Details on the Tablighi Jamaat
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
You know that the Tablighi Jamaat emerged in an environment far removed from Islamic knowledge, with few scholars—scholars of the people of the Sunnah—unlike what we have here, praise be to Allah. But there are three points I would like to ask your Eminence about: This group, O Shaykh, has principles upon which it was founded, and they are four principles.
The Shaykh: Six.
The questioner: No.
The principles upon which it was founded are not the six principles, nor the like of that from innovations and acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
The Shaykh: Explain them to us so that the answer is based on the question.
The questioner: Then the Shaykh said: Explain the four or six principles.
The questioner: Meaning: The principles. The Shaykh said: I cannot answer except about a specific thing.
The questioner: The paths, O Shaykh. The Shaykh said: What are the paths?The questioner: Four Sufi paths.
The Shaykh: What are they?The questioner: The Suhrawardi, Naqshbandi, and Qadiri paths. The Shaykh said: Do you not know that these paths are unknown to those among us in the Kingdom?
The questioner: I am not asking, O Shaykh, about those in the Kingdom, but about this group in general. Also, there are the six characteristics which are the foundation of their methodology in da'wah (calling to Islam), such as holding circles of dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and the like. Likewise, there is the book they rely on, especially outside the Kingdom and the Peninsula, *Tabligh al-Nisab*, which contains the innovations and acts of shirk mentioned by the scholars. Also, in your previous speech about them, O Shaykh, you said: that they lack knowledge. If they lack knowledge, then the foundation of da'wah and the acceptance of work, just as it is the foundation of the acceptance of worship, is nonexistent.Also, O Shaykh! Regarding those who go out with them, you said: That it is not permissible for anyone to go out except a student of knowledge who verifies, learns, and teaches. This group goes out with people who have no knowledge at all, and they may face innovations, shirk, and doubts, especially since they call disbelievers. We need a comment on these points, O Shaykh?The Shaykh: May Allah reward you. As for me, my view of this group who are outside the country is that I do not know about them, although we hear from some of the brothers who went out from among the students of knowledge and heard their sermons, they say: We did not see anything.Rather, they say: We hold you, O Saudis, responsible to guide us to what agrees with the Shari'ah. Tell me about that. Two trustworthy men from Buraydah went and listened to their sermons.But despite that, my advice is: Should not one of our brothers in the Kingdom go to those countries? Because with their little knowledge and the eloquence of those people, they may be deceived. Therefore, I see that the da'wah should be here, and that they should receive the principles of their da'wah from the scholars among us. The scholars are surrounded by them; because we have seen their profound influence—the truth must be said and the falsehood must be said and its falsity explained—how many open sinners Allah guided through their hands, and indeed how many disbelievers were guided to Islam through their hands; because their da'wah is built on leniency, self-sacrifice, and a pleasant demeanor; and this is part of the foundation of da'wah.But if he says, for example: Do not take these characteristics to the exclusion of others. There is no doubt that this is one of the greatest errors.If they say: We believe in these characteristics and no others.We said: This is a great error, and these characteristics are nothing but a hair on the hide of a bull.And if they say: No.
We say: These characteristics, but we deny the rest.
We say: You must add to them what came in the Book and the Sunnah. For this reason, I hope that the foundation of their da'wah is built upon the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) when Jibril (Gabriel) came and asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about Islam, faith, excellence in worship, the Hour, and its signs.Then he said: (This is Jibril who has come to you to teach you your religion) If one of the scholars had established principles that contradict the seven characteristics they mention, there would be much good in that.
The questioner: The disbeliever who embraced Islam through their hands is taught only the two testimonies—and I am one of those who went to Bangladesh and attended—they are taught only the etiquettes of sleep, how to eat, and how to drink.
The Shaykh: This is good,But does he say: Do they not learn anything else? Do you not know that many of the students of knowledge among us do not understand these etiquettes?And the one who knows it does not practice it. The questioner: A disbeliever, O Shaykh! He has no knowledge of the fundamentals of our religion, O Shaykh! And the pillars of Islamic religion.
The Shaykh: We teach them the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, its meaning and its implications, and the rest of the pillars of Islam, just as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Mu'adh: (The first thing you should call them to is that they make Allah the One).
The questioner: They do not teach these things.
The Shaykh: No.
