Tablighi Jamma’at

Tablighi Jamaat is an apolitical religious movement for whose principal aim is reformation of Muslims. In 1926, Muhammad Ilyas founded Tablighi Jamaat as a voluntary, pacifist and independent movement. The main aim of the organization is to work at the grass roots level, reaching out to Muslims in all social and economic spectra, bringing them closer to the life practices of the prophet Muhammad.   Tablighi Jamaat gradually expanded from local to national to a transnational movement and now it is operating in 150 countries around the world.

Tablighi Jamaat maintains a non-affiliating stature in matters of politics and jurisprudence to eschew the controversies which would otherwise accompany such affiliations. Although, the Tablighi movement emerged out of a Deobandi sub-school in Hanafi jurisprudence of Islam, no particular jurisprudence or interpretation of Islam has been endorsed since the movement's inception. Tabligh Jamaat has largely avoided electronic media and has emphasized personal communication as its prefered method of preaching. The teachings that the tablighi’s propound are mainly rudimentary and include the Six Principles established by Muhammad Ilyas which influence most of their teachings.

Muhammad Ilyas wanted to set forth a movement that would exemplify the Quranic decree. "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." (Qur’an 3:104)  Ilyas’s six principles are outlined below.

1. Kalimah: An article of faith in which the person accepts that there is no God but Allah and the Prophet Muhammad is His messenger with complete and practical conviction.
2. Salah: Five daily prayers that are essential to spiritual elevation, piety, and a life free from the ills of the material world.
3. Ilm and Dhikr: The knowledge and remembrance of Allah conducted in sessions in which the congregation listens to preaching, performs prayers, recites the Quran and reads Hadith.
4. Ikram-i-Muslim: The treatment of fellow Muslims with honor and respecting the rights of all creation.
5. Ikhlas-i-Niyyat: Reforming one’s life in supplication to Allah by performing every human action for the sake of Allah and toward the goal of self-transformation.
6. Dawat and Tabligh (Calling towards Allah): The sacrifice of time and wealth to live a life based on faith and learning its virtues, following in the footsteps of the Prophet, and taking His message door-to-door for the sake of faith.