This article delves into the topics discussed within the recently aired podcast titled “Hamza Un-Pimpin the Dawah.” During the course of this podcast, our dear brother Ustadh Hamza, explores (what he refers to) as issues within the dawah scene, such as “Infotainment”, “tribalism” and the manner in which Andrew Tate was responded to. Conversely, in the latter portion of this article, we explore the positive outcomes that have emerged from the dawah scene. I’m about to get candid, so buckle up for a thought-provoking discussion.
Ustadh Hamza has served as a mentor to many in numerous ways. I, myself, have benefitted from much of his work — may Allah (SWT) bless him and his family. Furthermore, unlike those who offer advice but fail to embody it, Tzortzis genuinely lives by what he teaches. In a world fuelled by vanity metrics, he has chosen to step back, focusing on soul stretching work and equipping others for the spotlight. This humility demonstrates his dedication to authentic dawah over personal fame. With decades in the field, experience as the CEO of iERA, and now as co-founder of Sapience Institute, he is well positioned to address the dawah landscape. He has also publicly acknowledged his own past mistakes, showing his willingness to grow and heed constructive advice.
“We don’t attack ideas, we attack people. We have become tribal”
The duat are a part of my Muslim family—I hold them in high regard, respect them deeply as leaders, and value their contributions to the ummah, Allahumma Barik. However, this respect does not render them infallible or beyond critique (this isn’t a Justin Bieber concert). Brother Hamza noted a troubling tribalistic mindset in how we view figures in the dawah: an “all or nothing” approach. For instance, one may wholeheartedly support 95% of someone’s work, but is expected to embrace the remaining 5% uncritically, even if it’s flawed. This is incorrect as we ought to strive for ihsan.
“We cannot let the algorithm dictate our actions”
The effectiveness of dawah must be measured not by numbers but by genuine impact on hearts and minds. After all, it only takes a small army for change. Moreover, take a quick trip online and you’ll find much dawah content seriously lacks spirituality and depth. This is a colossal shame, as the audience of such people is vast — they have the potential for real transformative change. I’m not saying that dawah figures should become hideously dull but perhaps they could mix up their content as their viewership is regular.
On the Life Haqq podcast, Tzortzis discussed how he would not want his own son exposed to the views Andrew Tate has shared over the past year, emphasising that Tate does not represent an example of Islamic masculinity.
Let’s pause briefly. Before continuing, it’s probably worthwhile to introduce myself to those of you who are unfamiliar with my work. I have been quietly fighting in the trenches against the cancerous ideology of feminism through dedicated grassroots efforts. In addition, here’s my very brief portfolio of work critiquing this ideology—one that, undermines the stability of the family unit and is disastrous for women and society at large.
Rising Dayuth and Muslimahs flaunting their beauty on Social Media
Does Ali Dawah’s Persistent Focus on Polygyny Hold Merit?
Research reveals: Traditional Housewives Experience Greater Happiness than Modern Career Women
How to shield a Muslim household from Feminism
Feminism and the The Submission of the Muslimah
Why Are More British Muslim Men Marrying Women from ‘Back Home’?
Abortion: The Self-Ownership Fallacy
Hijabi TikTokers Turn to Cosmetic Surgery: A Shift from the Legacy of Substantive Women in Islam
Alongside the issues listed above, a particularly concerning trend, brought to us courtesy of feminism, is the weaponisation of children in UK courts. Some sisters have portrayed committed, responsible and righteous brothers unfairly in order to sever access to their children. The repercussions of such actions will be seen both in this life and the hereafter.
Back to the matter at hand. Why should anyone care about what Tate has said? Now that we have all heard his racist rhetoric and witnessed his alignment with the likes of Tommy Robinson and Katie Hopkins—Muslims have stepped away from him anyway! Wrong. We need to understand how the Red Pill movement has bled into the dawah scene. On one hand, we have the “compassionate duat” appeasing Feminists. On the other hand, we have duat who have implemented teachings from Hustlers University.
As a Muslimah, the first time I encountered an Andrew Tate video, “masculine” was far from the word that came to mind. I wasn’t necessarily angered by him; in fact, the antithesis— I felt sorry for him. He struck me as a wounded man seeking validation, someone I couldn’t respect or look up to. Having studied the seerah (the life of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and witnessed authentic Rijal; true Islamic leadership embodied by men in my family striving to emulate him (s.a.w) I feel attuned to recognising pseudo-masculinity when it’s presented to me. I would recommend reading my work on this matter: Prophet Mohammed (saw): Unveiling the Paragon of Masculinity for Red Pillers’ Enlightenment
A certain brother has previously openly aligned himself with the Red Pill ideology, though his content has since taken on a more Islamic veneer. Despite this, his rhetoric remains unchanged. Notably, he has a history of being arrested for assaulting his wife and has since downplayed men raising their hands against their wives, asserting that the actions of the violent husband will always be the fault of the woman, due to her “big mouth.” This brother has also created content inspired by Red Pill forefather Kevin Samuels, asking sisters to rate themselves on a scale of one to ten. Once the sister did so, he proceeded in telling her why she was a lower score than what she thought she was.
Remarkably, this individual has been given prominent platforms within the dawah sphere to discuss— wait for it— gender issues. Oof. There is a famous saying in Punjabi which comes to mind, ‘which wall should I smack my head against?’ In addition, he was invited to perpetuate his harmful views on popular podcasts. Furthermore, the few sisters that are in the dawah space have even endorsed him, making statements in his presence such as, “Sign me up to the Red Pill movement.” While Allah alone knows their intentions, such remarks have undeniably boosted their online visibility and viewership.
