Our Dialogue

Tablighi Jamat : Six Point Programme

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Ans. Tablighi Jamaat is not a person whose practice of Islam could be gauged. The practice whether partial or total varies from person to person among those attached with the Jamaat.

Jamaat has a six point programme for the improvement of self and the Muslim society. All of them are very essential, commendable and beneficial but if anyone thinks that those six points encompass the whole of Islam, he is mistaken. Just as 20 point, 4 pt., 6 pt. or 11 pt. Programmes announced by different governments did not cover all the essential needs of the people, six point programme of Jamaat signifies the priority areas of a training programme. A brief discussion of these six points is as follows:

1. Kalima : This single point is in fact the essence of the whole of Islam. The requirement of submission to Allah and following in the footsteps of the Prophet (Pbuh) of Allah in all walks of life is the whole of Islam. It covers the rights of the Lord, the rights of all men including non-Muslims, all ‘Ibadats’, judiciary, finance, government, administration, Dawah to non-Muslims, improvement of Muslims, social system, behaviours, sports, Jihad, business and all other departments one can think of. Taken as one point of the six, its practical scope in the Jamaat is limited to teach its words and literal meaning to those (Muslims only) who do not remember it.
2. Namaz: Namaz (Salat) is one of the four (though most important of them) pillars of Islam. It must clearly be understood that all four of them still remain pillars without which the building of Islam cannot be erected but these pillars are not the building itself. Jamaat tries to create consciousness of the importance of Namaz among Muslims. Their workers teach Namaz to those who do not know it and motivate people to offer Salat in the Mosques.
3. Ilm and Zikr (Knowledge and remembrance of Allah): Both are very important. If Zikr is not considered to be limited in mere chanting of some prescribed formula and Ilm is not limited to reading and listening to a particular book of a scholar, these two in combination, again may encompass almost the whole of Deen. Qur’an is the best Zikr.
   "We have made the Qur’an easy for Zikr, but will any take heed?" (54:22)
   "Have fear of Allah, you men of understanding, who have believed, Allah has now revealed unto you a Zikr : an apostle proclaiming to you the revelations of Allah in all plainness..." (65:10-11) And Qur’an also is the foremost source of all spiritual and material Ilm for the people of all intellects, educated or illiterate. It is the constitution of a Muslim. It is a code for one’s own guidance, set of instructions for Dawah and inspiration for learning all sorts of essential knowledge to conquer the universe which is created for man. Jamaat has practically limited itself to propagate mere recitation of Qur’an and it refers to ‘Fazaael-e-Aamaal’ or ‘Tablighi Nisaab’ as the main source of Ilm for masses. ‘Fazaael-e-Aamal’ has its advantages and drawbacks as well. The main drawback is that it includes quite a number of not only Za’eef (Weak) Hadiths but many a false narration, which are quite often taken as Hadiths by ignorant masses. I have personal knowledge and I dare say that many pious scholars respected by Jamaat people feel the necessity of corrections and modifications in Fazaael-e-Aamaal but are silent for lack of courage as the book was compiled by a Sheikhul-Hadith of an institution. Its correction by an institution like Nadwah is very essential as lakhs of people have been made emotionally attached to it. But even after corrections by authentic scholars, the stress should be on Qur’an with translation, Hadith and then on a book compiled by a saint. This order of priority is a must for the attainment of knowledge even for masses.

4. Ikraam-e-Muslim (The due respect of a Muslim): This is a very essential point for a Jamaat which has specifically limited its activities among Muslims. The wider counterpart of this point for an average Muslim would be Huqooq-ul-Ibaad (the knowledge and fulfillment of the rights of mankind in general, as prescribed).
5. Ikhlaas-e-Niyat (The purification and sincerity of intention): It means that the aim of all our deeds should be the pleasure of our Lord instead of any material gain.
6. Tafreegh-e-Waqt (Sparing the time): It means that a person cannot learn all that is necessary and preach to others if he is always involved in his daily routine. Sparing periodically, some time by sacrificing the daily routine is a must for learning and preaching. The Jamaat has prescribed different spans of time donation. Once a week, Three (consecutive) days in a month, Chilla (40 consecutive days), three consecutive chillas in an year and full time devotion are prescribed for different stratas of people. The figure 40 has a special significance in the pursuit of perfection of a discipline. Qur’an tells us that Prophet Musa A.S. was called on a hill for 40 nights (and days). Prophet Isa A.S., according to Injeel, fasted for 40 days. Regular Salat for 40 consecutive days in a Mosque or 40 consecutive Salats in the Prophet’s Mosque (in Madina), with sincerity and devotion are reported by traditions to be a certain means of perfection of Imaan.
7. Tark-e-Laa Yaani (Staying away from purposeless things): This seventh point is prescribed as a precaution or restraining therapy along with the regular dose of above six points. Any number of days or a ‘Chila’ (40 days) in the company of devoted and sincere people will do a tremendous good to anyone. I personally would highly recommend a Chilla with Tablighi Jamaat provided you add three more points to the above 6+1 prescribed by the Jamaat.

