There are many Deen and Da’wah efforts worldwide. InshaAllah all of them are sincere and working in their unique fields. What makes Tablighi Jamaat unique? Why should one choose (or continue doing Tabligh) when there are many other ways to fulfill the Da’wah obligation?
The main purpose of joining the effort of Deen is to achieve Islah (purification) in our lives. But why is this method so unique?
This article explains this.
Our success depends on how much we follow the Prophet (SAW)
Our declaration of faith (Kalima) includes accepting Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as Allah’s messenger. This means we must take him as our guide. His lifestyle is a complete example for us to follow.
The Prophet (SAW) said, “Verily, he among you who lives long will see great controversy, so you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the Khulafa ar-Rashideen (the rightly guided caliphs), those who guide to the right way.”
Source: Timmidhi:2676, 40 Hadith of Nawawi:28
The more we follow the Prophet’s (SAW) Sunnah, the more Islah we achieve. This makes us more successful in Allah’s (SWT) eyes, both in this world and in the hereafter.
Mujahadah in Da’wah was the Prophet’s Life!
The life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) showed his unwavering sincerity and constant Mujahadah/hardships in Da’wah (inviting others to Islam). Even at the start of his prophethood, Waraqah ibn Naufal warned him that this was the tradition of all prophets:
….. and Waraqa said, “This is the same entity (referring to the angel Jibril) who keeps the secrets whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) asked, “Will they drive me out?” Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, “Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility…..”
Source: Bukhari 1:3
Today people think Da’wa is all sunshines and roses. They think Da’wa is about becoming famous, winning debates, getting many followers, and giving talks in packed venues.
In reality, the Prophet SAW faced the opposite:
- He was rejected
- He was looked down upon
- He was mistreated
- He endured many losses
- He had few followers
- His followers were mostly society’s underdogs
Yet, he deeply cared and worried for his Ummah (community), as highlighted in the Quran:
لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌۭ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ ١٢٨
There certainly has come to you a messenger from among yourselves. He is concerned by your suffering, anxious for your well-being, and gracious and merciful to the believers.
Source: Quran 9:128
The Prophet’s sincerity in his Da’wah
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) showed complete sincerity in his Daw’ah and sought no reward from people. The Quran shows this:
وَمَآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
I do not claim from you any reward for it. My reward is with none but with the Lord of the worlds.
Source: Quran 26:109
His Seerah (biography) confirms his sincerity. A key example is when the Quraysh offered him leadership and wealth to stop his mission, but he refused.
Reference: Quraysh negotiates with the prophet
Even with many followers later in his mission, the Prophet (SAW) lived a humble and simple life, as Aisha (RA) shared:
“We used to see three crescents in two months, and no fire used to be made in the houses of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) (i.e. nothing used to be cooked).” `Urwa said, “What used to sustain you?” `Aisha said, “The two black things i.e. dates and water”
Source: Bukhari:6459
The Prophet’s Mujadahadah (Hardship) in Da’wah
The Prophet (SAW) faced many hardships during his Da’wah mission. His Seerah shows examples like:
- The Incident in Taif where he faced severe rejection
- The persecution in Mecca
- His beloved uncle Abu Talib rejecting his message (Bukhari:3884)
- Years of rejection during Hajj seasons
- The death of all his children
Tablighi Jamaat’s revival of the Mujahadah in Da’wah
Today, Tablighi Jamaat offers a way to practice the Mujahadah of Da’wa as the Prophets did. This is a great path to Islah and Allah’s acceptance. Here are some Mujahadahs we face in our Da’wah mission:
Mujahadah #1 – We go to people, not people come to us!
Today’s typical Da’wah involves organizing lectures for those who attend. While this approach is also a Sunnah, how do we reach those far from Deen?
Social Media or YouTube is another common Da’wah method now. Though it can bring millions of views, these are mostly from fans and practicing Muslims. Many Muslims never watch these Islamic lectures. For example, Maulana Tariq Jameel’s YouTube channel has the most subscribers among Islamic scholars worldwide. As of 2024, he has 8.3 million subscribers. But out of 220 million Muslim Urdu speakers worldwide, these subscribers are only 5%.
In Tablighi Jamaat, we don’t wait for people – we go to them instead.
Mujahadah #2 – We go to people far from Deen
One Mujahada (hardship) of Da’wa is reaching out to people far from Deen. We give Da’wah door-to-door, in public places, at offices, and businesses.
