Tablighi Jamaat تبلیغی جماعت

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Tablighi Jamaat تبلیغی جماعت

English: Event : Malaysia Jamaat Tablighee Ijtima’ ( World ) Location : Sepang Selangor, Malaysia Date : 9 ~ 12 July 2009 Additional Information : Attended by more than 200,000 thousand Muslims from around the world. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tablighi Jamaat (Urdu: تبلیغی جماعت; Arabic: جماعة التبليغ‎; Bengali: তাবলীগ জামাত; Hindi: तबलीगी जमात; (English: Society for spreading faith) is a religious movement which was founded in 1926 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi in India.^[4] The movement primarily aims at Tablighi spiritual reformation by working at the grass roots level, reaching out to Muslimsacross all social and economic spectra to bring them closer to Islam.^[3][5]

Tablighi Jamaat came forth as an offshoot of the Deobandi movement. Its inception is believed to be a response to the deteriorating values and negligence of fundamental aspects of Islam, which were considered a threat to Muslims.^[6] It gradually expanded from local to national to a transnational movement and now has followers in over 150 countries.^[3]

Tablighi Jamaat maintains a non-affiliating stature in matters of politics and fiqh (jurisprudence).^[7] Although Tabligh Jamaat emerged out of the Deobandi sub-school in the Hanafi fiqh, no particular interpretation of Islam has been endorsed since the beginning of the movement since the Quran and Hadith from which various denominations derive their authority and sanctity is one and unmutable .^[7][8] Tabligh Jamaat has largely avoided electronic media and has emphasized a personal communication for proselytizing. The teachings of Tabligh Jamaat are mainly basic in approach and the Six Principles put forward by Muhammad Ilyas influence most of their teachings.

Tabligh Jamaat attracted significant public and media attention when it announced plans for the largest mosque in Europe to be built in London, United Kingdom. It is a pacifist organisation.^[9]

History

Deobandi Movement

Key figures

Qasim Nanotvi · Rashid Gangohi Husain Madani · Mehmud Hasan Shabbir Usmani · Ashraf Ali Thanwi Anwar Kashmiri · Ilyas Kandhlawi Ubaidullah Sindhi · Taqi Usmani

Notable Institutions

Darul Uloom Deoband, India Mazahirul Uloom Saharanpur, India Hathazari Madrassah, Bangladesh Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama, India Darul Uloom Karachi, Pakistan Jamia Uloom ul Islamia, Pakistan Jamiah Darul Uloom Zahedan, Iran Darul Uloom London, England Darul Uloom New York, United States Darul Uloom Canada, Canada Madrasah In’aamiyyah, South Africa Darul Uloom Zakariyya, South Africa

Movements

Tablighi Jamaat Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Tehreek-e-Khatme Nabuwwat Sipah-e-Sahaba Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Taliban

Bangla wali masjid (Photo credit: TwoCircles.net)

The emergence of Tablighi Jamaat represented the intensification of individual reformation aspects of the original Deobandi movement. It was also a continuation of the broader trend of Islamic revival in India in the wake of the collapse of Muslim political power and the consolidation of the British rule.

The emergence of Tablighi Jamaat also coincided closely with the rise of various Hindu proselytizing movements which launched massive efforts in the early twentieth century to reconvert Hindus who had converted to Islam and Christianity.^[10] Notable among these Hindu revivalist movements were Shuddhi (purification) and Sangathan (consolidation) movements. The Tabligh movement aimed to reaffirm Muslim religio-cultural identity of borderline Muslims who still practiced customs and religious rites connected with Hinduism. Unlike common proselytizing movements, TJ never strove to convert non-Muslims to Islam, rather it exclusively focused on making Muslims ‘better and purer’.^[11][12]

Main article: Tabligh movement in Mewat

Tablighi Jamaat was formed in 1926 in Mewat, in north India, which was inhabited by the Meos, a Rajput ethnic group. At the time, some Muslim Indian leaders feared that Muslims were losing their religious identity to the majority Hindu culture. The movement was never given any name officially, but Ilyas used to call it Tahrik-i Imaan.^[13][14]