How certain Duat have embodied the sayings of Tate
“Men don’t like women who have endured hardships because women are not good at enduring hardships, only men are.”
Is this “satirical?” I think not! Tate made this ridiculous statement after becoming Muslim. I take my inspiration and world view regarding the capability of women from real women and the mothers of the believers, Alhumdulillah. Tate on the other hand, takes his understanding of women from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!
Here’s a glimpse into the lives of my beloved mothers and the hardships they endured: Maryam (AS) asked Allah (swt) for death because she was in excruciating pain during child birth; Asiyah (AS), who holds one of the highest ranks of women in Islam was subjected to brutal torture at the hands of the tyrant Pharaoh. Khadijah (RA) was widowed and lost children prior to marrying Rasool Allah (s.a.w); Aisha RA hailed from a family of one of the first converts to Islam. Consequently, she would have witnessed her father Abu Bakr (RA) being tortured. Following her marriage to the Prophet (PBUH), Aisha (RA) faced well-documented hardships, especially during events such as the slander incident.
These are all women of Jannah and women of great substance — our role models. They are warrior women. Speaking of which, let’s not forget Nusaybah bint Ka’ab — now, I’m not suggesting that sisters should all pick up a samurai sword and enter the battlefield. However, the great moral lesson here is how this was a woman who was willing to meet death in order to serve on the battlefield of the greatest man who ever lived: Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).
I know ‘warrior women’ who have faced unimaginable storms. And, might I add, there is profound beauty in any soul—regardless of gender—that rises from the depths of struggle with a heart drawn closer to Allah. They pour even more love into those around them, with hearts softened and strengthened by pain, and their smiles are all the more genuine.
Following Tate’s remarks, a certain da’ee produced an absurd skit suggesting that men endure greater hardships than women, stating that women merely have to “slap on a bit of makeup” and life is effortlessly smooth for them, while men must toil to reach their positions. Forgive me but what nonsensical bakwaas is this? Allah did not promise trials solely to believing men; He tests us all. Having said this, the prophets and Sahaba (who were men) experienced immense trials. However, gender wars do not come from Islam, they come from Shaytan. We are not in competition with one another regarding which gender encounters more pain.
These brothers should recall they, too, have mothers and daughters. Surely, their mothers did not simply “slap on a bit of makeup” and lead charmed lives in order to raise them.
Sadly, many of our brothers in the dawah—and even sisters, lack emotional intelligence and maturity, thus exacerbating gender wars, and inadvertently creating more feminists and reactionary Red Pill attitudes.
In the dawah sphere, comments such as, “A woman over 30 has no value” and ”a single woman at this age is likely to have messed around” were made, ostensibly to challenge feminism—though with all the finesse of a blunt hammer. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) married Khadijah (RA), who, according to ahadith, was either close to 30 or 40 at the time. She held immense value and holds a revered place in our Islamic heritage.
Herein lies the issue: some duat are venturing into becoming sociologist, losing sight of the timeless stories within our tradition that are there for a reason. They serve to teach us that the ummah is vast, life is not black and white, and everyone is welcome in the ummah. For instance, some sisters are reverts, embraced Islam at 40 and now have a need for marriage, some sisters are widowed through no fault of their own, some may have been struck with an illness in their younger years and were fighting for their lives, some sisters were picky in their younger years (incidentally, this is completely wrong and there is a Hadith regarding the consequences of a woman who rejects a good marriage proposal). However, such girls were not necessarily “messing around.”
These blanket statements risk driving people away from the community, and more alarmingly, Islam. If a person feels they hold no “value” in a community— this will inevitably drive them away, particularly those who have newly embraced the deen. The so-called “anomalies” absolutely matter, as dawah ought to be given in an open-minded manner and holistically to individuals in mind not to abstract groups of people. Furthermore, it only takes one person to spark a movement that can transform generations. This approach is far more penetrative and impactful for our cause. Sure, challenge the feminists (we should, I’m not suggesting for a second that we shouldn’t) but maligning an entire demographic of people can only have negative consequences. This is the mindset we must adopt — in my humble opinion.
What’s been good about the dawah in recent times?
Whenever we engage in critique, it is essential to also acknowledge the positive aspects. We may tend to focus on the negatives in this context because our ultimate goal is to elevate the dawah, and strive for ihsan (excellence), a mission that cannot be taken lightly. That said, despite the never ending dawah beef and the existence of trivial reaction videos (though not all are without merit, particularly in the context of Palestine awareness), something unprecedented is occurring: our duat are swiftly entering the mainstream. This increased visibility means that both non-practicing Muslims and non-Muslims are becoming familiar with their work, making them household names.
This is a significant development, as it aligns with the prophecy of the message reaching every home—a phenomenon that has not been witnessed before. As a school teacher, I observe teenage boys who previously lacked role models now finding inspiration in our duat. As previously mentioned, while it is crucial for duat to further intertwine spirituality with their teachings, a wealth of secular knowledge is being integrated into dawah. This has proven to be fruitful.
Numerous scholarly works are being produced, and Islam continues to be the fastest growing religion. Since the lockdown, online dawah streaming platforms have thrived, significantly enhancing accessibility for individuals around the world to engage with us. Also, certain duat are effectively collaborating and bridging the gap amongst themselves on a global scale.
For the first time, Muslims are no longer trained to adopt a defensive posture; rather, we are being equipped to approach dawah strategically and proactively. We now have robust and unapologetically Muslim duat in our midst. Moreover, substantial academic papers are being published that critically challenge modernity. Furthermore, the word on the street is, there is an excellent new Muslim news website that was recently launched!
