1

Islamic Da‘wah and its Methodology in the Contemporary Times:

A Study of Tablīghī Jamā‘at

Dr. Nazir Ahmad Zargar

Assistant Professor & Coordinator,
Central University of Kashmir,
Ganderbal, Kashmir, India
Email: drnazirzargar73@gmail.com

Abstract:

This paper explores the methodology and practices of Islamic Da‘wah in contemporary times,
with a particular focus on the Tablīghī Jamā‘at. Da‘wah, the act of inviting others to Islam, is a
fundamental aspect of the faith, and its methods have evolved over time to adapt to changing
societal contexts. The Tablīghī Jamā‘at, a global Islamic missionary movement, has gained
prominence for its grassroots approach to spreading the message of Islam. This study examines
the historical roots of the Tablīghī Jamā‘at, its organizational structure, and its strategies for
engaging with diverse communities. By analyzing the Tablīghī Jamā‘at's methodologies, this
paper aims to provide insights into the broader landscape of Islamic Da‘wah in the
contemporary world. Through an exploration of its principles, activities, and impact, this
research contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of Islamic missionary movements in
shaping Muslim communities and promoting religious outreach in the modern era.
Key Words: Da‘wah, Tablīghī Jamā‘at, Islam, Dā‘ī, Movement, Ummah

Introduction

The best Dā‘ī in the world was undoubtedly Muḥammad Rasūlullāh himself — the Final Messenger
of Allāh ‫ﷻ‬. So it is then understood that to be a Dā‘ī in today’s world, one should closely observe
the methods that our beloved Rasūlullāh ‫ ﷺ‬used to formulate the basic steps in spreading the word
of Allā h.

The task of Da‘wah demands utmost sincerity, dedication, selflessness, and patience. The
early Muslims entrusted with the responsibility of conveying the Word of Allā h ‫ ﷻ‬to their fellow
human beings were abused and persecuted so much that they were forced to migrate first to
Abyssinia and then to Madīnah. Not too long after, the Muslims were socially and economically
boycotted. It was a period of test and trial for the Muslims, having faced a lot of hard times during
 2

this boycott. The Makkan polytheists even conspired against the Rasū lullā h ‫ ﷺ‬to kill or imprison
him. Despite all this, Rasū lullā h ‫ ﷺ‬for his great concern for the welfare of humanity kept
approaching different people to convey the message of Allā h ‫ﷻ‬. He even migrated to Ṭ ā ’if but only
faced rejection from everywhere. At this time, Allāh ‫ ﷻ‬opened the gates of Madīnah for him and his
companions.

Today, people judge Islam by its people and not necessarily by reading the teachings of the
Holy Qur’ā n and Sunnah. Hence, this forms a more significant challenge for a Dā‘ī to clear the
misconceptions about Islam. The misconceptions, such as Islam allows people to kill innocents in
the name of Jihād, Muslims are extremists, the sword spreads Islam, and to provide clarity on topics
such as a Muslim woman’s dress code, polygamy, and so many other issues. These are all common
questions that people ask a Muslim Dā‘ī. During Rasū lullā h’s time, the Jews and people of other
faiths asked him and other Muslims several questions. Therefore, even today, people ask questions
due to ignorance, claiming Islam is not a religion of peace.

A Dā‘ī should choose the most appropriate approach while delivering the message and
be clear in his conversation while communicating with the masses. While talking to any person,
one should listen to the person calmly and patiently and read the situation before explaining it to
them. A Dā‘ī should always refer to Rasūlullāh’s ‫ ﷺ‬exemplary Way of life and his methodology
while doing Da‘wah.

Today, the Muslim community is passing through the most challenging phase of its
history. Muslims and their religion are being targeted everywhere; their religion is being
demonized; sentiments hurt; religious places demolished in their own countries; all this is being
done in the name of freedom of expression. It seems all the world's nations have joined heads
and hands against Islam and the Muslims to wipe them out of the face of the earth. All that is
happening today is not any secret now. Political and materialistic interest is behind all this.
Moreover, artificial religions, failed philosophies, and bogus theories see Islam as the
lone threat against their fake claims. In this situation, it is the foremost duty of the Muslim
governments to serve the cause of their religion and their people to prove their legitimacy as the
representative of their people. Nevertheless, no single Muslim government carries out the task of
Da‘wah at the international level. Whatever good is being done in this respect comprises some
Muslim countries’ ministries educating their people about Islam's teachings. Muslim
governments do not perform Da‘wah among non-Muslims at the global level. Despite this fact,
various individuals, institutions, and organizations across the Muslim world are engaged in
Da‘wah. Muslim Da'wah activists' sincere individual and collective efforts are bearing fruits
despite the worldwide Islamophobic campaigns. Truth has its power; it stands on its own.
 3

However, it must be presented in its proper perspective with utmost sincerity. That is the most
critical task the Ummah needs to undertake in the present circumstances.
A Dā‘ī must educate people and communities about Islam's principles, teachings, and
ideals. He should communicate factual and unbiased information while dispelling any
misunderstandings or preconceptions that people might have about Islam. His contribution is
crucial to dispelling stereotypes and promoting interfaith dialogue and understanding.
People seeking spiritual or ethical guidance frequently turn to a Dā‘ī for moral
counseling, suggestions, and direction. He encourages individuals to overcome challenges in
life, make moral choices, and seek spiritual well-being. A Dā’ī inspires people to work for
change by addressing poverty, discrimination, and inequality.
A Dā’ī must demonstrate the moral precepts of Islam through his conduct. He must
exhibit humility, integrity, compassion, and ethical behavior in his communities.
It is important to emphasize that an Islamic Dā’ī’s obligations may vary depending on
the cultural context, the neighborhood's needs, and their specific position within the Islamic
community.
Allāh says as follows:
We have created man from a mixed sperm drop to put him to the test; then We made him
able to hear, able to see.We have shown him the way to be either grateful or ungrateful.1
While leading a God-centered life cultivates gratitude for God, it also fosters feelings of
mutual love, devotion to God's commandments, sincerity, and humility in a person, making him
a contributing member of society by instilling a sense of accountability, responsibility, and
sharing. Conversely, a life centered on oneself causes a person to become egotistical, greedy,
blind, envious, and cunning. Interestingly, a life centered on God is identical to the nature in
which man was created. The Holy Qur’an testifies thus:
Devote yourselves single-mindedly to the Religion. And follow the nature [constitution]
as made by God, that nature in which He has created mankind. There is no altering the
creation of God. That is the right Religion. But most people do not realize it.2
Therefore, before joining hands to march towards creating a just and peaceful social
fabric, we need to unite our heads to consider the trajectory of our present and future lives.
Without reconnecting with our origin, from which we have come to the planet to live here
briefly, we would never be able to perceive a world filled with peace and tranquility. In his