There is evidence that several Meos converted to Islam, followed by re-conversion to Hinduism when Muslim political power declined in the region. The Meos were generally benighted Muslims before the emergence of Tabligh Jamaat, and lacked the necessary acumen required to resist the cultural and religious influence of Hindus.^[10]

Muhammad Ilyas, the founder of Tabligh Jamaat, wanted to set forth a movement that would exemplify the Qur’anic decree of ‘enjoining good and forbidding evil’.^[15][16] The inspiration for devoting his life to Islam came to Ilyas during his second pilgrimage to the Hejaz in 1926.^[17] He initially tried to establish a network of mosque-based religious schools to educate the Mewati Muslims about Islamic beliefs and practices. Shortly afterwards, he was disappointed with the reality that these institutions were producing religious functionaries but not preachers.^[18]

Ilyas abandoned the teaching profession at Madrasah Mazahir Uloom in Saharanpur and became a missionary. He relocated to Nizamuddinnear Delhi, where this movement was formally launched in 1926.^[18] When setting the guidelines for the movement, he sought inspiration from the practices adopted by Muhammad at the dawn of Islam.^[16] Muhammad Ilyas put forward the slogan, Urdu: “!اﮮ مسلمانو! مسلمان بنو”, “O Muslims! Become Muslims”. This expressed the central focus of Tablighi Jamat: their aim to renew Muslims socially by uniting them in embracing the lifestyle of Muhammad. The movement gained a phenomenal following in a relatively short period and nearly 25,000 people attended the annual conference in November 1941.^[18]

Bishwa Dhaka Ijtema in Bangladesh

The group began to expand its activities in 1946, and within two decades the group reached Southwest and Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.^[19] Tabligh Jamaat’s aversion to politics, and also its absence of any direct and practical Economic-Political-Social viewpoints, like the occupation of Palestine helped it enter and operate in societies, especially western countries and societies where politically active religious groups faced severe restrictions.^[20]

The first foreign missions were sent to the Hejaz and Britain in 1946.^[21] The next nation to receive Tablighi Jamatt missionaries was the United States. During the 1970s and 1980s Tablighi Jamaat established a large presence in continental Europe.^[13]

The construction of the Markazi Masjid in Dewsbury, England commenced in 1978 which subsequently became the European headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat. This centre holds one major gathering annually, generally in Dewsbury itself. It has also constructed a busy madrasah, called the Institute of Islamic Education.^[22]

Introduced in France in 1960s, Tablighi Jamaat grew significantly in the two decades following 1970.^[23] Tabligh Jamaat declined around 1989, although some members still represent it in the French Council of the Muslim Faith.^[13] During the first half-deacde of the 21st century Tablighi Jamaat went through a major revival in France, reaching 100,000 followers by 2006.^[1] However, the United Kingdom is the current focus of the movement in the Europe, primarily due to the large South Asian population that began to arrive there in the 1960s.^[24] By 2007, Tabligh members were situated at 600 of Britain’s 1,350 mosques.^[22]

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the movement made inroads into Central Asia. As of 2007, it was estimated that 10,000 Tabligh Jamaat members could be found in Kyrgyzstan.^[2]

The FBI believes that nearly 50,000 members of Tablighi Jamaat are active in the United States.^[3] As of 2008, the organization had a presence in nearly 213countries and a total following of between 100 and 150 million people. By some measures this made Tablighi Jamaat the largest Muslim movement in the world. The majority of the followers of Tablighi Jamaat live in South Asia.^[3][25]

Beliefs and objectives

Following the fundamentals of Sunni Islam, every member is allowed to follow his own fiqh as long as it does not deviate from Sunni Islam.^[7][24] Tablighi Jamaat defines its objective with reference to the concept of Dawah which literally means ‘to call’ and connotes to an invitation to act. In religious context, it implies to a call towards Islam and not prayers which may also refer to a ‘mission’ if used in reference with religious prophets and people who were assigned such mission. Tabligh Jamaat interprets Dawah as enjoining good and forbidding evil only and defines its objective within the framework of two particular Qur’anic verses which refer to this mission.^[26] Those two verses are:^[27]

Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteousness, and says, “I am of those who bow in Islam”?

