The Illuminating Light Intimating the Jama'ah Tableegh on Its Errors [written 1399H (1979)]
Said Dr Muhammad Taqiuddeen Al-Hilaalee al-Husaynee (rahimahuLlaah): Praise to Allaah Who has sent the Last of His Prophet and Messenger of His creation, Muhammad, with the truth as a bearer of good news and warner, and Who has made obedience to his Sunnah whether in matters of the foundations of the Deen or its supplement an obligation upon all, and Who has forbidden them from introducing new matters into His Deen; He indeed issued a severe warning regarding that.
I praise Him over the best of all the bounties, and I show enormous gratitude to Him. I bear the testimony that He is Allaah Who there is none worthy of worship beside, a testimony of a slave desirous of His Mercy and fearful of His Punishment. I also bear the testimony that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger. O Allaah send enormous blessings and peace upon him, his family and Companions.
To proceed:
Said the slave most desirous of his Lord's Mercy, and most needful of His enormous bounty, Taqiuddeen bn Abdil-Qaadir al-Hilaalee Al-Husaynee. May Allaah forgive his sins and cover his faults both in this world and the hereafter.
Indeed it appeared in the 14th century in the lands of the Muslims, east and west, a call whose people are known to be committed to, and are ready to bear all difficulties in spreading it, and are ready to expend all their energy in its service; that is the call of a people who call themselves - People of Tableegh. - they set some Six Points for themselves which revolve round going about the place, which is also the pillar of their call, that can only be equated with the Shahadataan (the Two Testimonies, that is, Laa-ilaa-ha Illa Allaah Muhammad Rasoolullaah) with the people of Istiqaamah. Whoever accepts these Six Points and gets busy with them, they (the Tableeghis) will love, honour and pardon him for his mistakes and heresies. But whoever opposes them regarding the Six Points, they will never approve of anything from him even if he were the most serious about his duties to Allaah, such as if he observes the obligations and the non-obligations, and is obedient to the best of the Sunnah practices. The Six Points are the bedrock of their Deen; upon them they love and hate.
Many things are wrong with the call of the Tableegh Movement. The first of the wrongdoings is that they introduced many new affairs into the Deen of Allaah, in opposition to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam).
The second of the wrongdoings is that they do subject their children and wives to difficulty (when they go out in their outing).
They also dissuade learners of Islam from learning beneficial things about the Deen and the world.
So also is their abandonment of commerce and merchandise, and making their family members - and those under their care - to be vulnerable to jest and abuse. How many children they have separated from their fathers! How many husbands have they estranged from their wives!
Therefore, it is obligatory upon whoever has the requisite knowledge with which the evil of this people can be reduced, to do so by hinting the Muslims as regard their errors in obedience to the words of Allaah as follows:
Verily, those who conceal the clear proofs, evidences and the guidance, which we have sent down, after we have made it clear for the people in the Book, they are the ones cursed by Allaah and cursed by the cursers. Except those who repent and do righteous deeds, and openly declare (the Truth which they concealed). These, I will accept their repentance. And I am the one who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. [Al-Baqarah, 159-160].
A writer by name, Muhammad bn Aslam Al-Bakistaanee, did write a book about them which he titled, 'Jamaa'ah Tableegh: Ideology, Thought and Thinkers' He mentioned some points for and against them. He quoted many of their statements from their books. Thus I feel I should summarize the whole work hoping that Allaah will use it to benefit whoever has not fallen into their net. But this preface was written to present the Islamic ruling regarding groups like this, and to let the people know about some of their evil traits.
I say: nations before Islam such as the Brahmins and the Buddhists used to worship Allaah with the concept of Siyaahah (itinerancy). A person would separate himself from his family members and go out roaming about the length and breadth of the land with difficulty such as hunger, thirst and others. He would walk on his feet with no ride except when absolutely necessary. He would make the earth his bedding and the sky his cover. He would take little food not minding the heat and the rain.
This was what exactly Buddha did. He left home leaving his family behind, and a rich father. He roamed about the earth for about 15 years before he arrived under a tree where he sat and later discovered - wisdom.- His striving made him to attain what he wanted to achieve. It was right there under the tree that the door of ignorance - which he called 'wisdom' - was open for him! He did not know about Allaah the Mighty Lord nor the Messengers of Allaah. Buddha went back home, in Banaras, and began to spread his 'wisdom.' The tree under which he discovered 'wisdom' was later named 'Tree of Wisdom.' The tree was rather a 'Tree of Ignorance.'