1
(Al-Qur’an, al-Dahr 76:3-4).
2
(Al-Qur’an, al-Rum 30:30)
 4

position, everyone should consider his future. Let all of us be Muslims, submitting to the divine
decree which has reached us in these words:
The only true Religion in God’s sight is complete submission to God. And those who
were given the Book disagreed only out of rivalry, after knowledge had been given to
them—he who denies God’s signs should know that God is swift in His reckoning. If they
dispute with you, say, ‘I have submitted my whole being to God and so have those who
follow me.’ And ask those who have been given the Book, as well as the unlettered, ‘Do
you submit yourselves to God in the same way?’ if they submit themselves to Him, they
are on the right path; but if they turn away, your duty is only to convey the message. God
is observant of all His servants.3
In the twentieth century, many Da‘wah organizations were established to undertake the task of
propagating the message of Islam to Muslims as well as non-Muslims. Of such organizations,
Tablīghī Jamā‘at has been the most influential movement worldwide. Its methodology has been
unique insofar as its conservative and traditionalist approach is concerned.
Definition and Meanings of Da‘wah
The word Da‘wah is a verbal noun. In Arabic, it means inviting and enjoining. 4 In the
Islamic technical sense, it means inviting people towards the Islamic faith (Imān) and its
practice.5 Da‘wah usually denotes the preaching of Islam. A Muslim who practices Da‘wah as
a religious worker or in a volunteer community effort is called a Dā‘ī (plural: Du‘āh). A Dā‘ī is
thus a person who invites people to understand Islam through a dialogical process and may be
categorized in some cases as the Islamic equivalent of a missionary, as one who invites people
to the faith, to the prayer, or to Islamic life. In the Holy Qur'ān, the term Da‘wah has other
senses. Sūrah 30:25 denotes the call to the dead to rise on the Day of Judgment. However, it
generally refers to Allāh's ‫ ﷻ‬invitation to live according to His will. Thus, when used in the
first centuries of Islam, it increasingly referred to the content of that message and was
sometimes used interchangeably with Sharī‘ah and Dīn.
In Islamic theology, the purpose of Da‘wah is to invite people, both Muslims and non-
Muslims, to understand Islam, its faith, and its practice. Hence, it is also described as the duty to
"actively encourage fellow Muslims in the pursuance of greater piety in all aspects of their
lives," a definition which has become central to contemporary Islamic thought, and almost all
3
(Al-Qur’ān, Ālu ‘Imran 3:19, 20)
4
Aḥmad Ḥasan al-Zayāt ‘et al’, Al-M‘jam al-Wāsiṭ, Deoband, Maktabah Ḥusayniyah, 1960, root da‘ā, as:
da‘ā:yad‘ū :da‘wan:da‘watan:du‘a‘an, meaning somebody's presence. Da‘āhu ilā al-Shay’, meaning enjoining
somebody to do something.
5
Miṣbāḥ al-Raḥmān Yūsufī, “ ‘Ilm al-Da‘wah al-Islamiyya wa nasha’tuthu”, Al-Ba‘th al-Islāmī, Lukhnow, Nadwah
al-‘Ulama’, Mar. 1999, V. 40, No.4, P.24.
 5

contemporary Da‘wah organizations work in the same direction to galvanize the Muslim
Ummah mainly.
Da‘wah is the invitation addressed to people by Allāh ‫ ﷻ‬through His Messengers to
believe in the true religion, Islam. The religion of all Messengers is Islam, and each Messenger
had been sent to a particular place and people to perform his Da‘wah in his way. Only Nūḥ had
been sent to the whole population of his time but not for all times to come, while Muḥammad
has been sent for the whole of humanity for all times to come; he is the universal Prophet ‫ﷺ‬.
Therefore, every human being must believe in him to attain felicity here and in the life hereafter.
All the Messengers have been sent to invite and guide humanity towards their God,
Allāh ‫ﷻ‬, as the Holy Qur’ān says:

Mankind was one single nation. And Allāh sent Messengers with glad tidings and
warnings; and with them He sent the Book in truth, to judge between people in matters
wherein they differed.6
Importance of Da‘wah
Muḥammad‫ ﷺ‬has been commanded to proclaim the message, which has been revealed
to him from his Lord, Allāh‫ﷻ‬. This command is so severe that the fulfillment of his mission
depends upon the propagation of this message. The following Āyah of the Holy Qur’ān testifies
this fact:
O Messenger! Make known that which has been revealed unto thee from thy Lord, for if
thou do it not, thou will not have conveyed His message.7
That means the sole responsibility of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬was to propagate what had been
revealed to him in the Holy Qur’an. This fact leads us to conclude that Da‘wah fundamentally
means inviting to the Holy Qur’ān and spreading its revealed knowledge.
The safety and protection from all ills and misfortune of an individual Muslim and the
Ummah depend on how seriously and sincerely they disseminate the Message of Islam.
After commanding him to propagate the truth, Allāh ‫ ﷻ‬says to His Messenger‫ﷺ‬:

O Messenger, convey all that has been sent down to you from your Lord. If you do not,
then you shall not have conveyed His message (at all). Allāh shall protect you from the
people. Surely, Allāh ‫ ﷻ‬does not lead the disbelieving people to the right path.8

6
(Al-Qur’ān, al-Baqarah 2:213)
7
(Al-Qur’ān, al-Mā’idah 5:67)
8
(Al-Qur’ān, al- Mā’idah 5:68)
 6

After the, then after the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬passed away, the responsibility of Da‘wah was put on
the shoulders of his Ummah to carry the divine message further. Allāh‫ ﷻ‬says:

Thus, We have made you an Ummah justly balanced that ye might be a witness over
nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves.9
Muslims, as a community, are further directed in these words:
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.10
The same thing has been said in Surah al-Ḥajj (22:78) quoted above, which is explained by
‘Abdullāh Yūsuf ‘Alī in his famous exegesis of the Holy Qur’ān in these words:
As the Prophet is a guide and exemplar among us, Muslims should be exemplars amongst humankind.
The best witnesses to Allāh’s ‫ ﷻ‬Truth are those who show its light in their lives.11