—Qur’an, sura 41 (Fussilat), ayah 33^[28]

Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity.

—Qur’an sura 3 (Al-i-Imran), ayah 104^[15]

Tabligh Jamaat encourages everyone to fulfill the Islamic requirement of da’wa even if the person falls short of strong religious intellect. This was different from the other Islamic movements which were mainly ulama-led and extended their leadership roles to the religious erudites. Tabligh Jamaat also negated the prevailing idea that the highest standards of Islamic scholarship and ethical standards were pre-requisites for proselytizing; and promoted da’wa as a mechanism of self-reform.^[29]

The only objective of Tabligh Jamaat, overtly stated in most sermons, is that Muslims adopt and invite for the Islamic lifestyle, exemplified by Muhammad, in its perfection. They encourage Muslims to spend time out of their daily routine in the tablighi activities so that the rest of routine could be harmonized with Tablighi lifestyle, though the Tabligi’s want follow the preachings and teachings of the prophet, yet in the Daa’wah tours emphasis is laid on books like ‘Tabligi Nisaab’, comprising of books like’Faadha’il Aa’mal’ etc. They insist that the best way of learning is teaching and encouraging others, with the books prescribed by Tabligi Jamaat Movement in the light of Quran and Sahih hadith.^[6]

Tablighi ethic discourages social enmeshments in customary and ceremonial rituals which are usually extravagantly followed in South Asia. For example, in such annual congregations and other similar mass meetings, marriages are performed by dozens sans the costly celebrations.^[30]

Six Principles

Bangla wali masjid

The method adopted by Muhammad Ilyas was simple. It was to organize units (called jamaats, Arabic: جماعتِ ‎ meaning Assembly) of at least ten persons and send them to various villages. This unit jamaat, would visit a village, invite the local Muslims only to assemble in the mosque and present their message in the form of Six Principles.^[31] Muhammad Ilyas articulated six demands in the form of Six Principles which are quintessential to Tabligh Jamaat’s teachings. These six principles are:

1. Kalmah: An article of faith in which a Muslim accepts that there is no god but Allah and the Prophet Muhammad is His Last messenger”. Yet it is not as simple as proclaiming tawheed, rather it also has to do with having conviction that every single thing is done by the will of Allah. Moreover, the fact that not a leaf can fall from the tree yet it has been decreed by Allah. The means of bringing this conviction in one’s life requires one to follow the Sunnah (way) of the Prophet Muhammad (May Peace Be Upon Him).
2. Salah: “Five daily prayers that are essential to spiritual elevation, piety, and a life free from the ills of the material world” The notion that through one’s salah, one can directly attain from the treasures of Allah (SWT). However it is not simply praying salah, but praying it in the manner of the Prophet Muhammad, i.e. With concentration and devotion.
3. Ilm and Zikr: “The knowledge and remembrance of Allah conducted in sessions in which the congregation listens to preaching by the emir, performs prayers, recites the Quran and reads Hadith as is described in the books like “Tabligi Nisaab’ comprising of Fadhaa’il Aa’mal’ and other books
4. Ikraam-e-Muslim: “The treatment of fellow Muslims with honor and deference” To Like for other what you like for yourself.
5. Ikhlas-e-Niyyat: “Reforming one’s life in supplication to Allah by performing every human action for the sake of Allah and toward the goal of self-transformation”
6. Dawt’o’ Tableegh(Dawah): “The sparing of time to live a life based on faith and learning its virtues, following in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad, and taking His message door-to-door for the sake of faith. “^[24]

Organization

Kakrail Mosque, Dhaka. The Tablighi Jamaat movement in Bangladesh is mostly based here.

