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Bhopal: About 12000 Muslims
registered their names to voluntarily venture out around the globe
leaving the comforts of their hearth and home to cajole their
co-religionists to lead an upright life as shown by the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) of Islam.
The names were registered during the three-day “Aalami Tableeghi
Ijtima” (World Preachers’ Congregation) wherein the people
volunteered themselves to travel to remote places to spread the
message of Allah Almighty. Over half a million people participated
in the customary mass “Dua” (Akheri Munajat – the last
supplications) on Monday afternoon last, the third day, after
which the Ijtima concluded here.
According to organizers in all 650 "Jama’ats" (Groups of people)
stepped out from here in all directions for various period of time
varying from three “Chille” (4 months or 120 days) to one “Chilla”
(40 days). In all 150 “Jama’ats” volunteered to go in the path of
Allah (S) for three “Chille” while the rest 500 Jama’ats for one “Chilla”.
About a dozen “Jama’ats” from Madhya Pradesh, which includes six
from Bhopal, will go beyond the Indian sea shores to persuade
their Muslim brothers to give up a life focused on materialism
only but follow the tenets of Islam in letter and spirit to
inculcate values of spiritualism. Thus, become a role model for
others at large to follow suite in order to establish a peaceful
society as ordained by the Creator of one and all.
Besides the "Jama’ats" from all over India, in all 380 Muslims,
mostly in the form “Jama’ats” and some individually, descended
here from more than two-and-a-half dozen countries to participate
in the “Aalami Tableeghi Ijtima”. They came from Russia,
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Canada, America, France,
England, Poland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya,
Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen,
Ethiopia, Somalia, Turkey, China, Bangladesh, Thailand,
Philippine, Australia and Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the thronging of devotees to the "Ijtima"
(congregation) new site, about 15 kms away on the northern
outskirts of the town at Ghasipura in Eintkhedi village from the
historical Taj-ul-Masajid in Bhopal, surpassed all previous
records. Over half a million people are estimated to have joined
the "Dua", this year, turning the site into a sea of humanity.
Most of the people were seen sobbing and crying during the
concluding prayers, seeking Almighty Allah’s forgiveness for their
ignorance towards the eternal life and over indulgence in the
trifles of this temporary world. People took part in "Dua" from
nearby homes, on the roof tops of houses and buildings, sitting on
roadsides, shops and on trees also.
Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Sa'ad Kandhalvi, the grandson of
“Tableeghi Jama’at” founder Maulana Muhammad Ilyas, from the
headquarters at Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi, conducted the "Dua"
in a mix of Arabic, Urdu and Hindi which lasted about 25 minutes.
In the prayers divine blessings for peace, progress and unity of
Muslim Ummah and mankind at large were sought. He prayed to Allah
Almighty to bless the entire world with His final message so that
the entire mankind could succeed in the eternal life.
Earlier, before the "Dua" Maulana Sa'ad, who is advisory committee
member of the "Tableeghi Jama’at", in his religious discourse
urged Muslims to lead an upright life in this world so that they
could be rewarded in the life Hereafter. He stressed them to
become messenger of peace so that humanity at large could benefit
from them. He highlighted the importance of Namaz and emphasized
the need to acquire Islamic teachings.
Maulana Sa'ad called upon Muslims to purge themselves of mundane
pursuits and devote more time to ameliorate their infinite life in
the world hereafter by total submission to Allah Almighty. He
urged the people to first purge themselves of the sins and then
reach out to more and more people to convey the message of Allah
Almighty, which is obligatory upon the followers of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
He advocated the people to inculcate among themselves a strong
belief that all praise and powers is for Allah Almighty without
Whose will nobody could succeed, be humble to fellow human beings,
be kind to all particularly with the relatives and neighbours and
lead a simple life following the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
In this way their lives would become successful, he said.
On the second day separate special religious discourses were held
during the conclave for “Khawas” (elites), students, Ulema
(clerics) and handicapped (Deaf & Dumb) where the participants
were asked to follow the Islamic religious tenets in letter and
spirit apart from spreading the message of universal brotherhood.
