The Great Daii Sheikh Nimatullah By Prof. Dr. Salih Mahdi Samarrai Chairman Islamic Center Japan [email protected] Daii Sheikh Nimatullah 1 Introduction I have accompanied Sheikh Nematullah for decades in Japan. He is a unique person in his dawa method so he is of the idea that: "If every Muslim calls for the Dawah all people of the earth will become Muslim in two years." He also says: "The origin and spirit of Dawah is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the Arabs: "Say, there is no but one God you will succeed". I have explained the examples of Sheikh Naymatullah's unique method in Dawah and translate it into several languages for the benefit of Ummah, seeking the pleasance's of Allah. 2 The Great Daii Sheikh Nimatullah (1) Who is Sheikh Nimatullah? Edited by Prof. Dr. Salih Mahdi Samarrai Chairman: Islamic Center Japan [email protected] Sheikh Nimatullah is of Turkish origin. He lived in Al- Madinah Al-Monawara (Saudi Arabia) for 15 years, and in Makkah as Imam of Jabal Al-Nour mosque inside Hira Mountain. Before that he was doing AZAN (prayer call) 3 in Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the largest mosque in Istanbul (Turkey). He was Imam in many mosques in Istanbul. He studied under many scholars who were contemporaries of the late Sultan Abdul Hamid. He visited more than 50 countries for Dawa. He made hundreds of pub goers in Europe to enter the mosques and become pious Muslims. With the permission of the Chinese government, he introduced into China 20 thousand copies of the Holy Qur’an in 1981. He visited Siberia and its surroundings in Russia three times, wearing his white garment and braving a temperature of 40 degrees below zero. Sheikh Nimatullah lived with me in Japan for more than twenty years roaming the country from North to South, building mosques and turning them into schools. He made hundreds, rather, thousands of Japanese people to embrace Islam by the call of La Ilaha Illa Allah “there is no god but Allah”. Each day he used to distribute Islamic pamphlets and urge the Muslims to do so. He used to receive people in the Islamic Center Japan from morning to evening. During the night he used to visit 4 several mosques in Tokyo and he used to take people by taxis on his own account to pray the Fajr prayer at Tokyo central mosque. Mosques are his residence. We pay him nothing even a cent. Sheikh Nimatulla does not backbite anybody. He does not tell tale or antagonize anybody. He brings the entire Muslim community together. All people love him even if they dislike each other. He does not invoke God against anybody, but his usual supplication is “O God guide the enemy of Islam and turn their enmity into love and support to Islam such as You did with Omar, Khalid and IKRIMA". Sheikh Nimatullah is a truly God-fearing person. Since I have accompanied him for several years and absorbed his approach of Dawa, besides my best knowledge of his character, I would like to write some articles about him hoping that he would be an example for Muslim youth everywhere. Asking Allah forgiveness ( ْإن أرﯾﺪُ إﻻ اﻹﺻﻼ َح ﻣﺎ اﺳﺘﻄﻌﺖ) and reward "I only desire reform so far as I am able, to the best of my power", Surat Hud, verse 88. Indeed, Allah knows my intention behind what I wrote about this person. 5 The Great Daii Sheikh Nimatullah (2) Sheikh Nimatullah’s Approach to Dawa By Prof. Dr. Salih Mahdi Samarrai Chairman Islamic Center Japan [email protected] I accompanied Sheikh Nimatullah in the field of Da’wa in Japan and elsewhere for more than 20 years and I understood his approach. I have come up with the following: Out of all Daiis, I believe that Sheikh Nimatullah’s approach to Dawa is the strongest, fastest and the most effective. I support the opinion he continuously used to repeat that if every Muslim embarks on the duty of Dawa in any way whatsoever, Islam will prevail in the entire world. His method of Dawa is very simple, everyone can implement it. Thus, Prophet Mohamed peace be upon him used to say: “convey the message of Islam even by a single verse of the Qur’an”. 