The above-quoted Āyah from Sūrah al-Baqarah (Al-Qur’ān, 2:143) tells us that the
Muslims are a justly balanced Ummah only because they have been raised as a witness over
humankind. That is to say, they remain a justly balanced community so long as they act as a
witness over the rest of humanity.
Yet one more Qur’ānic injunction from Sūrah alḤajj is as under:
It is the religion of your father, Ibrāhīm. It is He Who has named you Muslims, both
before and in this (Revelation); that the Messenger may be a witness for you, and ye be
witnesses for mankind.12
According to this Āyah, Muslims are ‘Muslims’ by being a witness for humanity; if they
fail to perform the duty of Da‘wah, they will cease to exist as a justly balanced Ummah in the
world and will, therefore, no longer remain true Muslims in the real sense. What does it mean?
It means that every Muslim by faith is a Dā‘ī of Islam.
Allāh’s Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬was so serious about his responsibility that he would burst into
tears on listening to the Āyah:
But how (will it be with them) when We bring of every people a witness, and We bring
thee (O Muḥammad) a witness against these.13
Calling men to Allāh‫ ﷻ‬:is the best among human speeches
9
(Al-Qur’ān: Al-Baqarah 2:143)
10
(Al-Qur’ān, Āl-i-‘Imrān 3:104)
11
Ibid, Ex. n. 2864
12
(Al-Qur’ān, Al-Ḥajj 22: 78)
13
(Al-Qur’ān: An-Nisā’ 4:41)
 7

And who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allāh.14
It is evident from the Holy Qur’ān that Muslims have been created for the very purpose
of Da‘wah— enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency is the basic purpose for which they have
been raised. Allāh ‫ ﷻ‬says:

You are the best community that has been raised for mankind. You enjoin the right
conduct and forbid indecency; and You believe in Allāh.15
The Quraysh of Makkah, more than once, approached Abū Ṭālib, the Holy Messenger’s
‫ ﷺ‬uncle, to stop his nephew from verbally attacking their ancestral faith, or otherwise, they
would resort to more violent measures against the latter. Abū Ṭālib, accordingly, appealed to
him. The Holy Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬replied:

O uncle! By Allāh ‫ ﷻ‬would they place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left
hand, and the choice was offered me of abandoning my mission until Allāh ‫ ﷻ‬Himself
makes it dominant, or I perish in the struggle for its achievement, I would not abandon
it.16
The above description indicates that the Holy Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬considered his mission more
precious than his own life. One can easily understand how important the person of the Prophet
‫ ﷺ‬was for the very existence of Islam— he was more precious than anything. However, the
above-quoted ḥadīth proves that the mission of propagating the message is more important
than the life of its messenger himself. Islam and Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬are not two things but the same
thing, but as God changed his messengers while the message remained always the same, most
of the Prophets had to sacrifice their lives for the truth.
On the occasion of the al-Ḥajj al-Wadā’ (the farewell pilgrimage), the Holy Messenger
‫ ﷺ‬addressed a

large gathering of his Ṣaḥābah (the companions) and asked them:17

You will be questioned about me. What will you say (to Allāh ‫?)ﷻ‬

They all responded: We will testify that you have fully conveyed to us the Message; you
have done justice to your duty, and you have performed your role as our well-wisher”
Hearing this, he looked above, pointing his finger toward the sky, and said:
14
(Al-Qur’ān: Fuṣṣilat 41:3
15
(Al-Qur’ān: Āli ‘Imrān 3:110)
16
Ibn Hishām, Sīrah al-Nabī, (Ur.) tr. by Mawlānā ‘Abdul-Jalīl Ṣiddiqī & Mawlānā Ghulām Rasūl Mahar, Delhi,
V.I, P. 281.
17
Imām Walī al-Dīn Muḥammad, Mishkāt (Ar. to Ur.) tr. By Mawlānā ‘Abd al-Ḥakim Khān, Delhi, I‘tiqād Publishing
House (IPH), V-I, 1987 P.565, where he quotes it from Muslim.
 8

O Allāh! Be witness to this.

He repeated these words thrice and then said:
Let those present here convey my Message to those who are not present here.18
About this commandment ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Abbās , a prominent Ṣaḥābī (companion),
says:
I swear by Him (Allāh ‫ )ﷻ‬in whose hands lies my life it is a Waṣīyyah (divine obligation
through the will made by the Holy Prophet‫ )ﷺ‬on the Ummah.19

Rabī‘ Ibn Anas, a Tābi‘ī (follower of the companions), says that the followers of Allāh’s
Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬must invite (to Islam) as he did and that they should warn by the Holy Qur’ān
through which he warned.20
The Holy Qur’ān says:
Ye have indeed, in the Messenger of Allāh, an excellent exemplar.21
That indicates that every Muslim has to accept the Sunnah of Allāh’s Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬as the best
model. Since Da‘wah is the greatest Sunnah, it is one of the top acts that should be adopted from
his life.22
Da‘wah is so essential that if Muslims show the slightest negligence in this respect, they
will be punished, and no supplication of theirs will be granted. Ḥudhayfah Ibn al-Yamān reports
that the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said:

I swear by Him in whose hands lies my life; you must enjoin right and forbid wrong (i.e.,
perform Da‘wah); otherwise, Allāh will soon punish you. Then you will pray
(supplicate), but it will not be accepted.23
That implies that the present sorry state of affairs in the Muslim world is because the
Muslims, as the best

18
Waḥīd al-Zamān Kerānwī, Taysīr al-Barī (Ar. to Ur), tr. and comm. On Sahīh al-Bukhārī, Delhi, IPH, V-1, P.89.
19
Jalāl al-Dīn ‘Umrī, Islām Kī Da‘wat, Delhi, Markazī Maktabah Islāmī (MMI), I979. P4J, where he quotes it from
Bukhārī.
20
Idem., where it is quoted from Ibn Kathīr, vol 2, P.226.
21
(Al-Qur’ān, Al-Aḥzāb 33:21)
22
Abdussalām, Da’wah Guide, Delhi, SIP., 1996, Pp 28-29.
23
Abū ‘Isā al-Tirmidhī, Al-Jāmi‘ al-Tirmidhī, chap., no. 2169, cited in Mawlānā Muḥammad Sa‘d, Muntakhab
Aḥadīth, Delhi,Maktaba Fayd ‘Ām, 1418 H., P.687.
 9

