KNOW ABOUT TABLEEGH AND DAWAH ILALLAH: Assalamo Alaikum to all respected elders, brothers and sisters in Islam.

Alhamdulillah, we thank Allah for the infinite nimah (blessings) He has given to us. He created us as a mankind and a muslim and among the Ummah of Nabi (SAW). H e is the Creator, the Sustainer and the King of this world and the Hereafter. Al lah created us purposely to worship him as He stated in quran; Verily I created Ji nn and mankind to worship me. He wanted us to be successful in this dunya and hereafter that is why he send to us our Prophet Mohammad (SAW). The real success is what Allah Taalah stated in the quran; those who were saved from the Hell and will enter Paradise are the succ essful ones. Life in this dunya is very short and the life hereafter is the etern al life with beginning and with out ending. To be successful in dunya and akhira t is to bring in ourself the complete Deen (Islamic Religion) and Iman (Belief) according to the ways (sunnah) of Prophet Mohammad (SAW). Tableegh & Dawah literally means to spread, convey & to invite. Contextually, it re fers to spreading, conveying & inviting the message of Islam. This is the sunnah of all the prophets. The most important rule of tableegh & dawah is hikmah. Alla h Taala says in the Holy Quran: Invite (people) to the way of your lord with wisd om and good counsel. (Verse: 16:125) Whosoever does dawah & tableegh must adopt hikmah. It is only the n, that people will understand and accept. The system of Dawat and Tableegh was i nitiated & revived by Moulana Ilyas Saheb (Rahimahullah) in continuation of the effort of Prophet Mohammad (SAW) as he was sent to all mankind up to the qiyaama t. He observed that people were too engrossed in their worldly activities and ha d forgotten the objective for which they had been sent to this world. He realise d that they had to free some time from their worldly engagements, to sit and pon der about Allah Taala and their purpose for being sent to this world. Therefore, he started calling people to the masjid, and reminded them about Allah Taala and His greatness. Initially people rebuked him, they discouraged him and used to sa y that they had no time for all of this; but as time went by, they realized the truth behind it and the need for it, and started joining him in calling others t owards Allah Taala. Thereafter, when more people started joining this work, a few guidelines had to be set, to make sure that the work was done in a proper manne r. Different time periods of 3 days, 40 days, 4 months, etc. were set, so that p eople knew for how long they had to be away, and could make the necessary arrang ements for that period. BELIEF AND OBJECTIVE: Those that are engaged in the work of Dawah & Tableegh are from the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. They do not have any beliefs that are exclusive to them. Each one is allowed to follow his own madhab, as long as he does not m ove away from the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. Their objective is that each and every Muslim adopts the Islamic way in all aspects of life. They do not advice anyone to leave all their daily activities and join this work, but they encourage peop le to take out some time from their daily engagements so that the rest of the ti me could be spent in accordance to the teachings of Islam. Spending time in the path of Allah is not the objective of the work, but rather the objective is to a dopt the Islamic lifestyle whilst engaged in daily activities, whether one is at home with family or at his work place; spending time in the path of Allah Taala only acts as a means to fulfil this objective. PROOF from Quran and Hadith There are numerous verses of the Quran and the Ahadi th of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) that support the practice of Dawah/Tablee gh. Hereunder are a few of them: From the Holy Quran: 1. Invite (mankind, O Muha mmad) to the way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Rev elation and the Quraan) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a 2 way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His pat h, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided. al-Nahl 16:125 2. And who is better in utterance than the one who called people towards Allah, and acts righteously and says, I am one of those who submit themselves (to Allah Taala).(Verse: 41:33) 3. Say (O Muhammad): This is my way; I invite unto Allaah (i.e. to the Oneness of

