Jama'at al-Tabligh and Da'wah — A Word of Fairness and
Understanding
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most
Compassionate
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon
the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his family, and all
his Companions.
Introduction
In our time, there has been a great deal of discussion about
Jama'at al-Tabligh and Da'wah.
Along with this discussion have come many accusations,
arguments, and disagreements.
For this reason, we need a simple word that every Muslim can
understand — without unnecessary complexity or exaggeration.
We are not saying that Jama'at al-Tabligh is free from
mistakes.
Nor are we saying that everything every individual in the
group does is correct.
But we do say:
Be fair to your fellow Muslims. Do not allow differences in
the way Da'wah is carried out to become a reason for attacking a person's Islam
or faith.
What Is the Main Idea of Jama'at al-Tabligh?
In simple terms, their Da'wah encourages Muslims to focus on
basic matters of religion, such as:
Keeping up the daily prayers.
Remembering Allah.
Reading the Qur'an.
Improving one's character.
Repenting and returning to Allah.
Respecting the Sunnah and loving the Prophet ﷺ.
Going out to meet people and remind them about their
religion.
Encouraging Muslims to work on themselves, their families,
and their communities.
These are good and important matters, and Muslims do not
disagree about the value of these things.
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What Do They Mean by "Going Out" — Khuruj?
When some people hear the word Khuruj, they may think that
it means a new act of worship that Islam has made compulsory.
That is not what is meant.
The idea is that a Muslim leaves some of his normal
activities for a period of time and travels with other Muslims to a mosque or
another area.
There, he learns, remembers Allah, and encourages people
toward prayer and goodness.
For them, it is a way of organizing Da'wah and personal
development.
It does not mean that every Muslim is required by Islam to
go out for a certain number of days.
For this reason, the question of the number of days should
not become a major religious battle.
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Are Three Days or Forty Days a Religious Obligation?
Here we need to be clear.
If someone says:
"Every Muslim is required by Islam to go out for a
certain number of days, and whoever does not do so has left an Islamic
obligation."
Then evidence would be needed for such a claim.
But if people involved in Da'wah choose a certain period
simply as a way of organizing their work and training themselves, that is
something different.
People need organization in their work.
Someone may say:
"We will go out on Thursday."
Someone else may say:
"We will work together for three days."
Another may say:
"We will meet for one week."
These numbers do not become acts of obligatory worship
simply because they are used to organize Da'wah.
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Is Jama'at al-Tabligh Free from Mistakes?
No.
No human group after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is free from mistakes.
Some members of the group may make mistakes in what they
say.
Some may misunderstand a particular issue.
There may be weaknesses in some books, narrations, or
methods.
Some people involved in Da'wah may need to gain more
knowledge.
All of these matters can be discussed and corrected.
But there is a big difference between saying:
"There is a mistake in this matter and it needs to be
corrected."
And saying:
"The whole group is misguided, and everyone who goes
out with them is an innovator or a sinful person."
The first is a form of criticism.
The second is a serious judgment that requires knowledge,
fairness, and clear evidence.
Serious judgments should never be made without proper
evidence.
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Do We Have to Agree With Everything They Do?
No.
Defending Jama'at al-Tabligh does not mean agreeing with
every word spoken by every individual in the group.
If someone says something incorrect, we should say that it
is incorrect.
If we find a Hadith that needs correction, we should correct
it.
If we find a mistake in Islamic law, we should refer the
matter to qualified scholars.
If we see someone neglecting the rights of his family or
children, we should advise him.
Being fair does not mean defending mistakes. It means
recognizing the good while being fair when speaking about the mistakes.
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What About Shaykh Muhammad Ilyas رحمه
الله?
Shaykh Muhammad Ilyas رحمه
الله was one of the main founders of this Da'wah effort.
He helped spread the idea of reviving Da'wah among Muslims
in many places.
We do not say that he was free from mistakes.
Nor do we say that every statement attributed to him can
never be discussed or questioned.
But we should deal with the words of scholars and people of
Da'wah fairly.
If a statement can have more than one meaning, it is not
right to choose the worst possible meaning and then build a serious accusation
upon it.
Words should be understood in their context.
A person should not be judged from one sentence taken out of
context without knowing what he meant and what was being discussed.
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Does a Greater Reward Mean Someone Is Better Than the
Companions?
No.
This is a very important point.
A Muslim may receive a great reward in certain circumstances
because of his patience or because he does a good deed at a time when trials
and difficulties have become widespread.
