The orgin is that a person should make his predominant source for dawah the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Noble Messenger sallahu alayhi wa salam since in there is much sufficiency for all people in reality. However, there are certain scenarios wherein a caller – who is grounded in Islamic knowledge – could cite statements of kufaar as a secondary source of information in a context to additionally substantiate a point across that even one of your own has attested to this, similar to the statement of Allah:

و شهد شاهد من أهلها

“And a witness of their own testified”

Also similar to the hadeeth:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ ‏ “‏ أَصْدَقُ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَهَا الشَّاعِرُ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيدٍ أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلُ وَكَادَ أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ أَبِي الصَّلْتِ أَنْ يُسْلِمَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said:

“The truest of words spoken by a poet are the words of Labeed (i.e. a non-muslim): Everything besides Allah is false.’ And Abu Umayyah bin Abu Salt nearly accepted Islam.”

Ash-Shaykh Bin Baaz rahimahullah, said when clarifying when it is permissible to quote from the old testaments:

لقصد إسلامي ؛ كالرد على أعداء الله ، ولبيان فضل القرآن وما فيه من الحق والهدى

“… For an Islamic cause such as for refuting the enemies of Allah or to clarify the virtues of the Quran and what it contains from truth and guidance…”

[Fatawa nur ala darb (1/10)]

Note: Unfortunately, some have went into extreme concerning this affair and have made their foremost source of giving da’wah to non-muslims quoting words from disbelievers and relaying scientific works of modern-day scientists and perhaps they may not at all relay the verses of Allaah or the words of the Messenger sallahu alayhi wa salam. This action of theirs may fall into the following ayah:

أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَىٰ بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ

“Would you exchange that which is better for that which is lower?!” [2:61]

And Allaah knows best

Translated by

AbdulFattaah Bin Uthman
Abu Fajr