The Tablighi Jamaat conference has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. It is now the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country. The biggest cluster discovered yet. What is Tablighi Jamaat? What is it known for?
Tablighi Jamaat is an Islamic organization that has its presence in over 150 countries. Though it is little known, it is one of the largest Islamic organizations. The name Tablighi Jamaat literally translates into the ‘Society of Preachers’.
Interestingly, the organization was founded in Mewar, India by Deobandi Islamic Scholar Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhalwi in 1926. The aim of setting up the organization was to revive the Muslim society that, according to al-Kandhalwi, was not practicing true Islam. It was then he coined the slogan – ‘Oh Muslims, become true Muslims’.
Under British Colonialism, the organization grew stronger. Its annual conference in 1941 was attended by 25,000 people. Since partition, it developed stronger roots in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Currently, the largest national wing of the organization is in Bangladesh with its presence spread over 150 countries.
Ideology
The Tablighis urge Muslims to live like the prophet. Ideologically opposed to the syncretic nature of Sufi Islam, the Tablighi’s dress like the Prophet by putting on robes and shaving their upper lip while growing long beards. When the organization was founded, the focus was not to convert people into Islam instead it focused on purifying the Muslims. The Emir, leader of the international movement is always connected to the founded al-Kandhalwi. The current leader Maulana Saad Khandalwi is the grandson of the founder.
Various Activities
Saying that the Muslims are the conveyers of Allah’s message, the Tablighi’s have declared themselves as non-political and also disowned violence in the name of the religion. The Organisation is divided into small societies called Jamaat where they travel to countries and preach Islam to the Muslim houses. During these visits, they stay in the local mosques.
Even though the group claims themselves to be peaceful, they have banned in several countries like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan as the governments saw its preaching as extremist. The National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval had said in 2013 that some of the group’s activities are bound to raise suspicion.