Apart from Maulana Muhammad Sa'ad, other Ulema who addressed the
congregation during the three days included: Maulana Ahmad Laat,
Maulana Shaukat, Maulana Sharafat, Maulana Mushtaq, Maulana Misbah
etc.
The West Central Railway, (WCR), earned a revenue of over Rs. 6.5
lakhs from the return tickets purchased by the Jama’ats and others
who participated in the Ijtima. The WCR attached 29 bogies in
different trains passing through Bhopal for benefit of Jama’atis.
Meanwhile, Syed Ateeq-ul-Islam, the spokesman of the Ijtima
Organising Committee, has thanked Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his ministerial colleague Jayant
Mallaiya, all the agencies including M.P. Govt., PHE, BMC, MPSRTC,
Railways, MP Police, District Collector and his administration,
Traffic Police, Zila Panchayat and villagers around Ghasipura &
Eintkhedi and others for extending their services in making the
arrangements and making the Ijtima successful.
Ateeq had a special praise for the well-known philanthropist of
the city Sikandar Hafiz Khan who apart from providing various
facilities during the Ijtima has donated 37.2 acres of his
ancestors land for the huge annual gathering which is being held
since 2002 on this piece of land wherein the main “Pandal” is
erected housing tens of thousands of people.
It may be mentioned here that “Tableeghi Jama’at” is a
transnational religious movement which was founded in 1926 by
Maulana Muhammad Ilyas, a religious scholar of the orthodox
Deoband, in India in the erstwhile Mewat province which is now
part of Haryana. The movement primarily aims at Islamic spiritual
reformation and awakening to the world Muslims by working at the
grass roots level, reaching out to Muslims across all social and
economic spectra to bring them closer to the practices of Prophet
of Islam Muhammad (PBUH).
“Tableeghi Jama’at” came forth as an offshoot of the Deobandi
movement. Its inception is believed to be a response to Hindu
revivalist movements, which were considered a threat to vulnerable
and non-practicing Muslims. “Tableeghi Jama’at” gradually expanded
from local to national to a transnational movement and now has
followers in over 150 countries.
It may be recalled here that Maulana Ilyas learned the situation.
His initial effort was to establish a network of mosque-based
religious schools to educate Mewati Muslim about correct Islamic
beliefs and practices. But he became disillusioned with the
reality that these institutions were producing religious
functionaries but not preachers. Following this, he quit his
teaching position at Madrasah Mazhar-ul-Uloom in Saharanpur and
moved to Basti Nizamuddin in the old quarters of Delhi to begin
his missionary work. “Tableeghi” movement was formally launched in
1926 from this place.
Maulana Ilyas devoted to what he described as “the mission of the
prophets”. His message was simple: “Aye Musalmano Musalman Bano”.
The method adopted by him was equally simple. It was to organize
units of at least ten persons and send them to various villages.
These units (Jama’at), would visit a village, invite the local
Muslim to assemble in the mosque and present their message in the
form of six demands: 1. Every Muslim must be able to recite
Shahadah correctly in Arabic; 2. A Muslim must learn how to say
the Salat correctly; 3. To learn the basic teaching of Islam and
to do Zikr; 4. To respect the fellow Muslims; 5. To inculcate
honesty and sincerity of purpose in such endeavors and 6. To spend
some times and travel from place to place spreading the words of
Allah.
Maulana Ilyas later added another rule asking members to abstain
from wasting time in idle talk and from sinful deeds.
The movement met with spectacular success in a relatively short
period. Thousands of Muslims joined Maulana Ilyas to propagate the
message of Islam throughout Mewat. There were signs of Islamic
religious revival everywhere in the area. Jama’at workers are
rigid in following the orthodox and observing the Shariah. They
stayed away from politics and political controversies. Instead of
publishing books, they go door to door and invite people to join
their work.
(pervezbari@eth.net)
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