Allaah Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (als o must invite others to Allaah, i.e. to the Oneness of Allaah Islamic Monotheism with sure knowledge). And Glorified and Exalted be Allaah (above all that they associate as partners with Him). And I am not of the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pa gans, idolaters and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah; those who worship oth ers along with Allaah or set up rivals or partners to Allaah. Yoosuf 12:108 4. Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Is lam), enjoining Al-Maroof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful . Aal Imraan 3:104 5. You (True Believers) are the best of People ever raised up for mankind; you e njoin Al-Maruf (Good) and forbid Al-Munkar (Bad) and you believe in Allah. Aal-Im raan 3:110 AHAADITH of Nabi Mohammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam): 1. Hazrat Abu Saeed (Radhiyallahu Anhu) narrates that he heard Nabi (Sallallahu A laihi Wasallam) saying, Whosoever witnesses a forbidden act being committed, he s hould prevent it by the use of his hands; if he is unable to do so, then he shou ld prevent it with his tongue; if he is unable to do so, he should at least cons ider it a vice in his heart; and this is a very low level of Iman. Sahih Muslim V ol.2 Pg.211/2 (Darul Marifah) 2. It has been reported by Numan bin Bashir (Radhiyallahu Anhu) that Nabi (Sallal lahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: There are people who do not transgress the limits (la ws) of Allah Taala, and there are others who do so. They are like two groups who boarded a ship; one of them settled on the upper deck, and the other on the lowe r deck of the ship. When the people of the lower deck needed water, they said, Wh y should we cause trouble to the people of the upper deck when we can have plent y of water by making a hole in our deck. Now, if the people of the upper deck do not prevent this group from such foolishness, all of them will perish; but if th ey stop them, they will be saved.Sahih Al Bukhari Vol.3 Pg.152 (Darul fikr) 3. Whoever calls others to guidance will have a reward like the rewards of those who follow him, without that detracting from their reward in any way. And whoev er calls others to misguidance will have a burden of sin like the burden of thos e who follow him, without that detracting from their burden in any way.(Narrated by Muslim, 2674) 4. Convey from me even if it is (only) one aayah. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3461 ) 5. Imam al-Ghazaali said: Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil is the basis of the faith and the foundation of the message of the Messengers. If i t is neglected, the teachings of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be u pon him) will be overlooked and religious teachings will be forgotten, and chaos will become widespread and the people will be doomed. THE REWARD OF ALLAH for Dawah & Tableegh: Narrated Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Allahs Messenger (peac e be upon him) said: Whoever calls to guidance will gain a reward similar to that gained by his followers without curtailing their rewards. 3 In a hadith narrated by Abu Umamah and ascribed to the Prophet (peace be upon hi m) we read: Allah, His angels and the inhabitants of heavens and earth; nay, even the ant in its hole and the whales in the sea, pray for the one who teaches peo ple what is good. The Prophet (peace be upon him), on sending Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) t o Khaibar, said to him: By Allah, that Allah guides one person through you will b e better for you than possessing the best cattle.[ The Prophet (peace be upon him) also says: Whoever directs (somebody) towards a g ood deed will receive the like of the reward granted to that person for practici ng that deed. So, think, O propagator of what is good, over the reward awaiting you and the go od you are calling others to. The Dawah to Islam is a profitable Dawah, for the be liever will be rewarded for his Dawah whether it proves to be fruitful or fruitle ss. You are not responsible for the results and your duty is just a clear delive

rance (of the message). Allah (SWT) says: and whoso turns away: We have not sent you as a watcher over them. (IV: 80) He (SWT) also says: And our duty is but clear conveyance (of the message). (XXXVI: 17) Let the person who undertakes Dawah know that guidance is in the hands of Allah. S uch a person may have the characteristics of a true and sincere caller but he ma y not be responded to. Allah (SWT) granted His Prophets wisdom, yet only a small number of their peoples responded to them. In the hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) reportedly said: Nations were displayed in front of me and I saw one p rophet passing by with one man; another prophet with two men; yet another with a small group, and another with nobody This does not mean that they did not do thei r duty of Dawah, but Allah (SWT) did not want such nations to be guided. Anyhow, if the Daiyah (Caller to Islam) follows the legal means and uses the methods that would potentially lead to success in his endeavor, he will have done his duty a nd will be free from responsibility before Allah (SWT) and will be rewarded for that, Allah willing. In all cases, He should continue his Dawah and do his best t ill Allah renders it successful or he perishes in his endeavor to carry it on. Should Muslims give up Dawah to Allah, the earth would be corrupted, life would r ot and humanity would swerve to the swamp of misguidance and stray because of be ing away from the Light of Allah that has been sent to them. Allah (SWT) says: Al lah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of darkn ess into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities. Th