6 The basic philosophy of Sheikh Nimatullah in Dawa is that the prophet peace be upon him used to say to the Arabs “say: La ilaha illa Allah "there is no god but Allah, you will be successful). Sheikh Nimatullah has simplified this expression by saying to the people: there are two words whoever says them, all their problems will vanish and they will succeed in their life. He also used to say it is desirable to repeat these words- if the articulator is a Muslim he will have his faith increased and if non- Muslim he will become Muslim. These words will enlighten his ears, mouth and heart. Calmness, tranquility and mercy will prevail when hearing and uttering these words. Sheikh Nimatullah has developed this method by saying in English (one gol all problems finished), mixing Arabic with English as (gol) means say in Arabic. Sheikh Nimatullah changed it with a Japanese expression (shi awasei no kutuba). So, the listener will understand that the Sheikh wants him to repeat: there is no other god but Allah and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah. Sheikh Nimatullah believes that he who repeats these words enters into Al Islam and then he says to him (I present 7 Muslim Name) such as (Ahmed, Mohammed, Fatima, Aisha etc.) Later on he started calling Japanese to good wards "UNAMORI From our side, we have developed this method. In one of our meetings attended by more than a hundred professors, Mr. Ali AL ZABI explained Islam in a fluent Japanese language and answered the attendants' questions for two hours, Sheikh Nimetullah was with him. This what we are doing in our Islamic Center Japan and what other centers and Daii are doing in Japan and elsewhere. After the lecture some attendants may convert to Islam immediately or after one week or after a year or no one among them will embrace Islam till his/her death. The impression of the Islamic Umma today is that we should not be hasty in calling people to Islam, we should not hurt their feelings, we have to be patient and wait to give them more Islamic books and publications and more good examples. It is even better not to call to Islam until we become as faithful and pious as the Prophet’s companions. Based on what we have learned from Sheikh Nimatullah’s approach, we said to the meeting participants that whoever believes in God’s monotheism 8 and in Mohammed’s prophethood by heart and utters it with his mouth, he will become a Muslim. At this point all the Japanese attendants –males and females, declared “we are all prepared for this matter. Sheikh Nimatullah began repeating in an impressive tone La ilaha illa Allah “there is no other god but Allah and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah” and all repeated with him with chant. The sheikh pondered if they were 2, 5, or 10 we could give everyone a specific name but the attendants were more than one hundred, then he thought over and said “(all men Muhammad” and “all women Fatimah“. He was applauded by the audience expressing their pleasure for that. I call the sheikh’s approach of Dawa, the prophet’s way and I can summarize it into two words “care and courage”. As for the care, the prophet was keen to call to Islam all those he could approach. Such a way needs attention as well as courage and strong nerve as the Arabs in the early days of Dawa used to object the prophet’s call and laugh at him. Although the prophet was hurt but he endured the objection of his call and insisted to call to Islam until he succeeded. Skeikh 9 Nmatullah spares no time in calling everybody to Islam whether that person is a president, a ruler, a merchant, a customer a man or a woman and the response to his call amounts to 99%. When any person rejects his call he says” it is a reward of a martyr”. Nimatullah’s Approach has its root in the prophet’s life. We may recall the visit of the prophet to the sick Jewish child who was dying and he said to him: say “there is no other god but Allah and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah” at this moment the child’s father said to his son obey Abul Gasim meaning the prophet Mohammad and the child uttered the SHAHADAH (declaration of faith) before he died. We also recall the invitation of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him to the revered companion and one of the martyrs of the battle of Uhud, Othman bin MADHOON may Allah be pleased with him, who said; whenever the prophet saw me he used to say to me; a man like you does not lose sight of the truth of Islam, so I embraced Islam out of courtesy. One day I entered the Grand Mosque in Mecca and saw the Prophet, peace be 10 upon him sitting next to the Kaaba. He called me and said: I want to let you know a verse which was just ﱠإن اﻟﻠﮫَ ﯾﺄﻣﺮ ﺑﺎﻟﻌﺪل واﻹﺣﺴﺎن وإﯾﺘﺎ ِء ذي اﻟﻘُْﺮﺑَﻰ ) revealed to me Verily, Allah) (وﯾﻨﮭﻰ ﻋﻦ اﻟﻔﺤﺸﺎ ِء واﻟ ُﻤ ْﻨ َﻜﺮ ﯾَ ِﻌ ُﻈ ُﻜ ْﻢ ﻟﻌﻠﻜﻢ َﺗ ﱠﺬ ﱠﻛ ُﺮ ْون enjoins justice and kindness, and giving (help) to kinsfolk, and forbids indecency and evil and oppression, He admonishes you, that you may take heed) Surat An- Nahl, verse 90.