Page 44 - Communication and Argument in the Qur'an

42 COMMUNICATION AND ARGUMENT IN THE QUR’AN

[Hud said:] “If you turn your backs, I have transmitted
to you what I was sent to you with, and my Lord will
replace you with another people, and you will not harm
Him at all. My Lord is the Preserver of everything.”
(Surah Hud: 57)

3. Assessing the hearer’s attitude and
sincerity
Believers must frequently make an assessment of the
unbelievers’ reactions to what they are being told.
Sometimes it will be necessary to alter the conversation’s
content, style, and intensity according to the person’s spir-
itual state and ability to understand. This could provide a
degree of flexibility to make the message more appropriate
to those being addressed. In addition, this would allow the
believer to measure the other person’s sincerity or open-
ness to the message before continuing. However, if the
other person’s attitude is thought to be the result of an
ulterior motive (e.g., worldly gain) or insincerity, then this
effort should cease.
In the Qur’an Allah tells us that Prophet Sulayman (as)
used to observe the person’s reaction and then present the
next topic accordingly. When sending a letter to the Queen
of Sheba via Hudhud, a member of his army, he gave this
command:

“Take this letter of mine, deliver it to them, and then
withdraw for a little and see how they respond.” (Surat
an-Naml: 28)