About forty years ago, ‘Ârif Billâh Hazrat Aqdas Maulânâ Shâh Hakeem Akhtar Sahib dâmat barakâtuhum wrote the following letter to a tablîghî friend with the intention of rectification and reformation. (Compiler)

With regard to religious da‘wah (propagation) you must present yourself while considering yourself to be insignificant and your addressee to be more honoured than yourself. You must adopt a requesting tone when speaking to him. If you insist upon him after this or resort to disparaging words, then you would be committing the sin of hurting the heart of a Muslim, and it will also be against the principle of ikrâm-e-Muslim. Adopting an attitude like this for propagation is harmful to the propagator himself because he has now committed major sins like hurting the heart of a Muslim, scorning him, and the sin of haughtiness. Secondly, instead of bringing the person closer to this da‘wah he will be causing him to go further away.

The elders confined and restricted the Tablîghî jamâ‘at to the six points solely on the basis of organization, experience and inspiration. To accord it the status of divine revelation, or to consider only this method of tablîgh to be the prophetic da‘wah or the da‘wah of the Sahabah (Radhiallaho anhum), to look at workers of other methodologies who are rendering services to Islam with scorn, to criticize them, or to accord superiority to this specific methodology over the methodologies of all the past muhaddithûn (Hadîth scholars), mufassirûn (commentators of the Qur’ân), jurists and ‘ulamâ’in a manner which causes the masses to have no respect for them – then this is a serious innovation (bid‘ah), excess in Islam, and misguidance.

Da‘wah was not confined to these six points during the era of Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) nor during the era of the khulafâ’ râshidîn (Rightly Guided Caliphs). Neither were these six points delineated during these eras nor was there any practical application of “three days”, “forty days”, etc. Therefore, how can it be correct to consider solely this specific methodology and these “six points” to be the methodology of tablîgh of the Sahabah (Radhiallahoanhum) or the methodology of Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam)?

This is an excellent way of reformation for the ummah in general provided the limits of the Sharî‘ah are not transgressed both in practice and in beliefs. Even then, complete reformation is generally not possible without attachment to a mentor, as is witnessed, and as the very founder of the tablîghî jamâ‘at had selected Hazrat Maulânâ Khalîl Ahmad Sahib rahimahullâh for his internal reformation, and just as HazratShaikh al-Hadîth Maulânâ Zakarîyyâ Sahib rahimahullâh had selected him as his spiritual mentor.

The Qur’ân categorically states that after reforming his self, a person must see to the reformation of his wife and children. And he is ordered to save them from the Hell-fire. Therefore, one’s family members enjoy the first right of seeing to their reformation. One should therefore benefit one’s family members first with this da‘wah, and thereafter he can worry about the reformation of distant places and lands. We have seen many people undertaking distant journeys to Japan and America for the purpose of da‘wah while the condition of their household is completely different. If you look at their children, they have western style haircuts and western appearances. They have young daughters who pay no attention to purdah. The person himself is religiously minded – mâ shâ Allâh – but his family members know nothing about Islam. Whereas Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) said that you are all shepherds [you all have been given a responsibility] and you will all be questioned about your flocks [those who are under your care].

When the ‘ulamâ’ cannot be reformed and rectified without first wiping out their souls in the company of a spiritual mentor, what can be said of the masses? Proofs for this can be obtained from the books of Hazrat Thânwî rahimahullâh. A pious elder who has been under the training of a spiritual mentor will never scorn an ordinary Muslim, let alone scorning and belittling an ‘âlim. HazratHakeem-ul-Ummahrahimahullâh has stated that it is harâm to make tablîgh to a person while scorning him and considering yourself to be great. If a person cannot pay due attention and concern to ikrâm-e-Muslim at the time of da‘wah – then it is obligatory on him to remain silent and his talking is not worthy of this duty. On one occasion, a tablîghî brother said in my presence that such and such ‘âlim must wear bangles, why does he not go out? –??? ??? ???? ???? ??????.

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“It is a very serious statement which issues from their mouths.”

A labourer who carries blocks boasts about his perspiration and toiling and says to a businessman: “Why are you sitting in your room and wearing bangles? Why don’t you come out onto the field a bit?” What reply will the businessman give? He will say: “You earn five rupees in eight hours, while I earn in a single hour several times what you earn for the entire day. O you foolish one! My education and mental capabilities are more valuable than your perspiration.” In like manner, the perspiration of the masses cannot even equal the dust of the religious services of the ‘ulamâ’, whether in the masâjid, madâris, khânqâs or dâr al-iftâs.This is because the masses cannot even imagine the hardships which they endured in the acquisition of Islamic knowledge. The genuine ‘ulamâ’ are the inheritors of the Prophets (Alaihimus salaam). When the masses make disparaging statements about them, they are acting in conflict of absolute texts, and committing serious acts of misguidance and ignorance. Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) said:

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“The one who does not accord respect to the ‘âlim among us is not of us.”

Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) also said that the superiority of an ‘âlimover an ‘âbid (worshipper) is like my superiority over the lowest among you.

Another Hadîth states:

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“The person who does not show mercy to the young among us, does not accord respect to the elderly among us, who does not command good and forbid evil is not of us.”

Some tablîghî brothers have restricted and confined ikrâm-e-Muslim solely within this jamâ‘at. We have thus noticed that they will show respect to those ‘ulamâ’ who are active in this jamâ‘at. As for the other ‘ulamâ’ who are busy in the madâris, khânqâhs or dâr al-iftâs, they think that these ‘ulamâ’ have abandoned tablîgh. We learn from this that they have made this one specific method of tablîgh the objective. Whereas the objective is to work and serve Islam for whichever different groups are working in different ways. No specific method is from among the objectives of Islam. The jurists consider it to be a bid‘ah (innovation) when any specific method of tablîgh is regarded as an objective. It is therefore necessary to rectify this baseless belief.

Some people are so overcome with zeal with tablîgh that they leave behind their weak and sick parents, or their pregnant wives who are close to delivery and go away. And they refer to this as tawakkul (reliance on Allah Ta’ala). The pure Sharî‘ah considers such tawakkul to be harâm.Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) prohibited Hazrat ‘Uthmân (radhiallaho anho) from participating in the battle of Badr because his wife was ill.

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All praise is due to Allah Ta’ala for enabling us to complete the translation of this book. May Allah Ta’alaaccept it from us and may it be a means of our reformation in this world, and salvation in the Hereafter. Âmîn.

Mahomed Mahomedy

24 Jumâdâ al-Ukhrâ 1430 A.H.

18 June 2009

Istidrâjis when Allâh takes a person near to punishment by degrees, by means of respite, and the continuance of health, and the increase of favour.