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Tablighi Jamaat ( , also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is an international Islamic religious movement. It focuses on exhorting
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
to be more religiously observant and encourages fellow members to return to practise their religion according to the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and secondarily give ''
dawah ' (, , "invitation", also spelt , , , or ) is the act of inviting people to Islam. The plural is () or (). Preachers who engage in dawah are known as da'i. Etymology literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Gramma ...
'' (calling) to non-Muslims. "One of the most widespread Sunni" ''islah'' (reform) and called "one of the most influential religious movements in 20th-century Islam," the organization is estimated to have between 12 and 80 million adherents worldwide, spread over 150 countries, with the majority living in South Asia. The group encourages its followers to undertake short-term preaching missions (''khuruj''), lasting from a few days to a few months in groups of usually forty days and four months, to preach to Muslims reminding them of "the core teachings of the Prophet Muhammad" and encourage them to attend mosque prayers and sermons. Members "travel, eat, sleep, wash and pray together in the mosques and often observe strict regimens relating to dress and personal grooming". Established in 1926 by
Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi Muḥammad Ilyās ibn Muḥammad Ismā‘īl Kāndhlawī Dihlawī (1885 – 13 July 1944) was an Indian Islamic scholar of the Deobandi movement who founded the Tablighi Jamaat, in 1925, in Mewat province. Early life and education Muhammad I ...
, in the
Mewat Mewat (; ) is a historical and cultural region which encompasses parts of the modern-day states of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh in northwestern India. Geography The loose boundaries of the Mewat region generally include parts of th ...
region of
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
, it has roots in the revivalist tradition of the
Deobandi The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the nam ...
school, and developed as a response to the deterioration of moral values and the neglect of aspects of Islam. The movement aims for the spiritual reformation of Islam by working at the grassroots level. The teachings of Tabligh Jamaat are expressed in "Six Principles": '' Kalimah'' (Declaration of faith), ''
Salah ''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as ''rak'ah'', include a specific s ...
'' (Prayer), '' Ilm-o-zikr'' (Reading and Remembrance), '' Ikraam-e-Muslim'' (Respect for Muslims), ''Ikhlas-e-Niyyat'' (Sincerity of intention), and ''Dawat-o-Tableegh'' (Proselytization). Tablighi Jamaat denies any political affiliation, involvement in debate over political or Islamic doctrine such as
fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
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''Fiqh'' is of ...
, let alone terrorism. It maintains its focus is on the study of the sacred scriptures of Islam: the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
and the
Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
, and that the personal spiritual renewal that results will lead to reformation of society. However, the group has been accused of maintaining political links, and being used by members of Islamic terrorist organizations to recruit operatives.


History

The emergence of Tablighi Jamaat also coincided closely with the rise of various Hindu revivalist movements such as ''
Shuddhi Shuddhi or Suddhi () may refer to: *Shuddhi (Hinduism), type of conversion to Hinduism or Sikhism *Purity in Buddhism Purity (Pali: ''Vissudhi'') is an important concept within much of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, although the implications ...
'' (purification) and ''Sanghatan'' (consolidation) launched in the early twentieth century to reconvert Hindus who had converted to Islam and Tablighi Jamaat has been called a "missionary offshoot" of the revivalist
Deobandi The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the nam ...
movement of India.


Origin

Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi Muḥammad Ilyās ibn Muḥammad Ismā‘īl Kāndhlawī Dihlawī (1885 – 13 July 1944) was an Indian Islamic scholar of the Deobandi movement who founded the Tablighi Jamaat, in 1925, in Mewat province. Early life and education Muhammad I ...
, the founder of Tablighi Jamaat, wanted to create a movement that would enjoin good and forbid evil as the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
decreed, as his teacher
Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi Rashīd Aḥmad ibn Hidāyat Aḥmad Ayyūbī Anṣārī Gangohī (12 June 182611 August 1905) was aDeobandi Islamic scholar from Indian subcontinent, a leading figure of the Deobandi jurist and scholar of hadith, author of '' Fatawa-e-Rashid ...
dreamed of doing. The inspiration for this came to Ilyas in a dream during his second
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
to
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
in 1926. Ilyas abandoned his teaching post at Madrasah Mazahir Uloom in
Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the public administration, administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Sain ...
and became a missionary for reforming Muslims (but he did not advocate preaching to non-Muslims). He relocated near Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi, where this movement was formally launched in 1926, or 1927.Dietrich Reetz, Sûfî spirituality fires reformist zeal: The Tablîghî Jamâ'at in today's India and Pakistan,
Archives de sciences sociales des religions ''Archives de sciences sociales des religions'' (ASSR), known as the ''Archives de sociologie des religions'' pre-1973, is a quarterly peer-reviewed open access academic journal focused on religious studies. It is published by the Éditions de l ...
, 135 , juillet–septembre 2006, mis en ligne le 01 septembre 2009, consulté le 29 novembre 2014. p. 33.
When setting the guidelines for the movement, he sought inspiration from the practices adopted by Muhammad at the dawn of Islam. Muhammad Ilyas put forward the slogan, , "O Muslims, become
rue ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of the genus '' Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Mediterranean. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for i ...
Muslims!". This expressed the central focus of Tablighi Jamaat: their aim to renew Muslims by socially by trying to unite them in embracing the lifestyle of
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
. The movement gained a following in a relatively short period and nearly 25,000 people attended the annual conference in November 1941. At the time, some Muslim Indian leaders feared that Muslims were losing their religious identity and were heedless of Islamic rituals. The movement was never given any name officially, but Ilyas called it ''Tahrik-i Imaan''. Kepel, ''War for Muslim Minds'', 2004: p. 261 Muhammad Ilyas died in 1945 and he himself is buried in the Nizām Ad-Dīn Mosque. The
Mewat Mewat (; ) is a historical and cultural region which encompasses parts of the modern-day states of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh in northwestern India. Geography The loose boundaries of the Mewat region generally include parts of th ...
region where Tablighi Jamaat started near Delhi was inhabited by the Meos, an ethnic group native to the region, most of whom had converted to Islam, and then had adopted Hindu traditions and attitudes when Muslim political power declined in the region, lacking the necessary acumen (according to one author, Roger Ballard) required to resist the cultural and religious influence of majority Hindus, prior to the arrival of Tablighi Jamaat.