Some ask why give Da’wa to uninterested people. The answer is simple: it’s the Prophet SAW’s Sunnah. How else will the message reach them?
This hardship makes our Da’wah humble and sincere.
Mujahadah #3 – We try to convince practicing Muslims to join Da’wah.
Another Mujahadah (difficulty) is getting practicing Muslims involved in Da’wah (as Da’ees) or any Deen efforts. We aim to spark the Fikr (concern) of Deen in them by inviting them to go in Jamaat. In Jamat, they will give Da’wah to others and slowly develop the Fikr of Deen.
Today, most practicing Muslims are not involved in any effort of Deen. Alhamdulillah, they earn a Halal living, pray, fast, pay Zakat, etc., but an important part of the Sunnah – Da’wah and establishing Deen – is missing from their lives.
Mujahadah #4 – We give Da’wah as a Nobody (without fame or status)
In Tablighi Jamaat, we learn to give Da’wah as unknown people. We learn to humble ourselves. We speak politely for Allah’s sake.
This was the Sunnah of most prophets (AS). People often looked down on them despite their intelligence, qualifications, and good lineage. They were treated like society’s underdogs. Their followers were often low-status people.
There’s nothing wrong with being famous or “high status,” but if Da’wah were limited to such people, few would be available for this work.
Once someone becomes famous, they may feel no need to face Mujahadah (hardship) in Da’wah anymore. They may not need to reach those far from Deen since they already have many followers. They might also find it harder to pray alone at night and sincerely supplicate to Allah SWT.
Mujahadah #5 – We face rejections and disappointments
In Tablighi Jamaat, we are either:
- Giving Da’wah to people far from Deen
- Inviting practicing Muslims to join Da’wa
These are extremely difficult tasks, and we often face rejections and disappointments. Sometimes hardships come from pious-looking people, which can be confusing when they seem like better Muslims than us.
This makes us sad. Why don’t they understand Da’wa’s importance? Here, we must remain patient. This patience shows that Allah SWT is pleased with us and has chosen us to revive a great Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW).
Mujahadah #6 – We are often left alone with no one listening to us
Most of the time, Allah SWT tests us with small numbers in our Da’wah. Sometimes, we are even left alone, with no one to help us.
Having few followers in the early stages of Da’wah is a Sunnah of all Prophets (AS). Some Prophets struggled to gain followers throughout their entire mission.
Often no one will sit or listen to our Bayans (talks). As humans, we sometimes feel sad about this.
- Remember this is a Sunnah of the Prophets (AS). People didn’t listen to their talks, yet they continued giving Da’wah
- We should use this chance to train new or less experienced brothers to give talks. Giving new brothers speaking opportunities will build the Fikr for Deen (concern for Deen) in them
Mujahadah #7 – We have to work with people with different temperaments
In any team or Jamaat effort, we meet people with different temperaments and ways of doing things. We may feel the urge to push our opinions or criticize others who are different.
But deep inside, our fear of Allah stops us from creating chaos. We don’t want our personal issues to affect the effort. We don’t want to block guidance due to petty grievances. If this effort fails, what other efforts will reach people door-to-door?
Sometimes our dissatisfaction makes us want to quit Da’wa entirely. But we practice Sabr (patience).
- We work with brothers who have different temperaments
- We attend local Mashwaras even when our opinions are rejected
- We practice Sabr when brothers are harsh to us
- We are the first to apologize
This is clearly a great Sunnah that the prophets also followed. Prophet Musa AS faced intense difficulties with his own tribe. The Sahaba RAhum also had different temperaments (Mizaaj) but they all practiced Sabr.
Due to ALL the difficulties, we turn and cry to Allah SWT
With all these hardships, difficulties, and feelings of hopelessness, Allah SWT Himself makes us humble. We turn to Allah SWT crying in Du’a (supplication). Tears fall from our cheeks. We tell Allah SWT about our weakness. We don’t seek fame, status or worldly gains. We only beg Allah SWT for one thing from all our hardships…
…..and that is the Hidayah (guidance) for all mankind.
How beautiful is this effort? It is pure, sincere and clearly the Sunnah of all the prophets (AS).
Even if no one listens to us after all our efforts, this experience alone is our greatest success.
Da’wah was the means for Islah.
Da’wah was the means to gain closeness to Allah.
Da’wah was the means for acceptance from Allah.