Tablighi Jamaat follows an informal organizational structure and keeps an introvert institutional profile. It keeps its distance from mass media and avoids publishing details about its activities and membership. The group also exercises complete abstinence from expressing opinions on political and controversial issues mainly to avoid the disputes which would accompany these endorsements.^[32][33] As an organization, Tabligh Jamaat does not seek donations and is not funded by anyone, in fact members have to bear their own expenditures. Since there is no formal registration process and no official membership count has ever been taken, the exact membership statistics remain unknown.^[34] The movement discourages interviews with its elders and has never officially released texts. Even though there are publications associated with the movement, particularly by Zakariya Kandahalwi, the emphasis has never been on book learning, but rather on first-hand personal communication.^[6][35] A collection of books, usually referred as Tablighi Nisaab (Tablighi Curriculum), is recommended by Tabligh Jamaat elders for general reading. This set includes four books namely (Hayatus Sahabah, Fazail-e-Amaal,Fazail-e-Sadqaat and Muntakhab Ahadith).^[36]

The organization’s activities are coordinated through centers and headquarters called Markaz. Tablighi Jamaat maintains its international headquarters, called Nizamuddin Markaz, in the Nizamuddin West district of South Delhi, India, from where it originally started. It also has country headquarters in over 213 countries to coordinate its activities. These headquarters organize volunteer, self-funding people in groups (called jamaats), averaging ten to twelve people, for reminding Muslims to remain steadfast on path of God.^[25] These jamaats and preaching missions are self funded by their respective members.

Leadership

Ameer is the title of leadership in the Tabligh Jamaat and the attribute largely sought is the quality of faith, rather than the worldly rank.^[30] The ameer of Tabligh Jamaat is appointed for life by central consultative council (shoora) and elders of Tabligh Jamaat.^[35][37] First ameer, also the founder, was Muhammad Ilyas, second was his son Muhammad Yusuf Kandhalawi and the third was Inaam ul Hasan.^[19] At present, there is a council of two people — Zubair ul Hasan and Saad Kandhalawi — acting as ameer.^[25]

Activities and traditions

Dry-dock parable:
Man is a ship in trouble in tumultuous sea. It is impossible to repair it without taking it away from the high seas where the waves of ignorance and the temptations of temporal life assail it. Its only chance is to come back to land to be dry-docked. The dry-dock is the mosque of the jamaat.

— from the book Travellers in Faith^[38]

The activism of Tabligh Jamaat can be characterized by the last of the Six Principles. This principle, Tafrigh-i-Waqt(English: sparing of time) justifies the withdrawal from world, though temporarily, for travelling. Travel has been adopted as the most effective method of personal reform and has become an emblematic feature of organization. They describe the purpose of this retreat as to patch the damages caused by the worldly indulgence and occasionally use the dry-dock parable to explain this.^[38]

These individual jamaats, each led by an ameer, are sent from each markaz across the city or country to remind people to persist on the path of God. The duration of the work depends on the discretion of each jamaat. A trip can take an evening, a couple of days or a prolonged duration.^[3][30]

Khurūj – proselytizing tour

Tabligh Jamaat encourages its followers to follow the pattern of spending “one night a week, one weekend a month, 40 continuous days a year, and ultimately 120 days at least once in their lives engaged in tabligh missions”. During the course of these tours, members are generally seen dressed in simple, white, loose-clothing, carrying sleeping bags on their backs.^[30] These members use mosques as their base during this travel but particular mosques, due to more frequent tablighi activities, have come to be specifically associated with this organization. These mosques generally hold the periodic, smaller scale convocations for neighborhood members.^[6]

During their stay in mosques, these jamaats conduct a daily gasht, which involves visiting local neighborhoods, preferably with the help of a guide.^[24] They invite people to attend the Maghrib prayer at their mosque and those who attend are delivered a sermon after the prayers, which essentially outlines the Six Principles. They urge the attendees to spend time in tabligh for self reformation and the propagation of Islam.^[39][40] Also the regular activities like eating, sleeping etc. are also carried out in the mosques.

