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. This Da’wa can bring millions of views. However, most of the viewers are from already practicing Muslims. The average Muslim sadly don’t watch these Islamic lectures. They prefer to watch their movies and films, etc.
Maulana Tariq Jameel’s YouTube channel, for example has the most subscribers among Islamic scholars worldwide. As of 2025, he has 8.8 million subscribers. There 220 million Muslim Urdu speakers worldwide and these subscribers make up only 5%. Don’t get us wrong! 5% is still a lot, but we need an effort to capture the other 95%.
*Disclaimer: This statement is not our endorsement of Maulana Tariq Jameel.
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. Sadly today, majority of the people have no interest in Deen at all.
It’s easy to give Da’wa to our followers, practicing Muslims, especially those who are already consuming Islamic lectures, etc.
We give Da’wah door-to-door, in public places, at offices, and businesses. We often face rejections and sometimes humiliations.
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 efforts of Deen. We aim to spark the Fikr (concern) of Deen in them by inviting them to Jamaat. In Jamat, they will give Da’wah to others. This slowly develops the Fikr of Deen in them.
Today, most practicing Muslims are not involved in ANY effort sof Deen. Yes, 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 the sake of Allah.
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 the 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.
Also, ince 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/Sabr is an indication 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 ar 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 life.
Often no one will sit or listen to our Daw’a. We are human beings after all and sometimes we feel sad about this.
However, there is a bright side to this. This emotion of sadness is a Sunnah of the Prophets (AS). People didn’t listen to their talks, yet they continued giving Da’wah
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 Shaytaan comes to us and tells us to quit Da’wa entirely. But we ignore it and make Sabr (patience) instead.
- We have Sabr working with brothers with different temperaments.
- We attend local Mashwaras even if our opinions are rejected.
- We make Sabr when brothers are harsh to us.
- We are the first to apologize when there is a conflict.
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 made 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 are nobody, unimportant in the eyes of people. 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 a 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 of acceptance from Allah.