nation, have not taken the task of propagating Islam very seriously. They have failed in this
respect by not prioritizing it above all other activities. Their image today is not that of the well-
wishers of humanity; they are, instead, considered miscreants.
Imām al-Ghazzālī says that ‘enjoining right and forbidding wrong’ is so important a task
that all other aspects of the Religion (Islam) are related to it, directly or indirectly. To him, it is
this duty for the fulfillment of which Allāh‫ ﷻ‬sent all His Messengers , and if this duty is not
fulfilled, the institution of Nubūwwah (Prophethood) will become purposeless. Honesty, which
is the peculiarity of humanity, will vanish; laziness and lethargy will spread everywhere; a
conflict will prevail; waywardness and impiety will become frequent; ignorance will spread
universally; the whole creation will get destroyed, and all this will come to light on the Day of
Judgment.24
Abūl Ḥasan ‘Alī Nadwī says that the present state of disgrace and lack of political power
of the Muslims is because they have shown indifference towards the critical responsibility of
Da‘wah. The absence of any Da‘wah effort toward non-Muslims is not only responsible for
their ignorance about Islam and its way of living, but it is also the absence of any Da‘wah
efforts directed to non-Muslims that they are placing responsibility for their wrongdoings, anti-
social activities, and false ideologies, bogus philosophies and faulty systems of life on the
shoulders of Muslims. (It is due to the absence of organized Da‘wah work) atheistic,
polytheistic, immoral, and inhuman ideologies are prevalent in Muslim lands. Our youth are
fighting other’s wars, and at the collective level, the whole world of Islam, instead of becoming
Dā‘ī of Islam, has become the Mad‘ū (target) of anti-Islamic ideologies.25
Mawlānā Ilyās, the founder of Tablīghī Jamā‘at, has said, “If you do not become Dā‘ī,
you will indeed become mad‘ū.26
Da‘wah is a differentiating factor between the Muslims and the Munāfiqūn (hypocrites).
According to the Holy Qur’ān, while the hypocrites, both men and women, enjoin evil and
forbid good, the believers, on the other hand, enjoin good and evil. Allāh ‫ ﷻ‬says:

The hypocrites, men and women, are from one another; they enjoin (on the people) al-
Munkar (i.e., disbelief and polytheism of all kinds and all that Islam has forbidden), and
forbid (people) from al-Ma‘rūf (i.e., Islamic monotheism and all what Islam orders one
to do), and they close their hands [from giving (spending in Allāh’s cause) alms etc.].
They have forgotten Allāh, so He has forgotten them. Verily, the hypocrites are Fāsiqūn
(rebellious, disobedient to Allāh).27

24
Atīq Aḥmad Qāsimī, Da‘wat-i-Islām Ek Aham Farīḍah, U.P, 1986, P.6.
25
Idem.
26
Idem.
27
(Al-Qur’ān: Al-Taubah 9:67)
 10

Imām al-Qurṭubī, while explaining the above Āyah says:

Allāh has made al-Amr bi al-Ma‘rūf and al-Nahyu ‘an al-Munkar a mark of distinction between the
believers and the hypocrites. It means that al-Amr bi al-Ma‘rūf and al-Naḥyu ‘an al-Munkar is the peculiar
quality of the believers, and the most important of it is inviting towards Islam and striving hard in its way. 28

The Muslim jurists differ on the nature and importance of Da‘wah. Some categorize it as
Farḍ al-‘Ayn (compulsory) while others bring it under the category of Farḍ al-Kifāyah
(optional). Both the sections of the scholars base their viewpoints on the Āyah (3:104) of the
Holy Qur’ān which reads as:
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.
The whole discussion is based on using the word ‘min’ (out of) in this Āyah. Famous
Mufassir Abū Ḥayyān Andalusī says that ‘min’ is for ‘Tab‘īḍ (elimination/exclusion),
which means
Da‘wah is the work of a few and not of all Muslims. The same is the view of al-Ḍāḥḥak and al-
Ṭabarī. What they say all means that an ordinary Muslim without the required knowledge
sometimes mistakenly invites people towards wrong instead of right. It is only the
knowledgeable ones who are eligible to make Da‘wah. They, therefore, categorize Da'wah
under the title of Farḍ al-Kifāyah, which means its performance by a few exonerates the
others.29
The second group who placed Da‘wah under Farḍ al-‘Ayn includes scholars of the
recent past like Shaykh Muḥammad ‘Abduhū and Rashīd Riḍā. However, to make his view
somewhat moderate and balanced, ‘Abduh says that Da‘wah is Farḍ al-‘Ayn, but like Ḥajj,
which is obligatory only on those who have Istiṭā‘ah (ability by possessing wealth, health and
safety along the journey), da ‘wah also rests on one's ability to performing it. Inviting toward
Islam is a task not demanded from every Muslim to perform. However, he should always be
ready to invite a non-Muslim whenever he meets him. Everybody is not required to devote his
whole time to this work, as there should be an organization for this purpose.30
Mufti Muḥammad Shafī, while discussing the subject, writes that Da‘wah is a divine
obligation (Farḍ) upon every Muslim. However, like all other religious commandments, one is
responsible only according to power and capability. One who is not fully aware of the
fundamental knowledge of al-Amr bi al-Ma‘rūf and alNahyu ‘an al-Munkar is not lawfully

28
Abū‘Abdullāh Muḥammad Ibn Aḥmad, al-Qurṭūbī, Al-Jami’ al-Aḥkām al-Qur’ān, Vol 4, P.47. Quoted by Atīq
Aḥmad Qāsimī, op. cit.P.14.
29
Abū‘Abdullāh Muḥammad Ibn Yūsuf Andalūsī, Abū Ḥayyān, Al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, V.2, P.20, quoted by ‘Atīq Aḥmad
Qāsimī, op.cit., P.15.
30
‘Atīq A. Qasimi, op. cit., Pp. 14-15.
 11