Now let us see what the Messenger of Allaah says about As-Siyaahah. Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer said while commenting on the word of Allaah, 'As-Saa'ihoon' in Soorah At-Taubah v.112, 'It has come that what is regarded as Siyaahah is Jihaad. This is what Aboo Daawud recorded in his Sunan on the authority of Aboo Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that a man said, 'O Messenger of Allaah, permit me on Siyaahah.' The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) responded, 'Siyaahah of my Ummah is Jihaad in the path of Allaah.' Siyaahah is not what some people who go about worshipping on earth do, nor going into a seclusion in the mountains and caves which can be permissible in the times of trials and calamities as reported in the Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree on the authority of Aboo Sa'eed Al-Khudree (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, 'There will be a time when the best of a man's wealth will be some sheep which he follows up mountain-tops and valleys, fleeing with his Deen from calamities.' End of quote.
I (Taqiuddeen) say, the callers to Tableeghiyyah - Tableegh of Bid'ah and Fitnah - imply to say, 'O Messenger of Allaah, the matter is not as you have said. Siyaahah is permissible even without Jihaad in the path of Allaah; none can attain perfection in the Deen except with it. If someone were to come with all sorts of permissible acts of worship , supererogatory or obligatory, but does not do this Siyaahah, then he is defective in his Deen.' What misguidance is this!
Whoever is aware that the Messenger of Allaah (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) did prohibit the Siyaahah (of the gone nations) but still carries it out as a Muslim, such has indeed opposed Allaah and His Messenger (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam); he is surely among the lowly.
Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (may Allaah bestow mercy on him) said, 'Abdullah bn Al-Mubarak (may Allaah bestow mercy on him) reported from Ibn Laa'ee'ah who said he said, Umaam bn Ghazyah told him that Siyaahah was mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allaah (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and he said, 'Allaah has substituted that for us with Jihaad in the path of Allaah, and saying the takbeer over every height (during journeys).' The meaning of the hadith is that Siyaahah of old was mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allaah (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said Allaah had exchanged it with something better which is Jihaad in the path of Allaah and saying the takbeer over every height. Allaah did not legislate Siyaahah for us except Jihaad in His path which means inviting all the nations of Kufr save Najd and Hijaaz to Islam. If those whom we invite accept our message, they become our brothers and if otherwise we will ask them to pay Jizyah or enter into a truce with them, and if they still refuse we will fight them until Allaah will decide between us. Allaah said, 'Indeed it is our army that will be victorious.'
Hijaaz and Najd are the places intended in the statement of the Messenger of Allah as the Arabian Peninsula. 'Send the Jews and the Christians away from the Arabian Peninsula.' There cannot be two religions in the Hijaaz. Therefore, if anybody has he belief that Siyaahah is still in the Deen then such is guilty of Kufr, or on the least, will be regarded as an ignoramus.
The Tableeghis left their homeland in India saying they were going in the path of Allaah which is clearly the path of the devil. You left about 500 million Hindus in your country (that was in 1979), you did not say a word to them about Islam, you did not ask them to stop their idol-worship, you did not play any of your Da'wah tactics with them, you left them in the darkness saying you wanted to save the world. The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) told Alee bn Abee Taalib, 'By Allaah, if Allaah were to guide a person through you into Islam, this is better for you than a red camel.' No doubt, the Hindus are your friends (in Siyaahah). If you say you did not have the ability to show them your hatred even with the most gentle speech, or stop them from the injustice they mete out to the Muslims (namely in Kashmir and inside India), it will indicate you have done a great compromise which has made you remain silent. You have a devilish principle which you work with, 'we do not interfere in political affairs,' which you have translated into remaining ever quiet about the injustice of the Indian Government and the Jewish and colonial occupation of the Muslim lands because doing otherwise would affect your innovated Siyaahah which is the pivot of your call and the pillar of the religion of the Brahmins.
There are facts from India that the Indian Government supports the Tableegh Movement because they see them as no threat. Those who go out for 'outing' among them are freely given visas while just a handful of Muslims are allowed to go for Hajj annually. The Indian Government is aware that their secrets will remain ever secret with the Tableeghis wherever they go.
The Tableeghis will not criticize the Communist belief nor the ways of the colonialists nor the Zionists because doing so will prevent them from entering their countries. That is the secret behind their devilish principle of non-interference in political matters. They only believe in a part of Allaah's Book and disbelieve in the other. That is nothing but an expression of silent unbelief. Changing evil is not permissible with them; they only command 'goodness.'
Download the Arabic version of the whole book here.
