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Alsalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatu ALLAHi Wa Barakatuhu,
'Tabligh' is the work done by Muslims to call others to Allah. It is the same work that was done by the prophets and messengers (May Allah's peace upon them and His blessings), to their people like Nuh, Lut, Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaaq, Yaqub, Musa, Isa, Muhammed, etc. (May Allah's peace be upon them all.) Since Muhammed (May Allah's peace upon him and His blessings) is the final prophet and messenger, it becomes a duty on every muslim to invite and call people to Allah.
It is Abu AlQasim (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), also known as Muhammed ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim, who is not the father of any man and the seal of the prophets. After receiving the messengership, Muhammed (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) conveyed the message of truth to His companions (called the Sahabah), who then brought the message to the rest of the world. It is this work that is, by the grace of Allah, alive and active today. It is by their efforts, May Allah be pleased with them and have mercy upon them, that we are Muslims.
It is a great Mercy from Allah (All glory is due to Him the Most High) that this work has been revived in many places throughout the world. It is also a great Mercy from Allah (All glory is due to Him the Most High) that people doing this effort are able to organize together and support and help each other out in doing this work.
The ways that are followed are what Allah has revealed in the Quran, and according to the traditions of Muhammed (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him.)
It is inappropriate for people to call people that do this work as the 'jamaat tabligh'. It is out of ignorance, and the works of the shaitan, to divide the Muslims. The Muslims are one Ummah (Nation), and amongst them are some that are foremost in good works, some that wrong their souls, and some that follow a way between the two. It is every muslim's duty to convey the message given by Abu AlQasim (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). It is the responsibility of every Muslim to first convey the message to himself/herself, by learning more about Islam, then conveying the message to his/her family, and to the people around them.
First, Allah the One that controls all the events of this universe, makes the person's life much better. The Shaitan makes people think other things control the events that surround them. It is Allah that controls them. Allah, the One that Created this universe Certainly knows about it. Allah did not make this universe in randomness or in chaos. Everything happens for a reason. Allah created This universe, and all the events that occur in the HAQ (TRUTH). Of course a person that follows the guidance of Allah will be better off, and will not have any fear or grief. Allah will put the Barakah (blessings) in the persons life.
Also Allah has prepared a beautiful repayment for the people that strive in His way, in the Akhira (after life). The Akhira is far better than anything a person can achieve in this world's life. The Akhira (after life) also lasts much longer than this world's life. It is eternal.
The Sahabah before us made huge sacrifices for this effort; many of them sacrificed their whole life. It is appropriate for us to also make some sacrifices for conveying this message. Allah is well aware of all the things that people do, and Allah will repay everyone according to the efforts that they do.
Allah commands all of us to do tabligh. Allah says in the Quran:
061.014 O ye who believe! Be ye helpers of God: As said Jesus the son of Mary to the Disciples, "Who will be my helpers to (the work of) God?" Said the disciples, "We are God's helpers!" then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved..
Allah makes this command to all the believers. We must be helpers of Allah and convey the message that Allah gave to His final messenger (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Muhammed (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) fulfilled his duty by conveying this message to his sahabah, its now for us to convey it to others.
Also in Bukhari hadith:
4.667: ------- Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr: The Prophet said, "Convey (my teachings) to the people even if it were a single sentence, and tell others the stories of Bani Israel (which have been taught to you), for it is not sinful to do so. And whoever tells a lie on me intentionally, will surely take his place in the (Hell) Fire."
In the above hadith from Bukhari, Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commands us to convey the message. In arabic the word for convey is baligh. That is what is tabligh. This command is for everyone. The prophet (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) orders us to convey the message even if it were a single statement. The prophet (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) also commands us to relate the stories of Bani Israel, and whoever says a lie about prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) will find his seat in the hell fire.
BY: MOHAMED ABDULLAHI BUUSH
yakafii@yahoo.com
Baitul Maal Mosque, Nairobi, Kenya.
Sura 3 Verse 110
You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind. Enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah.
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 (Salla'llahu'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 (salla' llaahu'alaihi wa sallam), as a soldier of his. The Holy Prophet (salla' llaahu'alaihi wa sallam) presented and preached the whole of Islam to the people and not a part of Islam. The Holy Prophet (salla' llaahu'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 Namaaz and how to perform it, what is Roza 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 govt. 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 has been done for centuries and centuries by the Village Molvi's. 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 which the village Molvi can do and we are leaving out completely this poison which 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 the inroads and 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.
"Acquire all knowledge (Al - Ilm) even if you have to acquire it from a pagan community like that of China" (Hadith)
But in the age of degeneration, I have heard, The sign of Orthodoxy,
"Ilm Sey Ast Fiqho, Tafseero, Hadith Halq Gayrazi Gardas Kabees"- Knowledge is of 3 types or under 3 readings: i.e. the knowledge of Fiqh, Tafseer & Hadith - - "Whoever studies anything beyond these 3 branches becomes a devil."