bound to perform this task. There must be an organization that should strive in the field of
Da‘wah. An Islamic government should form this organization, without which the responsibility
lies on the shoulders of all Muslims collectively.31
However, modern Islamic scholars and those field workers who have practical
experiences hold that since professionalism is over in modern times. It is the age of ‘every man,’
it is, therefore, the duty of every Muslim – man, woman, young or old, to get involved in the
activity of Da‘wah, each according to his or her capacity to share on Faith with non-Muslims.
There are no shortcuts to Da‘wah.32
To conclude the above description, it can be said that inviting humanity towards Islam—
the Ultimate Truth—has been the mission of all the Messengers . It is so important that the Holy
Qur’ān has considered a Dā‘ī as the best among people and his speech the best among speeches.
The Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬was so much involved in Da‘wah that he would nearly die with profound
grief over people’s state of disbelief.
It may be that thou tormentest thyself (O Muḥammad) because they believe not.33
The Holy Prophet of Islam ‫ ﷺ‬invited not only the Arabs but also communicated his
message to rulers of distant lands. He invited the famous kings of the then advanced world
through letters. He wrote straightforwardly that the peace of their lands and people depended
upon their acceptance of Islam.
The Quraysh tried to crush his determination and dedication by every possible means,
but his determination, faith, and sincerity never wavered.
It is reported by Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that on the occasion of the battle of
Khaybar, the Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬sent ‘Alī for the attack. While handing the flag over to him, he said,
“By Allāh ‫ﷻ‬, if only one person accepts the guidance through you, it is better for you than red
camels.”34 He also said that one who invites towards the guidance (Islam) gets a reward
equivalent to those who act upon it, and nothing is lessened from it compared to the reward of
those who act upon it.35

31
Muftī Muḥammad Shafī, Ma‘ārif al-Qur’ān, Delhi, Rabbānī Book Depot, V.2, P.137.
32
Aḥmad Dīdāt, The choice, Islam& Christianity, Delhi, Adam Pub. & Distributors, 1994, p. 41.
33
(Al-Qur’ān, Al-Shu‘arā’ 26: 3).
34
Taysir al-Bukhārī, “Kitāb al-Maghāzī”, chap., “Ghazwah alKhaybar”,V .5,p.421;also Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Arabic to
Urdu), kitāb; “Faḍā’il Ṣaḥabah”, chap., Min Faḍā’il ‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib, tr. by Waḥīd al-Zamān, Delhi,
IPH.,1992,V.6,P.101.
35
Sahīh Muslim, Kitāb “al-‘Ilm”, chap., Man Sanna Sunnah Ḥasanah aw Sayyi’ah, V.6, P.275. See also Tirmidhī,
kitāb”al-‘Ilm”, chap., Man Da‘ā Ilā Hudā fattubi‘a, V.2, P.237.
 12

Imam al-Qurṭubī quotes Ḥasan , the Holy Prophet’s ‫ ﷺ‬grandson, having said that a Dā‘ī is
the Khalīfah of Allāh ‫ﷻ‬, His Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬and His book in the world.36

Da‘wah represents Islam’s inner dynamism, without which there will be stagnation. Any
movement having dynamism in it is a living movement. In other words, a movement without
inner dynamism is not a movement at all. A nation, fallen into stagnation and
slumber, never influences others but, in turn, gets influenced by others. The zeal of Da‘wah in
Muslims has been responsible for their glorious days in the past. Moreover, their lethargy
towards this most critical and divinely ordained responsibility is responsible for their present
decline, insult, and confusion among other people.37
In short, the preaching of Islam among non-Muslims is vital for Muslims because
besides being a divine obligation, it is based upon the love and affection for humanity, the best
way for self-defense and, in addition to all this, the best means for earning the pleasure of Allāh
‫ﷻ‬.

Tablīghī Jamā‘at38 and it's Da‘wah Methodology

Established by Mawlānā Ilyās (b. 1885) in the mid-twenties of the twentieth century, Tablīghī
Jamā‘at focused its efforts on reviving true conviction in the common Muslims towards the
Islamic faith and practice and brought them closer to the fundamentals of Islam.39 In the early
twentieth century, due to the efforts of the Arya Samaj Hindu missionaries, a wave of apostasy
spread among the illiterate Muslims particularly in the area of Mewat. The impact of the wave
was felt much greater in those Muslims who did not know the basic teachings of Islam. Muslims
from all sides stood against this apostasy wave. They debated with the Hindu religionists and
everywhere hot debates and polemical discussions would occur between the scholars of both the
communities. The Muslims commissioned their preachers and spent vast amounts of money in
their illiterate masses from slipping out of the fold of their religion.

The area south of Delhi where the Mews are settled from the olden days is known as Mewat.
The Mew community inhabited the area south of Delhi, such as the states of Alwar and
Bharatpur, the Gurgaon district of Punjab, and the district Mathura of the United Province. Their
total population was nearly four million. The Mew people had accepted Islam centuries before

36
Al-Qurṭubī, op.cit.,vol 2, part 4, p.47, quoted by Atīq Aḥmad Qāsimī, op.cit.,p.28
37
Qā‘rī Muḥammad Ṭayyib, Dīnī Dawat Ke Qur’ānī Uṣūl, (Ur.) Deoband, Tayyib Book Depot, Pp. 17-18.
38
Actually, this is how people call it commonly, otherwise this da’wah organization does not bear a specific name.
Mawlānā Ilyās would call it Taḥrīki Īmān. See his Malfūẓāt, ed., Mawlānā Muḥammad Manzoor Nomanī, Delhi,
1991, P.77.
39
Dr. Sayyid ‘Abdul Bārī, Muslim Organisations in Independent India, New Delhi, Institute of Objective
Studies, 2001, P.129-30
 13

due to the da‘wah efforts of Niẓāmuddīn Maḥbūb-e Ilāhī and his students and followers. But,
later on, the Muslim rulers and landlords paid no attention to these peoples’ Islamic teaching
and training. As a result, despite being close to the capital, these people remained very far from
Islam. They were Muslim in name only, while almost everything else of their life was un-
Islamic. (Falahi, 2006, 301-2). They worshiped the same gods the Hindus used to worship and
observed the same festivals the Hindus used to observe. The moral and religious condition of the
people of Mewat was so deplorable that there was little to distinguish between their beliefs and
practices and wholesale apostasy. Even non-Muslim historians have commented at length on
their distancing from Islam, as the following extract from the Alwar Major Powlett (Gazetteer of
1878) shows:

