Tabligh-Movement

Tabligh Movement Table of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTSTable of Contents................................................................21. MAULANA ILYAS ........................................................4 Early Circumstances.......................................................5 The Sincere Devotion ...................................................18 Absolute Trust in Divine Succour...............................27 An Appeal to the Heart ................................................34 Programm e .................................................................... 40 Stressing on the Basics..................................................50 The Use of Pen ..............................................................522. HAZRATJI ....................................................................56 Total Involvement.........................................................58 The Call..........................................................................62 Method of Working ......................................................65 Shunning Publicity .......................................................68 Call to Non-Muslims ....................................................69 ~2~

Tabligh Movement Table of Contents Unity ..............................................................................70 Prayer ............................................................................. 72 A Divine Gift .................................................................74 Taste for Learning.........................................................753. UMMAH-NESS Islamic Brotherhood ........................784. TWO DAYS IN NIZAMUDDIN .................................94 An Active Training Camp..........................................104 ~3~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYAS1. MAULANA ILYASIt was a cold day in winter. The year 1966. I alightedfrom a train at a station on the North EasternRailway. On my way back home, I was struck bysomething rather remarkable in the appearance of agroup of pedestrians who were hurrying to crossthe street. Dressed in coarse, simple clothes, withbags and beddings on their shoulders, theysomehow had a religious aura about them as theypressed onwards. In those now far-off days theylooked like creatures from another world, butnowadays they have become such a familiar sightthat they hardly need description.Innumerable people of this kind travelling incaravans have opted for the hard way to serve thecause of God. Many such groups, by turns, areconstantly on the move. This great movementgenerally known as Tablighi Jama’at, has inspiredin people a new fervour, a new zeal to serve thedivine cause. Its founder surprisingly was a slight,short-statured individual, rather unimpressive inpersonality. There were times when he found itdifficult to express himself because of his bad ~4~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASstammer due to the impediment in his speech. Itwas this extraordinary figure, known as MaulanaIlyas, who founded the Tablighi Jama’at, which wasto inspire in thousands of people a religious zealwhich had been unknown for centuries. Althoughfrail to the point of physical weakness, he possessedgreat inner strength which provided solutions toevery problem he was confronted with. Hisindomitable will and staunchness of purpose inguiding people along the right path lead him toexert himself in a manner which many a physicallystronger person would have found arduous.EARLY CIRCUMSTANCESIf one climbed a high building in Delhi at the turnof the 19th century, one could see a few buildingsscattered here and there in the vicinity of sprawlingjungles. This was the place famous for the shrine ofNizamuddin Aulia, which has given its name to theplace. Maulana Mohd. Ismail, a religious scholar,who died in 1898, lived there. In his eagerness tohelp the people, he had taken to seeking outlabourers in that forsaken place, offering them hishelp, and fetching water for them to drink. Then he ~5~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASwould say a prayer of thanks that God had grantedhim the opportunity to serve His servants.It was this saintly person who was the father ofMaulana Ilyas. This family traced its descent to theValiullahi family, who had been chosen by God torectify the distorted picture of Islam which hadresulted from the Taimur family’s wrong attitudetowards religion. He was born into a family wherethere was no need to have recourse to make-believestories for inspiration, as there had been a wholeseries of such devoted people in his family whosetrue stories of sacrifice in the path of God very wellserved the purpose. Even the women would telltheir babies the stories of their forefathers who had,at all costs, dedicated themselves to the divine path.Religion was practised to the letter. The mothers inthis family naturally did not wish material successfor their children. On seeing extraordinary abilitiesin them, they did not say, like common people,“This child will be rich and great.” They said rather,“This child reminds me of the companions of theprophet. We wish he could follow the same path.” Itwas in such an atmosphere that the Maulana grewup. ~6~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASHis parents owned a bookshop which was managedby his elder brother, Maulana Yahya. MaulanaIlyas, being too weak for physical exertion, couldnot undertake to help his elder brother in his work.Instead, he devoted his time and attention toreligious studies, while his elder brother workedhard to run the bookshop. One day the managersuggested to him that Maulana Ilyas should also beengaged in the work. Maulana Yahya, was quitedisconcerted at his remark, and replied, “Theprophet has said, ‘You owe your provision to theweaker members of your family.’ I believe that it isowing to this child that I am provided for.” Hefurther admonished him not to say such things tohim in future. In this atmosphere of absolute purityof thought, word and deed, it was natural that hisemotions and feelings should be cast in the samemould. One of the Maulana’s classfellows hasnarrated an incident which took place when he wasa student. “One day,” he said, “The Maulanabrought a stick, and holding it, in his hand, he said,“Come, my dear Riyazul Islam, let us declare holywar on those who do not say their prayers.” ~7~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASAfter completing his school education, he went onto higher studies. Soon he was offered the post ofteacher at the Mazahirul Islam religious school atSaharanpur. But before long, new opportunitiesopened out before him, and his training periodcommenced. His father had set up a small religiousschool in Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin to impart freeeducation to poor students. After the death of hisfather, the elder brother had taken charge of it.When, on this sad occasion, he came home to offerhis condolence the people who were running theschool insisted on his staying there and taking uphis father’s cause. He acceded to their request.Now there began a new phase in his life. It was atthis place that he first came into contact with theMewatis. Distressed by their religious and spiritualpoverty, he set himself to reform their conditionthrough religious education. The initial stimulus forhis work thus came from Mewati Muslims. Gainingmomentum gradually, the work of bringing peoplecloser to the path of God, spread far and wide.Mewat is a region situated to the south of Delhi, itsinhabitants being known as Meo. These people ~8~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYAScould be described as semi-tribal, somewhat like theancient Arab bedouins. These uncouth and illiteratepeople had converted to Islam on a mass scale as aresult of the efforts of the well-known Sufi HazratNizamuddin Aulia and his descendants. But inpractical life they were very far from Islam. Therewas nothing Islamic about them apart from the titleof Muslims that they bore. They kept their Hindunames, like Nahar Singh and Bhup Singh; they left alock of hair on the top of the shaven head as Hindusdo; they worshipped idols, celebrated all the Hindufestivals and made sacrifices to the pre-Islamic godsand goddesses. Also on the occasion of Shab-e-Baratthey hoisted the flag of Sayyed Salar Ghazi, aMuslim saint, who had been adopted by them as anobject of idolatory. They could not even recite thecreed of the Muslims. So unfamiliar even was thesight of prayer, let alone the saying of it, that if bychance they came across someone praying, theygathered to enjoy the spectacle, assuming that theperson must either be mad or suffering from someailment due to which he was kneeling andprostrating himself again and again. Like tribalpeoples they were scantily-clad, and spent most oftheir time in robbing, looting and other such base ~9~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASoccupations. Small trifling matters led to prolongedwars such as the pre-Islamic Arab Bedouins hadengaged in. They were a brave and sturdy people,but their lack of education and training had come inthe way of their advancing beyond the tribal way oflife. Major Piolet, the Bandobast officer of Alwar, atthe end of the 19th century, writes: “Meo are half-Hindus in their habits and customs.”They had posed a serious threat to the Muslim rulein the initial Sultanate period, looting andplundering the city at night. For fear of their attacks,the gates of the capital were closed at dusk. No onedared to go out after dark. Sultan GhyasuddinBalban in the year 1266 dispatched an expeditionagainst them in which a great number of them wereput to the sword, but they were never fullysubdued. Even as late as the period of the BritishRaj, the government was only partially successful incrushing them and establishing peace in the area.In 1921 new problems arose when Arya preachersresolved to reconvert the Indian Muslims to theirancestral religion. Thanks to the religious and ~ 10 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYAScultural poverty of the Meos, the large-scaleactivities of the Aryan missionaries met with greatsuccess. The solution to this problem was to impartto them religious education so that they did notyield to any malign influence.Maulana Ilyas, like his father and brother visitedMewat from time to time. Basti Hazrat Nizamuddinbeing not far from there. Some Mewati studentswere already studying there and many otherMewatis had came to hold the family of MaulanaIlyas in great reverence because of their devotionand struggle to guide them along the right path. Butthere was still much to do, and the Maulana, greatlymoved by their plight, felt a strong urge to improvetheir condition. His first idea was to set up and runschools in this area of Mewat on the pattern set byhis family, so that the local children could have easyaccess to education.When it came to convincing the Mewatis that theyshould send their children to school, they weretough nuts to crack. How could they spare theirchildren for school? This, for them amounted to asheer waste of time. The children regularly helped ~ 11 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYAStheir parents in ploughing, grazing the cattle andother such activities. So the idea of supporting theirchildren without any return from them had noappeal But the Maulana was the last man to acceptdefeat he did not weaken in his resolve, but ratherintensified his campaign, sometimes approachingthem personally, and sometimes entering theircongregations to plead his case. He would tell them,“If only you would spare your children, I wouldtake the responsibility for all their expenses at theschool” They ultimately surrendered before hisindomitable will, and he succeeded in establishing anumber of schools where, besides the teaching ofthe Quran, elementary religious education was alsoimparted. Work on this pattern continued untilanother incident occurred which changed thecourse of his activities. On a visit to Mewat, theMaulana was introduced to a young man who hadjust completed his education in one of his schools.Much to his astonishment, he saw no traces of Islamin his clean-shaven appearance. He was quick torelaize his failure. His aim had not been fulfilled.He had been aware of this problem to some extentbefore, but now it had become plain for all to see.The schools did serve a purpose, but to the ~ 12 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASMaulana’s eyes, only a secondary one; that is, it hadconsiderably enhanced his own image and, as hehimself was now held in reverence, he was in abetter position to bring pressure to bear upon themwhen it came to solving their disputes; there was nodoubt that he was extremely successful in thisregard. The Mewatis said, “Though a mere skeleton,when he takes up any issue, he can work wonders.He can solve complicated problems in a matter ofminutes. Even the most stubborn of us surrenderourselves before him.”But this was not the main issue. What the Maulanawas primarily concerned with was the awakeningin them of the religious spirit. Their religious inertiawas so deep—rooted that even school courses couldnot help them to slough it off. This failure of theschools greatly distressed him, and he gave thequestion much thought. At last he arrived at theconclusion that the real inadequacy lay in thepresent method of working: the attempt to educatethem in their own atmosphere and in the scene oftheir own activities. In such surroundings the bestefforts on the part of the teachers were in vain. Assoon as the young