Expansion

The group began to expand its activities in 1946. The initial expansion within South Asia happened immediately after the partition of India in 1947, when the Pakistan Chapter was established in the hinterlands of
Raiwind Raiwind ( Punjabi & ) is a town located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annual Raiwind Markaz Ijtema. Raiwind is also ...
town near
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
, Pakistan. The Pakistan Chapter remained the largest until Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan in 1971. Today, the largest Chapter is Bangladesh followed by the second largest in Pakistan. Within two decades of its establishment, the group reached Southwest and Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. The Tablighi Jamaat's aversion to politics, and also its lack of any direct and practical economic-political-social viewpoints, helped it enter and operate in societies, especially western countries and societies where politically active religious groups faced restrictions.


Foreign missions

The first foreign missions were sent to the
Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
(western
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
) and Britain in 1946. The United States followed and during the 1970s and 1980s the Tablighi Jamaat also established a large presence in continental Europe. In France it was introduced in the 1960s, and grew significantly in the two decades following 1970. In France, as of 2004, it was represented on the
French Council of the Muslim Faith The French Council of the Muslim Faith (, usually abbreviated to CFCM), was a national elected body, to serve as an official interlocutor with the French state in the regulation of Muslim religious activities.Mayanthi Fernando, MERIP. It was a no ...
. During the first half-decade of the 21st century Tablighi Jamaat went through a major revival in France, reaching 100,000 followers by 2006. However, the United Kingdom is the current focus of the movement in Europe, primarily due to the large South Asian population that began to arrive there in the 1960s. By 2007, Tablighi Jamaat members were situated at 600 of Britain's 1,350 mosques. 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 Tablighi Jamaat members could be found in
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...
.
Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center (also simply known as Pew) is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world. It ...
estimates there are between 12 and 80 million adherents, spread across more than 150 countries. The majority of the followers of the Tablighi Jamaat live in South Asia. It is estimated that nearly 50,000 members of Tablighi Jamaat are active in the United States.


Beliefs and objectives

Members of Tabligh Jamat are allowed to follow their own
fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica
''Fiqh'' is of ...
as long as it does not deviate from
Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
 Islam. Tablighi Jamaat defines its objective with reference to the concept of ''
Dawah ' (, , "invitation", also spelt , , , or ) is the act of inviting people to Islam. The plural is () or (). Preachers who engage in dawah are known as da'i. Etymology literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Gramma ...
'', the proselytizing or preaching of Islam. Tablighi 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. Those two verses are:


Six Attributes (Sifāt)

When Tablighi Jamaat visits a village or neighborhood, it invites the local Muslims to assemble in the mosque to hear their message in the form of "Six Attributes". These six Attributes were derived from the lives of the companions of Muhammad, since Muslims believe Sahabah (companions) are the best human beings after Muhammad—It is stated in one hadith, "My Sahabah (companions) are like uidingstars, whosoever follows nyone of them will be guided." The Six Sifāt are basically a discussion about six special Attributes that when achieved, will just make it easy to follow the entire
Dīn Dīn (, also anglicized as Deen) is an Arabic word with three general senses: judgment, custom, and religion. It is used by both Muslims and Arab Christians. In Islamic terminology, the word refers to the way of life Muslims must adopt to co ...
. These objectives are: # '' Kalimah'' ( ʾīmān'i Sifāt) — T.J Believes, to achieve it, One must have to strive. To make his iman into
Yaqeen Yaqeen () is generally translated as "certainty", and is considered the summit of the many stations by which the path of '' walaya'' (sometimes translated as Sainthood) is fully completed. This is the repository of liberating experience in Islam. ...
. That, Creation cannot do anything without the will of Allah, but Allah can & Peace-Happiness, Success is lying only in the way that Muhammad shows, not in any other worldly ways. # ''
Salah ''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as ''rak'ah'', include a specific s ...
'' (aka ''Namaz'') — T.J Believes, One must have to try to achieve the sahaba standard salah. in both the inward and outward manners, that the Companions learnt from Muhammad. Have to make a Yaqeen that, by doing so one can become direct recipients from the vast Treasuries of Allah. # ''
Ilm Ilm or ILM may refer to: Acronyms * Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product * '' I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1 * Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets * Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion p ...
'' with ''
Zikr (; ; ) is a form of Islam, Islamic ibadah, worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God in Islam, God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi tariqa, order typically adopts a specific ...
'' (knowledge and remembrance of Allah) — T.J Believes, One must have to try to know what Allah desires from us at any particular time and condition. know to differentiate halal-Haram. so that he can act accordingly in the way Muhammad taught. Try to achieve, the consciousness and remembrance of Allah in every action, at each moment in one's worldly existence. these two are combined because only through the quality of Zikr, A'mal can be done with the full consciousness and remembrance of Allah. T.J Believes, the benefits of ilm should be learned in Taleem programs & ilm
Maslaha ''Maslaha'' or ''maslahah'' (, ) is a concept in Sharia (Islamic divine law) regarded as a basis of law.I. Doi, Abdul Rahman. (1995). "Mașlahah". In John L. Esposito. ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World''. Oxford: Oxford Univer ...
from Ulama. The knowledge and remembrance of Allah conducted individually and in sessions where the congregation listens to preaching by the
emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...
, performs prayers, recites the Quran and reads Hadith. The congregation will also use these sessions to eat meals together, thus fostering a sense of community and identity. # '' Ikram al-Muslim'' (Honoring Muslims; Ikram Sifāt) — Treating fellow Muslims "with honor and deference". T.J Believes, One must have to try to act ''Iḥsān'' (in the best possible way, with excellence and perfection), toward every Creation. One should invariably fulfil the obligations towards other human beings as commanded by Allah, & as taught by Muhammad. One should be prepared to sacrifice one's own rights, for which one will be rewarded in the hereafter. The other aspect of this sifat is,
Akhlaq Islamic ethics () is the "philosophical reflection upon moral conduct" with a view to defining "good character" and attaining the "pleasure of God" (''raza-e Ilahi''). It is distinguished from " Islamic morality", which pertains to "specific norms ...
and Haqooq Ul Ibad encompassing rights of the Muslims as well as mankind. It is through these moral values, character building and showing sympathy to Muslims and non Muslims like poor, sick, elderly and other needy Islamic teachings could be practically disseminated. # ''Ikhlas-i-
Niyyah Niyyah (Arabic: نِيَّةٌ, variously transliterated niyyah, niyya , "intention") is an Islamic concept: the intention in one's heart to do an act for the sake of God (Allah). The general Islamic principle of ''niyyah'' is laid out in Chapter ...
'' (Purity, Sincerity of intention; Ikhlāṣ Sifāt) — T.J Believes, One must have to try to be pure, sincere when making an intention. every action is to be undertaken with no other end in view but to please Allah, & to reform oneself. Any slightest deviation from this set path is bound to generate the wrath, anger of Allah instead as it tantamont to admitting partner in that deed. Whether it be ibadat or
mu'amalat ''Muamalat'' (also ''muʿāmalāt,'' , literally "transactions" TBE, "CHAPTER A1, INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC MUAMALAT", 2012: p.6 or "dealings") is a part of Islamic jurisprudence, or ''fiqh''. Sources agree that ''muamalat'' includes Islamic "rul ...
, Allah accepts only such deeds which are offered purely with an intention to gain his pleasure only. A small act with purity in intention is great, considered acceptable and fully reward-able by Allah, compared to a big one where a slightest corruption in intention is present. # ''
Dawah ' (, , "invitation", also spelt , , , or ) is the act of inviting people to Islam. The plural is () or (). Preachers who engage in dawah are known as da'i. Etymology literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Gramma ...
'' & ''Tabligh'' (Invitation and Conveyance, Preach; Dāʿī Sifāt), also Tafrigh-i-Waqt (sparing time in the path of Allah; Missionary tours;) — T.J Believes, As there are no more prophets to come, the responsibility for the effort of Da'wah now falls upon the
Ummah ' (; ) is an Arabic word meaning Muslim identity, nation, religious community, or the concept of a Commonwealth of the Muslim Believers ( '). It is a synonym for ' (, lit. 'the Islamic nation'); it is commonly used to mean the collective com ...
. So, One should spent his life, wealth & time in the way of Allah. so that he can learn the proper use of these three, which was actually borrowed from Allah. Should follow the footsteps of Muhammad, by taking His message door to door. He should make an effort so that everyone can gets closer to Allah, & also withdraw himself from worldly engagements to go forth in missionary groups. spend one night a week, one weekend a month, 40 continuous days a year, and ultimately 120 days at least once in their lives. Women would work among other women or travel occasionally, with their men folk on longer tours. Only in an atmosphere free of worldly thoughts can be there a true receptivity to the message concerned.


