This week, Millions of fans will be gathering in Mexico City for this year’s World Cup. Nahela Morales and a team from WhyIslam will be amongst them, but not for the reason you might think. Rather, they’re there to use the event as an opportunity to spread the deen.

Nahela is a big proponent of taking any opportunity to help others find the deen and has been quoted as saying:

“As Muslims, we have a responsibility to convey this message and to help clear up misconceptions. As believers, we understand that everyone has a responsibility to share this message.”

To help reach fans, Nahela and WhyIslam are bringing along Spanish pamphlets, Qur’ans, and some memorabilia bearing the reminder: “What’s your purpose.”

Their approach includes visiting various fan festivals, tourist areas, and other popular destinations across Mexico City with the goal of being able to engage with citizens and soccer fans alike. Nahela mentions that quite a few people across Mexico just haven’t had the opportunity to meet another Muslim, which is what this wonderful initiative is planning on changing.  

For the team, the Dawah began as soon as they landed. There was a janitor in the airport who initially refused to take a Spanish copy of the Qur’an, but he did take some pamphlets. Later on, Nahela introduced him to another member of the team, which sparked a conversation that lasted three and a half hours.

He then accepted Islam.

That’s effective dawah, to approach someone of any background and to speak to them as an equal.

This isn’t the first time Nahela and WhyIslam took on the World Cup to help spread the deen. Back in 2014, they traveled to Brazil and spent three weeks traveling to help others find Allah.

For Nahela, the most standout moment was when their driver, who was named Don Carlos, took his shahadah three weeks into their trip. He was inspired by the generosity he witnessed when they traveled to favelas across Brazil to distribute food.

He said,”‘You came from so far away to feed my people, to take care of my people. I live here, and I want to follow your footsteps.” And then took his shahadah.

Morale’s dedication to being present for the sake of Allah carries a significant impact on the communities she interacts with and likely inspired hundreds of shahadahs.

May Allah make her and WhyIslam’s efforts this year even more successful than last time, and may He reward her for her dedication.

For our beloved brothers and sisters, there is a very important lesson here: when you convert to Islam, it can be stressful to figure out what to tell your family and how to convince them that you’re on the right path. However, sometimes the most impactful thing we can do is just be there for them and use the resources Allah gave us to do good for them, and they will see the truth if He wills.  

If you would like to support this wonderful initiative, you can donate here: whyislam.org/fifa