people left the school they ~ 13 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASmingled with company of their own sort, whichnullified the school influence altogether. The onlysolution to this problem, as the Maulana saw it, layin separating them from their milieu, and it wasdecided that they should be withdrawn from it ingroups for a period of time, and gathered togetherin mosques or religious institutions away from badspheres of influence. Thus detached from theirworldly and material atmosphere, they would beimparted education by counsel and guidance in thecompany of religious people. This formula provedthe right one. Engaging them in religious activitiesround the clock for some length of time made theminto new human beings. Once the trial provedeffective, this pattern was to be followed in future.The attempt proved to be harder than the previousone. The Mewatis, loath to spare their children evenfor part-time study in local schools, could not easilybe persuaded to let their children leave homealtogether. But the Maulana’s sincerity of intention,perseverance, and prayers came to his rescue onceagain. Gradually a new consciousness wasawakened in them, and his efforts were finallyrewarded. Here are two of the many incidents in his ~ 14 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYAScareer which will convey the hardship that heexperienced in taming this unyielding nation.Once, during one of his preaching missions,Maulana Ilyas put his hand lovingly on theshoulders of a Mewati, only to have him fly into arage and shout at him. “If you ever touch me withyour hand again, I’ll give you a good beating.” Thecool and calm Maulana immediately bent to his feetsaying, “You did not forbid me to touch your feet,did you?”Similarly, once, when he was impressing upon aMewati the importance of leading a religious life,the Mewati, instead of paying heed to the message,dealt him a hard blow. The Maulana was so frailphysically that he collapsed. When he regainedconsciousness, he got up and caught hold of hisassailant’s shirt. “You have done your job,” he said,“now listen to me!” Here was someone who,instead of taking revenge, asked only the favour ofbeing listened to with patience. The Mewati wastouched. He fell at his feet and begged hisforgiveness saying that if he were not to beforgiven, he should be eternally condemned. ~ 15 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASThis latter incident, besides showing his sincerityand eagerness, also shows how his concern for theirwelfare had turned to anguish. He was willing to goto any lengths for the sake of impressing upon themthe eternal realities.Such involvement could not fail to reap dividends:large numbers of people were brought into his foldfrom various parts of the country to spread themessage he entrusted them with. Staying day andnight in a religious and spiritual atmosphere indeedworked wonders for them for when those peoplereturned home after having undergone the training,they were changed people. Far from falling underthe bad influence of their surroundings, they set outto be a good influence on their environment. TheMaulana had found the solution to his problem.The whole of Mewat was transformed. Greatspiritual excitement and enthusiasm could be seenamong the people at large. Where previously,mosques had been few and far between, nowmosques and religious schools came up in everysettlement. Not only had they increased in numberand size, but the local people had also come to ~ 16 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASappreciate their activities. They changed their wayof dressing and, grew beards, shaking off one byone almost all the pre-Islamic customs that theyhad retained after their conversion. Lending orborrowing on interest as well as robbing, looting,and dacoities decreased considerably. Liquorconsumption came to an end. Almost every childbecame punctual at his prayers. Their dealings,behaviour and living standards were all influencedas a result of this religious awakening. Not only didthey reform themselves but they were also inspiredto spread the true message of God to those whowere as ignorant as they had been before. Theirsimple, sincere stories of devotion made it seem asif history were, repeating itself, as if the newlyconverted Bedouins, inspired with new found zealwere reborn and roaming across the desert, theironly desire being to spread the message far andwide.In September 1929, an elderly, religious personvisited the area to observe personally the muchtalked-of religious fervour. He found on his way agroup of simple Mewati villagers who were goingout on a religious expedition. He motioned to one of ~ 17 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASthem to stop and asked him, “What is all thismovement for?” The Mewati replied, There was atime when we were neither aware of our God nor ofour messenger. May God now bless the Maulvi whoshowed us the right path. Our only wish is now toconvey this great blessing to others.” The truthexpressed in such simple words, so succinctly,reminded one of a speech made by Jafar, acompanion of the Prophet, before Najjashi, theChristian king of Habash.THE SINCERE DEVOTIONThe success of a mission does not rest only on itsbeing true, but also on the sincerity and zeal of thepeople involved. Maulana Ilyas burned with suchzeal and was willing to face all difficulties andhardships that came his way. It is the initiative ofsuch a person which inevitably carries him throughto a successful conclusion.Once a colleague of the Maulana visited his houseto offer his condolence, when the Maulana hadpassed away. He sent a message to his wife, askingher to tell him something about the Maulana. This iswhat she replied. ~ 18 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYAS “When I was married to him, I came to stay with him. I found that the Maulana hardly slept at nights. I could hear him moaning and groaning in bed. One day I asked him what it was that was disturbing his sleep. He sighed and replied, ‘Would that you knew of my suffering and shared my agony, I would not be alone then. There would be two of us to keep awake at nights.”The Maulana’s stammering, and, the complexitiesof traditional religious style made it difficult for himto express himself. But, thanks to his totalinvolvement, his whole body seemed to convey themessage. He groaned, and restless as a fish out ofwater, he would say repeatedly:“I am unable to do anything, my God. I am tooweak.” The people could not help but feel pity forhim. His unbounded will, however, made himovercome all obstacles. He even outdid all hiscompanions who were more physically fitted forthe job. He could walk across rough, unevenstretches of Mewat for as far as 25 miles at a timewithout taking any food and water. His hectic life ~ 19 ~

