Esâlîbü'l-hivâr ve davâbituhû fi's-sünneti'n-nebeviyye

This study examines the methods and principles of dialogue in the Prophetic Sunnah, viewing dialogue as a fundamental means of daʿwah, education, and the construction of human understanding. The research begins by highlighting the status of dialogue in Islam and demonstrating its prominent presence in the Prophetic Sunnah. It aims to uncover the Prophetic methodology of dialogue, clarify its Sharīʿah-based principles, and shed light on the most significant dialogical methods employed by the Prophet ﷺ in his interactions with various groups, such as children and adults, men and women, Muslims and non-Muslims. The study also seeks to apply these methods to the contemporary context, particularly in educational, daʿwah, and social fields. The research adopts an inductive-analytical approach by collecting Prophetic hadiths characterized by dialogical discourse, analyzing their content, and deriving the principles and guidelines inferred from them. In addition, a descriptive method is employed to present the concepts related to dialogue and to distinguish it from closely related terms such as argumentation, debate, and disputation. The findings reveal that dialogue in the Prophetic Sunnah is founded upon firmly established ethical principles, including truthfulness, justice, respect for others, and attentive listening. Moreover, it operates within guidelines that take into account individual, age-related, spatial, and temporal differences, as well as diverse intellectual and religious affiliations. The study further demonstrates the diversity of Prophetic dialogical methods, such as the question-and-answer approach, the use of parables, narrative-based dialogue, and the stimulation of reason, emotion, and conscience. This diversity reflects the comprehensiveness and flexibility of the Prophetic methodology. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of reviving and emulating the Prophetic approach to dialogue in addressing contemporary issues, due to its profound impact on fostering the values of coexistence, strengthening a discourse of moderation, and achieving the objectives of Islamic daʿwah.