved by the Prophet’s admonition.