Attending a banquet involving sin for the purpose of Da‘wah

11-11-2007 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is it permissible to share a table with people who eat prohibited food for the sake of advising those people; given that this is the only available opportunity to preach to them?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam, is His slave and messenger.

 

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam, informed us that whoever believes in Allaah The Almighty and in The Last Day should not sit at a table upon which wine is served. [At-Tirmithi] This narration indicates the obligation of shunning the place where sins are committed.

However, Ibn Qudaamah, and Ash-Shaafi‘i are of the opinion that if there is a benefit such as enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, and the person is able to enjoin the good and forbid the evil and is sure he will not become tempted to partake in this sin, then he is allowed to attend such a gathering so that he can observe his obligation of advising and preach people.

Allaah Knows best.