Generally, the assumed role of these jamaat members cycle in a way that they may be engaged as a preacher, a cook or as a cleaner at other times. Among Tabligh Jamaat members, this is generally referred to as khidmat which essentially connotes to serving their companions and freeing them for tablighi engagements.^[30] The members of the Jamaat are assigned these roles based on the day’s mashwara. The markaz keeps records of each jamaat and its members, the identity of whom is verified from their respective mosques. Mosques are used to assist the tablighi activities of individual jamaats that voluntarily undertake preaching missions.^[3][25] Members of a jamaat, ideally, pay expenses themselves so as to avoid financial dependence on anyone.^[30]

Ijtema – annual gathering

An annual gathering of followers, called ijtema, is summoned at headquarters of the respective countries. A typical ijtema continues for three days and ends with an exceptionally long prayer.^[1] These gatherings are considered moments of intense blessings by Tabligh Jamaat members and are known to attract members in excess of 2 million in some countries.^[6] The oldest ijtema of the World started in Bhopal, capital city of Madhya Pradesh, India.^{[citation needed]} It attracts people from all over World. Almost 2 million people gather for this annual gathering. The largest of such annual gatherings is held in Bangladesh. The Bengali gathering, called Bishwa Ijtema (World Gathering), converges followers from around the world in Tongi near Dhaka, Bangladesh, with an attendance exceeding 3 million people.^[41][42] The second largest Tabligh Jamaat gathering takes place in Raiwind, Pakistan which was attended by approximately 1.5 million people in 2004.^[43] In 2011 Pakistan divided the Ijtema into two parts and total 1 million People attend the Ijtema.^[44][45]

Role of women

Women were encouraged to participate since the beginning of the movement. Some scholars objected on the participation of women but Muhammad Ilyas slowly gained their support and the first jamaat of women was formed in Nizamuddin, Delhi.^[30] Accompanied by a close male relative, women are encouraged to go out in jamaats and work among other women and family members while following the rules of modesty, seclusion and segregation. They observe strict rules of hijab by covering their faces and hands.^[1][30]Jamaats of women sometimes participate in large annual meetings; otherwise, they commonly hold neighborhood meetings. Since South Asian Islamic culture discourages women to go to the mosque and saintly shrines, these venues offer an opportunity for women to pray together and congregate religiously.^[30]

In many modern Islamist movements, women have been relegated to a domestic role. Tabligh Jamaat tends to blur the boundaries of gender roles and both genders share a common behavioral model and their commitment to tabligh. The emphasis is on a common nature and responsibilities shared by both genders. Just as men redraw the gender roles when they wash and cook during the course of da’wa tours, women undertake the male responsibility of sustaining the household.^[30] Women do not play any role in the higher echelons of the movement^[1] but they may assume roles of leadership in the their own gatherings.^[30]

Controversies

Allegations of terrorism

Although Tabligh Jamaat has claimed a pacific stance since its inception, after the 9/11 attacks in the USA, concerns have risen about its role as a springboard to terrorist organizations. It was cited on the cases of John Walker Lindh,^[46] and dozens of the captives the USA holds in extrajudicial detention in its Guantanamo Bay detention camps, inCuba, had their continued detention justified in part through their alleged association with the Tabligh Jamaat.

A report by International Crisis Group titled Islamist terrorism in the Sahel: Fact or Fiction?” described Tabligh Jamaat as “strictly non-political with a compromising outlook and attitude, and has never been linked directly to violence or actions which can be classified as being detrimental to imperial,western,colonial,capitalist,political,diplomatic and military interests .” and further explained that no interviewed source could identify an instance where Tabligh Jamaat members broke the law or engaged in specifically political activity in Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania.^[47]

Also, some notable people hold opinions contrary to terrorism allegations.

“peaceful and apolitical preaching-to-the-people movement.”^[48]

—Graham Fuller,  a former CIA official and an expert on Islam, (author of The Future of Political Islam)

“completely apolitical and law abiding.”^[49]

—Olivier Roy,  a prominent authority on Islam at the French National Centre for Scientific Research

“an apolitical, quietist movement of internal grassroots missionary renewal”^[6]

—Barbara D. Metcalf, University of Michigan,  (While comparing its activities to the Alcoholics Anonymous for the efforts to reshape individual lives)

Criticism

Due to the orthodox nature of Tablighi Jamaat, they have been criticized for being retrogressive. The women in the movement observe completest hijab for which the Tablighi Jamaat is accused of keeping women “strictly subservient and second string”.^[1]

