In truth, what has caused the call (da'wah) to lose its desired impact for centuries is the contradiction that Muslims experience. We are witnessing a process of demolition and a process of construction, where the demolition process is stronger and more active, and those engaged in it are stronger and more active as well. They possess means that dedicated preachers do not have. The processes of demolition and construction are both ongoing at full steam; however, the construction is, unfortunately, slow and unarmed, with many aspects lacking. What the preachers build in days and weeks is demolished by the demolishers in hours and minutes.
Moreover, there is a lack of sincere preachers who have devoted their lives, talents, and energies to rekindle faith in the hearts of the youth and restore confidence in the validity of Islam and its merit—not just for survival but for leading humanity in this era.
From my experience and study, many of the youth have lost this confidence, even if they do not explicitly state it or acknowledge it. There is an intellectual regression that has invaded Muslim societies, particularly among the youth. It is neither polite nor graceful for someone to go to church and declare that they have converted to Christianity; this is something no Muslim would accept.
However, if we explore their beliefs, their faith in God and the Messenger, in the afterlife, and in the teachings of Islam as outlined in the Quran, we find that they have lost trust in the idea that it aligns with reason and modernity, and that it carries a message for humanity, for the modern human being.
They believe that Islam played a decent role in the early Islamic period by prohibiting the burying of girls alive and forbidding idol worship. But what about this complex, advanced, and civilized era?
They think that Islam does not have a message for this age. Therefore, the main issue is to restore faith in the hearts of the youth, and then to rebuild their confidence in the adequacy of Islam, affirming that Islam is the final, eternal religion of God, with no religion to follow it.
The real problem we face today is the oscillation of Muslim youth between the processes of demolition and construction, between building and destruction, between denial and affirmation.