ey bring them out of light into darkness (II: 257) "If Allah guides one person because of you, it is better for you than the whole earth and what is within it. (Hadith) Let us take advantage of every occasion and chance to make Dawah for Allah like t he prophet (S.A.W.) used to do. It was narrated that "when the prophet (S.A.W.) migrated from Mecca to Madinah accompanied by Abu Baker (R.A.), they met on thei r way Baridah Al-Aslami with some of his people. So the prophet (S.A.W.) called them to Islam and they all became Muslims." The messenger of Allah (S.AW.) did n ot forget the obligation of conveying the message of Islam even though his enemi es were chasing him. The noble Quran has told us the story of the prophet Yusuf (S.A.W) when he was im prisoned unjustly in jail. The hardships and its inconvenience did not divert hi m from making dawah to Allah. He took advantage of the situation, when the two in mates asked him for his explanations of two dreams they had. Before Yusuf (S.A.W .) replied to their request he said to them, "O two 4 companions of the prisons! (I ask you) : Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the one, the Irresistible? You do not worship Besides Him nothing but only names which you have named, you and your fathers, for which Allah have sent down no authority. The command is for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but him, that is the right deen, but most men know not." surat Yus uf (verse39 & 40) One Morning or Evening in the path of Allah is better than the World and all tha t it contains. (Bukhari) Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam said: For Allah to guide one man thro ugh you is better for you than all that the sun has shined over. Headache in the path of Allah forgives all past sins. (Tabarani) Lailatul Qadr ( LQ) =1,000 months of good deeds. In Makka it is 100,000 times increased = 100,00 0,000 months of good deeds or 8.3 million years. A person who goes to the path o f Allah for a short time gets more than 8.3 million years of good deeds. (Ibne-H ibban) You dont have to wait for Ramadan to find LQ or go to Makka to get more. Y ou can get more rewards throughout the year from anywhere simply by going for Daw ah and effort of deen.. VIRTUES IN GOING OUT IN THE PATH OF ALLAH: Abu Umama narrates that a man asked, "O Rasulullah! Please allow me to travel as a tourist". Nabi replied: "The tourism of my ummah is to strive in the Path of Allah" (Abu Dawud). Verses of the Holy Quran.... You will be a true believer and you will have forgiveness and lot of provision a

s Allah Says: Those who believed and left their homes and strove for the cause o f Allah, and those who gave them shelter and helped them, these are the believer s in truth. For them is forgiveness and a bountiful provision [Al-Anfal: 74] You will have sure guidance (Hidayat) as Allah Says: As for those who strive har d in Us (for Our cause), we will surely guide them to our paths (such guidance w hich is above the imagination of others). And Verily, Allah is with good doers [ Al-ankaboot: 69] Ahadeeth of Prophet (pbuh)... Suhail (r.a.) narrates: I heard Rasulullah saying, "Your striving in the Path of Allah for a short while is far better than your good deeds of the whole life st aying with your family" [Mustadrak Haakim] Anas narrates that Rasulullah said: "A morning or an evening spent in the Path o f Allah is better than the world and all that is contains" [bukhari] Abu Hurairah narrates: I heard Rasulullah saying: "To be in the Path of Allah fo r a short while, is better than worshipping on the night of Al-Qadr in front of hajaril-aswad (the black stone)" [Ibne Hibban] 5 WARNING FOR NOT GOING IN THE PATH OF ALLAH: O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the Path of Allah you cling heavily to the earth? Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But little is the enjoyment o f the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter. If you march not forth, He will punish you with a painful torment and will replace you by another peopl e, and you cannot harm Him at all, and Allah is Able to do all things. (At-Tawba h 9:38-39) It is narrated in hadith that Nabi (SAW) said, Be in Whose Hands is my soul! You are either o enjoin Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, or it will be that Allahs punis hment will befall you soon. Then you will invoke Him and He will not accept your invocation. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Surah Al-Imran 3:104) THE TABLEEGH JAMAAT APPROACH: One may question that the above mentioned Aayaat and Ahadith only prove the prac tice of dawah and tableegh. They do not prove the manner in which it is coordinat ed by the Tabligh Jamaat (e.g. specifying the time period of 3 days, 40 days, 4 m onths, etc. stipulating time for preaching, talim and gusht, etc.). The answer to this is simple. There are some commandments in Shariah in which the method is not stipulated. For example, it is a commandment of Shariah to acquir e knowledge, but the manner in which the Madrasas are established today, is not proven through Quran and Hadith. Up until the recent past, the scholars used to teach in the masjids of their respective towns and villages. The students had to go to different scholars to learn the different sciences. No arrangements of fo od or boarding were made. However, the zeal for knowledge had decreased as time went by, and the scholars felt it necessary to establish the system of Darul Ulo oms as is established today. Nobody regards such a system to be bidah. Similarly, Shariah has commanded us to do the work of dawah & tableegh. This work used to be done on an individual basis. The learned people used to preach the o thers and prevent them from all vices. As time went on, vice started prevailing, and people had stopped doing the work on an individual basis; therefore, a coll ective effort had to take place, and rules had to be set up for the work to carr y on in order. THE OUTCOME OF TABLEEGH AND DAWAH: Anyone with a sound mind and fair thinking wil l have no option but to accept that the work of Dawah & Tableegh has been respons ible, to a great extent, in the reformation that has taken place in the Muslim U mmah, in the last few decades. Tableegh Jamaat has played a big role in the estab lishment of madrasas in the last few years. Similarly, it has influenced many Mu slim men and women in adapting their attire and appearance in accordance to sunn ah. It acts as a deterrent for the Muslim youth from going to cinemas, night clu bs, discos, raves and all other places of sin. Many people, rich and poor, black and white who were drowned in sin, have now become the means for spreading Isla m. Tabligh Jamaat plays an important role in preaching Islam to those who have ev en forgotten the kalimah Laa ilaaha illallah, like those staying in the Kazakhst

an, Russia, Europe, Africa, Asia, etc. and the descendants of Arabs staying in S outh America. Many non Muslims have also accepted Islam through this effort. Fazhail-e-Amal A brief introduction: This kitaab was compiled by Hazrath Shaikh Z akariya (Rahimahullah). It consists of Aayaats of the Quran, Ahadith, stories of the Sahabah and stories of the pious predecessors that explain the virtues of g ood deeds. The object of the book is to encourage the Muslims on doing good 6 deeds, and not to explain any ruling of Shariah. Shaikh Zakariya (Rahimahullah) w as not the first to write a kitaab of this manner, but the likes of this kitaab have been written by the authors of the past, like Kitaab-u-Zuhd by Abdullah bin Mubarak (Rahimahullah), Fadhaiulul Quran by Imam Shafi (Rahimahullah), Al Adabul Mufrad by Imam Bukhari (Rahimahullah), Al Targheeb Wal Tarheeb by Ibnul Qayyim Munziri (Rahimahullah), etc. The role of Fazail-e-Amal in Tableegh Jamaat It is a total misconception that Fazh ail-e-Amal is the guide book of Tableegh Jamaat. This book only consists of the vi rtues of good deeds. The concept of Tableegh Jamaat was not derived from this boo k, nor is the jamaat dependant on this book to do the work of tableegh. They thou ght it necessary to stipulate such a book that would encourage people towards go od deeds, and this book served the purpose; therefore, the people who join this work are advised to stipulate a specific time for the reading of this book. Howe ver, it is not compulsory upon each an every person who joins this effort to rea d this book. Many of the Arabs who are doing this effort chose to read Riyadu-sSaliheen instead, and they are allowed to carry on with this work. Similarly, Ri yadu-s-Saliheen is also read in many of the masjids some places on certain days of the week. Therefore, it is totally incorrect to regard this book as the guide book of Tableegh Jamaat. Some objections made against Fazhail-e-Amal: 1. A common comment made against Faz ail-e-Amal is that some of the narrations mentioned in it are weak and fabricated . This comment is not totally correct, as there are no fabricated narrations in this book. There are dhaeef (weak) narrations in Fazail-e-Amal. However, it is imp ortant to point out that the word dhaeef, literally translated as weak, is a termin ology and should not be understood in its general sense. Its application is base d on the rules explained in the sciences of hadith. Moreover, weak narrations ar e not acceptable only in regards to aqeedah and the rulings of Islamic jurisprud ence. Majority of the scholars have accepted weak narrations as far as virtues o f good deeds are concerned. Even Imam Bukhari (Rahimahullah) has brought weak na rrations in his book, Al Adabul Mufrad, which shows that he also accepts weak na rrations in regards to virtues of good deeds. 