Activities, traditions, methodology

The activism of Tablighi Jamaat can be characterised 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 organisation. 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. 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.


''Khurūj'' (proselytising tour)

Preaching tours hold an important position in the Tablighi Da'wah methodology that they may be referred as 'travelers in faith' 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. These members use mosques as their base during this travel but particular mosques, due to more frequent tablighiyat activities, have come to be specifically associated with this organisation. These mosques generally hold the periodic, smaller scale convocations for neighbourhood members. During their stay in mosques, these ''jamaats'' conduct a daily ''gasht'', which involves visiting local neighbourhoods, preferably with the help of a guide called as rehbar. They invite people to attend the ''
Maghrib Maghrib () is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayers), and contains three cycles (''rak'a''). If counted from midnight, it is the fourth one. According to Shia and Sunni Muslims, the period for Maghrib prayer starts just after suns ...
'' 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. 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. 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. Members of a ''jamaat'', ideally, pay expenses themselves so as to avoid financial dependence on anyone.


''Ijtema'' (annual gathering)

An annual gathering of followers, called ''
ijtema Ijtema () is an Islamic congregation organised by Islamic organisations in association with millions of Muslims. It is an essential part of the Tablighi Jamaat around the world as it plays a significant role on the lives of Muslims, and a huge nu ...
'', is summoned at headquarters of the respective countries. A typical ''ijtema'' continues for three days and ends with an exceptionally long prayer. 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. The oldest ijtema of the World started in Bhopal, capital city of Madhya Pradesh, India. It attracts people from all over the world. Almost 2 million people gather for this annual gathering. One of the largest of such annual gatherings is held in Bangladesh. The
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
gathering, called '' Bishwa Ijtema'' (World Gathering), converges followers from around the world in
Tongi Tongi () is a major township in Gazipur, Bangladesh, with a population of 350,000. It hosts the Biswa Ijtema and features a BSCIC industrial area, which produces BDT 1500 crore of industrial products annually, and marks the northern border of D ...
near
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
, Bangladesh, with an attendance exceeding 2 million people. The second largest Tabligh Jamaat gathering takes place in
Raiwind Raiwind ( Punjabi & ) is a town located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annual Raiwind Markaz Ijtema. Raiwind is also ...
, Pakistan which was attended by approximately 1.5 million people in 2004. In 2011 Pakistan divided the Ijtema into two parts and a total of 1 million people attended each of the two Ijtema.


Methodology

The method adopted by Muhammad Ilyas was to organise units (called ''jamaats'', meaning ''Assembly'') of at least ten persons and send them to various villages or neighborhoods to preach. These outings, ''Dawah'' tours (see below), are now organised by Tablighi Jamaat leaders. Kepel, ''War for Muslim Minds'', 2004: p. 83 In these tours, emphasis is laid on "A
hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
about virtues of action" (imitating Muhammad). In the ahadith (reported sayings of Muhammad) of ''fazail'' (virtues) these has been called '' Eemaan'' (faith) and ''Ihtisab'' (for the sake of Allah) and Tablighi Jamaat believes this is the most vital deriving force for reward in ''
akhirah al-Ākhirah (, derived from ''Akhir'' which means last, ultimate, end or close) is an Arabic term for "the Hereafter". In Islamic eschatology, on Judgment Day, the natural or temporal world (''dunya'') will come to an end, the dead will be re ...
'' (afterlife). The Tablighi Jamaat founder Ilyas preached that knowledge of virtues and ''A'amalu-Saliha'' (Good Deeds and Actions) takes precedence over the knowledge of ''Masa'il'' (jurisprudence). Knowing jurisprudence detail (Fara'id (mandates) and Sunan (traditions) of Salat) is useful only if a person is ready to perform rituals such as offering
Salat ''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal ibadah, worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as rak'a, ''rak'ah'', include ...
. 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 Hadith stories of Prophets, ''
Sahaba The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...
'' (Companions of Prophet) and '' Awlia Allah'' ("Friends of Allah"). 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 ''Hayat al-Sahaba'' () is a book originally written in Arabic by Yusuf Kandhlawi. It was completed around 1959 and later expanded into four volumes with additional annotations and introductions by Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi and Abd al-Fattah ...
'', ''
Fazail-e-Amaal ''Fazail-e-Amaal'' (), authored by Zakariyya Kandhlawi between 1929 and 1964, is a book that primarily consists of treatises from the Fada'il series, originally published in Urdu. Its purpose is to inspire and motivate Muslims in their religious ...
'', '' Fazail-e-Sadqaat'' and ''Muntakhab Ahadith''). In its early days and in South Asia, the Tabligh movement aimed to return to orthodoxy and "purify" the Muslim religio-cultural identity of heterodox or "borderline" Muslims who still practised customs and religious rites connected with Hinduism. Especially to counteract the efforts of Hindu proselytising movements who targeted these often recently converts from Hinduism. Unlike common proselytising movements, Tablighi Jamaat has mostly focused on making Muslims 'better and purer' and ideally " religiously perfect", rather than preaching to the non-Muslims. This is because (it believes) dawah to non-Muslims will only be effective (or will be much more effective) when a Muslim reaches "perfection".