But this does not mean that he has become better than the
Companions رضي الله عنهم.
The Companions have an immense virtue and a special position
that those who came after them cannot reach.
Therefore:
A greater reward for a particular deed does not necessarily
mean that a person has become better than all of the Companions.
This is something we should understand so that we do not
misunderstand the matter.
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Can We Declare Someone an Innovator or Disbeliever Because
of a Disagreement?
This is one of the most serious matters.
Not every mistake is disbelief.
Not every innovation is disbelief.
And not every disagreement is proof that someone's faith or
beliefs are corrupt.
Declaring someone a disbeliever is a very serious matter.
It should never become a weapon that a Muslim uses against
his brother simply because they disagree.
Likewise, words such as "innovator,"
"sinner," or "misguided" should not be thrown at people
during every disagreement.
Scholars have rules and guidelines for these matters.
For this reason, ordinary Muslims should be very careful
about rushing into such judgments.
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If They Have Mistakes, Why Not Simply Leave Them?
Because having a mistake does not mean that everything a
person has is wrong.
Take a simple example.
Suppose you meet a man who encourages people to pray,
reminds them to repent, and helps people become more committed to their
religion.
But he makes a mistake in one particular matter.
Should we reject all the good that he does because of that
one mistake?
The better approach is:
Accept the good and correct the mistake.
This is an important principle when dealing with our fellow
Muslims.
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A Message to Our Brothers in Jama'at al-Tabligh
My brothers:
Take care of your knowledge just as you take care of your
Da'wah.
Learn your beliefs, Islamic law, and Hadith from trustworthy
and qualified scholars.
Do not allow the group to become more important to you than
the evidence.
If you discover that you are wrong about something, return
to the truth.
Do not neglect the rights of your family and children
because of Da'wah.
Do not allow going out for Da'wah to become a reason for
neglecting an Islamic obligation.
Be kind to people.
Stay close to them.
Remain humble.
Stay away from fanaticism.
The purpose of Da'wah is to please Allah, not to win support
for the name of a group.
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A Message to Our Brothers Who Criticize the Group
If you see a mistake, speak about it.
If you find a weak Hadith, explain that it is weak.
If you find an issue in Islamic law that needs correction,
discuss it.
But do so with knowledge and good manners.
Do not lie about them.
Do not attribute to them things they never said.
Do not use the mistake of one person as proof that everyone
is wrong.
And do not allow your disagreement with the group to make
you hate everyone who is associated with it.
Criticize the idea, but do not wrong the person.
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Da'wah Is Greater Than the Names of Groups
In the end, we should remember that Islam is greater than
all groups and names.
We are not required to make every Muslim exactly the same.
There is a scholar.
There is a person involved in Da'wah.
There is a teacher.
There is an imam.
There are people who serve others.
There are people who go out for Da'wah.
There are people who specialize in the Qur'an, Hadith, and
Islamic law.
Each person may serve the religion through a different path.
The Ummah needs all of these efforts, as long as they remain
within the limits of Islam.
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A Final Word
Jama'at al-Tabligh is not free from mistakes.
But it is also not a group that should be treated unjustly
or have all of its members attacked without knowledge.
There are righteous people among them.
There are also people of Da'wah who have given their time,
money, and effort to remind Muslims of Allah, prayer, and the Hereafter.
Some of its members may have mistakes that need to be
corrected.
That is normal in any human effort.
The correct approach is not:
"Either I agree with everything they do, or I declare
all of them misguided."
Rather, the correct approach is:
Accept the truth from whoever brings it.
Give advice when there is a mistake.
Respect the rights and dignity of your fellow Muslim.
And fear Allah when judging people.
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Supplication
O Allah, improve the condition of the Muslims.
O Allah, bring their hearts together upon Your Book and the
Sunnah of Your Prophet ﷺ.
O Allah, guide our scholars and those who call people to You
to what is true and correct.
O Allah, make Da'wah a means of guidance, not a cause of
argument and division.
O Allah, grant us knowledge together with good manners, and
concern for Your religion together with mercy toward the Muslims.
O Allah, forgive Shaykh Muhammad Ilyas and all those who
served Your religion.
Overlook their mistakes and allow us to benefit from what
they did correctly.
O Allah, make us people of reconciliation and reform, and do
not make us people of argument and division.
May Allah send peace and blessings upon our master Muhammad ﷺ, his family, and all his Companions.
And all praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
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