History of Tablighi Jamaat

 

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History of Tablighi Jamaat 

(Sahil Sharifdin Bhat)

Tablighi Jamaat was founded in 1926 CE by Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi in the Mewat region of British India. Its primary objective was to bring Muslims back to the practice of Islam, as many Muslims had adopted non-Muslim traditions and customs. The movement has its ideological roots in the Deobandi school of thought.  

To counter Tablighi Jamaat's influence, Dawat-e-Islami was established in 1981 by Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri, who belongs to the Barelvi school of thought. Similarly, a smaller-scale movement was recently founded by the Ahl-e-Hadith school of thought, though it operates on a limited level.  

Tablighi Jamaat has approximately ten crore (100 million) adherents in over 150 countries. Its first emir (leader) was Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi (Emir-e-Jamat: 1926–1944), who was succeeded by his son Maulana Muhammad Yusuf Kandhlawi (Emir-e-Jamat:1944–1965) and later by Inamul Hasan Kandhlawi (Emir-e-Jamat:1965–1995). This Jamat was headed by a group of Molvis (Shura) from 1995 to 2016. In 2016, the movement split into two factions: the Indian Tablighi Jamaat and the Raiwind Tablighi Jamaat. Indian Tablighi Jamaat is led by Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi since 2016 CE but Deobandis recently declared him misguided ( Gumrah). A clash between the two factions of Tablighi Jamaat over the Biswa Ijtema ground in Tongi, Gazipur, on 18th December,2024 resulted in at least five deaths and fifty injuries. Inna Lillah wa inna ilaihi rajioon. 

Main books:  

1. Fazail-e-A'mal by Zakariyya Kandhlawi  

2. Hayat al-Sahaba by Yusuf Kandhlawi  

Ban:

Tablighi Jamaat is currently banned in Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia. 

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The Background: 

Ahl-i Hadith (Wahhabis) and Deobandis share some similarities, but Barelvis are completely different from them. 

The Barelvi movement began in the 1880s under the leadership of Ahmad Raza Khan (1856–1921). Darul Uloom Bareilly was founded in 1904 in Bareilly, India, as part of the Barelvi school of thought.  

Sayyid Ahmad is revered as a major scholarly authority in the Ahl-i Hadith and Deobandi movements. Maulana Naqi Ali Khan (1830–1880), the father of Ahmad Raza Khan, refuted the ideas of Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi (d. 1831) [also known as Sayyid Ahmad Shahid], who was one of the early proponents of Islamic reform in India and had significant influence on the Wahhabi movement. Naqi Ali Khan declared Sayyid Ahmad Rae Barelvi a "Wahhabi" due to his support for the ideology of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703–1792).  

Darul Uloom Deoband was founded earlier, in 1866, by Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi in Deoband, India.  

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Who was Shah Abdur Rahim and who were his sons?

Shah Abdur Rahim (1644–1719) founded Madrassa-i-Rahimiyah during the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. After the revolt of 1857, the British, in their animosity towards Muslims, ordered the closure of Madrassa-i-Rahimiyah and sold it to a Hindu businessman. 

After Shah Abdur Rahim, his son Shah Waliullah took over the madrassa, taught there and upgraded the curriculum. Future Islamic scholars and leaders, such as Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi, received their education from Madrassa-i-Rahimiyah. 

Shah Ismail Dehlvi, born on 26 April 1779, was the grandson of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi through his son Shah Abdul Ghani. Shah Ismail Dehlvi Shaheed was a close associate of Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi. Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent his powerful Sikh army to confront them and after a fierce battle at Balakot, both Dehlvi and Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi were martyred on 6 May 1831.

Message of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi: 

''Shah Waliullah placed emphasis on a direct understanding of the Qur'an, maintaining that those students with sufficient knowledge must work with the text, rather than previous commentaries. He argued that Quran is clear to any student with sufficient knowledge of Arabic, just like it was understandable to its first recipients and scholars, including those parts that are mutashābih (unclear). Shah believed that one should prefer the interpretation that is closest to the literal meaning (ẓāhir al-maʿnā) of the Quran and the Sunnah which fits the Qur'anic context, without clinging to a particular school in exegesis, grammar, or theology.''