Organisation

Tablighi Jamaat follows an informal organisational structure and keeps an introverted institutional profile. It has been described as "a free-floating religious movement with minimal dependence on hierarchy, leadership positions, and decision-making procedures." It keeps its distance from the 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 that would accompany these endorsements. As an organisation, 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. The movement discourages interviews with its elders and has never officially released texts, although there are publications associated with the movement (usually referred to as ''Tablighi Nisaab'' ablighi Curriculum. The emphasis has never been on book learning but rather on first-hand personal communication. The organisation's activities are coordinated through centers called ''Markaz''. It also has country-wise centers in over 200 countries to coordinate its activities. These centers organize volunteer, self-funding people in groups (called ''jamaats''), averaging ten to twelve people, to remind Muslims to remain steadfast on the path of Allah. These ''jamaats'' and preaching missions are self-funded by their respective members.
Ameer Amir is a title of rulers or military leaders in many Muslim countries, alternatively written as ''Emir''. Amir or Ameer may also refer to: People * Amir (name), people with the given name and surname Amir or Ameer * Amir (singer) (born 1984), ...
is the title of supervisor (doyen) in the Tabligh Jamaat, and the attribute largely sought is the quality of faith rather than the worldly rank. The ameer of Tabligh Jamaat is appointed for life by a central consultative council (''shura'') and elders of the Tabligh Jamaat. The first
emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...
was Muhammad Ilyas Kandhalawi, later succeeded by his son
Maulana Muhammad Yusuf Kandhalawi Muhammad Yusuf Kandhlawi (1917–1965) was an Indian Islamic scholar who became the second amir, ameer of the Tablighi Jamaat.
and then by
Inamul Hasan Kandhlawi Muḥammad In‘āmul-Ḥasan Kāndhlawī (20 February 191810 June 1995) was an Indian Islamic scholar who served as the Chief leader or Amir of the Tablighi Jamaat from 1965 to 1995. Early life and career Inamul Hasan was born on 20 February ...
, and the current emir is
Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi (born 10 May 1965) is an Indian Muslim scholar and preacher. He is the great-grandson of the Tablighi Jamat founder Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi. He heads the Nizamuddin faction of the Tablighi Jamat. Early life Saad K ...
. Sometime in 1992, 3 years before the time of his demise, Inamul Hasan Kandhlawi formed a 10-member advisory committee to appoint an emir (ameer). This 10-member advisory committee consisted of Saeed Ahmed Khan, Mufti Zainul Abideen,
Muhammad Umar Palanpuri Muhammad Umar Pālanpūrī (5 September 1929 – 21 May 1997) was an Indian Islamic scholar and preacher associated with the Tablighi Jamaat. Early life and education Muhammad Umar Palanpuri was born on 5 September 1929, in Bombay, which is i ...
, Izhar-ul-Hasan Kandhlawi, Zubair-ul-Hassan Kandhlawi, Miyaji Mehraab, Haji Abdul Wahhab, Haji Abdul Muqeet, Haji Afzal, Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi, and Khalid Siddiqui Aligarhi. Since 2016, Tableeghi Jamat has functioned as two groups after a bitter division, one led by Maulana Saad Kandhelvi with headquarters in India, and the other led by a collective Shura with headquarters in Punjab, Pakistan and Bangladesh. There have been at least three violent clashes, one in Delhi, India and two in Bangladesh.


Role of women

In Tablighi Jamaat, women are encouraged to stay at home, and to choose a life of "segregation between female and male". However they also engage in proselytizing activities, discussing among themselves in small groups the basics of Tabligh and traveling with their husbands (or another ''
mahram In Islam, a () is a family member with whom marriage would be considered permanently unlawful (''haram''). A woman does not need to wear hijab around her mahram or spouse, and an adult male mahram or husband may escort a woman on a journey, a ...
'') on proselytizing trips. Tabligh inculcates in them that dawah is also important alongside taking care of their spouses or taking care of their children. According to a 1996 study by Barbara Metcalf, the Tablighi Jamaat has encouraged women to participate since the beginning of the movement. Some scholars objected to the participation of women, but Muhammad Ilyas slowly gained their support and the first ''jamaat'' of women was formed in Nizamuddin, Delhi. Accompanied by a close male relative, (''mahram''), 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 hijab by covering their faces and hands. ''Jamaats'' of women sometimes participate in large annual meetings; otherwise, they commonly hold neighbourhood meetings. Tablighi Jamaat tends to blur the boundaries of gender roles and both genders share a common behavioural 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. Women do not play any role in the higher echelons of the movement, but their opinions are taken into due consideration. Women and the family members are told to learn Quran and follow 5 Amaals in everyday life, Taleem of Ahadees, Quran recitation, 6 Points muzakera, and mashwara for daily life work and fikr for the whole world as people from around the world will be coming and they are the ones who have to learn before they can teach.


