What We Do – Dawah Institute

Research

This is the engine-room of the Da’wah Institute of Nigeria. As an organization poised to respond to misconceptions that Muslims, and others, may have about Islam, the DIN carries out periodic surveys – online and offline – in different countries across the globe. The DIN thus conducts research, develops resource materials and methods for Da’wah, and organizes training programmes in:

Facilitating the intelligent understanding and application of Islamic Jurisprudence in Contemporary societies.
Identifying and clearing misconceptions about Islam held by Muslims and Non-Muslims.
Building Community Resilience and Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) through Alternative Narratives.
Capacity building for better interfaith engagement and bridge building for peaceful co-existence.
Promoting the rights of women in Islam and gender equity
Ethical Reform and Self-Development
Building the capacities of Da’wah workers and Islamic organizations through Da’wah Resource Management

Training

Once research has been completed, and resources and methods have been developed, there is need for training on the content of the materials, especially for da’wah activists, teachers, lecturers, as well as youth, religious and community leaders, to help them to more effectively use and disseminate the material. For over 4 decades now, the Da’wah Institute of Nigeria (DIN), has trained officials, resource persons and executives from over 300 Islamic organizations in Nigeria. Over the last 10 years, the DIN through its full-time trainers and network of volunteer trainers, has conducted several Train-the-Trainers Courses (TTCs) and Step-Down Trainings (SDTs) for over 10,000 youth, religious and community leaders in nearly 20 countries including Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan, Malaysia, Australia, Burundi, Bahrain, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Finland, Estonia, the United Kingdom amongst others. Our Courses Include: The Train-The-Trainer Courses (TTCs), which are designed to help Muslim youths become more confident about their faith and develop the skills to share it with others. They treat in appropriate depth, with detailed referencing, a number of the most common misconceptions about Islam held by both Muslims and non-Muslims, and the various issues surrounding them. It aims to improve their understanding and appreciation of various aspects of Islam so as to remove any inferiority complexes among Muslims in their practice and presentation of Islam in contemporary society, as well as to help people of other faiths understand Islam better. The course manual also has a rich bibliography of highly recommended reading for those involved in sharing Islam with others. Courses in this category include Shari’ah Intelligence, Ethical Reform and Personal Development, Da’wah Resource Management, Building resilience against Violent Extremism, amongst others. The Train-The-Trainer Courses Primer (TTCP), is a simpler version of the TTCs targeted at teenagers and young adults at the Senior Secondary School and early undergraduate years. The Specialized Courses on Islam, which are specially designed to cater for the intellectual needs of specific audiences. The Deen Reloading Courses are tailored to help Muslim teenagers aged 13 – 19 to understand and address particular areas of common misconceptions and confusion among Muslims and non-Muslims. They address more definite challenging and often faith-shaking questions that many find difficult to respond to in a reasonable and authoritative manner. Other courses in this category include the Pre-marital and Marital Counselling courses, The Faithful Heart course and the Inter-religious Dialogue course which is designed to foster mutual understanding and respect between Muslims and non-Muslims for peaceful co-existence. The Preventing Violent Extremism –Through Alternative Narratives (PVE-TAN) Course, which is designed for Imams, muftis, Islamic studies teachers and lecturers, da’wah activists and others who are actively involved with engaging with the populace on a regular basis, is meant to imbue participants with necessary skills to effectively tackle the ideological challenge of extremism. The Da‘wah Grassroots Program (DGP) courses are aimed at Islamic enlightenment at the grassroots level, especially in rural areas. The combination of courses is intended to empower rural communities with the ability to continue Islamic propagation and training among other neighbouring communities without dependence on external aid, though follow-up and monitoring are necessary for sustaining success in rural Da’wah. The DGP courses include a Public Enlightenment Course, a Converts’ Training Course, a course on Da’wah Methodology, and the Imam Proficiency Courses (Parts I & II). The DGP usually goes side-by-side with other rural education and development programs. To participate in any of our courses or make further enquiries, kindly send an e-mail to dawahinstitute@gmail.com to request for a copy of our prospectus.

Literature

It is not enough to conduct research and respond to misconception, the output of the research has to be made available for public consumption, since some people would not be able to afford the time and resources to attend trainings in residence. From surveys conducted by the DIN and a few other organizations, the most important medium of disseminating religious knowledge and information to Imams and most other religious community gatekeepers is through literature especially books, and not from online sources (yet). Books still account for over 90% of their learning resources of religious information. Literature and audio CDs of the same themes and topics (as the TTCs) in various relevant languages, allow for cheaper, faster and much wider dissemination of critical information that local scholars, Imams, youth and community leaders can use in various innovative ways. Thus, in a bid to engage and influence a wider audience, the DIN regularly publishes and distributes training manuals, books and audio CDs on various topics within their thematic areas.