Tabligh Movement1. MAULANA ILYASleft him no time to look after himself. Many a timehe left Nizamuddin on a Friday after lunch and hadhis second meal only after returning home on aSunday. Keeping awake at nights, climbing moun-tains, making his way through the hot, dry plains ofMewat, and alternately facing waves had almostbecome a routine with him. When he found that hiscolleages were almost dropping with exhaustionfrom such a busy schedule, he observed: “God isbut beyond the mountain of struggle: whoeverwants to see Him can find Him there.”When someone enquired after his health, he wroteback: “How does health matter? One can be said tobe well if one is able to properly perform the taskfor which one was born.”Once some relatives from Kandhla, his hometown,visited him to enquire after his health. On hearingabout it, he said, “You have traversed such a longdistance to learn about one who is born to die,whereas the religion of the Prophet Muhammad,which is eternal, is being neglected, and youshow no concern for it.”~ 20 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASWhen he was seriously ill, the doctors advised himto refrain from speaking, but he said, “I prefer to diewhile exhorting people to the path of the Lord, thanto take rest for the recovery of my own health.”As his health deteriorated, he received repeatedinquiries about it. Replying to one of his friends, hewrites: “I have no pain except that of preaching.”It greatly distressed him to learn that only the lesseducated have surrendered themselves to his fold.On his deathbed, he writes with great pain: “Would that the religious scholars were to take up the cause before I passed away.”Once while saying his prayers in the train, hiscolleagues stopped others from passing in front ofhim. When he had finished his prayers, he showedhis resentment and said, “You had better set up aSutrah*. This was because of his great considerationfor others.*Something put up before one engaged in prayer toprevent others from intruding upon the worshippers’ ~ 21 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASdevotions. It may be a stick, or anything a cubit in heightand an inch in thickness.On one journey to Kandhla he bought a third classticket but, having failed to find a seat in a third classcompartment, he got into a secondclasscompartment along with his colleagues. He couldpay the extra amount when the ticket collectorarrived, he said. But the ticket collector createddifficulties when he saw the tickets. The Maulanawas momentarily put out and scolded him. Whenthe Ticket Collector left after renewing the tickets,one of his colleagues, Maulana Inamul Hasan, saidto him that the man had had the right to object. TheMaulana was quick to admit his mistake and assoon as the train stopped at the next station, hewent up to him and apologized.His attachment to God was such that prayers werenot so much a matter of obligation to him as asource of great enjoyment and solace. In the courseof rough journeys where hills had to be crossed, hiscolleagues were usually exhausted by the time theyreached the top of the hill and preferred to take rest. ~ 22 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASBut not the Maulana. He would stand up on the topof hills in prayer for hours.When he died, his body had been given a bath, andwas being perfumed, when one of his closecolleagues said: “Perfume his forehead well, it usedto stay in prostration for hours.”His heart-felt prayers, sacrifices, his attachment toGod gave such force and effect to his mission thattoday it makes people wonder at the astonishingresults achieved, as they find it hard to explain thisphenomenal success in material terms.Here is a short extract from one of his letters whichshows the degree of his involvement: “The results are in proportion to one’s struggle. The more one humbles oneself before the Lord, and bears the hardship in this path; the more one is entitled to divine succour.”These words give an accurate picture of theMaulana himself. In actual fact, his self-abnegationin God’s path was total, and this gave peculiar ~ 23 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASvision and penetration to his words. When one hasfully devoted oneself to one’s cause, one’spersonality takes on such depth that it penetratesthe very hearts of the listener.Here are some more excerpts from his speeches tothis effect.“This is the most important task; a pearl amongpebbles. Sacrifice your lives for this cause. The moreyou forsake materially the more you gainspiritually.”Once as some guests were leaving, the Maulanasaid to them, “You came and stayed just as guests.Remember, the cause of God involves forsakingeven the barest necessities of life like food andwater. Sweat in this path and be ready to shed yourblood.”In one of his letters to Issa, a friend of his, heexpresses regret at those who refrained frombecoming involved in this mission.“Issa, think, how all members of a family engagethemselves in this ephemeral world, whereas not ~ 24 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASeven one of them is willing to spare a little of histime for God. Does this not imply holding thisworld superior to the next world?”Once a Tabligh gathering was held in Lucknow.After the meeting, a group of people began toexhort the audience to offer to go to Kanpur for thesake of the mission. Despite repeated exhortations,not a single person responded to the call. TheMaulana was pained to see this indifference. One ofthe participants, Haji Wali Mohammad, wassuffering from piles and obviously was too weak totravel. The Maulana asked him why he laggedbehind. He told him that he was almost dying. TheMaulana said, “When you are dying already youhad better die in Kanpur.”These incidents reveal only partially the degree ofhis involvement, because, when an incident isreported, the personality of the speaker, theemotions and feelings attached to words aremissing. The sincere feelings, the inner conviction,the impassioned and heartfelt longing to make thelisteners understand the message - not all of this canbe captured in writing. ~ 25 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASOnce someone came to see the Maulana afterattending the congregation. The Maulana askedhim, “Didn’t you feel sorry for the pathetic abysswe have fallen into?” He replied “Since I havewitnessed for myself the ignorance of ourcommunity, I’m ashamed of our very existence.”It was as a result of such dedication to the causethat in the first major congregation in Mewat inNovember 1941, about 25,000 people attended it. Alarge number of them came walking all the wayfrom as far as fifty miles. Their pitiful lack ofeducation can be judged from the response theMaulana received when he urged one of theMewatis to work for Tabligh. “Tablid? What