Criticism and controversy


Lack of political activism

Tabligh Jamaat has been criticised—especially by
Hizb ut-Tahrir Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT; ) is an international pan-Islamist and Islamic fundamentalist political organization whose stated aim is the re-establishment of the Islamic caliphate to unite the Muslim community (called ''ummah'') and implement sharia glo ...
and
Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...
—for its neutral political stance and failure to assist Islamist forces in the fight against secular or non-Islamist opponents. Specifically they criticise the Tabligh Jamaat's neutral position towards issues in South Asia such as the introduction of an Islamic constitution in Pakistan (1950s), Islam vs socialism (1969–1971), communal riots in India in the 1970s and 1980s, the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Movement (1974), and Nizam-e-Mustafa Movement (1977). The Tablighi Jamaat, in response, states that it is only by avoiding the political debates that the Tablighi Jamaat has been successful in reawakening the spiritual conscience of the followers. The apolitical stance also helped it operate in difficult times, such as during the governments of
Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, se ...
(1960s) and
Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...
(1975–77), when other sociopolitical Islamic groups faced restrictions. The difference of opinion regarding political participation also marks the fundamental difference between the Tablighi Jamaat and Islamist movements. While the Islamists believe that the acquisition of political power is the absolute requirement for the establishment of an Islamic society, the Tablighi Jamaat believes that mere political power is not enough to ensure effective organisation of the Islamic social order. The exclusive focus of the Tablighi Jamaat's attention is the individual, and members believe the reformation of society and institutions will only be effective through education and reform of individuals. It insists that nations and social systems exist by the virtue of the individuals who form them; therefore, the reform must begin at the grass-roots with individuals and not at the higher level of political structure.
Nasiruddin Albani Muhammad Nasir al-Din (19142 October 1999), commonly known as al-Albani, was an Albanian Islamic scholar. A leading figure of Salafism, he is commemorated for his works on revaluation of hadith studies. Born in Shkodër, Albania, to a family ad ...
in his book "Darsush Shaikhul Albani" talks about Tabligh Jamaat's aloofness from politics,


Ideological opposition

Tablighi Jamaat has received criticism in the Indian subcontinent from the
Barelvi The Barelvi movement, also known as Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah (People of the Prophet's Way and the Community) is a Sunni revivalist movement that generally adheres to the Hanafi school, Hanafi and Shafi'i school, Shafi'i schools of jurisprudenc ...
movement. One of the main criticisms against them is that the men neglect and ignore their families, especially by going out on ''da'wa'' tours. Tablighi 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 of Tabligh and that men should facilitate women's participation by providing childcare. Tablighi Jamaat has been criticised for being retrogressive. The women in the movement observe
hijab Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...
for which the movement has been accused of keeping women "strictly subservient and second string". Before the rule of Prince Muhammad bin Salman,
Salafist The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retur ...
and
Wahhabi Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to other ...
ulema in Saudi Arabia issued rulings "declaring Tablighis to be deviants and forbidding participation in Tablighi activities unless the reason for the participation is to criticize" the alleged deviancy. They also issued fatwa prohibiting Tablighi literature and preaching in that country.


Allegations of extremism

;Denials of extremism Tablighi Jamaat focuses on religion and generally avoids political activities and debates, claiming that the reformation of society will be achieved through personal spiritual renewal. It has been criticized by some Muslims for being too pacifist/
quietist Quietism is the name given (especially in Catholic theology) to a set of contemplative practices that rose in popularity in France, Italy, and Spain during the late 1670s and 1680s, particularly associated with the writings of the Spanish myst ...
. Its leaders have denied any links with terrorism, denounced Al-Qaeda, but admit to not controlling its membership. At least three western experts on Islam have testified to its apolitical, quietist and/or peaceful character: *"peaceful and apolitical preaching-to-the-people movement" ( Graham E. Fuller). *"completely apolitical and law abiding" ( Olivier Roy). *"an apolitical, quietist movement of internal grassroots missionary renewal" (
Barbara D. Metcalf Barbara Daly Metcalf (born September 13, 1941) is a professor emeritus of history at the University of California, Davis. She is a specialist in the history of South Asia, especially the colonial period, and the history of the Muslim population ...
). According to the
American Foreign Policy Council The American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. Founded in 1982 and based in Washington, D.C., its foreign and d ...
(AFPC), the Tablighi Jamaat teaches that ''jihad'' is "primarily as personal purification rather than as holy warfare". Because of its disavowal of violent jihad, the Tablighi activities have been banned in Saudi Arabia and some Islamist groups have accused the Tabligh of weakening support for jihad amongst Muslims. Interviews with TJ members, based on primary research, indicate that they emphasize self-reform, unity, and adherence to Islamic teachings before considering any broader struggles. Some TJ adherents describe their primary jihad as 'Tabligh'—the act of preaching and reviving faith among Muslims—arguing that external struggles are secondary to internal spiritual development. TJ followers highlight that division and lack of religious adherence within the Muslim community make any form of militant jihad ineffective and premature. Furthermore, some members view controlling one’s 'Nafs' (self) as the greatest form of jihad, placing emphasis on personal piety rather than political activism. Fred Burton, Scott Stewart, Mumtaz Ahmad, and Shireen Khan Burki explain the connection between TJ and jihadism by the opinions that * TJ shares much with groups that have been accused of breeding jihadis --
Salafi The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...
s,
Wahhabi Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to other ...
s and other 'revivalist' Islamist movements. They share the same conservative Islamic values and lifestyle, strict Islamic belief system and rejection of secularism; they "share the same core ideology and ultimate objectives (the expansion of '' Dar al Islam'' and the establishment of a global
Caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
)". According to US officials (the U.S. Government has closely monitored Tablighi Jamaat since September 2001), though the Tablighis do not have a direct link with terrorism, the teachings and beliefs of Tablighi Jamat have been a cornerstone for joining in radical Muslim groups. *By asking Muslims to "shun politics and public affairs", TJ leaves "a gap" in members' worldview/belief system; since "some people find they cannot ignore what is happening in the world around them, especially when that world includes wars". When jihadist groups "offer religiously sanctioned prescriptions as to how 'good Muslims' should deal with life's injustices", some TJ members listen. *In addition, Mumtaz Ahmad notes, its "apolitical stance" has helped reassure Muslim and non-Muslim states, governments and others who put severe restrictions on politically activist Islamic groups; it allows TJ to penetrate and operate in these societies. * Thus TJ provides "a cover, a conduit and a fertile recruiting ground for jihadi organizations such as Al Qaeda and Lashkar-i-Taiba". TJ has been said to enable Al-Qaida "by supporting recruitment in radical madrassas and fundraising at mosques all over Pakistan." Law enforcement officials says that Tablighi Jamaat's presence all around the world and its apolitical stance have been exploited by militant groups. A former homeland security employee described Tablighi Jamaat as a "trans-national Islamist network". According to Alex Alexiev, "perhaps 80% percent of the Islamist extremists have come from Tablighi ranks, prompting French intelligence officers to call Tablighi Jamaat the 'antechamber of fundamentalism.'" * In addition, some argue Tablighi Jamaat is not as apolitical as it might first appear. According to Patrick Sukhdeo, TJ is an extremely secretive group and the core of the group does not disclose how it operates. Despite claims of being apolitical, it has ties with the political and military sector of countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The Tablighi Jamaat operates in every sense as a secret society in this country ritain as much as elsewhere ..Its meetings are held behind closed doors. We don't know who attends them. How much money it has. It publishes no minutes or accounts. It doesn't talk about itself. It is extremely difficult to penetrate.quoting TJ scholar, Dr. Patrick Sukhdeo, the director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity
Some have compared the group's ideology to
Khawarij The Kharijites (, singular ) were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First Fitna (656–661). The first Kharijites were supporters of Ali who rebelled against his acceptance of arbitration talks to settle the conflict with his challenge ...
whereas others point out that the Tablighi Jamaat takes a "traditionalist" approach to Islam in contrast to Khawarij's extremist and often heretical approach. The Tablighi Jamaat tried to expand the
Abbey Mills Mosque The Abbey Mills Mosque, also known as the London Markaz or Masjid-e-Ilyas (), is a temporary mosque located in Stratford, east London, accommodating around 2,500 people. Plans were made to expand the capacity of the mosque to what would have ...
into the largest mosque in the United Kingdom. The plan attracted controversy, and the Tabligh was denied permission.


