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Tablighi Jamaat on Trial: Need of Reformation (Tajdeed) and Reorganization (Tanzeem) 1

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Tablighi Jamaat on Trial: Need of Reformation (Tajdeed) and Reorganization (Tanzeem) 1 Tablighi Jamaat on Trial: Need of Reformation (tajdeed) and Reorganization (tanzeem) 1 Tablighi Jamaat on Trial: Need of Reformation (tajdeed) and Reorganization (tanzeem) Mohammad Manzoor Maliki Introduction: Tablighi Jamaat was started in 1927 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi in India. Later on, this movement took its center the Bangla Mosque in Nizamudin, Delhi. It became the most popular Muslim organization among Muslims, calling Muslims to adherence to the basic foundations of Islam and self-purification. The organization has been very successful in achieving its goals which are mentioned in its basic literature. However, very lately the organization is going through crisis and it is expected by some critics that it may split into two groups and by some others that it may take a form of a cult after loosing some of its long associated members who have differences with the organizational set up and the personal views of the current immir of the organization. To overcome the crisis of the organization, there is an urgent need for its reformation and reorganization. Tablighi Jamaat: Aims and Objectives Tablighi Jamaat is basically a non-political, pacifist, global, Sunni Islamic missionary (dawah) movement. The aims and objectives of this movement are not mentioned anywhere in any manifesto; however, the aims and objectives of this movement could be easily understood from its basic literature, which has taken shape of nisabi-dawah (propagation curriculum). This literature is used in the gatherings and sessions of the organization for learning (taleem) and reminding (tazkeer) purposes. This literature includes: [1] Chay Bateen (Six Points), [2] Fazail-Aimaal and Fazail-e-Sadqaat (virtues of deeds), and [3] Hayat-u-Sahabah (biography of the disciples of the Messenger, peace be upon him). In addition to these books, Muntakahab Ahadith is also used by some and Riyadhus Salehin is used by Arabic native speakers as an alternative to Fazail-Aimaal. However, the agenda and objectives of this organization is obviously manifested in Chay Bateen (Six Points) and Fazail-Aimaal and Fazail-e-Sadqaat (virtues of deeds). These two works are the main readings, and everything else beside these two works is secondary. Tablighi Jamaat on Trial: Need of Reformation (tajdeed) and Reorganization (tanzeem) 2 By reading the above literature it could be easily understood that Tablighi Jamaat has three main objectives: (1) to encourage people to live a virtuous life by self purification and to develop the quality of taqwa (Allah consciousness) in themselves, (2) to encourage people to perform rituals (ibadat) such as praying (salat), fasting (soum), alms giving (zakat and sadaqah), performing the holy pilgrimage (hajj), seeking religious knowledge (ilm), and remembering Allah (zikir) (3) to encourage people to spread (tableeg) (1) and (2) by joining the organization and being active in its activities. The activities mainly includes, khurooj , leaving one’s home in groups (jammat) for tableeg and meeting annually in a big gathering (ijtimaa). Among rituals, the organization emphasizes more on praying (salat), as it is particularly included as one of the main points in “Six Points”. The above mentioned objectives are general and everything else such as good behavior (akhlaq-hasanah), modest dressing (libas), beard and hair-cut (wada-qata) etc are particulars that come under the general objectives. Frustration of Objectives: The above mentioned objectives could be easily deduced from the above tableegi literature or tableegi nisab (tabeegi curriculum). This curriculum is what every worker and the sympathizer of the organization is familiar with. However, there is secondary literature, some of it is written by famous figures in the history of the organization, and some is as a number of sermons, speeches, and lessons (daroos) by famous, active members and heads (immirs) of the organization. Deducing any further objectives from this secondary material could be frustrating, as it could either be useful for apologetical purpose or for counter-productive purpose to derail the organization from its course. The honest rendering of the objectives of this organization could be understood from the writing of Maulana Yousuf, one of the former immirs of the organization, who delineated the objective of the organization in a letter and actually they are the same as I have already, as mentioned in the above, deduced from the primary literature of the organization. Honest Stance on Objectives: Pacifism and Politics There are two basic features of Tablighi Jamaat which has brought both criticism and suspicion to this organization. And they are apolitical and pacifist aspects of this movement. The organization as the organization, not as its members, has always been apolitical. The Tablighi Jamaat on Trial: Need of Reformation (tajdeed) and Reorganization (tanzeem) 3 second aspect of this