isTablid?” rejoined the Mewati, unable even topronounce the word. Yet these very people,ignorant of even the term, had been converted as ifby magic, into great missionaries, the like of whomthe country had never known.Motivated by an overpowering urge to salvation inthe next life; a longing that God should forgivethem when they came before Him, they set out toconquer the hearts of the people. When Islam ~ 26 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASpenetrates into the depth of one’s consciousness,one becomes concerned with one thing alone: howto earn God’s favour and forgiveness. One im-mediately seeks to mould one’s faith, ideas,character and actions on this and all one does in lifeis in accordance with one’s overriding concern toavoid displeasing God. It is on the hereafter thatone focusses all one’s attention. One calls others toIslam, making sure that one is first a good Muslimoneself. These enthusiastic preachers, roaming ac-ross the country, reminded one of the materiallyresourceless Arab Bedouins, who, inspired by thespiritual wealth of Islam, were to be seen on themove everywhere in order to propagate the truth.ABSOLUTE TRUST IN DIVINE SUCCOURWhat was it, in the main, that the Maulana gave hisfollowers which completely transformed their lives?What he did was impress upon the people the factthat this world did not spring up by itself, but wascreated by one God, who continues to watch over itthat all men were His servants, responsible to Himfor their actions, that death was not the end ofman’s life; rather it was the beginning of another, ~ 27 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASpermanent world, where the good would enjoy thebliss of paradise and the wicked would be cast intoraging hell.The Maulana impressed upon the people thatbelieving personally was not all that was requiredof one; one was also entrusted with conveying theword of God to others. All obstacles in the pathwould be overcome with God’s help. Here is anincident which shows how convinced his followerswere of the help of God.Once a Mewati, asked to narrate some event duringhis preaching career, said “the Maulana oncedespatched a Jama’at (group) consisting of threemen, to Moradabad, I being one of them. Onreaching the city he went to a mosque and stayedthere. After the Maghrib (evening) prayer, we madean announcement that people should stay for awhile after the prayer so that we could discuss somereligious issues. But, much to our astonishment, nota single person stayed after the prayer. We waitedfor the next day. At the same point we made asimilar announcement, but to no avail. Once againall the worshippers got up and left without showing ~ 28 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASany interest. This incident reminded us of the lastthing that the Maulana had done. He made uspromise that in times of any difficulty we would goaway from human settlement to some lonely placeand turn to God in solitude. So we stayed that nightin the mosque, and as soon as the day broke, allthree of us went out of the settlement to pray. Weprayed the whole day and returned in the eveningto the same mosque. After the Maghrib prayer, thesame message was announced. At this point theMewati paused, as if he was going to unravel somemystery. A mystery it was indeed. He went on,“They all seemed rooted to the spot. Not a singlesoul stood up to leave. My friends, this is the wayour work shall continue, with the help of God.”Here was the evidence that prayer was the powerthat could shake the world and move mountains. Itarmed the resourceless and gave them courage toface all obstacles in their path. It was a blessing thatmade the dumb speak, the blind see and the lamewalk; in short, a key to all locked doors.The history of Tabligh abounds in experience whichhave endowed its members with such mental and ~ 29 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASphysical powers as enable them to surmount alldifficulties. They do not stop short when it comes totaking initiatives, however adverse thecircumstances may be. To them prayer is asdependable as anything can be. It is like the magicwand of Moses.Be it an individual or a community, there is alwaysthe need for external support, to give the stability,courage and confidence necessary for survival. Insearch of such a prop, people tend to look up tosome visible material object. Their worldlymentality leads them to think only in terms ofworldly sureties and guarantees. Naturally, thosewho do not own worldly resources are consideredill-fitted to live in this world. But the Tablighconcept of prayer acquaints man with a treasurethat has nothing to do with worldly resources. Itlays claims only on one’s heart which no one cantake away from one. When man surrenders hisheart to God in total submission, the wholeuniverse capitulates before him.A concept which bestows upon man such hugereserves of strength; which arms a resourcesless ~ 30 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASperson, surpasses all limitations. Tabligh workershave encountered innumerable miraculous eventsin their service to God’s cause, which is a proof thatGod has granted them access to this great source.God’s blessing will fully mainfest themselves whena whole community is willing to surrender beforethe will of God. If a whole nation followed thisfaith, the Maulana had no doubt that God’s succourwould be ours in its consummate form. It is thenthat oceans and jungles surrender themselves; thenations capitulate before them. All is possibleprovided we can tap the source of this moralstrength which God will give us if we surrender toHim our hearts and our minds.It would be pertinent to quote some excerpts fromthe Quran regarding the forms taken by divinesuccour. One is mentioned in the Quran in terms ofthe good life and another in terms of entrustingman with power on earth:“We shall reward the steadfast according to theirnoblest deeds. Be they men or women, those thatembrace the faith and do what is right We will ~ 31 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASsurely grant a happy life; We shall reward themaccording to their noblest actions” (16:97).“God has promised those of you who believe anddo good works to make them masters in the land asHe had made their ancestors before them, tostrengthen the Faith He chose for them, and tochange their fear to safety. Let them worship Meand serve no other gods besides Me. Wicked indeedare they who after this deny Me” (24.55).