All the Meos are, now, Muslims, but only in name. Their village deities are the same as those of
the Hindu land-lords, and they celebrate several Hindu festivals. Holi is a season of special
rejoicing among the Mewatis and they observe it like their own festivals, such as, Moharrum, "Id
and Shab-i-Barat. The same is the case with janam Ashtami, Dussehra and Diwali. The Meos
engage the services of the Brahmins to fix the dates of marriages. They have Hindu names, with
the exception of the word 'Ram', and their last name, often, is 'Singh', though not as frequently as
'Khan'. Like Ahirs and Gujars, the Mewatis, too, observe Amawas as a holiday on which they
abstain from work. When they build a well, they begin with the construction of a parapet in the
name of Beeriyi or Hanuman, but when it comes to pillage, they do not show much reverence to
the Hindu temples and other places of religious significance. If, on such an occasion, their
attention is drawn to the sanctity of these establishments, they, unhesitatingly, say, 'You are Deos
and we are Meos." Meos are, largely, ignorant of their faith, i.e., Islam. Very few of them know
the Kalima and fewer still observe Namaz regularly. About the hours and rules of Namaz their
ignorance is complete. This is the state of the Meos of Alwar. In the British territory of Gurgaon,
the position is a little better because of the Madrassas. In some parts of Alwar, also, where the
mosques have been built, the religious duties are observed to some extent. A few of them know
the Kalima and offer up Namaz; and an attachment for the Madrassas, also, is found among them.
As we have seen earlier, the initial ceremonies of marriage are performed by the Brahmins, but
the real ceremony (of Nikah) is performed by the Qazi. Men wear dhoti and loin-cloth, The
pyjamas are not worn at all. Their dress, thus, is wholly Hinduised. Even ornaments of gold are
worn by men.

At another place, Major Powlett (Gazetteer of 1878) writes:

The Meos are half-Hindu by their habits. Mosques are rarely to be seen in their villages. There are
only eight mosques in the fifty villages of the tehsil of Tijarah. Leaving aside the temples, the
places of worship of the Meos are very much similar to those of their Hindu neighbors. These are
known, for instance, as Paanch Peera, Bhaisa and Chahand. Chahand or Khera Deo is consecrated
to the service of Maha Devi where animals are offered as a sacrifice. In Shab-i-Barat, the banner
of Syed Salar Masud Ghazi is worshiped in all Meo villages.

This miserable situation of the Muslims in India promoted the sober and sincere soul of
Mawlānā Ilyās to launch a powerful movement, very low in profile but very strong in
 14

organization. Around 1921, Mawlānā Ilyās started his da‘wah movement, the Tablīghī Jamā‘at,
a noteworthy contemporary reform movement which, slowly and steadily, brought about such a
tremendous change that in more than just a decade, common Muslims in every village of
Mewat, the region which was most affected by the Hindu missionary movement, became good
Muslims, offering five times ṣalāh regularly. Not only did every young Muslim become himself
a practicing one, but at the same time, he would spend his own money and time in inviting other
Muslims to Islam. The movement subsequently spread all over the world.40

Mawlānā Ilyās’ method was hitherto not known even to the ‘Ulamā’. He did not consider
Madrasah education adequate and robust to bring about a comprehensive change in the common
Muslims. After considerable thought and experience, he concluded that a new kind of religious
activity should be alongside the Madāris, which could reform the Hinduised Muslims
(especially those of Mewat).

Mawlānā Ilyās, in the course of his deep thinking, had realized that the madrasah
approach was not adequate to the desired degree because of the reason that since most of the
people would not come to a Madrasah to seek knowledge, a very meager number of people
would be reformed through this way. Besides this, only young children could be enrolled in
these seminaries, leaving the adults as such. Furthermore, only those people could be given
education and instruction in a Madrasah with some degree of yearning. In contrast, many
indifferent people could not readily be admitted to these institutions.41 Therefore, to acquire the
desired result and bring about a marked reform in the common masses of the Muslims, Mawlānā
Ilyās devised a unique kind of Da‘wah methodology which, according to Sulaymān Nadwī, was
the closest to the original Prophetic method.42 It consisted of organizing groups of Muslims who
were required to leave their homes for various lengths to learn Islam and perform da’wah
simultaneously. They would travel from city to city, village to village, and country to country to
preach and practice the fundamental tenets of Islam. Since people were unfamiliar with such a
novel way, only a few would get persuaded to join the movement. But after a few years, the
movement gathered momentum, and Mawlānā Ilyās began sending groups of Mewatis to
various centers of religious learning in the United Provinces.

The center of all the activities of the Tablīghī Jamā‘at is the masjid. The Masjid assumes the
status of the office, the Madrasah, the training camp, the Khanqāh (place where mainly spiritual
training is given), and the religious fortress of the Tablīghī Jamā‘at. Mawlānā Ilyās says: “The
Masājid are the daughters of the Masjid Nabawī (the Prophet’s masjid at Madīnah), and

40
M. M. Qurayshī, “Islamic Studies” (Quarterly Journal), Autumn 1989, No. 3, V. 28, P. 273.
41
Ibid, P.241.
42
Abūl Ḥasan ‘Alī Nadwī, Life and Mission of Mowlana Muḥammad Illyās, Eng. tr. M. Āṣif Kidwā’ī, Lucknow,
Academy of Islamic Research and Publication (A1RP),1983,P.33.
 15

therefore, all the activities that were being carried out in the Masjid Nabawī should be
performed in other Masājid too. In addition to the offering of prayers, training and instruction
was also imparted in the Masjid Nabawī, and all other affairs pertaining to the preservation and
propagation of faith, such as, the dispatching of preaching groups and even the organization of
military expeditions were carried out in it. “What I want, says Mawlānā Ilyās, “is that all these
things should be done, in the same way, in our Masājid also.”43

Tablīghī Jamā‘at does not consider the writing of literature as critical as a means of
da’wah. Nevertheless, Mawlānā Ilyās did not stop writing books. Still, he did not consider any
means, like writing books, publishing pamphlets, delivering lectures, etc., more fruitful than
practical demonstration. He believed a writer writes a book while sitting and a reader reads it
while lying on the bed. According to the Mawlānā, the reader only enjoys the reading and
praises the writer, whereas the book is hardly acted upon. Thousands of books, argues the
Mawlānā, have been written so far, but peoples’ lives have hardly changed. Mere reading of
books has brought no change in their readers' behavior as the original method of education and
training prevailed during the Messenger’s own time when there had been no books and no
madāris in the sense that they are found now. People used to learn practically the Sunnah of the
Prophet , where special attention would be given to molding hearts, which would mold the
whole life. And when a person continues this practice for a long time, his life will change
permanently. To Mawlānā Ilyās, people had neglected this original method and had taken the
modern methods, which were needed for the time and not as effective as the original method. 44

