Is it permissible for a student to give religious books to her teachers, who are not practising, to call them to Allah?

Question: 148923

I have Muslim teachers, but they do not wear hijab, and one of them is Shi‘i. I want to advise them and give them some Islamic books… Would that be considered to be bribery? Allah knows that my intention has nothing to do with bribery at all. As that is the case, how can I call them to wear hijab and follow the path of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)? On one occasion I spoke with my Shi‘i teacher and she liked what I said. She said: “Ma sha Allah, you have knowledge!” But she also told me: “I have lived all my life as a Shi‘i; my parents brought me up in this way. Thank you for talking to me anyway.” And the conversation with her ended. But I want to do more; I want to explain things to her and give her books so that she could follow the path of the Sunnah. What do you advise me to do?

Answer

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

We ask Allah to make you steadfast in guidance and to help you to speak the truth and tell others about it, and to fulfil the duty of calling people to Allah on the basis of knowledge, seeking His pleasure.

You should understand that your advising these teachers, telling them what is right and warning them about what is wrong is a noble action for which you deserve to be praised. So we ask Allah to help you to do it and to increase you in guidance and faith, and to benefit you and benefit others through you.

With regard to giving them Islamic books, it is better not to do that, so as to err on the side of caution. It is also better to keep away from an action that could resemble a bribe or have an impact on them at a time when they have some authority over you, as they are in charge of your education, and it could make them favour you when giving grades and so on, because people have a natural inclination towards those who do them favours.

You can avoid that by making the books that you give to them a loan, so that one of them can read it, then give it back to you. This is more prudent and will absolve you of any wrongdoing. Moreover, it may be more beneficial, because you can guarantee that the teacher will read it, and it is possible that this exchange will lead to a discussion between you and the teacher, so that you can talk with her about the content of the book.

If you want to give her a book, then keep that book with you for now, until you finish your time in school. Then before you move on to the next stage, or she returns to her country, you can give her whatever you want to of gifts, if she is no longer in charge of your education and no longer has any authority over you.

Or someone else, another righteous sister who is involved in calling people to Allah, could help you in this matter, so as to avoid any dubious situation.

Please see also the answer to question no. 82386 .

And Allah knows best.

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