Bans of the group in different countries

Tablighi Jamaat has been banned in Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, Russia and Saudi Arabia. In some Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, where its puritanical preachings are viewed as extremist. In February 2020, a counter-terrorism operation in Russia led to the arrest of seven Tablighis and dismantled the terrorist cell affiliated to the Tablighi Jamaat. According to Russian intelligence, the terrorist cell was involved in dissemination of materials and radicalization. The Tablighi Jamaat has been banned in Russia since 2009. The Supreme Court of Russia also recommended the Tablighi Jamaat to be included into the list of terrorist groups monitored by the Kremlin. On 10 December 2021,
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
further warned against Tablighi Jamaat, calling it a "danger to society" and "one of the gates of terrorism", while all forms of innovated Islamic preaching are already banned in the kingdom. The announcement was made by the country's Minister of Islamic Affairs, Abdullatif Al Al-Sheikh. All other Arab countries specifically Gulf Arabic countries including United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman have Tablighi Jamat Maraakez (centres) and many locals are openly involved in Tabligh activity.


COVID-19 pandemic

Tablighi Jamaat attracted significant public and media attention during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.


Malaysia

Between 27 February and 1 March 2020, the movement organised an international mass religious gathering at the
Masjid Jamek Jamek Mosque, officially Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque () is one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located at the confluence of the Klang River, Klang and Gombak River, Gombak rivers and may be accessed via Jalan Tun Per ...
in
Sri Petaling Sri Petaling (also known as Bandar Baru Sri Petaling) is a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia. The township is located in the south of the city, within the constituency of Seputeh, and is bordered by the towns of Happy Garden, Taman OUG, Ku ...
, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The Tablighi Jamaat gathering has been linked to more than 620
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
cases, making it the largest-known centre of transmission of the virus in Southeast Asia. The Sri Petaling event resulted in the biggest increase in COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, with almost two thirds of the 673 confirmed cases in Malaysia linked to this event by 17 March 2020. Most of the COVID-19 cases in
Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
originated here, and other countries including
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
,
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
and the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
have traced their cases back to this event. By 20 May 2020, Director-General of Health
Noor Hisham Abdullah Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Seri Noor Hisham bin Abdullah (born Yew Ming Seong; 21 April 1963) is a Malaysian retired civil servant as well as breast and endocrine surgeon. He was the Director-General of Health and President of Malaysi ...
confirmed that 48% of Malaysia's COVID-19 cases (3,347) had been linked to the Sri Petaling tabligh cluster.


Indonesia

Despite the outbreak, Tablighi Jamaat organised a second international mass gathering on 18 March in
Gowa Regency Gowa (''Makassar language : '') is a regency in the province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It has an area of 1,883.33 km2 and a population of 652,329 at the 2010 census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. increasing to 765,836 at the 2020 c ...
near
Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...
in
South Sulawesi South Sulawesi () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province in the South Peninsula, Sulawesi, southern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital and largest ci ...
, Indonesia. Though the organisers initially rebuffed official directives to cancel the gathering, they subsequently complied and cancelled the gathering.


Pakistan

Yet another gathering was organised in Pakistan near Lahore at
Raiwind Raiwind ( Punjabi & ) is a town located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annual Raiwind Markaz Ijtema. Raiwind is also ...
, for 250,000 people. The event was "called off" in response to the officials' requests, but the participants had already gathered and communed together. When they returned, the virus travelled with them, including two cases in the
Gaza strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
. During testing, around 40 members of the Tablighi Jamaat were found to be COVID-infected. Another 50 people including four Nigerian women, suspected to be the carriers of the virus were quarantined 50 km from Lahore. In
Hyderabad, Sindh Hyderabad, also known as Neroonkot, is the capital and largest city of the Hyderabad Division in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Sindh by population, second-largest city in Sindh, after Karachi, and the List of citie ...
, 38 members of the organisation were found to be positive for coronavirus. Raiwind, the place where the event was held has been locked down by Pakistani authorities and the police arrested Tablighi Jamaat members from their offices in Sindh and Punjab for violating the law. Ninety-four more Tableeghi Jamaat members tested positive for the coronavirus on 31 March 2020 in Hyderabad, in the Sindh province.


