How do I properly address a gathering according
to sunnah?
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
By looking into the Sunnah literature, one would find that the Messenger
of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) was the best teacher,
preacher and advisor. He used many ways and forms in order to teach and
advise people, and because of his beautiful methods of teaching, the
lives of many people changed forever.
The following are some points that may be taken into consideration when
addressing a gathering:
1) The discourse or speech should be moderate in terms of the duration.
It should not be so brief that one is unable to deliver the message
properly; neither too long that people become tired and bored.
Imam Muslim (Allah have mercy on him) has a chapter in his Sahih titled
“Chapter on being moderate whilst giving a discourse” in which he
records the following Hadith of Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud (Allah be
pleased with him).
Shaqiq (Allah be pleased with him) reports: “We were sitting at the door
of Abd Allah (ibn Mas’ud) waiting for him (to come out and deliver a
discourse to us). Yazid ibn Mu’awiya an-Nakha’i happened to pass by us,
so we said to him: “Inform him (Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud) of our presence
here. He went in and Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud did not take much time in
coming out to us and he said: “I was informed of your presence here but
nothing hindered me from coming out to you except the fact that I did
not wish to bore you, for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give
him peace) would be considerate in giving us a discourse fearing that it
might prove to be boring for us.” (Sahih Muslim, no. 2821 & Sahih al-Bukhari,
no. 68)
2) One should speak to the audience according to their intellectual
capacity and capability. It is improper to discuss complex issues of
religion in front of an audience that may not be able to grasp properly
what one is saying. Hence, one should deliver the discourse according to
the mental ability of the people.
There are numerous examples of this in the life of the Messenger of
Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). The Messenger of Allah (Allah
bless him & give him peace) would converse with people according to
their mental status. His advice to someone who had just entered Islam
would be different from someone who became a Muslim some while back. His
beautiful advice to the villager who urinated in his Masjid, to the one
who asked him about going for Jihad and he commanded him to serve his
parents and other such advices are all examples of this.
Sayyida A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger
of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Treat people
according to their individual status.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, bab al-Adab)
3) The contents of one’s discussion should be appropriate and according
to the need of the time and the audience. The Messenger of Allah (Allah
bless him & give him peace) was asked on many occasions as to what was
the most virtuous of deeds and he gave different answers on each
occasion, according to the need of the time. To one he said, Jihad, to
another, having faith (iman) in Allah and His Messenger and to another
offering prayer on its time.
This was also due to the reason that a particular individual was
negligent in a certain matter of Islam, hence it was given emphasis by
the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace).
Thus, one should discuss matters that are relevant to the time and
relevant to the people who are in the gathering.
4) One should ask the audience questions in order to awaken them and
have their attention. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him
peace) would many times pose a question to the companions and then
answer the question himself. This is also a means of one’s message being
drilled into the minds of the people.
5) Using of examples in order to simplify what one is saying is also
greatly recommended. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him
peace) in many Hadiths used examples to explain the matters of Shariah
to the companions and us, for example:
Abu Musa (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of
Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “The example of a
believer who recites the Qur’an is that of a citron (a citrus fruit)
which is good in taste and good in smell. And the believer who does not
recite the Qur’an is like a date which has a good taste but no smell.
And the example of a corrupt person who recites the Qur’an is that of
al-Rayhana (aromatic plant) which smells good but is bitter in taste.
And the example of a corrupt person who does not recite the Qur’an is
that of a colocynth which is bitter in taste and has no smell.” (Sahih
al-Bukhari, no. 7121)
6) Explaining difficult matters with illustration on a board or
projector etc is also encouraged. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless
him & give him peace) would at times clarify certain matters by drawing
on the ground.
Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) drew a few lines
and said: “This is (man’s) hope, and this is the time of his death, and
while he is in this state (of hope), the nearer line (death) comes to
him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6055)
7) At times, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace)
would make gestures with his noble hands to describe something; hence
this is something that is also recommended.
Sayyiduna Abu Musa (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “A believer
to another believer is like a building whose different parts support
each other.” And he (Allah bless him & give him peace) interlaced his
fingers (while saying that). (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 2314)
Thus, it is from the Sunnah to explain certain matters physically with
gestures so that the content gets firmly drilled into the mind of the
listeners.
8) Having a question & answer session is also something that is
extremely beneficial, so that if the listener has a burning question or
doubt, it is answered.
Allah Most High says:
“Ask the people of knowledge if you don’t know.” (Surah al-Nahl, v.43)
Sayyiduna Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger
of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “The cure for
ignorance is to question.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, 1/142)
9) At times, it is better to repeat something in order to emphasise its
importance. In many cases, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him &
give him peace) would repeat a certain statement thrice, so that there
remains no doubt in the listener’s mind.
10) One should always prepare his discourse beforehand, for a discourse
or speech with preparation is usually more effective. The speaker should
dress in a dignified manner keeping in mind the aspect of cleanliness.
He/she should be calm, gentle and not say anything without thinking of
the consequence. Yes, one may raise one’s voice at certain times if
there is a genuine need to do so, as it has been related from the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) that he became
greatly angered to the point that his eyes became red.
11) Finally, one should always remember that actions speak louder than
mouth. Thus, one should try and practice on what one is preaching to
others, for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace)
was a physical example of what he taught.
Allah Most High says:
“You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example.” (Surah
al-Ahzab, (33:21)
The above are just some of the etiquettes when addressing a gathering.
It has been primarily based on the excellent treatise al-Rasul al-Mu’allim
wa asalibuhu fi al-ta’lim by the late Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah
(Allah have mercy on him).
And Allah knows best
Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK.
Article taken (with Thanks) from Daruliftaa
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