|
|
|
May 25, 2003
Review: For moral and social reform
AFTER the decline of the Mughal political power in India, several revivalist and reformist religious movements emerged with the aim of purifying Islam that was polluted by adopting the Hindu social and cultural practices. Shah Walliullah (d.1762) was the first who appealed to the Mughal nobility to come forward and check the decline of the Muslims in India.
When the Mughal aristocracy failed to heed his appeal; he invited Ahmad Shah Abdali to protect the Muslim interest. Shah Walliullah had contempt for the lower class converted Muslims and believed that only aristocracy had the capacity to reform religion and fight to regain political power. In the second reformist-jihadi movement, Sayyad Ahmad Shaid (d.1831) made an attempt with the help of some clerics to establish an Islamic state in the North West Frontier but failed after he got involved with the tribal leaders. His end came when the Sikhs at Balakot defeated him.
After the establishment of the British rule in India, there emerged a number of religious movements that tried to readjust the Muslims to the changing scenario of foreign rule. One of the movements is the Tablighi Jama’at (TJ), which responded to the challenges of modernization.
The significant feature of the TJ, as Yogander Sikand points out, is an attempt to integrate the Ashraf or the aristocracy and Ajlaf or the lower caste Muslims who were converted from Hinduism to Islam into one united community as both were poles apart culturally and religiously from each other.
The elite originated mostly from Iran, Central Asia or Arabia and claimed to observe the high and pure religion while the low caste Muslims, even after their conversion, retained their local cultural traditions. So, there was no communication between these two classes. Socially and culturally both were alien to each other.
When the British conducted the first census in India in 1871, every individual had to identify himself/herself by his/her religion and that consequently reinforced the sense of religious identity in both communities. The gulf between the Hindus and the Muslims further widened when representative government was introduced at the district level. Thus for the first time the concept of majority and minority was born and both communities entered into a race to increase their followers in order to win elections.
Since Hinduism does not provide for conversion, a new method of Shudhi (purification) was adopted by the Arya Samaj. On its basis a movement was launched to reconvert the Muslims who had been Hindus and had changed their faith. This effort was largely successful in the case of the Malkana Rajputs, 16,300 of whom were reconverted. Emboldened by this success, the Arya Samaj turned its attention to the Jats and Guars to make them Shudhis.
These activities alarmed the Muslim community and attempts were made to analyze the reasons why the members of the low caste were reconverting so easily. It was argued that the main reason was that they were not familiar with the teachings of Islam. It was also felt that they were not treated with respect by the Muslim upper classes.
On the basis of this analysis, it was decided that these communities should be introduced to the basic teachings of Islam by adopting the strategy of tabligh (preaching). In this effort, the major role was played by the TJ which was founded by Maulana Ilyas in 1920. It was different from the other religious organizations because it was not a revivalist or jihadi movement.
Its main emphasis was on creating basic consciousness of religious identity among the Muslims and teaching them the observance of religious practices. In this contet, the main goal of the TJ was to change the community socially and morally. It was not interested in politics and it set the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah, where he converted people by tabligh, as its role model.
To maintain the unity of the Muslims. The TJ followed four schools of Sunni jurisprudence. It was also not in favour of any ijtihad. As far as education was concerned, it asserted that only those subjects should be taught which facilitated salvation in the next world. It opposed the teaching of modern knowledge because it was not expected to help the believers hereafter.
Yoginder Sikand points out that there is little written material in the TJ circles. Its leaders adopt oral methods to convey their message. They neither believe in publicity nor publish any newspaper of their own. In their opinion by reading books makes men lazy and inactive. They do not believe in writing history either. The TJ achieved great success among the Meo community. The difficulties notwithstanding, the missionary zeal of the TJ succeeded in creating in them a religious sense of identity. Yet, the Meos still retain their tribal cultural and social practices.
The TJ spread from the Indian subcontinent to Britain and other European countries. The main reason for its success is that it does not interfere in politics and favours the status quo. Therefore, governments do not find its activities disturbing and allow it to engage in its missionary work. The TJ also does not speak on any political issue of concern to other religious parties, such as Palestine, Kashmir, and Chachnya.
A rumour had been set afloat that in the recent elections, the TJ had appealed to the voters to support the Mutahida Majlis-I-Amal. But this was emphatically denied by the TJ. It has been criticized by the other religious parties for its non-political approach. But the TJ has insisted on concentrating purely on religious teachings and training and has refused to get involved in politics.
It is an interesting phenomenon in Pakistan that retired military offices and bureaucrats are joining the TJ in overwhelming numbers. It has been speculated that they are doing so to wash off their sense of guilt or to acquire a social status as pious men in society. But it is clear that the TJ is not interested in changing and improving conditions in this world.
Yoginder Sikand discusses TJ activities in India, Bangladesh and Britain. As he could not get a visa to visit Pakistan, this country is excluded from his study. This is an excellent study of the TJ and helps the reader understand the role of the TJ in comparison with other religious parties.
The Origins and Development of the Tablighi-Jama’at (1920-2000): A Cross-Country Comparative Study
By Yoginder Sikand
Orient Longman 3-6-276, Himayatnagar, Hyderabad 500 029, India
Tel: 91-040-3224294
Email: editor@pol.net.in
ISBN 83-250-2298-8
310pp. Indian Rs595
|
|
|
|
