Dawah
/ˈdɑː.wə/noun
The Islamic practice of inviting or calling people toward Islam and its teachings.
Did you know?Dawah comes from the same Arabic root as duʿāʾ, a personal prayer or supplication, linking “calling others” with “calling upon God.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*dʕw
“To call, summon, or invoke; the reconstructed ancestor of the Arabic root.”
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
daʿā
“He called, summoned, invited, or invoked.”
7th Century
Classical Arabic
daʿwa
“A call, invitation, appeal, or summons; in Islamic contexts, an invitation to faith.”
Medieval Islamic Arabic
Arabic
daʿwah
“Religious outreach or calling people toward Islam and its teachings.”
20th Century
English
dawah
“An English transliteration referring to Islamic missionary or outreach activity.”