The so-called pious ignorant Muslims read it and get an ecstasy from it. Yet they follow the inaugurater of the modern scientific era. Zafar Ali Khan has said in Urdu,Joh falsafiyo seh khul na saka, aur nukhthawaro seh hal na huwa, woh raaz kamliwaleh neh, batladiya chand isharo meh. -
"Those fundamental base of wisdom which it took the scientist and philosophers centuries and centuries of labour to find, the great man, standing in the unlettered community of Arabia, taught those great pieces of wisdom just by the way".
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 and intellectual who possesses moral refinement (Adab) and can imitate the Prophet (A.S) as his humble follower. The community to act as torch bearers of that message should build up such persons. Sura 3 Verse 104
Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity
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. At the beginning of the 19th century, western colonialism overthrew us and made us uneducated slaves. America, 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 presses 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 frightened. May Allah guide us all!
Ameen! Aqeemus salaah!!
A FEW YEARS AGO, WE WERE all gathered in our parents' countryside home for the end of year holidays, and one day a heated argument broke out about the quality of education.
As a general agreement seemed to be emerging that education had gone to the dogs, our old woman, who had said nothing, got up, and as she walked to her kitchen, said: "You people are making too much of this education issue. Just let the children go and grow up in school."
I had never thought of school as a place which, if it didn't offer a meaningful education, was nevertheless a good one for rural children to go to and while away the time as they wait to become minor village officials, join the army, or become chicken thieves if all else failed.
In other words, the role of school had changed, and society needed to adjust its attitudes and expectations accordingly.
I was reminded of this question in the face of the recent spate of strikes in Kenya in which several schools have been torched, with a student being burnt to death in one.
The country is angry and shocked at the tools of sin - cocaine, bhang, alcohol, and "weapons" like petrol - that have been unearthed in searches at the troubled schools.
The Government has responded appropriately, banning mobile phones, TVs and DVDs from schools. Yet one can't feel that we are all missing the big picture. It is criminal to burn property, and even more so, to kill someone with the fire. However, the schools' crisis and burning of buildings is not uniquely Kenyan.
In the last year or so, 25 schools have been burnt in Uganda. Dozens of students have died in the fires. A few of the schools were burnt by rogue students, but most by other miscreants.
The tragedy of the fires aside, you might say that the arsonists are devils carrying messages that are well worth listening to.
In Britain, though you don't have violent strikes and arson, the debate about education is even more furious.
Recently, Chris Parry, the controversial chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, an organisation that represents half of the 2,500 private schools in the UK, caused quite a storm when he told The Guardian that the reason state schools were in a crisis was because they were struggling with "unteachable" children, ignorant parents, staff who don't want to be there, and a shortage of leadership.
His remarks, though slated as "snobbish and ill-informed", deserve attention in East Africa. Parry said even private schools, which did better, needed to be more up-to-date and to face future challenges.
In this future, he said, computers will increasingly replace teachers.
HE PREDICTED THAT GREY DOG-eared textbooks will soon be out, and pupils will learn via Wikipedia-type programmes in class. The role of the teacher will be to help them apply the facts they build from the Internet.
Parry's most interesting idea is his most controversial; that some students are simply "unteachable".
In an age of political correctness where we believe every child is entitled to an education, and has in him (or her) to become an Albert Einstein, to say some people are "unteachable" sounds grotesque.
But on second thoughts, it makes sense. Children who find school too boring, think the teachers idiotic or oppressive, and lose their minds due to fear of exams, should not be forced by parents and pressured by society to go to school.
They should be directed to schools where children go to "grow up" until they move on to become footballers, or fellows who throw stones at anti-riot police during demonstrations.
No doubt, all this is easier to say if your child is settled in a nice school and doing well in class.
In the same UK, some universities think lower education is such a shambles, and national tests have become so hopeless, that they are introducing their own entrance examinations.
Imperial College in London, Oxford and Cambridge, are among the universities that have introduced their own entrance exams for certain degree courses.
It's what these universities are looking for that should be of more interest to us: Intelligence, yes, but also creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills rather than subject knowledge.
Sir Richard Sykes, Rector of Imperial College, told The Times that they will be looking for factors that "are not too dependent on rote-learning" - as most education in Africa is.
Indeed, I recently read that for the Maths skills the new world needs, it's probably more useful to be accomplished in solving Sudoku puzzles than spending years in class cracking Geometry and Algebra.
People like Parry would argue that instead of taking away mobile phones and TV sets from schools, the best policy would be to allow more of them and greater access to the Internet.
He would probably also say that the best thing to do with schools that have been burnt is not to rebuild them, because they were largely useless, anyway. It's counter-intuitive. It's tough. But possibly right