2. Some scholars claim that there are such narrations in Fazail-e-Amal, especiall y in Fazail-e-Durood, that prove that the author had beliefs of shirk and believ ed in the Omnipresence of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). These are false all egations made against the author, who was one of the most prominent scholars of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah.Firstly, such allegations are made mostly by Arab sch olars, who are unaware of the difference between the Deobandis and the Barelwis. They regard both these groups to be one, as both of them are from Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, and attribute the beliefs of Barelwis to the Deobandis. It is some of the Barelwis who believe in grave-worshipping and the Omnipresence of Nabi (Sal lallahu Alaihi Wasallam), and these beliefs have been attributed to the Deobandi s. Some of these Arab scholars, like Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen (Rahimahullah), retrac ted from what they said after the actual situation was explained to them.Secondl y, the author has mentioned references for each and every narration or incident he has mentioned. Therefore, any comments regarding these narrations or incident s should be attributed to the author of the reference provided, as Shaikh Zakari ya (Rahimahullah) has absolved himself by giving the reference.Thirdly, most of the incidents mentioned in Fazail-e-Durood are of pious predecessors. It is inco rrect to say that these are fabricated Ahadith, as the word Hadith is used for t he sayings of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). It is also incorrect to confirm the beliefs of the author through these incidents, as the object of the author was only to emphasise on the virtues of durood mentioned in them.Moreover, most of the incidents mentioned are dreams, and no rulings of Shariah can be derived f

rom dreams. It is farfetched to confirm someones faith from a dream, of another p erson, mentioned in his kithab.Lastly, most of the copies of Fazail-e-Amal do not have Fazail-e-Durood attached to them, and it is not considered as part of the kithab-reading stipulated by 7 the Tableegh Jamaat. 3. It is incorrect to compare the Shias, Qadiani, etc. with Tableegh Jamaat as we have clarified above that Tableegh Jamaat is not based on the narrations of Faza il-e-Amal; and none of the narrations of Fazail-e-Amal are fabricated. To end ther eof, one should not be misguided with all the false accusations on this jamaat, b ut rather look at how the Ummah has benefited through this jamaat. We should alwa ys supplicate to Allah Taala to show us the right path and save us from the misgu idance of Shaitan. Moreover, we should always bear in mind that the pious and th e learned amongst the Ummah cannot be unanimous upon something that is false or not part of Islam, as Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has mentioned: Allah Taal a will not unite the Ummah of Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) upon misguid ance. Allahs help is with majority. Whoever deviates from them will be thrown int o the fire of Jahannum. Sunan Al Tirmizi Vol.2 Pg.39 (H.M. Saeed Company) TABLEEGH JAMAAT AND THE ULAMA It was an concern & ache that it distressed him all the time; he couldn't eat, h e couldn't sleep, was a worry that had engulfed all other worries; it was a topi c, the explanation and elucidation of which took up all energies of his tongue a nd pen to the extent that writing on any other subject was a trial for him. He h ad written to Shaykhul Hadith Maulana Zakarya (rahimuhullah), "My heartfelt desi re is that at least my brain, thought, time, and energy should be limited to not hing but this work." He used to say, "How can any other occupation be lawful for me when I see that the soul of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihe wasallam) is dist ressed (because of the weakness of the Muslims' faith and the supremacy of kufr) ." One day an attendant complained that he saw a lack of attention and affection in his behaviour as previously compared. He replied, "I am very busy; I feel th at Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihe wasallam) is in distress; I cannot pay attenti on to anything else." He did not attend gatherings where there was little chance of putting forward his message; he disliked going for the sake of an obligation only. He used to say, "If you go to a place, go with your message and put it fo rward, keep your invitation above anything." Once in Delhi, he had to perforce a ttend a wedding ceremony of an acquaintance. He addressed the gathering at the w edding thus, "Today is the happiest of days for you when even the lowliest is pl eased; it is not done to displease even the sweeperess tell me! Do you have any co ncern of pleasing Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihe wasallam)?" then he explained t hat the endeavour to revive the deen brought by Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihe w asallam) was the greatest way to please him (sallallahu 'alaihe wasallam) and Al lah (SWT) will be pleased also. This fine references are of the founder of the T ablighi Jama'at, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Noorullah marqadahu, who adored calling to the Faith to such extent that all other sensory pleasures and opinions were d immed before them; this spiritual pleasure had become sensory and natural for hi m. Once, Maulana had defined 'Ishq', (adoration) as such, "The pleasures and int erests of man that are divided between so many things come out and converge at o ne point; this is Ishq." This definition was personified in the Maulana himself. He used to sob and cry on the departure of