By Cyril Anderson

As Muslims, we understand daw'aa and tabligh as important obligations in our religion, to call people toward the teachings of Islam and to do our best as instructors of what knowledge we have of those teachings.  A common response one gets from non-Muslims, who are, quite fairly in this age of New Age charlatans and omnipresent over-hyped claims of miracle cures for what ails you in life, highly skeptical of ideas that sound nice on the package, fearing that they're getting tricked about what's really within.  "You talk a nice game, brother" the person may say, "but can you play?"  Or, "you can talk the talk: but can you walk the walk?"  That is, to the skeptical consumer in the market of ideas, who, once bitten, is twice shy, talk is cheap.  Action is what matters most.  And this is where our most important, and also, most effective form of dawa'a takes place.

A lot of theoretical knowledge is good, in a way; transmitting wisdom is a noble and important task, and has value in the sense of preserving and spreading knowledge, and making sure that it survives, for unless it does, it has no chance of having any effectiveness.  However, ultimately, knowledge is dead unless it is put into use.  Though there is undeniable necessity for people to preserve knowledge, it is however better for someone to learn 5 things, and put them into full use in his life, than to learn a thousand things that are left unused like cobwebbed relics stowed away in the attic.

What we are judged for most of all is our actions, and in the times when we are judged for our words, for good or bad, it is usually for how well we keep these words.  It is not for small and insignificant reasons that some of the worst criticism is reserved in the Qu'ran for the munafiqeen -- the hypocrites; those who say one thing with their mouths, yet with their actions do another thing entirely.

Our actions, particularly our manners, the way we behave with other people, are the first thing people see of us, and are the bases of first impressions that others make of us.  There is a reason why the prophet emphasized the importance of politeness when talking with people, especially those with whom you disagree; because regardless of the truth of what you say, people will not take it seriously if it is delivered in a rude way from an obnoxious person who grates on people’s nerves. 

One of the reasons why Muhammad was believed and picked up a following for his message is because of the trust that he had built up over years as an honest businessman, good citizen, and good husband in Mecca.  It was thanks to this impeccable reputation that people took him seriously and believed him when he broke he news that he had been chosen as a Messenger of God.  This is how the genuine are identified, because their good actions match their good words.  Or as Jesus said, you can tell a tree from its fruits.

Our actions, particularly our manners are the best way to advertise and promote Islam.  When instead of just talking about Islam, we actually put it into action and live it, it is as if we are carrying around with us all the time a giant billboard displaying the beauty and benefit of Islam. 

However, we must be careful, because the knife cuts both ways; if our actions are bad, we set a bad example, becoming a sort of inadvertent walking billboard of propaganda against Islam.  We must think of ourselves as diplomats of sorts, ambassadors of our religion to those around us.  We represent our religion, and we must understand that our religion is judged partly by outsiders, for good or bad, on how we act, and how we interact with other people.  More important and effective than any ethical treatise written by the greatest of a'lims is the treatise that we wear on our sleeves through our actions. 

If we are aware of this, and work to implement true Islamic principles of ethics and manners in our lives in a practical, every day sort of way, at best we will act as agents of spreading Islam through the convincing effects of the proof of concept represented by our manners, and at the very least, will help us by increasing the respect of non-Muslims of Islam as a worthy, positive moral force. 

Our actions as such ambassadors is the best, and perhaps only antidote against bad press against Muslims and the poisonous effects of the magnification of stories of bad behavior by other Muslims in the echo chamber of the media.

Our job is to give Canadians, and Americans, whether in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, or elsewhere, direct, personal examples of Islam in action as a vital, healthy, positive way of life.  That is the true way to defeat the extremists and protect Islam against the slanders of the ignorant in the media; to give every Canadian a clear example, so that they themselves will shout down the fear and hate-mongering, saying, "That is not the Islam I know.  Those are not the Muslims I know, not the Islam I know from my neighbor, from my classmate, from my teacher, from my co-worker, from my son-in-law, from my son or daughter, from my coach.  That is not the Islam I know.”