India

The Tablighi Jamaat wanted to arrange the program somewhere in
Vasai Vasai (Konkani and Marathi pronunciation: əsəi British English: Bassein; formerly and alternatively Marathi; ''Bajipur'') is a historical place and city located in Palghar district; it was partitioned out of the Thane district in 2014. It ...
, Maharashtra. After the outbreak of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
in Maharashtra, the
Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the executive branch of the Indian states of india, state of Maharashtra. The government is led by the List of chief ministers of Maharashtra, chief minister (currently Devendra Fadnavis since 5 December 2024) ...
and
Mumbai Police The Greater Mumbai Police (Marathi language, Marathi: बृहन्मुंबई पोलीस, IAST: ''Brihanmumbaī Pulīs'', formerly ''Bombay City Police'') is the Police, police department of the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a cit ...
called off the meeting. After the rejection from the Government of Maharashtra, the Nizamuddin faction the Tablighi Jamaat held the religious congregational program (
Ijtema Ijtema () is an Islamic congregation organised by Islamic organisations in association with millions of Muslims. It is an essential part of the Tablighi Jamaat around the world as it plays a significant role on the lives of Muslims, and a huge nu ...
) in
Nizamuddin West Nizamuddin West is an upscale residential locality, conveniently located south of India gate. It is a historically busy neighbourhood in Central Delhi and has many parks and trees. It sits in the green lung of delhi, with Humayun's Tomb, Sund ...
, Delhi. There were also other violation of rules by foreign speakers including misuse of tourist visa for missionary activities and not taking 14-day home quarantine for travellers from abroad. The Nizamuddin Markaz Mosque added that the officials there"met the Ld. DM and apprised him of the stranded visitors and once again sought permission for the vehicles arranged by us," to clear the Markaz premises and take the devotees back home. "Under such compelling circumstances there was no option for Markaz Nizamuddin but to accommodate the stranded visitors with prescribed medical precautions till such time that situation becomes conducive for their movement or arrangements are made by the authorities," the Tablighi Jamaat HQ said. On 21 March the Markaz directed everyone "not to venture out until 9 PM as desired by the Prime Minister of India, therefore the plans to move back to their native places by way of means other than railways also did not materialise." At least 24 of the attendees had tested positive for the virus among the 300 who showed symptoms by 31 March 2020. It is believed that the sources of infection were preachers from Indonesia. Many had returned to their states and also housed foreign devotees without the knowledge of local governments. and eventually started local transmissions especially in
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
,
Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...
,
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
,
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...
and
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
. The entire Nizamuddin West area has been cordoned off by the police as of 30 March, and medical camps have been set up. After evacuation from the markaz, of the scores of jamaat attendees, 167 of them were quarantined in a railway facility in south east Delhi amid concerns over their safety and transmission of the virus. The Tablighi Jamaat gathering emerged as one of India's major coronavirus hotspots in India, after 1445 out of 4067 cases were linked to attendees according to the Health Ministry. On 18 April 2020, Central Government said that 4,291 cases (or 29.8% Of the total 14,378 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India) were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat, and these cases were spread across 23 states and Union Territories. Questions have been raised as to how the Delhi Police, which under direct control of the Union Home Ministry headed by the Home Minister & the then
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
president
Amit Shah Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 32nd Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Minister of Home Affairs since May 2019 and the 1st Ministry of Co-operation, Minister of Co-operat ...
allowed this event to proceed in the midst of a pandemic, while a similar event was prohibited in Mumbai by the
Maharashtra Police Maharashtra Police (IAST: ''Mahārāṣṭra Polīs Sēvā'', formerly '' Bombay State Police'') is the law enforcement agency responsible for the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is headed by Director General of Police, Rashmi Shukla (IPS), an ...
. Once the COVID lockdown came into effect in Delhi from 22 March onwards, the missionaries remaining in the Nizamuddin Markaz were trapped, and the functionaries began to seek assistance from the authorities for their evacuation. As of 4 April, more than 1000 cases, representing 30% all confirmed cases in India, were linked to the Nizamuddin event. Some 22,000 people that came in contact with the Tablighi Jamaat missionaries had to be quarantined. On 31 March 2020, an
FIR Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...
was filed against
Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi (born 10 May 1965) is an Indian Muslim scholar and preacher. He is the great-grandson of the Tablighi Jamat founder Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi. He heads the Nizamuddin faction of the Tablighi Jamat. Early life Saad K ...
and others by Delhi Police Crime Branch. On 8 April 2020, the Delhi Police traced Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi in Zakirnagar in South-East Delhi, where he claimed to be under self-quarantine. People associated with the ruling
Hindutva Hindutva (; ) is a Far-right politics, far-right political ideology encompassing the cultural justification of Hindu nationalism and the belief in establishing Hindu hegemony within India. The political ideology was formulated by Vinayak Da ...
-aligned Bharatiya Janata Party called out
Indian Hindus Hinduism is the largest and most practised religion in India. About 80% of the demographics of India, country's population is Hindus, Hindu. India contains 94% of the global Hindu population. The vast majority of Indian Hindus belong to Vai ...
to socially boycott
Indian Muslims Islam is India's second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, or approximately 172.2 million people, identifying as adherents of Islam in a 2011 census. India also has the third-largest number of Muslims in the world. ...
. This drew criticism from Arab leaders and the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC; ; ), formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1969. It consists of Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, 57 member s ...
; the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
responded: "the virus did not discriminate between people on the basis of faith, community, race or nationality". On 12 October 2020, Mumbai court discharged the members with the order stating they didn't act negligently to spread COVID and didn't disobey to the orders of the Indian authorities.