Tablighi Jamaat has also been criticized within the Islamic circles and the major opposition in the Indian subcontinent comes from the Barelvi movement and then from Ahl-al-Hadith. One of the main criticisms against Tabligh Jamaat are that the men neglect and ignore their families, especially by going out on da’wa tours. Tabligh Jamaat participants, in response, argue that both genders should be equally engaged in Tabligh. They further say that women, like men, are also urged to carry the responsibility to Tabligh and that men should facilitate women’s participation by providing childcare.^[30]

Ahl-al-Hadith accuse Tablighi Jamaat of preaching many fabricated hadith and unbelievable stories of Sufi shaykhs narrated in their handbook Fazail e Aamaal. Among Ahl- al-hadith scholars notable critics are Professor Shaykh Ainul Bari of Kolkata Alia Madrasah, Grand Mufti Shaykh bin Baaz of Saudi Arabia and Shaykh Al Munajjid of Saudi Arabia.

Many critics, especially those from Hizb ut-Tahrir and Jamaat-e-Islami, criticize Tabligh Jamaat for their neutral political stance. They say that Islamic forces, during their decisive conflicts with un-Islamic forces, could have gained reinforcement from the Tabligh Jamaat followers. They criticize the Tabligh Jamaat’s neutral attitude towards crucial issues like the introduction of an Islamic constitution in Pakistan (1950s), Islam vs Socialism (1969–1971), communal riots in India in 1970s and 1980s, the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Movement(1974), and Nizam-e-Mustafa Movement (1977).^[50] Tabligh Jamaat, in contrary, asserts that it is only by avoiding the political debates that the Tabligh Jamaat has been successful in reawakening the spiritual conscience of the followers. The apolitical stance also helped them operate in the difficult times, such as of Ayub Khan (1960s) and Indira Gandhi(1975–77), when other sociopolitical Islamic groups faced the restrictions.^[50]

The difference of opinion regarding political participation also marks the fundamental difference between Tabligh Jamaat and Islamist movements. While the Islamists believe that the acquisition of political power is the absolute requirement for the establishment of a pristine Islamic society, the Tabligh Jamaat believes that merely the political power is not enough to ensure effective organization of the Islamic social order.^[51] The exclusive focus of Tabligh Jamaat’s attention is the individual and it believes the reformation of society and institutions will only be effective if it is through education and reform of individuals. They insist that the nations and social systems exist by the virtue of individuals who form them; therefore, the reform must begin at grassroots with the individuals and not at the higher level of political structure.^[52]

Notable members

The Tablighi Jamaat has no membership lists or formal procedures for membership which makes it is difficult quantify and verify affiliations.

Notable people who have attended gatherings include former presidents of Pakistan, Muhammad Rafiq Tarar and Farooq Leghari. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Shariflives in the town of Raiwind and has attended Tabligh Jamaat’s activities on occasions. The first President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was strong supporter of Tabligh. He gave land near Turag river when he was in power. Former President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman has been a supporter and member, and popularized Tabligh Jamaat in Bangladesh.^{[citation needed]}. Former chief minister of Punjab Pervaiz Elahi is also a strong supporter of tablighi jamaat. in 2011 he gave 75 kanal land for Mosque of tablighi jamaat in Raiwind Markaz.^[53] Former singer and pop star Junaid Jamshed has close links with Tabligh Jamaat, and his departure from professional singing career is attributed to his inclination towards this movement. Famed singers, actors and models, including Attaullah Essa Khailwi,^[54] Gulzar Alam,^[55] Bacha,^[56] Alamzeb Mujahid,^[57] and stage performers like Javed Kodu, Jawad Waseem and Moin Akhter, are also affiliated with the movement.

Former Lieutenant General, and heads of Inter-Services Intelligence, Javed Nasir and General Mahmud Ahmed of the Pakistan Army became a member of Tablighi Jamaat during his service.^[58] Tabligh Jamaat also has a notable following among Pakistani professional cricketers Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Yousuf; and the former cricketers Saqlain Mushtaq,Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saeed Anwar, Saleem Malik, Waqar Younis are active members.^[59] Mohammad Yousuf’s conversion to Islam is widely attributed to the influence of the Tabligh Jamaat.^[60]