EYE
WITNESS ACCOUNT AND IMPRESSIONS OF TABLIGHI JAMAAT WORK AT GROUND
Written by Shaykh Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi Rahimullah
(Translated from his book ek Aham deeni dawat)
"To
understand this Programme in a better way and to give some first hand glimpse the
write visited first time in January 1940 (Zeeqada 1358). I met different people
of Mewat who has gone in path and noted down their impression feeling and
intuition.(Mushahidat O Tassurat.).
First
Account
“After
Asr time our vehicle reached Gud Gaon
Jama Mosque.(A TOWN IN MEWAT AREA). We were pleased to know that
A Jamaat (Group of people for the above mentioned programme) has just reached
there. Listening our arrival news some of them came upto our vehicle our
luggage was taken out. They met us and did Hand shake Musafha with love and
affection.
We entered Jama Mosque and the scene that I saw can
never forget, and its pleasure still getting in my heart.
There were about thirty brothers sitting in circle
comprising people of different age. Two boys of thirteen and sixteen years, and
elders as old as sixty years were there. And many in between.
Everyone was having very few article one bed
sheet,one cotton blanket etc. it was there eighth day after leaving their
native villages. At start they took some dry food for journey and some was left
for home.
Thirty people of Jamaat were subdivided into three
groups to go on three different routes of Gud Gaon town. Every ten brothers
there was a responsible (Ameer).
My colleague respected Patwar Sb addressed these
Jamaat and said “You should be grately thankful to Allah that he accepted you
for this noble path. This path of Tabligh is actually the path of Prophet.
Allah has opened his blessing on you and has opened this path that has been
dead for a time being. Allah is rejuvenating this path on your Hand.
Then he asked the Ameer of Jamaat to tell remarks of
his last weak in Jamaat. One Jamaat Ameer stood and plainly described it as
follows.
“Last Friday there was Nuh Jalsa (Religious
gathering). We departed from there. We arrived village chandeni and did effort
on them called villagers for prayers, We corrected their Kalima and persuaded
them for sparing some time locally for conveying the same to nearby villagers.
Then we took the tribal leader of one village to another,
In village Basaee we persuded the locals. We passed and spent night in hills.
All of us slept on rocks of the hill. There was no food for the morning
breakfast we did Sabr and everyone was patient.
Then we proceeded to another village known as Piyaka.
We persuaded many towards Mosque, corrected their Kalima, convinced them to
start local effort of Tabligh. We also requested them to prepare Jamaat to go
locally in nearby villages and to go Uttar Pardesh area also. Some brother made
some excuses we said if the deen of Allah is not alive we will also be dead.
This impressed them much.
We reached Pudhiaini and did effort there to bring
back muslims towards deen. Then we went Chahalka there we did effort we also
went in the service of a local Pious
Scholar.
Then we proceeded to Raeseena village, we went to
the fields of Farmers and persuaded them for prayer, they had to take bath then
they offered Zuhar Salat (Alhamdulillah). In the meantime we did their remaining
field work of irrigation.
A
second Jamaat Ameer narrated following routine of his Jamaat and this is more
or less common Routine of Jamaat.
“We
normally get up at 4 oclock morning, By the taufeeq of Allah we pray Tahajjud.
Then till Fajr Slat we do some recitation or dhikr. After the Fajr salat we do
learning and Recitation of the Holly Quran. Then our Muallim teaches us basic
lessons. They teach us Salat, and basic Fiqh for related with Routine matters.
Then
they read from books and we listen to it. Generally Hikayat Sahaba (Stories of
Sahaba) and Fatuhussham is read. Before Salat we do Gusht (Meeting local
muslims and calling then to prayer). After the Maghrib Prayer we do dhikr. At
some places where the farmers return late from the field we talk with them
after Isha Prayer.
About
the Usool and Propagation Method what different people has said I am
reproducing it here.
“Our
intention is that we have come in Jamaat for our own Islah (correction and
reformation) and for others. We are in need of our own Islah. How can we do
Islah of others. The Deen Islam is of Allah. It is his will to take work of his
deen from whom he wants. What is our status?(Nothing at all) We are not having
much knowledge or etiquettes. If Allah takes his work from us it is his
blessing. We have a firm a believe that even if Makhlooq (people) does not
listen the Khaliq (Allah) listen”
It
has been constantly Reminded and emphasized to us that we have to respect all
the Muslims. To do conveying (Tableegh) becoming soft and polite thinking
ourself as of little less important. (Narmi
and Tawazu). W have been asked to bear all types of Hardship and adverse
responses.”
When
we reach near destined village we first pray to Allah to save the villagers
from our Shar and to save us from their Shar. We pray to give benefit from the
good of us to the villagers and from good of villagers to us.
We
pray to Allah to assimilate in them whatever good we are going to tell them.
After reaching Mosque if it is not Makrooh time we recite two rikats Salat.
Then we go out for conveying and pursuance (Tableegh).”
Zeeqadah
1360 (November 1941) There was a big Ijtema in Nooh Town of Gud Gaon district.With a rough estimate
15-20 Thousands people gathered there. In this Ijtema there were many poor who
have come from 30-40 km on foot (having no money for journey.). This Jalsa (Urdu word commonly used for a
gathering under a pandal with talk by different scholars) was more than a
Jalsa. Rather it was more a Kinetic and live Reformative place.
It
was having Prayer (Ibadat dhikr)
punctuality of Salat with aspiration of even Nawafil (Non obligatory prayer),
Caring for his duty, Servicing of others specially of Ulema, and live example
of Islamic etiquettes, Tawazuu
Simplicity Sadgi was visible.
It
was an effective demonstration of Islamic way of Life.
After returning from Ijtema The writer of these line
has expressed his impression in An Nadva magazine.(Zilhijja 1360H, December 1943) In it I persuaded the Elites and
Scholars of Ummat to be closer to the effort and to get first hand information
and academic and practical understanding of the work. For this to visit the
centre of the Movement. I am ending this book on those lines.
“To all the elite and scholars of Ummat who have
cognition and understanding of deen and have become fed up with the downward
trend of Ummah. Also for those who consider the Prophetic way is only way for
success and are in pain and remorseful with the irreligiousness of Ummah.
I sincerely request them to visit Basti Hazrat
Nizamuddin Delhi India and meet Maulana Ilyas1 (This article was
written in Maulana Ilyas life time. Now he ahs died but by grace of Allah the
effort is going on).
They should spend some time with them and to seen
the effort practically. They should see the structure of effort and get first
hand information.
I am surprised that people take out time to visit
the remains of forts and ruined palaces of the kings, and left over Domes etc.
But there are only few to visit and observe the live sample of the early
generations of Muslims and kinetic and live demonstration of Islam. In reality Maasart is a big barrier”
