The

Chishti Nizami Habibi Soofie 

International Sufi Order

Pietermaritzburg

South Africa

786/92  

MODERN TABLIGH

Sura al-i—Imraan 3 Verse 110

Tabligh means "propagation of Islam”.  Propagation of Islam means propagation of the whole of Islam and not of a part of Islam. Anybody, who stands as a missionary, can only be a missionary, not in his own right, but as a representative of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  No one has the right to stand up among us as a missionary of Islam except as an emissary of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), as a soldier of his. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) presented and preached the whole of Islam to the people and not a part of Islam. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) taught and preached Islam to the people according to their intellectual and moral and social caliber and needs. He did not teach everyone on the same level and that stands to reason. Now, in this age, one simple problem is that we have got to teach our children what is Salaah (prayer) and how to perform it, what is Siyaam (fast) and how to perform it. These are obligations to teach the simple principles which they can understand. But groups are emerging in our communities everywhere who don't know what Islam is. They know very well what other ideologies are and they are enticed and fascinated by them. The cause of Islam suffers because of their lack of interest in Islam or even hostility towards Islam.

This group is the "western educated intelligentsia" in all Muslim communities. This western educated intelligentsia is the most powerful group in every Muslim community; in Muslim countries it holds the reign of government. Every government department is in the hands of western educated Muslims. If these western educated Muslims cannot by any means be reformed and transformed into real, pious, inspired Muslims, then there is there any future for Muslims and Islam. Consequently, the entire community of South Africa is a westernized community. South Africa is a part of western civilization, it is not an oriental country and here this country is going to be more and more westernized and not oriental. Education must progress in the Muslim community so larger and larger number of Muslims, young men and ladies with modern education of a high order must continue. Now unless we capture this young western educated intelligentsia for Islam, we are doomed. Now when we go to propagate Islam to them, they have doubts. Is Darwinism true? They are taught this theory of evolution in biology. Is Karl Marx philosophy of dialectic materialism true? Is Bertrand Russell's agnostic theory true? All these questions arise, who is going to answer it? Now if we carry on in this village level that we teach the people only the Kalimah and Namaaz, which they should be taught of course, we are doing a very good job there. But if we confine our activity right there, then who is going to take care of this growing mass of Doubting Muslims and for no fault of theirs, they have not been taught what Islam is. But they have been told what Darwinism is. Now they want to know the stand of Islam in that connection.

So when I speak of the modern style of Tabligh, the work of teaching the Kalimah and Namaaz, work which the Village Molvi’s has done for centuries and centuries. I have to use this term because he is not of a high caliber, because the Higher Molvi’s always live in the urban area. They do it in the Madaris, then why do we need an international movement for a job that the village Molvi can do and we are leaving out completely this poison that is infiltrating into this community. What does it mean? Is it a cult, which we have adopted? What rights have we! But as a humble scholar of Islam, I see the portrait of Islam crumbling into ruins. Whilst we waste our time in sophistication, that is what hurts me and I feel that just as in the human personality the mind is most important, similarly in the community, the brain of the community is most important. A man may be very healthy but if his mentality is deranged he is useless for himself and for others. He may be seen even as a source of trouble. If the brain of the community, the intelligentsia of the community does not stand for those ideals for which that community has been built up, then what is the present, the future, and the destiny of that community - finally, annihilation.

So I have not seen people, not one man among the so called missionaries, who have even studied these problems which has emerged in this modern age and who can talk to a young Muslim man and young lady and remove their doubts. The whole world of Islam consists of one billion soldiers. It is so divided, so what is your future and why take the name of Tabligh? Tabligh! What is this Tabligh? Where will it lead us? Tabligh is to be done on the battlefront and the battlefront is not among the poor masses, the simpletons, the battlefront is there where modern, western, atheistic, and materialistic, civilization has made inroads. Who are those people who can fight on that battlefront? They will not come from heaven; they must emerge from among us. It is the duty of our Pious, Religious, educated Muslims whether young or old to organize themselves for this purpose, so that not a single person, a single western educated person in our community remains without the inspiration of Islam. He should be an asset towards the cause of Islam and then alone can we make progress. When Muslims do not behave in a proper manner then the enemy has come with the Atom Bomb and the Muslims say that my great, great grandfather used the sword only and he is going to fight the Atom Bomb with the sword. I can only weep for him.  

The Holy Prophet has said in Hadith[1]

in the age of degeneration, I have heard, the sign of Orthodoxy,

The so-called pious ignorant Muslims read it and get an ecstasy from it. Yet they follow the inaugurator of the modern scientific era.

Zafar Ali Khan has said in Urdu

To acquire the knowledge of basic Islam is the duty of every individual. To teach the highest philosophy of life needs an individual with a multidimensional intellect of a high order and a high spiritual caliber. Not only intellectuals but also an intellectual who possesses moral refinement (Adab) and can imitate the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as his humble follower. To act, as torchbearers of that message the community should build up such persons. Sura al-i--Imraan3 Verse 104

The group that dedicates itself solely to the cause of understanding Islam at the highest level and counteracting anti- Islamic, spiritual, moral and intellectual forces at the highest level. Their function is to be guides for the community. To guide the community by thought, word and deed by their personal example as well as preaching and teaching all that is good.

The character of our community is influenced by environmental factors. Traits of character are borrowed from the environment. We have to counteract these alien influences; therefore an enlightened type of reformism and Tabligh movement is needed. Mosques should have youth clubs and the Mosque should serve as an Islamic center that attracts the youth. Facilities should be made available to present Islam to the youth in its dynamic, progressive form so that the youngsters realize its possible to be a good Muslim and also be a member of the 21st century. The Internet and media should be used and made available to members of the congregation to expand their knowledge. To facilitate this also a reform in the thinking pattern of those that fund Masjids is needed.  At the beginning of the 19th century, western colonialism overthrew us and made us uneducated slaves. America and the exploitive economics that it represents, today wants to destroy Islam. Have we not learnt our lesson that one has to cut iron with iron? The only media that is available to us is the Zionist -Christian press that deliberately wants to confuse Muslims. Decent Islamic publications should be made accessible at Mosques and the Friday Khutbas should at least twice a month deal with contemporary Muslim problem and offer guidance as to its solution. We have to learn to, "Catch the bull by its horns" and not be afraid. May Allah guide us all!

Adapted From a lecture by Maulana Fazl ur-Rahman Ansari (Rahmatullahi alaihi)

Irshad Soofi