Tablighi Jamaat - Beliefs and Objectives

Beliefs and Objectives

Following the fundamentals of Sunni Islam, every member is allowed to follow his own fiqh as long as it does not deviate from Sunni Islam. Tablighi Jamaat defines its objective with reference to the concept of Dawah which literally means 'to call' and connotes to an invitation to act. In religious context, it implies to a call towards Islam and not prayers which may also refer to a 'mission' if used in reference with religious prophets and people who were assigned such mission. Tabligh Jamaat interprets Dawah as enjoining good and forbidding evil only and defines its objective within the framework of two particular Qur'anic verses which refer to this mission. Those two verses are:

Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteousness, and says, "I am of those who bow in Islam"? —Qur'an, sura 41 (Fussilat), ayah 33 Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity. —Qur'an sura 3 (Al-i-Imran), ayah 104

Tabligh Jamaat encourages everyone to fulfill the Islamic requirement of da'wa even if the person falls short of strong religious intellect. This was different from the other Islamic movements which were mainly ulama-led and extended their leadership roles to the religious erudites. Tabligh Jamaat also negated the prevailing idea that the highest standards of Islamic scholarship and ethical standards were pre-requisites for proselytizing; and promoted da'wa as a mechanism of self-reform.

The only objective of Tabligh Jamaat, overtly stated in most sermons, is that Muslims adopt and invite for the Islamic lifestyle, exemplified by Muhammad, in its perfection. They encourage Muslims to spend time out of their daily routine in the tablighi activities so that the rest of routine could be harmonized with Tablighi lifestyle, though the Tabligi's want follow the preachings and teachings of the prophet, yet in the Daa'wah tours emphasis is laid on books like 'Tabligi Nisaab', comprising of books like'Faadha'il Aa'mal' etc. They insist that the best way of learning is teaching and encouraging others, with the books prescribed by Tabligi Jamaat Movement in the light of Quran and Sahih hadith.

Tablighi ethic discourages social enmeshments in customary and ceremonial rituals which are usually extravagantly followed in South Asia. For example, in such annual congregations and other similar mass meetings, marriages are performed by dozens sans the costly celebrations.