the ummah from its deen. Sometimes h e used to writhe in pain, sigh, sob, and complain, "O Allah! What else should I do? I am not doing enough." Sometimes he used to turn agonizingly on his bed, th en get up and pace the room. One night his wife at last asked him, "What is the matter? Can you not sleep?" he answered, "What can I tell you? If you get to kno w what I do then the waking ones will become two." 8 The result of this heart ache and dedication to his aim was that in just a few y ears, the ache that had bothered one breast caught fire in hundreds. The Mewatis who had become half Hindu despite being called Muslims, who celebrated many of the Hindu festivals, whose villages rarely had a mosque in them, who even used t o kill their newborns; suddenly, little beacons of light sprung up in the same M

ewati dwellings. Mosques were built, religious schools and madaris mushroomed, t he number of huffaz exceeded hundreds, and there was a good number of qualified ulama. The birth of the love of Imaan extinguished the following of kufr. The c ustoms and traditions that had come to be a way of life for them began to be era dicated. An experienced Mewati explained this in a very clear manner when he was asked what was happening in his area; he said, "I don't know anything else, wha t I do know is some things for which we used to strive and they did not happen, are happening on their own; some things which we tried to stop with battles and great endeavour and did not stop, are being stopped on their own." Hazrat Maulan a Muhammad Ilyas had a keen concern that if the ulama did not overlook the prea ching and this task was left to the common man alone, it would develop lots of f laws. His wish was for the educated ulama to take an interest in this task and use their God gifted talents for the propagation of this work. Because most of h is life Maulana had been associated to learning, he knew intimately the pursuits of the madaris, its teachers, and students. He wanted them to join hands with t his work of calling to God but he also wanted a way out that would help those of the madaris in their learning but not interfere with it. He writes, "Deen can p rogress and develop according to the progress and development of learning, and u nder the progress and development of learning. It would be the greatest of losse s if my movement caused any set back to learning. I do not mean by tabligh to pr event or hurt progress towards learning" He used to council the groups going in the way of Allah for tabligh to sit and learn from the gatherings of elders with th e intention of improving oneself, and never to mention their own work in their p resence. If the elders asked anything of their own accord, well and good, otherw ise they were to keep silent. He wrote to Shaykhul Hadith Maulana Zakarya rahama hullah 'alaih, "I have an old wish, that these groups benefit from the khanqahs, keeping to all the manners of khanqahs, and that the missionary work be done in particular timings in surrounding villages. (Please) make a plan concerning thi s after council with the coming groups. This humble person is also overwhelmed w ith the wish to attend with some companions; I am also thinking of Deoband and T hana Bhawan." Hakim-ul-Ummah, Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi was of the opinio n that when ulama educated for eight to ten years failed to solve some matters when on mission work, what would the ignorant Mewatis do without any formal educ ation and training? His cautious and farsighted nature was unsatisfied and he fe ared some harm would come out of it. But when he received continuous news that t he groups were working under supervision of the ulama and getting guidance from them, and that they did not mention anything for which they were not allowed, h e became satisfied. The founder of the Jama'at always tried to link the workers of Tabligh to the ulama. He used to stress the importance of ulama, the need t o benefit from them, the rewards of meeting them, and used to teach the manners of talking to them. He used to educate the workers to take the best possible exp lanation of things they did not understand and keep their faith in the scholars. The results of this effort became apparent when those big businessmen who were against the ulama started attending their gatherings with respect and reverence and invited them for discourses to their congregations. They did not have the c ondition that only those ulama would give talks who had spent time in the Jama' at; all authentic and righteous ulama were invited. The connection of Shaykhul Islam Maulana Sayyed Hussein Ahmad Madani (rahimuhullah) with 9 politics was no secret, but he often gave discourses in gatherings although he h ad not spent any formal time in the Jama'at. Maulana Sayyed Abul Hassan Ali Nadv i (rahimuhullah), who was the heart and soul of Nadvatul ulama--- and who is un aware of the barrier between the Nadwah and the rest of the madaris because of i ts special ambience and isolation of some of its founders---his dealing with the founder of the Jama'at was totally different. Hazrat Ilyas respected and loved all ulama and so he did Ali Mian (rahimuhullah), and gave importance to his adv ise. One day Ali Mian said that although the Nadwah had always extended an effec tionate hand towards the people of deen, they had seldom had a positive response ; thank God that he, Maulana Ilyas, had been loving towards them. Tears ran down Maulana's face and he said, "What are you saying? Your Jama'at is that of deen;

