A person who undertakes the task of da’wah should also have a basic knowledge of his or her addressees.
It is quite understandable that Muslims have difficulty convincing Buddhists about God, as their religion does not give any significance to the belief in the existence of God.
But we know every human, whether Muslim or Non-Muslim, knows of God in the depths of their hearts, possibly in a half-forgotten manner. This is the reason why Allah Almighty commands us to remind the non-Muslims of Allah:
فَذَكِّرْ إِن نَّفَعَتِ الذِّكْرَىٰ ﴿٩﴾ سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَن يَخْشَىٰ ﴿١٠﴾
Remind then, [others of the truth, regardless of] whether this reminding [would seem to] be of use [or not](9).He who fears [Allah] will be reminded.(10) [Quran 87:9-10]
The foregoing indicates that our duty is to awaken the people to the truth of their origin as God’s creation. Ask them: where do you come from in an ultimate philosophical sense.
Whether they give you the right answer or not, you may begin by giving them the Islamic answer. And if your friend is willing to listen, you can give an idea of God as described in the Quran too.
Another point about Buddhists is that they do not believe in heaven or hell. And the concept of karma and rebirth as believed by the Buddhists is quite different. They also deny the existence of the soul.
You can counter the above beliefs by telling them of the psychological need felt by all of us for rewards after good actions. If there is no God, what seems to exist is dangerously unreliable, and there is no real incentive for doing good either.
Is it wrong then to have the desire in us for a better life, for a better world?
Without such a desire and the expectation of good results for our efforts (which is our reward here and now), the world will be a desert of dried up dreams.
As for the soul, it is our self which gives us the feeling of “me”; and without that feeling we have no real identity and we are nowhere. As humans who live in the world of the body and the soul, we strive for satisfaction at both levels.
Islam is a religion and a philosophy that addresses the human condition in this life, and promises a future world of happiness to those who lead a meaningful life here.
By way of da’wah, you may also begin by seeking the common ground between Buddhism and Islam.
Gautama Buddha (or Tathagata) taught that he was not the only Buddha (meaning, the Enlightened One) leading people along the Right Path.
In answer to a question by Ananda, Gautama said:
‘I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth, nor shall I be the last.
In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a Holy One, a supremely enlightened One, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals.