They must teach them. This is part of their ignorance.For this reason, I say to the students of knowledge: They should go out with them to guide them.
The questioner: Only students of knowledge, O Shaykh?The Shaykh: And I do not see that they should go outside the country.
The Shaykh: Six.
The questioner: No.
The principles upon which it was founded are not the six principles, nor the like of that from innovations and acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
The Shaykh: Explain them to us so that the answer is based on the question.
The questioner: Then the Shaykh said: Explain the four or six principles.
The questioner: Meaning: The principles. The Shaykh said: I cannot answer except about a specific thing.
The questioner: The paths, O Shaykh. The Shaykh said: What are the paths?The questioner: Four Sufi paths.
The Shaykh: What are they?The questioner: The Suhrawardi, Naqshbandi, and Qadiri paths. The Shaykh said: Do you not know that these paths are unknown to those among us in the Kingdom?
The questioner: I am not asking, O Shaykh, about those in the Kingdom, but about this group in general. Also, there are the six characteristics which are the foundation of their methodology in da'wah (calling to Islam), such as holding circles of dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and the like. Likewise, there is the book they rely on, especially outside the Kingdom and the Peninsula, *Tabligh al-Nisab*, which contains the innovations and acts of shirk mentioned by the scholars. Also, in your previous speech about them, O Shaykh, you said: that they lack knowledge. If they lack knowledge, then the foundation of da'wah and the acceptance of work, just as it is the foundation of the acceptance of worship, is nonexistent.Also, O Shaykh! Regarding those who go out with them, you said: That it is not permissible for anyone to go out except a student of knowledge who verifies, learns, and teaches. This group goes out with people who have no knowledge at all, and they may face innovations, shirk, and doubts, especially since they call disbelievers. We need a comment on these points, O Shaykh?The Shaykh: May Allah reward you. As for me, my view of this group who are outside the country is that I do not know about them, although we hear from some of the brothers who went out from among the students of knowledge and heard their sermons, they say: We did not see anything.Rather, they say: We hold you, O Saudis, responsible to guide us to what agrees with the Shari'ah. Tell me about that. Two trustworthy men from Buraydah went and listened to their sermons.But despite that, my advice is: Should not one of our brothers in the Kingdom go to those countries? Because with their little knowledge and the eloquence of those people, they may be deceived. Therefore, I see that the da'wah should be here, and that they should receive the principles of their da'wah from the scholars among us. The scholars are surrounded by them; because we have seen their profound influence—the truth must be said and the falsehood must be said and its falsity explained—how many open sinners Allah guided through their hands, and indeed how many disbelievers were guided to Islam through their hands; because their da'wah is built on leniency, self-sacrifice, and a pleasant demeanor; and this is part of the foundation of da'wah.But if he says, for example: Do not take these characteristics to the exclusion of others. There is no doubt that this is one of the greatest errors.If they say: We believe in these characteristics and no others.We said: This is a great error, and these characteristics are nothing but a hair on the hide of a bull.And if they say: No.
We say: These characteristics, but we deny the rest.
We say: You must add to them what came in the Book and the Sunnah. For this reason, I hope that the foundation of their da'wah is built upon the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) when Jibril (Gabriel) came and asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about Islam, faith, excellence in worship, the Hour, and its signs.Then he said: (This is Jibril who has come to you to teach you your religion) If one of the scholars had established principles that contradict the seven characteristics they mention, there would be much good in that.
The questioner: The disbeliever who embraced Islam through their hands is taught only the two testimonies—and I am one of those who went to Bangladesh and attended—they are taught only the etiquettes of sleep, how to eat, and how to drink.
The Shaykh: This is good,But does he say: Do they not learn anything else? Do you not know that many of the students of knowledge among us do not understand these etiquettes?And the one who knows it does not practice it. The questioner: A disbeliever, O Shaykh! He has no knowledge of the fundamentals of our religion, O Shaykh! And the pillars of Islamic religion.
The Shaykh: We teach them the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, its meaning and its implications, and the rest of the pillars of Islam, just as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Mu'adh: (The first thing you should call them to is that they make Allah the One).
The questioner: They do not teach these things.
The Shaykh: No.
They must teach them. This is part of their ignorance.For this reason, I say to the students of knowledge: They should go out with them to guide them.
The questioner: Only students of knowledge, O Shaykh?The Shaykh: And I do not see that they should go outside the country.