I am not in favour of leaving out even the people from Aligarh." Besides Ali Mi an, Hazrat Maulana Manzoor Ahmad Naumani rahimihullah was also among Maulana's c lose associates. Hazrat Maulana Abdul Qadir Raipoori was also a frequent visitor . Not even a blind person can deny the fruit born by the whole world seems in a stir by its blessing, millions of people have been reformed by joining it; but d espite all this, there is a need for guidance from the ulama at each step. God forbid, if a rift is created between the Jama'at and the ulama and the ulama a re made to follow the Jama'at instead of the other way round, it will have grave results for the religious circles. CONCEPT ON JIHAD: The concept of Jihad does not require Muslims to propagate their religion by for ce. Jihad simply means "struggle", or struggle in the way of God. Jihad includes a spiritual struggle that takes place in the soul of man against his own lust, greed and other evil passions. The better known aspect of Jihad is fighting for self defence, or for the establishment of justice, for the safeguarding of freed om etc. Islam views this fight as the last option, taken up only when all other courses are closed. There is a misunderstanding propagated by vested interests t hat Islam wants its adherents to fight against Non-Muslims. This is not true. Wh at Islam teaches is to do da'wah or peaceful propagation of its teachings. The Q ur'an, which is the Holy Book of the Muslims says: Let there be no compulsion in religion. Say the Truth is from your Lord; whoever wishes to believe, let him b elieve; and whoever wishes to disbelieve, let him disbelieve. Just as the Christ ian missionaries speak of those unreached people who should be evangelized, the Muslims too may speak of those who should be 'invited or called' (the literal me aning of the word da'wah) to Islam everybody in all corners of the world be it a muslim or non-muslim majority countries. That is all. Allah only wanted from us to strive, struggle, work and sacrifice for the effort of deen and He will be the One to facilitate the guidance of muslims and non-mu slims alike. Also, if non-muslims observed that muslims are good, then, they wil l voluntarily accept islam as the Makkans did during the fall of Makkah to the m uslims. ISLAM means PEACE: After studying Islam by making reference to its original sources the Quran and H adith, one can say with certainty that the political interpretation of Islam is an innovation and the real Islam, as 10 followed by Prophet Muhammad(Sallalaye wa alaye wa Sallam) and his early followe rs, is based upon peace, compassion and tolerance. People consider peace as the greatest good in the world. However, peace does not prevail in the world today. This is because people the world over are acting intolerantly and indulging in a cts of violence, saying, "Give us justice and peace will ensue". But when people , ostensibly seeking justice, stoop to violence, peace can never prevail. Peace is always desirable for its own sake, and every other desirable state comes afte r peace, not along with it. So, the maxim to follow, when peace is the desired s tate, is: "Ignore the problems, and avail of the opportunities. " Once people be come tolerant and obtain peace for its own sake, what that actually does is open up opportunities. It creates favourable conditions which enable people to striv e for their ideals, eventually attaining justice and other constructive ends. Th is happens due to the law of nature. When the individual refrains from making a controversial matter into one of prestige, this gives rise to serious thinking. This non-emotional thinking helps him to understand that if he were to walk out of the point of controversy he would find all other paths open to him. This ideo logy of peace can counter the ideology of violence and it is based on the origin al sources of Islam. Prophet Muhammad(SAW) provides a very clear historical exam ple of this in his method of negotiating the Hudaybiyya peace treaty. On this oc casion he brought matters to a successful conclusion by unilaterally accepting a ll the conditions of his opponents. In this peace treaty, the Prophet had not ap parently received justice or his rights. But what was in effect a 10-year no-war pact gave the Prophet an opportunity to work uninterruptedly on a constructive programme which would otherwise have been impossible. By means of this peaceful