‘Good life’ here has different aspects: lawfulearning; contentment; peace of mind; love of God;enjoyment in worship; success in this life as well asin the next: all of which go to make up a successfullife.The second form of the blessing descends on asociety which has withstood the test by purifyingitself. When a considerable number of such goodsouls comes into being, God’s blessing at timestakes the form of power on earth, because Godwants the religion He has chosen for His servants tobe established on earth. The power shall not,however, be inherited like that of kings andemperors, but like that of the descendants of the ~ 32 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASProphet, the humble servants of God. They will begranted power so that they can proclaim the divinewill on earth and overcoming every obstacle on thepath, bring stability to the true religion. ThenMuslims will no longer cower before non-believers,for they will not fear them; they will not care forany mortal’s pleasure or displeasure. Peace willconsequently prevail over the world and God’sservants will worship Him in peace. They willsurrender their wills to Him alone, fearing no onebut Him. These blessings that descend uponindividuals and on society are in no way anacquisition, but a gift from God. The commonground for deserving such blessings for both theindividual and society are faith, good deeds, andbeing able to prove ourselves worthy of receivingsuch blessing. Then God, the Omnipotent, who is incontrol of all events, creates conditions andcircumstances to facilitate our discovery of truth. Itis through His help that we arrive at the essence ofreligion.Thus when a group of individuals fully submits toGod and does good deeds, God’s blessing embracethe whole of society. As a consequence our activities ~ 33 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASare brought to fruition and our initiatives yieldpositive results.The belief in this concept serves a double function.On the one hand, it strengthens the heart of thepreacher; on the other, it brings the hope andconviction that God will melt the hearts of thecongregation so that they become receptive to themessage.To Maulana Ilyas, this concept of blessing providedthe greatest weapon to the preachers. It gave apreacher the force and inner conviction to face allhardship. He would never yield to pressure,whatever the circumstances, and there would be nochallenge which he would not feel well equipped tomeet – such would be the resoluteness of hischaracter.AN APPEAL TO THE HEARTLate one evening in October 1930, the renownedpoet, Dr. Mohammad Iqbal, received a visitor, whowas also a litterateur, at his residence in Lahore.Reclining in his armchair, he was conversing withhim on a variety of topics which seemed of great ~ 34 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASimportance and immediacy when he suddenly satup straight and said to his guest, “why don’t youwrite a book?” His guest was somewhat startled butnaturally wanted to know what the subject shouldbe. Dr. Iqbal then launched with great enthusiasmon an explanation of the project which had takenshape in his mind. “Hundreds and thousands ofIndians from the villages and outskirts of the townsof India have converted to Islam on their own. Ifyou meet them and inquire about the reasons fortheir self-conversion, they will reveal strangereasons that appeal to the heart. If all that were tobe compiled in book form, it would be oftremendous help to the missionaries.” “Don’t wealready possess enough proofs of the truth ofIslam?” the visitor asked “Yes, we do have ampleevidence,” replied Dr Iqbal, “but contact with the -new-converts will unearth such strange, amazingproofs of the veracity of Islam as have hitherto beenunknown. This is sure to prove a great asset to thepropagation of Islam. To me, there is a greatdifference between heart and mind. The mind oftendiscards the most powerful of arguments. On thecontrary, the heart is often won over by less forcefularguments, and, to such an extent, that one’s whole ~ 35 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASway of life is transformed altogether in a matter ofminutes. The matter of conversion has alwaysrelated more to the heart than to the mind. What apreacher must learn to aim at is the heart that iswhat will serve his purpose best. Many suchrevolutions in the lives of polytheists and non--believers have been recorded in the history of lslam.“Normally, thanks to one’s traditions andupbringing, one stands as firm as a rock, clinging tohis set of traditions or to a religion. For this there isno dearth of arguments appealing to the mind. Yet,all of a sudden, the heart leaps at a new idea, andwithin seconds, one’s whole life is transformed. If alarge number of incidents of this type werecompiled in book form, I am sure it would not onlyprove a great asset to our preachers, but would be akind of cornucopia to the average reader whosereligious inclination need circumstantial support.”Perhaps one would be right in saying that MaulanaIlyas’ mission, as far as working among poorlyeducated Muslims is concerned, is the realization ofIqbal’s dream. Throughout his life, the Maulanaadopted the way through the heart, which worked ~ 36 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASwonders. There are innumerable examples of thiskind. We mention here one of them, showing howhe once won the heart of an unruly and stubbornstudent, who was notorious for his wrongdoing andrefusal to submit to school discipline.This student had once been appointed to collectfunds for the school, and thanks to his ingenuity,had managed to collect a donation of Rs. 20,000. Buthe never handed it over. To the horror of the schoolauthorities, they received instead bundles of worksof fiction to the value of the whole amount. Withouteven opening the bundles, the school sold the booksby the kilo. Another misdemeanour occurred whena group of students from an Arabic school in whichthis boy was also studying, was coming to see theMaulana. His classmates insisted on hisaccompanying them, and finally, he was persuadedto come to Basti Nizamuddin. But, at night, wheneveryone had gone to bed, he quietly slipped out,along with some other students, to go to a cinemashow in the city. (As Nizamuddin was situated onthe outskirts, there were no cinemas there.) Whenthe show was over, they failed to find a conveyance,and had to pass the night in the city. ~ 37 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASThe Maulana, in the habit of holding a congregationafter the morning prayer, came to the pulpit toaddress the people. He asked the schoolboys tocome nearer, and all of the students did so excepttwo who seemed to be missing from thecongregation. The Maulana, assuming that thesetwo could not be very far away, decided to wait forthem, and start the sermon when they had arrived.But it took a long time for them to arrive, which initself seemed very suspicious, and it was soonrevealed that they had left the night before for acinema show.The manager of the school to which the students be-longed was also present at the centre. He wasdistressed