organization is pacifism: the organization keeps itself silent and away from any discourse on just war (jihad). And these two aspects of Tablighi Jamaat get mostly criticized by scholars who, in addition to many arguments, hold that if Islam is the complete way of life then politics is essential and, to support such a claim, the establishment of khilafah in the early Islam remains the doubtless, historical example. Regarding just war (jihad), the criticism is unambiguously well supported on the basis that the Quran and Sunnah are explicit on the permissibility of a just war (jihad), therefore, a Muslim cannot afford deniability of such an explicit injunction in principle, and, of course, the debate on the subject is open for conditions and requirements for such a permisibility (ibaha) or obligation (wujoob), which is a subject that is dealt in the exegesis of the Quran (tafseer) and Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). Risky Defense of Tablighi Jamaat However, the criticism of Tablighi Jamaat on the above-mentioned two aspects could find a reasonable defense, but such a defense is not without a risk. The organization is a global one and it emerged and flourished actually in a Muslim minority state, India. These two facts are clear before the organization. Furthermore, it is reasonable to assume that an organization cannot do and handle everything that Islam demands and requires. A religious organization can just have a few religious objectives to serve. This is reasonable. There are examples of religious organizations that focus on just education , politics, or orphans etc. Furthermore, politics and just war have their own time and space. Therefore, condemning absence of these two objectives and many other relevant objectives from the agenda of the organization is not fair. No doubt that Islam is a complete way of life, but to make a single organization responsible for the demands of the faith and the practice of the religion is seemingly not possible. And serving an objective of Islam or a few objectives of it does not make an organization irreligious and heretical as long as it does not deny the rest of the religion and its explicit objectives. This kind of defense of Tablighi Jamaat could be easily made by referring to the Quran and Sunnah and the history of the past and the present religious organizations. However, while taking all sides of the issue under consideration, it seems that such a defense is not without a risk. Tablighi Jamaat on Trial: Need of Reformation (tajdeed) and Reorganization (tanzeem) 4 The risk that is present has been subject of many writings authored by well-educated scholars, particularly religious scholars, ulama, in the form of fatawa (indicts), statements, short articles, and books. By reading this literature, one can understand that there are, to my own understanding, at least three risks: (1) exaggeration (guloo), (2) novel interpretation (taweel) of many Quranic verses especially on just war (jihad) and the historical events in the biography of the Messenger (PBUH) and his pious disciples (sahabah), and (3) fear of the reduction of Islam to the agenda of the organization, and, thus, transferring the same version of Islam to the generations to come. Religious scholars, ulama, have noticed these kinds of risks. Main Cause of Risks: Organizational Prejudice (taasub) The cause of all the above risks is the organizational prejudice (taasub), which is possible, and not a new thing for a student of the sociology of religion, and this kind of prejudice is present in the most religious organizations and even institutions. The risk of exaggeration (guloo) is that the followers of the organization think and expressly speak that their organization is the only rightly guided movement that truly represents and serves Islam. And, therefore, they underestimate and sometimes look down at the efforts of other organizations, persons, and institutions. And very lately, the role of ulama and madaris (Islamic seminaries) is openly being underestimated and criticized by some of the members of the organization and the current immir endorse the same stance in some of his statements. This kind of thinking clearly leads to exaggeration guloo, and guloo is such a vice which is not even allowed in religion, and the Quran is explicit on its condemnation. The same exaggeration (guloo) is the cause of novel interpretation (taweel) of many Quranic verses especially on just war (jihad) and the historical events in the biography of the Messenger (PBUH) and his pious disciples (sahabah). These novel interpretations are being done out of the organizational prejudice (taasub) to make the complete Islam inline with the organizational objectives. And it is dangerous; and it has lead to fear among people and scholars that this tassub will further lead to the reduction of Islam to the organizational objectives and the same being instilled in the members and the followers of the organization will ultimately produce a distorted version of Islam and , ultimately, it would be very hard to get it right once being imprinted in the minds of the present generation and the generations to come.
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