Forsaking a Sunnah For the Sake of Da'wah

Question :

Regarding Allah's Saying:
"And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge."

Can we infer from this Verse that the Da'iyah should abandon a Sunnah if by applying it, people will curse that Sunnah - for example, wearing a garment raised high above the ankles?

Answer:

Leaving a Sunnah has nothing to do with others cursing, so the Verse does not apply here. But perhaps, leaving a Sunnah can be taken from another proof, from the Sunnah itself. The Prophet ﷺ abstained from building the Ka'bah on the original foundation that Ibrahim built it, fearing that it would be a trial for the people, who had only recently accepted Islam.

For example, if a Sunnah is strange and new to the general population, perhaps it would be better for someone to introduce to them that Sunnah by saying before he presented it to them by doing. Thus he should clarify the Sunnah to people in gatherings and in the mosques, and whenever the opportunity arises. Thereafter, when he practices that Sunnah, the people will already be acquainted with it, a fact that will go a long way in making them comfortable with it.

And I am sure that the general population might despise a Sunnah if one person does it, but they won't despise it if another person did it. Therefore, they will not find fault in a Sunnah if a respected and venerated scholar, for example, were to raise his garment to a level much higher than his ankles (to halfway up his calves). Another person, who the people do not trust, may cause uproar for doing the same thing. Because this is a known reaction of people, we should teach the common people in a gradual and progressive manner.

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