at their bad behaviour. He as well asother authorities, had done their best to reform him,but to no avail. Now the boy had come to beconsidered incorrigible, as he had resisted all well-meaning efforts to improve him. Now his expulsionfrom the school was brought under consideration.After the incident, at Nizamuddin, the Managerwrote to the headmaster to order his explusionimmediately. ~ 38 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASIn the meanwhile, his schoolmates were alsoashamed. They then hit upon the idea of bringingthe matter to the Maulana’s notice. One of them,therefore, met him in private and told him thewhole story. The Maulana asked them not to getupset and to pray to God to help them.After the evening prayer, the Maulana asked forpen and paper and sent for the manager of theschool. When he arrived, the Maulana told him towrite a letter to the headmaster on his behalf. TheMaulana himself dictated the letter to him. It readas follows:“Some students from your school came to ourCentre. I am happy at their performance. They havebenefited from the religious gatherings at thecentre. My prayers are with them. I would requestyou to honour and welcome them.”Then the Manager was asked to endorse the report.He had no choice but to do as he was bidden. TheMaulana saw to it that the letter was posted.This event brought astonishing results. A studentwho had been considered totally incorrigible had ~ 39 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASbeen transformed into the most sincere and mostserious of young men. Later on, he chose to becomea volunteer of the Tabligh mission. When asked thereason for his complete transformation, he wouldsimply say, “Maulana Ilyas has captured me.” At apoint where training and education had failed,prayer had triumphed.The career of Maulana Ilyas in particular, and theTabligh mission in general, is full of such instances.The power of prayer, love, character and sympathyhas, astonishingly, conquered innumerable hearts.The answering of prayer gives great inspiration tothe people associated with the mission. Simplicity,perceptiveness, natural arguments and a realisticapproach cannot but fail to move any audience. TheTabligh preachers, so to speak, follow the path ofthe heart as opposed to that of the mind. This istheir greatest asset.PROGRAMMEThe Maulana’s plan had six important aims. Theywere: ~ 40 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYAS1. To implant the significance of Kalimah (The creed of the Muslims): there is no deity but God; Muhammad is His Apostle;2. To observe prayer as is proper;3. To acquire religious knowledge;4. To give due respect to Muslims;5. To spare time, that is, to withdraw from one’s worldly engagements and go forth in missionary groups;6. To purify one’s intentions and to remain sincere and self-appraising.These six points can be condensed into three:The Kalimah Tauhid, prayer and sparing time forgood works. The other three are, in actual fact,offshoots of the main tenets. When they are adoptedwhole-heartedly all other things follow inconsequence.There are many ways of explaining this preachingmission. The Maulana, however, preferred to alludeto this programme in terms of the revival of the ~ 41 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASprophetic way, and would explain it accordingly.This is, no doubt, the most appropriate definition ofhis work. Considering that there are people whoattach importance to things only when they aredescribed in the modern terminologies ofpsychology, philosophy and science and so on, thisprogramme can likewise be described in anylanguage they can understand, or which has aspecial significance for them. His message givesprime importance to the Kalimah: to believe in thereality that there is no deity but God, that He aloneis the Creator and Nourisher of the universe, andthat the truth had been made manifest through hismessenger, the Prophet Mohammad (on whom bepeace). When one recites these words: there is nodeity but God and the Prophet Mohammad is Hismessenger, it amounts to expressing one’s innerfeelings of conviction of the truth of these words. Italso proclaims one’s determination to follow a pathbased on the firm conviction that God is the onlyreal existence, centre of all our complete trust. Thisproclamation is an expression of an all-pervasivefeeling within one of having at last found the trueway of life and also the source from which the truth ~ 42 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASemanates – the only source whose guidance isworthy of trust.Trust and conviction are, in fact, the source of all re-volution, be it religious or secular. A history ofrevolution tells us that it was the courage ofconviction—right or wrong—in certain souls, whichhas made history. The revolution of France: thevictory of Communism and the freedommovements in various countries were all, in fact,based on such conviction as stimulated them toaction. Initially none of these movements hadpossessed either huge resources of armaments orenormous wealth. They were unable even toconceive fully of what shape their activities weregoing to take in future; how their theories weregoing to be put into practice. The only thing thatspurred them on to make unflagging efforts was aconcept which had preoccupied their thoughts. Itwas the discovery of some political, economic ornationalistic truths that inspired them to such adegree that they concentrated all their potentialitiesand energies on making it known to people. Forthis, they accepted the challenge—however harsh itwas, of external opposition and engaged themselves ~ 43 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASin a fervent struggle; such an effort is inevitablyseen through to its conclusion. The only possibleresult of such initiatives is success.Yet they were people who had found only a partialtruth, wrongly considering it to be the whole truth.One can then imagine what the strength of such aconviction would be like when based on truth in thereal sense of the word. When such truths are firmlyimplanted in one’s heart and mind, like a divinefervour, one can gauge what enormous benefits canresult. Where other movements have succeeded ininfluencing only some parts of the world, or only alimited number of people, the true faith has thepotential to move all mankind. Who can check thetide of a movement launched by people who haveput their total trust in God? When human conceptscan bring about revolution, what greater revolutioncan be brought about through divine concepts!The Kalimah is thus the essence of religion – thegreatest power on earth. The movement can,therefore, be appropriately called a Kalimahmovement. But one should not forget that anymovement, secular or religious, is essentially a ~ 44 