Throughout the centuries, Allah has continued to bless this Ummah with servants of His, who give up their time and energy for the service of this religion. It is always inspirational to reflect on the experiences of these du'aat whilst working for their noble cause. One of these du'at, who we think of as successful, yet we do not praise anyone before Allah, is our Sheikh Muhammad Al-Areefi, may Allah preserve him, who is a famous Saudi da'ee. In his eloquently delivered Arabic lectures, he sometimes shares with the audience his experiences in da'wah. In an effort to inspire our non-Arabic speaking readers with the unique and motivating style of this da'ee, we share a gem from his da'wah experience. In the Taxi In a powerful lecture discussing some of the lessons derived from the story of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) and his da'wah in prison, our Sheikh emphasized the importance of beginning with Tawheed in calling to Allah based on the verses: “O two companions of the prison! Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible? You do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named (forged), you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. The command (or the judgement) is for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him, that is the (true) straight religion, but most men know not.” (Qur'an, 12:39-40) The Sheikh then shared a story from his own experience. One early morning he was about to take a taxi from his hotel to the airport following a visit to Qatar. He learned that another man would be sharing the ride with him. Riding in the back seat with the man, he started a conversation with him. Sheikh: “Where are you from?” Man: “Korea.” Sheikh: “What do you do?” Man: “I am a businessman.” Sheikh: “What's your name?” Man: “Si Ki Tu (See Kee Tu).” Sheikh: “Where do you work?” Man: “Jubail, Saudi Arabia.” Sheikh: “If you live in Jubail, then your name should be Muhammad or Abdullah (meaning, you should have been a Muslim by now).” The man laughs. Sheikh: “How long have you been there?” Man: “15 years.” Sheikh: “Did anyone invite you to the religion of Islam in all these years?” Man: “Actually, I don't really care about religion. The most important thing to me is money. Once there is money behind something, I'm all for it. But give me a book, CD or tell me to listen to a talk... I don't really care for all of this.” Sheikh: “OK, so you don't worship anything?” Man: “No, no, I just live.” Sheikh: “No, you do worship. In Korea, they worship the idol Buddha?” Man: “Yes, but I don't really care much about Buddha.” The Sheikh continues the conversation, trying to revive some life and thought into the man, saying: “So, if someone passed by this idol, Buddha, and kicked him with his foot, can he defend himself? Man: “No.” Sheikh: “If someone were to spit on him as he walked by his statue, would he be able to respond in defense of himself?” Man: “No.” Sheikh: “So how is it that he is worshipped, called upon for help, for cure in illness, for wealth in poverty, to remove oppression…” Man: “Yes, you're right. Besides, I am not really convinced about Buddha anyhow.” Sheikh: “So… what do you worship?” Man: “I just live like that, I don't worship anyone.” There was then a period of silence between them. The man then turned to the Sheikh and said, “You know what?” Sheikh: “Yes?” Man: “When I am touched by worry and grief, you know what I do? I raise my eyes to the sky and say: ‘Allah Kareem' (Allah is Generous). Once I say this, I feel completely at peace.” Sheikh: “Subhan Allah. When you called upon Him alone, although you do not believe, it helped you and brought you peace! So, how then would it be if you actually worshipped Him, without any partners?” Man (agreeing): “Yes, you are right.” Sheikh: “I invite you now to bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” Man: “How? When we are in the taxi?!” Sheikh: “Yes! In the taxi, airplane, under the sea, in the sky, Islam does not require that you go to mosque in order to accept it as your religion. Now, say Ashhadu an La ilaaha illa Allah wa anna Muhammadan rasool Allah.” Man: “What about Salah?” (The man was concerned that he didn't know how to pray.) Sheikh: “It will come. Say the Shahadatayn (the two testimonies) first.” Man: “Ash-hadu an La ilaha illa Allah wa anna Muhammadan rasul Allah (I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah).” After help and guidance from Allah, it takes a brave caller to Allah with a sincere heart, who truly desires to guide others to the path of bliss in this life and the hereafter. All he did was take advantage of his time with him to allow him to reflect on the meaning of worship in his life. Perhaps through a simple effort, armed with sincerity and help from Allah, it may result as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said after learning of the death of a young Jewish boy who had entered the religion only moments before: “Praise be to Allah, Who has saved him from the Fire.” (Al