Notable members

The Tablighi Jamaat has no membership lists nor formal procedures for membership, which makes it difficult to quantify and verify affiliations. One of the most famous and popular contemporary leaders of the Tablighi Jamaat is the Pakistani preacher Maulana Tariq Jamil who has amassed a huge online social media following. The former chief minister of the Pakistani province of Punjab,
Pervaiz Elahi Chaudhry Parvez Elahi Warraich (Urdu, ; born 1 November 1945) is a Pakistani politician who was the Chief Minister of Punjab from late 2002 to late 2007 and again from late 2022 to early 2023. He was a member of the Provincial Assembly of ...
is also a strong supporter of the Tablighi Jamaat. During his tenure in 2011, 75 kanals of land (, ) were purchased for a Tablighi Jamaat mosque at the
Raiwind Markaz Raiwind Markaz (Punjabi: مرکز رائےونڈ ) is a complex consisting of a main mosque, Islamic madrasa, and residential areas located in Raiwind city, near Lahore, Pakistan, and is the home of the Tablighi Jamaat in Pakistan. It attracts ...
. In India,
Munawar Faruqui Munawar Iqbal Faruqui (born 28 January 1992) is an Indian stand-up comedian, rapper and singer. In 2022, he won the reality TV show, '' Lock Upp 1''. In 2023, he participated in '' Bigg Boss 17'' and emerged as the winner. Early life and educat ...
, an Indian stand-up comedian, and
Sana Khan Saiyad Sana Khan (born on 21 August in 1987/1988) is an Indian businesswoman and former actress. She primarily worked in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu language films before retiring from the industry in 2020. Early and personal life Sana Khan, b ...
, an ex-Bollywood star, and Arif Khan, an ex-Bollywood actor, are associated with Jamaat. The Former Pakistan Presidents-
Farooq Leghari Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari (; 29 May 194020 October 2010) was a Pakistani politician who served as the eighth president of Pakistan from 14 November 1993 until resigning on 2 December 1997. He was the first Baloch to be elected as President. ...
and
Muhammad Rafiq Tarar Muhammad Rafiq Tarar (; ; 2 November 1929 – 7 March 2022) was a Pakistani politician and jurist who served as the ninth president of Pakistan from January 1998 until his resignation in June 2001, and prior to that as a senator from Punjab in 1 ...
were believed to be associated with the movement, the Indian president Dr Zakir Hussain was also affiliated with tabligh jammat Singers, actors and models, including Attaullah Essa Khailwi,
Gulzar Alam Gulzar Alam (Pashto: ګلزار عالم) is a Pashto singer from Pakistan. He is a famous Pashto folk and Ghazal singer, musician, and composer with fan base from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and around the world. He completed his bachelor’s degree in ...
, Bacha, Alamzeb Mujahid, and
Junaid Jamshed Junaid Jamshed Khan (3 September 1964 – 7 December 2016) was a Pakistani Islamic preacher, singer-songwriter and television personality. Jamshed first gained nationwide and international recognition as the vocalist of Vital Signs. Their ...
are also affiliated with the movement. Former
Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
and head of
Inter-Services Intelligence The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the premier Pakistani Intelligence community, intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant t ...
Javed Nasir Javed Nasir (; 22 December 1936 – 16 October 2024) was a Pakistani military officer who served as the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), appointed on 14 March 1992 until 13 May 1993. Known for being member of Tablighi ...
and General
Mahmud Ahmed Mahmud Ahmed (; b. 1944) is a retired Pakistani three-star rank army general who served as the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence from 1999 to 2001. He commanded the X Corps against the Indian Army during the Kargil War in ...
of the
Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...
both became members of Tablighi Jamaat during their service. The Tablighi Jamaat also has a notable following among Pakistani professional
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
ers:
Shahid Afridi Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi (, ; born 1 March 197is a Pakistani former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. An all-rounder, Afridi was a right-handed leg spinner and a right-handed batsman. Afridi made ...
, Mohammad (formerly "Youhana") Yousuf and the former cricketers
Saqlain Mushtaq Saqlain Mushtaq (born 29 December 1976) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former international cricketer who was the head coach of the Pakistani national cricket team between 2021 and 2022. He is best known for pioneering the " doosra", a leg b ...
,
Inzamam-ul-Haq Syed Inzamam-ul-Haq Sitara-e-Imtiaz, SI (; born 3 March 1970), also known as Inzi, is a former Pakistan cricketer and captain of Pakistan national cricket team. He is regarded as one of the greatest players Pakistan has produced and one of the ...
, Mushtaq Ahmed,
Saeed Anwar Saeed Anwar (; born 6 September 1968) is a Pakistani former cricketer and a former captain for Tests and ODIs. An opening batsman and occasional slow left arm orthodox bowler, Anwar played international cricket between 1989 and 2003. Consid ...
and Saeed Ahmed Muhammad Rizwan are active members. Mohammad Yousuf's conversion from Christianity to Islam is widely attributed to the influence of the Tabligh Jamaat. In Malaysia, prominent actors and singers such as Azmil Mustapha,
Nabil Ahmad Ahmad Nabil Ahmad (born 26 September 1983) is a Malaysian entertainer, comedian and actor. He worked as a motorcycle courier before winning the 2008 season of comedy competition '' Raja Lawak''. Nabil has since won an award for hosting multiple ...
, Aliff Aziz,
Anuar Zain Shahrul Anuar Zain (born 15 February 1970) is a Malaysian singer and actor. He has had five albums released, all of which have been named after him. The first album was released in 1998, consisting of 10 songs. His first single after a hiatus ...
, Amar Asyraf, Dato' Nash and Dr Sam have all been involved with Tablighi Jamaat. One of Malaysia's most prominent actress
Neelofa Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor (born 10 February 1989) is a Malaysian actress, television presenter, commercial model and entrepreneur. She rose to fame when participated in a drama queen competition, Dewi Remaja, winning the Dewi Remaja 2009/10 tit ...
, has also participated in Tablighi Jamaat's Tours with her husband ( PU Riz), as a result of which she now dons the Islamic face veil ever since.


See also

*
List of Deobandi organisations This list includes Deobandi and pro-Deobandi organizations. See also * List of Deobandi universities References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deobandi organisations Deobandi-related lists Deobandi organisations, * Islamic organizations ...
*
Darul Uloom Deoband Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic university and seminary ( darul uloom) in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, India, at which the Sunni Deobandi Islamic movement began. Established in 1866 by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Fazlur Rahman Usmani, Sayy ...
*
Islamisation The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...
* Nizamuddin Markaz *
Raiwind Markaz Raiwind Markaz (Punjabi: مرکز رائےونڈ ) is a complex consisting of a main mosque, Islamic madrasa, and residential areas located in Raiwind city, near Lahore, Pakistan, and is the home of the Tablighi Jamaat in Pakistan. It attracts ...
*
Spread of Islam The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...
* Saad Kandhlawi


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

*'' Islam, Youth, and Modernity in The Gambia'' *'' Resisting Regimes'' *'' Inside the Tablighi Jamaat'' *''
Islam on the Move ''Islam on the Move: Tablighi Jama'at in Southeast Asia'' is a book authored by Farish A. Noor, examining the Tablighi Jamaat movement within the context of the Deobandi tradition. Published in 2012 by Amsterdam University Press, the book scrut ...
'' *Ali, Jan A. (2012).Islamic Revivalism Encounters the Modern World: A Study of the Tabligh Jama'at. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers. . * * * * Lone, Rameez Ahmad (2021). Tablighi Jamaat:Ideology and Organizational Structure. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1685862357?lsskpint=erf_DP-MW-AUI-PSO_flf_sdrs_vlr (). Notion Press, India. * * *


Further reading

* Alex Alxiev
Tablighi Jamaat: Jihad's Stealthy Legions
''Middle East Quarterly'', Winter 2005, pp. 3–11 * * * Ali, Jan A. (2012). ''Islamic Revivalism Encounters the Modern World: A Study of the Tablīgh Jamā'at''. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers. * * * * * Snehesh Alex Philip
What is Tablighi Jamaat? Organiser of Delhi event behind spike in India's Covid-19 count
The Print, 31 March 2020. * * * * Jenny Taylor
What is the Tablighi Jamaat?
The Guardian, 8 September 2009. * *


External links

{{Authority control 1927 establishments in India Deobandi organisations Islamic new religious movements International Islamic organizations Islamic organisations based in India Islamic organizations established in 1926 Organizations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic Sunni Islamist groups