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASmovement of words – be they political, economic ornationalistic. How then can a movement based onreligious Kalimah be called deficient or limited inany way? Religious Kalimah is an all-embracing,all-inclusive Kalimah.The second part of the Maulana’s call is to prayer.Usually people underestimate it, and therefore, failto appreciate its real significance.Just as Kalimah enjoys the main position in one’sthoughts and feelings, so does prayer in one’spractical life. The real significance of prayer lies inman’s diverting all his attention to God and makingcontact with Him through sense-perceptions.Through them, the worshipper bows before hisLord, placing his forehead on the ground, hetestifies to his own lowliness as opposed to God’sexhalted nature. He presents himself as God’sservant. He stands before God, bows down to Him,and prostrates himself before Him, in a practicaldemonstration of submission to God. It is when onehumbles oneself before the Lord, that one is in aposition to meet Him; for one discovers God on alevel of humility, not on a level of pride and ~ 45 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASegotism. One’s soul then undergoes such anexperience that one can feel the blessing of Goddescending upon one.Such an experience, which defies description gives anew dimension to human personality. Theworshipper consciously realizes how helpless andpowerless he is before God. Humility and modestyalone befits a servant of God. In the process,arrogance and haughtiness, which are the source ofmost evils, vanish into thin air.Prayer, as is mentioned in the Quran, also keeps oneaway from evils and shameful practices. With everyprayer, man expresses his servitude before God andpromises to Him that he will lead his life as Hisdevoted servant. It reminds him of the day ofreckoning. If man is true to his words, his life can betransformed by them.Remembrance, which is called Dhikr, forms animportant aspect of prayer. To fill one’s heart andmind with remembrances of God is to occupy itwith such thoughts as befit it. Prayer thus serves totrain people’s thoughts and feelings in the bestpossible way. ~ 46 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASPrayer also has psychological and social values; onecan see the effects in economic, social and politicallife. The essence of prayer is to bow down one’shead before God, and with one’s heart, utter thesewords: “God, I have become yours, and you becomemine.”Sparing time for the propagation of religionconstitutes the third part of one’s mission. Peoplecommonly misunderstand the word Chilla, whichmeans forty days. It is nothing but a period fixed fortraining and being trained, and is fixed as themaximum time for one stint of outdoor missionaryactivity at a time. There is nothing mysterious orritualistic about it. When one finds the truth, it isbut natural to feel the urge to impart that treasure toone’s brethren. This urge is manifested in one’swillingness to spare time—even if it involves fortydays—leaving all activities aside. One who hasdiscovered the truth will not rest content with justbeing a true Muslim himself, but will want toannounce it to the whole world. Such a mental statearising from a desire to reform all that comes in itspath, takes on practical shape in the form of Chilla. ~ 47 ~

Tabligh Movement1. MAULANA ILYASMaulana Ilyas attached great importance to thismethod of preaching. Besides being a means ofconveying the message to others, it was a multi-purpose scheme meant to train, educate and reform.When a person undertakes long, arduous journeysin the path of Tabligh, he himself learns, whileteaching others, and rectifies his own mistakes.Coming face to face with the pathetic plight of thepeople, he feels spurred on to intensify his efforts tobring them to the straight path. He makes sacrifices.He prays for them. It is then that he can truly tastethe pleasures of a religious life. Then alone can heutter words which melt the hearts of the listener.Making people come out of their homes is central tothe Maulana’s way of working, because this givespeople the opportunity to quit their worldlyatmosphere and go in search of a religious one.Only in an atmosphere free of worldly thoughts canthere be true receptivity to the messageconveyed. It becomes like a chain reaction. Thelisteners are imbued with the zeal to make otherslisten to them. This scheme of encouraging peopleto come forth has had amazingly successful results.~ 48 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASThose who have not themselves experienced it,cannot imagine the transformation that takes place.To set out to propagate the divine message as theprophet has enjoined is to stear one’s feet along thepath of God. Feet once sat on the path of truth willnot be touched by hellfire. Those who perform themiracle of jumping into a pit of fire, without beinghurt by the fire, actually rub certain substances overtheir bodies which protect their skin from fire. Sothe divine particles of dust which arise from thispath and adhere to our bodies will neutralize theeffects of fire in the next world.This, however, should not create the impressionthat Maulana Ilyas and his followers, consideredjust the mobility of some groups, in the name ofTabligh, enough in itself to earn us salvation. It is,indeed the upsurge of religion which is aimed at,and not just the physical movement of the people.What the Hadith has to say regarding protectionfrom hellfire will thus be applicable to us only if wecan make religion a reality for others. The more ourintentions are pure, the more we qualify for divinesuccour. The Maulana has thus ruled out the idea ~ 49 ~

Tabligh Movement 1. MAULANA ILYASthat the movement of certain chosen groups isdesirable in itself. He once said: “Our method ofworking, lays emphasis upon taking people out oftheir homes in groups. The main advantage of thismethod is to encourage people to come out of aworldly and static atmosphere in order to enter anew, pure and dynamic one where there is much tofoster the growth of religious consciousness.Besides, travel and emigration involve hardship,sacrifice and self-abnegation for the sake of God’scause, and thus entitle one to divine succour.STRESSING ON THE BASICSThe Maulana described this method as the ABC ofthe Tabligh mission, but it does not mean that ABCand XYZ are far removed from one another. Thosewhose eyes are set on appearances are incapable ofobserving reality in depth. In fact, this method islike a drop of water which finally becomes anocean. The difference between a drop of water andan ocean is one of degree. The drop is like the steamwhich an engine driver gets up for his locomotive.Without that, the engine cannot even start, let alonereach its destination. There has to be that first drop ~ 50 ~