non-political programme, the Prophet and his companions were able to consolidate themselves so thoroughly that they had no need to wage war; they were able to t ake control of Makkah peacefully. From this example of the Prophet, we can under stand that there is no room for violence in Islam. The ideology of Islam banishe s the notion that there can be anything acceptable about terrorism. Islam is a c ompletely peaceful religion and the Islamic method is a peaceful method. By foll owing the ideology of peace, each individual's mind can be re-engineered away fr om the culture of violence and closer to the culture of peace, Insha Allah. CORE TEACHING AND PRACTICES: The core teaching and practices of Tabligh Jamaat in brief, the six points, is to address the sickness of the muslims that prevent them from becoming a true and complete muslims. The six sickness are; 1. No Imaan / trust to Allah & their way s are not according to sunnah; 2. Negligence to Salaat; 3. No time to acquire kn owledge & less remembrance to Allah; 4. Not honoring fellow muslims; 5. Hypocris y & Arrogance, 6. Forgot the effort of spreading the Deen. The six qualities are ; 1) Imaan and Yakeen to Laa ilaaha Illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah, b) Salaat, c ) Ilm (knowledge) and Dhikr, d) Ikraam (honoring a fellow Muslim), e) Ikhlaas (s incerity) of intention, f) Dawah & Khoroods Fii Sabiilillah. All of these qualiti es are practiced by sahabas & pious muslims all over the world and have been ask ed of us by Allah and his Messenger (saw) in quran & hadith. This approach will effectively transform the muslims and will spend much of thei r time in the concern & effort of Deen like 1. Dawah ilallah, 2. Talim wa Talom (Le arning and Teaching), 3. Ibaadah wa Dhikr (Worship and Remembrance of Allah) and Kidhmat (Service to mankind). It will rectify our Imaan (Belief), Ibaadah (Wors hip), Akhlaq (Characters), Muammalat (Business Dealing) and Moashsharat (Social Dealing) according to the quran and sunnah. 11 Our concern & effort is to transform each and everyone of us from the love of Ma khluq (Creation) to the love of Allah (Creator); from the love of Maal (Wealth) to the love of Amaal (Righteous deeds); from love of mansions to the love and pre paration for the Qabr (Grave); from the love of Dunya to the love and preparatio n for Akhirat; for the love of worldly women to the love of Houris (Women in Par adise). This is an effective way of rectifying and reshaping of becoming a true muslim a s Allah Taala stated in the quran that he will not change our condition unless we change our condition. And we will not have the glory of Islam unless we turn ba ck to the ways of our predecessors; the Prophet (SAW), the sahaba and the tabien and those who follow them. A PROVOKING ACT: How will one account for the many thousands of people all aroun d the world, Arabs and non-Arabs, and of all works of life, be they great Ulama, Muftis, intellectuals or professionals, to be associated with this noble work. They all cannot be wrong. They must have encountered something positive in this work for them to be part of it. The solution is, come within and experience for yourself. WE SERIOUSLY NEED TO RESEARCH, EXPERIENCE AND TRY to look at the good things abo ut this Tableegh Jamaat! And another thing 1, 2, 3 days, 15, 40 days, 4 months, 6 months, 1 year is just a measure upon your means rather than nothing at all. It does not have to be in the sunnah or quran like going in madrasah to acquire dip loma as it is too late for some. Only children are sent to madrasah and this is a moving madrasah for the young and old alike! It is but a kick start to work fo r the effort of deen in full time for the entire our life. You will have what yo u strive for like Iman and Amaal. Strive & you will have Hidayat (Guidance) and i t will push you to Good Deeds (Amaal). This effort is to flush out in our heart t he love of Makhluq (creations) that prevents us from true worship of Allah, the Creator and to enter our heart the true Imaan & Yakeen (Conviction). This is the true essence of kalima Laa ilaaha illIallah Mohammadur Rasulullah. Are we ready to sacrifice and contribute ourselves and our resources for the Muj ahada (Effort) & Fikr (Concern) of deen for our good in akhirat? Or rather, all our effort & concern shall be confine only on the acquiring of temporary wealth and power for ourselves and our family in this dunya? Only our white shroud will

be brought with us in the grave & only Imaan & Amaal will be our provision in Qa br and in Akhirat. Death will surely overtake us one day and we will realize tha t we are among the losers if we have not done enough good deeds in this world fo r the akhirat. But its never too late since we still have our life. NOW IS THE TI ME to wake up from the intoxication of the love of worldly things and to turn to wards our Creator ALLAH and to our Akhirat. As Nabi Mohammad (SAW) saw during hi s Ascension (Miraj) that Hell were surrounded with worldly desires and PARADISE w ere surrounded with Good Deeds that are not liked by ourselves (Nafs). That is w hy we have to strive for the Deen to control our Nafs (desire) & Shaytaan. ALLAH will let enter PARADISE those who STRIVE & have PATIENT. In short my brother, give it a try, Inshallah. May Allah make easy for us. Ameen . And Allah knows best. Please include me in your prayer. Wassalam. (SEND THIS AS MANY AS YOU CAN TO CONTRIBUTE FOR THE NOBLE CAUSE OF TABLEEGH AND DAWAH ILALLAH)