Tablighi Jama’at concerns itself with issues under grave or above heaven

Word For Peace

My Trust With Tabligh

Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) is one of the strongest transnational Islamic movement of our contemporary era. They mostly talk of issues that are underneath ground (related to grave) or above the sky (heaven and hell). The issues of the world seem to be oblivious for them. Life after death is their main concern and Islam also declares the life of this world as a test for people and in hereafter they will be judged accordingly for the deeds good or bad that they earned in this world.

TJ prepares people particularly Muslims for this life. I am witness to a number of transformations among Muslims who earlier were drug addicts, alcoholics or bad people but turned into pious muslims praying five times every day and trying to render their families in the same colour too. In many cases as happens with people of ideology they become self righteous so they try to impose the same strict interpretation of Islam on their families, that sometimes leads to suffocation particularly of women and children. The discovery of Islam is not same for every person. These TJ activists take out time and money to dedicate for their fellow Muslims by calling them towards Jannah. A commendable job indeed in these materialistic and self centeric times. I deeply respect the commitment of each of these TJ activists who are driven by the zeal of saving fellow Muslims from nefarious designs of Satan and raging fires of Hell.

I had also dedicated my three days for a Tablighi mission back in 2006 as I had just joined college. It was a unique experience, as our party of ten people consisted of doctors, students, professionals, small businessmen, clerks and even some very poor daily wagers. For few of us it was our maiden experience. An Ameer(Leader) was selected, who would assign different works to us. Some were to prepare food, others were to help with the proper recitation of Quran, few had to read out the Fazail e Amaal. Everyday after Fajr prayer, a small talk related to any topic of Islam was delivered by one among us. Then after morning tea we collected money to bear the cost of the food. Till zuhr prayers we indulged in reading of Fazail Amaal and had our lunch. After the Zuhr prayers we were free to have a siesta till asar prayers, but few of us being students indulged in conversations and cracking jokes. Later after Asar Prayers few members would be tasked to call shopkeepers, males of the locality for offering the Magrib prayers at the local mosque that hosted the TJ Activists. Immediately after the Magrib prayers one among us delivered a talk about Islam and need for being God conscious because after death a new life awaits us, whose boon or bane depends on our deeds now. The Ameer inculcated the discipline among us and the delivery of talks gave us confidence that speaking about Islam is not a previlege of clergy and mullahs only. I cherished the confidence then, alongwith personal sacrifice and dedicated of TJ cadres. After this talk was over we would have sometime for our personal chores and I did a bit of reading till last prayer Isha was offered. We had dinner soon after and slept, some would later on get up for the midnight prayers (Tahjudd) too.

One day while reading in the spare time, our Ameer enquired about the book. It was Hasan Al Banna’s book Mujahid ki Azaan(call of one who strives in the way of Allah). He was curious and I informed him about Al Banna who is founder of the Islamic revivalist movement Ikhwan Ul Muslimoon(Muslim Brotherhood) of Egypt. He was unaware about this important contemporary movement. Later on few of us had the privilege of joining a grand meeting of the TJ activists of whole area in which the TJ work was discussed. There I found among the elders one TJ activist who was indulging in black marketing of petrol and diesel that Army used to sell through him. I was disturbed. Then later during that day I shared the same with the Ameer, who described his helplessness as it was not an organization where people would fill the membership forms. Anyone can be a TJ Activist. Anyways the three days were a novel unique experience, though one of my new friends did talk to his girlfriend everyday before going to sleep and he confided me about the same. It was indeed indiscipline but he cherished it.

With time TJ activists whenever they camped at our local mosque urged me to join them for longer periods, but I informed them that I cannot do it and am trying to utilize my energies somewhere else. The presence of few wrong people who use Islam as a camouflage for their nefarious designs, many who help exploitation of people through ill gotten money, no positive future plans, no understanding of current times and issues, illiteracy, ignorance, sticking to Fazail e Amaal instead of Quran and Hadith and no competence of Ijtihaad made me repugnant towards TJ. But despite all their flaws they are trying to call people towards becoming good Muslims but many of them have this understanding that good deeds are confined to mosque, mullah and makeover with time. Some may indulge in corruption, being neglectful about their families and even reinforce pessimism among Muslims, but they overcome it all by leaving homes and hearth for few days, believing that they are the best among muslims. So you may find TJ activists, unconcerned with community issues like illiteracy, poverty, gender discrimination, muslim marginalization and politics. This aloof nature makes them welcome everywhere, but being neglectful of these issues describes their misunderstanding and misreading of Islam and contemporary times. If you don’t take interest in social issues, politics, globalization and media they certainly will take interest in you.

Due to their ignorance, resistance to everything new, unfounded blind belief in Allah and misunderstanding of how natural laws operate we find them in the midst of a controversy, that has not only helped reinforce islamophobia but infact exposed the fact about what is wrong with TJ today. So this controversy must help inculcate some sanity, wisdom and englightenment among TJ to come forward and accept Ijtihaad as a tool for revivalism of Islam.

Mushtaq UL haq Ahmad Sikander