2. Dawah to non-Muslims : Comply with the norms and discipline of Tablighi Jamaat when you go with them and do not interact with non-Muslims in that period if the Emir forbids you to. But do not be carried away by a majority of Jamaat men’s assertion that Dawah is due only after your complete transformation in practice. Nobody will ever be complete. When a large cross-section of people in the Prophet’s (Pbuh) time embraced the faith in the Prophet's (Pbuh) time, most of them were in need of self improvement, but the Prophet (Pbuh) never prescribed the routine of complete self transformation before resorting to Dawah. Both are the essential parts of Deen and both go together and simultaneously. This is the Sunnah of all the Prophets. When you come back from Chilla, never ignore Dawah work.

3. Active co-operation with all in good work: Almost all the regular members of all Islamic organisations, including Tablighi Jamaat tend to develop a myth that only their organisation is following the right course of Sunnah. Be on guard against such tendencies which has created sectarianism even among good practicing Muslims. The need of the hour is that all Islamic organisations should have active co-operation and co-ordination with each other. Till their elders, do not proceed in this direction, the individuals should stick to the Qur’anic order: "...Co-operate (with everyone, Muslim or even a non-Muslim) in what is good and pious, and do not cooperate (with anyone, even your own people) in sin and transgression..." (Surah Al-Maidah 5:2)

2. In Qur’an it is stated that Muhammad (Pbuh) was not the father of a man. What does it mean?

					 M. Daud Khan,  Deoria

There is a Haidth that a man told his sons in his will to scatter the dust of his body after burning, all over the hills, land and rivers. Allah collected all his remains and giving him his body (for Barzakh) asked him, why he had done so and he replied that he feared Allah’s punishment after death. Ibn-e-Qayyim, the author of ‘Kitab-ur-Rooh, a most exhaustive work on the subject, writes that the main difference between the world life and a Barzakh life is that in the world the acts are done by the bodies and souls are affected by it. That is why the shariah orders are passed on the acts and deeds and not the thoughts. The orders in Barzakh are passed directly upon the souls while the bodies are affected by it. In this world, the joys and pains of the bodies are felt by the souls while in Barzakh the joys and pains of the souls are felt by the bodies.

The closest example of Barzakh in our life is the state of sleep. You are neither dead nor fully alive. You feel pain or joy in sleep while the happenings are not of the material world. Sometimes you shout or laugh in sleep while your body also acts accordingly, i.e. you actually shout or laugh in your bed. Two persons sleeping in the same bed in the same surroundings, experience two different situations-one of terror and the other of bliss. In the same way, two persons in the same grave may experience different situations-one of expansion of the grave and the other of contraction.

The place of contact of souls with the unburied bodies is unknown but the place of contact of souls with the buried Barzakhi bodies is known. That is why people go to the graves of the pious. But the soul cannot act on its own without Allah’s Will, the world of discretion bring the material world. Therefore we must visit the grave yard only for the reminder of our own death and to pray Allah for the peace of the departed. Visits to the graves of pious may also be made for the purpose of remembering their pious deeds. Their graves are like memorials. You visit different memorials to renew the memory of the related events. Similarly the memorials of saints remind us to follow in their footsteps.

The reward or punishment to the Barzakhi bodies are given in Barzakhi graves, although the man-made graves have some sort of relation with the Barzakhi graves. There are so many Hadiths proving this fact that it cannot be denied. What exactly is the relation, we don’t know. Again, if we knew the exact manner of life between death and the Final Day, it would not be called Barzakh. Ans.2. The verse you referred to, reads:
Muhammad (Pbuh) is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah and the seal of Prophets. And Allah has full knowledge of all things." (33:40)

Through this verse, the Qur’an abolished the practice of adoption of a son who inherited all his rights like a real son. The Prophet (Pbuh) had also declared his child slave Zaid, his son and he was called Zaid Bin Muhammad till Allah forbade the practice. The Prophet (Pbuh) was told that he was not the father of any male child and being not only a Prophet but the Final Prophet, his Shariah was binding forever. That is, no adopted child will ever inherit the adopter’s name and will no more be treated now as a real child in matters of legal obligations.

Apart from this primary meaning of the verse, there are a few subtle implications and deeper pointers too.