Further, he did not allow his men to write books about their Da’wah method because he
thought introducing the message first through literature would create confusion among people
regarding the real meaning and purpose of his Da’wah. However, later on, when the way of
Da’wah and the fundamental objective of Tablīghī Jamā‘at was fully introduced and explained
to the common masses through practical demonstration of the Jamā‘ats, he allowed his
companions to write to explain the teachings of Islam and the approach of Tablīghī Jamā‘at.45

In the Da‘wah program of Tablīghī Jamā‘at, the first and foremost thing that needs to be
worked upon is the same as had been the priority of all the Messengers of Allah— the first
article of the Islamic faith — the Kalimah (There is no God but Allāh; Muḥammad is the
Messenger of Allāh). Since the natural end and purpose of Tablīgh is “to stimulate the careless
and indifferent people and to enkindle the desire for correction and change in their hearts,

43
Muḥammad Manẓoor Nomānī, Malfuẓāti Ḥaḍrat Mawlānā Ilyās, Delhi, Idārah Ishā‘at-i-Dīniyāt, 1991, Pp. 127-
28.
44
Ibid, Pp. 3-5.
45
Ibid, Pp. 114-115.
 16

therefore, the Kalimah is the only means through which they can be reunited with their faith.”46
It is considered the end of the ‘Ḥabl-Allāh’ (Allāh’s rope), which is in the hands of every
Muslim. “By holding that end, you can pull him (the Muslim) towards the whole faith. He
cannot resist it. As long as the Muslim affirms the Kalimah, there will be a good chance of
bringing him over to the faith of Islam. The opportunity must be grabbed with both hands before
it is lost altogether.”47

A field worker experiences that old aged Muslims of not only remote areas but also of
towns and cities are not able to even recite the Kalimah correctly, let alone its meaning and other
things.

Women are not ignored. Not only their own life needs to be reformed, but their role in the
da'wah field is also considered very important and an obligation on them. Hence, women are
also sent in Jamā‘ats along with their mahrams (close relatives), and utmost care is taken
regarding the religious commandments regarding their purdah.48

Constituting tablighi jama‘ats and dispatching them to various places has brought about
drastic changes in people’s lives. However, overemphasis on going out to learning and teaching
in a particular way, although it seems the most fruitful one, should not mean underestimating
other people’s efforts in the field of Da‘wah, and the religiosity of a person should not be
weighed based on how much time he has spent in these tours. Mawlānā Abul Ḥasan ‘Alī Nadwī
writes: “Tablīghi workers should not consider the tours, etc., to be everything, as the case
generally, is today.....”49

Mawlānā Ilyās himself says that the going out of Jamā‘ats is not the whole of the Tablīgh.

The principal aim, says, Mawlānā Ilyās, “and purpose of our endeavor is to teach the Muslims all the
things the Holy Messenger had brought with him, i.e., to integrate the Ummah with whole of the practical
and conceptual structure of Islam. This is our primary object. As for the setting out of jamā‘ats and tablīghi
squads, these are the elementary means to the realization of that end, while the teaching of the Kalimah
and Nimaz (ṣalāh) are, so to speak, the ABC of our curriculum.50

Although the Tablighi Jamā‘at does not work primarily among non-Muslims for
proselytization, thousands of non-Muslims have embraced Islam through their efforts. Mawlānā
Ilyās writes, in a letter to Mawlānā Muḥammad ‘Alī Jawhar, that he should invite the Europeans

46
Nadwī, op.cit, P.134.
47
Nomānī, loc.cit.
48
Muḥammad Yūsuf, in a letter to a Jamā‘at despatched to Ḥijāz, Nāṣir Book Depot., Delhi, P.14.
49
Idem.
50
Nadwī, op.cit., P.157.
 17

to Islam.51 However, the Mawlānā held that non-Muslims could find no appeal in Islam unless
the Muslims themselves were reformed first. That is perhaps why the Tablīghī activists of today
pay significantly less attention to the non-Muslims. Whatever is done in this direction is mainly
on the individual level. We don’t know if a single Jamā‘at has ever been sent, like the other
Da‘wah organizations, especially for non-Muslims to invite them to Islam. The Tablīgh efforts
are directed mainly towards the individual Muslim. It wants to change society through the
reformation of the individual.52

For the purpose of building up a firm religious attitude in each and every member every
Tablīghi Sāthī (companion) is supposed to pray Tahajjud (night prayers) in addition to attending
five times collective prayers in the masjid and other supererogatory prayers at different
occasions during day and night. He has to read the Holy Qur’ān with Tajwīd (correct
pronunciation), which he is taught during the tour. He is also bound to make Dhikr of the third
Kalimah, the Durūd (divine blessings) on Allah’s Messenger, and the Tawbah (repentance) each
hundred times in the morning and evening hours.

In addition to this, Du‘ā’ (supplication to Allah) is regarded as the essential deed through
which the individual establishes a solid and direct relationship with Allah ‫ﷻ‬, which is the
ultimate destination in the life of a Muslim. Mawlānā Ilyās says that the Muslims are unaware of
the importance of Du‘ā’; in fact, the success of Da’wah depends upon the effectiveness of
Du‘ā.’53

Wealthy and influential people are not given priority over the poor for their wealth.
However, they are not ignored in any case, for they too are the servants of Allah ‫ ﷻ‬and equally
need to be invited to the righteous living. Running after wealthy people while paying less
attention to the poor is considered the approach of modern-day materialists. The poor people
who come voluntarily are God’s gift; hence, full attention is paid to them.54

The Tablīghi Jamā‘at is apolitical. Its robust non-political approach has helped it operate
freely worldwide without getting suspected by political rulers. For this reason, this reformation
movement, unlike some other significant movements, has so far never experienced any major
setback from the hands of rulers.

The Tablīghi Jamā‘at does not consider power and establishment of an Islamic
government to be the fundamental requirement for regaining Muslim glory. Muslims, on the

51
Mawlānā Waḥīduddīn Khān, Tablīghī Taḥriīk, Delhi, Maktabah al-Risālah, 1994, P. 159.
52
Ibid., P.5
53
Nomānī, op.cit., P.65.
54
Nadwī, op.cit., 167.
 18

other hand, must build up strong Īmān and should perform Da’wah. These are the two main
qualities responsible for their reformation and upliftment.55

The Tablīgh movement has a unique approach to dealing with Munkarāt (unlawful
things). Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyya, in Fadā’il-i-Tablīgh, says that much care should be
taken by a Dā‘ī in performing Nahi ‘an al-Munkar (forbidding wrong) for it may, at times, go
against the spirit of the Qur’ānic teachings and the Sunnah wherein exposing a Muslim’s sins
and insulting him in public is strongly prohibited. For that matter, only those wrong actions
should be criticized publicly, which had been committed publicly; otherwise, if a person
commits a wrong action secretly, he should not be criticized in public, for that would injure his
self-respect, which is a greater wrong.56

So far as the contribution of the Tablīgh method is concerned, Muslims, in large

numbers, all over the world are attached to the Tablīghi Jamā‘at. They are seen firmly attached
to the commandments of the Sharī‘ah especially the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet. The Tablīghi
people are generally recognized by their long beards, head covers, ankle high trousers (Shilwārs)
and long garments (Qamīz).

