As much a satisfaction we get when Allaah chooses us as a means for a brother or sister to become a Muslim, we get just as much satisfaction just speaking to a member of the public who leaves understanding why Islaam is the truth; but needs a little more time to digest and further research. We have even trained our du'aat to figure out the level where a person may be, as to advise further reading around the subject rather than asking them to become a Muslim (though of course we always invite them to Islaam, but do it for example like when;
"We have rationally agreed that Islaam makes sense, that it is the Guidance from the Creator informing us of His Oneness, His Ever-Living nature, His Uniquness, His Perfection, the Purpose of Life, How to live Life, how to attain closeness to Him etc. It is the criterion by which you will be judged, this life being a test. I realise it's a lot to take in, and I would love for you to be a Muslim, I really would as I want what is good for me to also be for you and the rest of mankind. If you need a little time, here are some pamphlets you can have a read through, some website addresses where you can learn more, the address of our Mosque if you ever want to pop in to our weekly open days and we are here every Saturday too. But don't leave it too long, as we never know when our time in this world will come to an end"
i.e. we really don't push for a Shahadah. What is a Shahadah if the person is not certain, doesn't love it, and doesn't yearn for it? The Shahadah has conditions, and merely professing to it isn't enough. Don't get us wrong, we are not advocating that you shouldn't ask for a Shahadah or be discouraged if you believe the person is ready and thereafter strengthening their yaqeen (certainty) and building muhabba (love) for it, but we really shouldn't set the number of Shahadas as the criterion..
'Some people have been asking why we are not uploading pictures of the brothers & sisters taking their Shahada or not mentioning them as much..
2 reasons:
1- We do not want to inspire people to give Dawah by the Highlighting the Shahada count. We at Team Dawah Manchester believe that giving Dawah is much much more than that. It is about several different things, such as;
- going out in the first place, making the effort even if you are ignored by the majority
- exercising patience & kindness when people reject or even ridicule the message
- having some great rationale conversations where we challenge the minds of the people we speak to, generating thoughts on the logic and truthfulness of Islaam
2- In the past we did take pictures of our new Muslim brothers & sisters taking their shahada & uploading them onto our facebook, but upon advice from a new Muslim group, we decided that we would no longer upload them as it can potentially damage the new Muslim brother's/sister's life. How? Well, we & they don't really know how their friends, family, colleagues, neighbours etc will react with the news that they are Muslim. They may want to keep it a secret for a while and sharing them on facebook can cause some problems..
we've taken these pictures that we have in the past and they have been shared, so we will keep them up, but will not be adding to them.."
So, be satisfied in making the effort in the first place, be satisfied that you are developing your Dawah skills (over time) and using this in trying to bring people back to Allaah. Be satisfied in trying your upmost best, and do not ever view a low Shahadah count as something negative? Who is to say that you didn't have a great conversation with this man/woman, articulated your points clearly in an inviting manner and some time later they decided to become a Muslim?
Remember, there are two types of Hidayat.
1- We we can guide someone to the truth by presenting it to them, but the most important is point 2
2- Hidayat from Allaah (Glorified be HE), which is based upon the Tawfique He gives to this individual, and this is ONLY from Allaah azzawajal!!
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