Learning of religious knowledge is one of the six basic points; the sequence of attaining
knowledge is this: for making knowledge beneficial, knowledge of Fadā’il (virtues) precedes
the knowledge of Masā’il (jurisprudential matters), for the knowledge of Fadā’il generates keen
desire for practicing the teachings of Islam. And one ready to act first will then strive to know
how to act. If he has no desire, how can he be ready to act?57

As the third basic point, gaining knowledge and remembrance of God are given special
attention. Mawlānā Ilyās says: “Whoever takes part in the Tablīghi movement should devote
himself particularly to ‘Ilm (knowledge) and dhikr (remembrance of God) when he goes out on
a tour. Religious advancement is not possible without ‘Ilm and Dhikr”.58 He further says:

Moreover, during a Tablīgh tour, a person must concentrate wholly on his special duties,
excluding all other activities and interests. The particular duties are Tablīgh rounds, ‘Ilm
and Dhikr, service of the companions in the journey, in particular, and mankind, in
general, correction of intention and cultivation of the habits of sincerity and Ehtisāb
(self-introspection).59

55
Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakiriyyā, Faḍā’il A‘māl, part I, chap., Musalmānūn kī Mojūdah Pastī kā Wāḥīd ‘Ilāj,
Delhi, Idārah Ishā‘at-i-Dīniyāt, 1997, P.633.
56
Ibid., P.304.
57
Ibid, V. 1, P. 6.
58
Nadwī, op.cit., P.167.
 19

To ensure peace and cooperation in individual and collective life, every Muslim should see his
faults and learn to admire the good qualities of others. Conflicts and differences among
individual Muslims and various organizations exist because everybody thinks that he and his
group are right while others are wrong. Mawlānā’s approach concerning this is:

There is no man or Muslim who is wholly good or wholly bad. Everyone has his virtues and weaknesses.
If the practice of appreciating the good and ignoring the bad points of each other becomes current among
us, many evils will disappear from the world, and virtue will take their place.60

The above approach indicates that the Tablīghi movement concentrates its activities on an
individual's Tazkiyyah (purification of heart, mind, and soul). The sum and substance of the
Tablīghi movement and its purpose can be precisely presented as striving for the revival of the
way and method of the Messenger of Allah in the whole world to correct the faith and deed of
oneself and that of the whole of mankind.61

Tablīghi Jamā‘at’s efforts are felt almost all over the world. It is working tirelessly in
India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Europe, North America, and the Muslim areas of
Thailand and the Philippines. In Europe and North America Tablīghi Jamā‘at has played a
commendable role in the reformation of the Muslims of South-Asian origin. In North America,
Tablīghi Jamā‘at has brought into the fold Islam of a large number of African-Americans and
Caribbean immigrants. Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York and
Washington DC are the main centers of the Jamā‘at in the United States. In Paris alone,
Churches have been purchased to convert them into Masājid to accommodate the growing
number of Muslim worshippers of Allah. All this has come to happen due to the efforts of the
Tablīghi Jamā‘at.62

Tablīghī Jamā‘at has succeeded to a great extent in achieving its objectives. So far as
creating religious consciousness among the common Muslims is concerned, its role is highly
commendable. Unlike other organizations, its work has not slackened since its inception. The
number of religious scholars and Muslim intellectuals coming into its fold is increasing daily.
Perhaps the unique and vital role of the Tablīghi Jamā‘at is that it has succeeded in preserving
the Islamic identity of an ordinary Muslim in contemporary Westernized society.

Tablīghī Jamā‘at has focused its efforts on reviving the conviction on Īmān and bringing
the basic A'māl (deeds) into one's life. Other activities are left to other religious organizations,
and the ‘Ulamā’ to carry out da ‘wah to the non-Muslims, etc., are being undertaken by other
59
Ibid., Pp 167-68.
60
Ibid, P.173.
61
Mawlānā M. Yūsuf, op.cit., P.9.
62
Muḥammad Hamīdullāh, Khutbāt-i-Bahāwalpūr, Delhi, Islamic Book Foundation, 1997, P.425.
 20

individuals and groups. Tablīghī Jamā‘at does not oppose such efforts but concentrates its
energies in its sphere of activity.

Conclusion
From the very beginning, Islam bears the stamp of a religion of Da‘wah that seeks to win
hearts and minds to lead them to their Creator — Allāh ‫ﷻ‬. As it was in the beginning, so has it
continued to be to the present day. The whole life of the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬, starting from the top of
the Ṣafa mount and ending in the field of ‘Arafāt through the battlefields of Badr and Ḥunayn,
streets of Makkah, Ṭā’if, and Madīnah, is the history of Da‘wah Islamīyyah.
Since Islam is the final and the universal version of Allāh’s ‫ ﷻ‬True Religion — Islam —
the Ultimate Truth, the Muslim ummah is, therefore, the last and universal Ummah. Therefore,
this ummah must come across different people and situations so that it shall have to face such
trying moments that have never confronted any other community in the history of the world.
The Messenger of Islam‫ ﷺ‬knew from the very first day that the Islamic movement
would have great difficulties. So, he prepared from the beginning to deal with the coming
situations. Da‘wah's scope, significance, and relevance developed gradually from its beginning
till in the twentieth century we have so many well-organized movements that carried the task of
Da'wah with utmost enthusiasm. Among such movements, Tablīghī Jamā‘at assumes the most
prominent position. This worldwide movement has successfully achieved its objectives to bring
back common Muslims to the traditional way of Islam. So far as creating religious
consciousness among the common Muslims is concerned, its role is highly commendable.
Unlike other organizations, its work has not slackened since its inception. Number of religious
scholars and the Muslim intellectuals coming into its fold is increasing day by day. Perhaps the
unique and a vital role of the Tablīghi Jamā‘at is that it has succeeded in preserving the Islamic
identity of a common Muslim in the contemporary westernized society.