My experience with Tabligh Jamaat

[miraj09]

I hope that this does not come off the wrong way, but are there any examples where other ethnic groups being involved in the work of tabligh honestly I always looked at it as a Desi thing ?

[Sulaiman84]

I hope that this does not come off the wrong way, but are there any examples where other ethnic groups being involved in the work of tabligh honestly I always looked at it as a Desi thing ?

It's possible that you've only seen desis involved with tabligh because you haven't been exposed to the diversity of workers from around the world.

Snap, where's bro Zahed to give karguzari of last Tongi Ijtima?

[Shuayb Abdul-Khaaliq]

As Salamu alaikum,

1. I used to wear silver chain, silver bracelet, silver rings. First time I went for 3 days, the next time when i went for 3 days I packed it and kept aside. Till now I didnt touch it. NO ELDERS SAID ME, I DID IT MYSELF.
2. I came to know the importance of Salah and it became a practice and auto-programmed in my mind. NO ELDERS/AMIR enforced this.
3. Alhamdulillah I have a real sunnah beard(not modern muslim beard); NO ONE FORCED or ADVISED, automatically it came.
4. I prayed Tahajudd and enjoyed it.
5. Tabligh Jamaat is the biggest organisation with millions of followers worldwide, but Alhamdulillah there is no single website for this jamaat.
6. I read sunnah in books before joining jamaat after joining jamaat it automatically came in practice.
7. Everyone listens to Amir unlike other jamaat where people form a anti-amir group.
8. I joined this effort in US. First I visited my local masjid, there It was like a gathering than a Jumma prayer. No Sunnah I saw there. After 3 weeks, I went to markaz MASHA ALLAH, ALHAMDULILLAH ALHAMDULILLAH ALHAMDULILLAH topi, thobe, kurta, beard, bright faces, humble people. This is the way of Rasool saw; this made me to join the effort of Tabligh jamaat.
9. Without advertisement, emails, posters, flyers, letters - A big crowd gather in Markaz for Iztema. This is heart to heart work & Allah has blessed us.

Masha'Allah... Allahu'Akbar.

My experience with TJ has been very similar. Though not word for word what you said, but more or less the same thing. The first time I went for three days, I came back having learned (and implemented, Alhamdulillah) many new sunnahs and ways of the deen into my life. However, at the same time, I realized that I know nothing and Subhan'Allah there is so much to learn. I realized that even though I think I have tried to implement the deen into my life, I am practicing maybe 0.000000001% of it, even that if I'm lucky. Subhan'Allah.

Alhamdulillah I was already practicing some minimal amount of deen and sunnahs before going for my 3 days (such as 5x salat, beard, sometimes tahajjud, and others), but the following changes came into me after my first time going for 3 days:

- Alhamdulillah, I had already been going to the Masjid 99% of the time daily (usually for 2 salats) before I went for my 3 days. However, I usually used to wear western clothes to Masjid, aside from the occasional program at Masjid or the occasional Jummah. After my first 3 days in jamaat, now it is rare that I will wear western clothes to the Masjid. I usually wear a kurta or thobe.

- I used to make salat at home in whatever I was wearing (usually PJ and t-shirt). Now, Alhamdulillah, I actually take a little bit of time to 'get ready' for salat. After doing wudhu, I put on a kurta or thobe, and also put some fragrance on, before I go to stand in front of our Creator. I now feel weird, uncomfortable, and even ashamed going in front of Allah in pajamas and a t-shirt. At least, I should be wearing decent clothes (pants and shirt), even if they are not sunnah clothes, they should be decent and not just some pajamas and a t-shirt I wear at home and sleep in.

- I used to eat with knife/fork etc. After learning the sunnahs and adaab (etiquette) of eating during jamaat, I now majority of the time eat food like rice and stuff with my hands.

- I used to wear topi always during salat but usually not much other times. Now, Alhamdulillah, at home I wear the topi just about 24/7, except for when sleeping. I even fall asleep with the topi sometimes and then it comes off and gets lost in my bed somewhere and I have to look for it when I wake up (lol). I didn't really use to wear topi outside unless I was going to/coming from Masjid, but now I am trying to do more and more of that also Insha'Allah.

- Even though, Alhamdulillah, I am considered a decent public speaker in outside circles (having such experience from my job and stuff), I was usually 'shy' to do taleem at my masjid, even though our masjid had/has a serious need of someone doing taleem in English daily (it is normally done in Urdu and English was not done regularly). After going for my 3 days, Alhamdulillah I came back with this new 'wind' in me where I just grab the English book now in Masjid and do English taleem (Urdu taleem also goes on on one side Alhamdulillah, because not all the 'uncles' are so well-versed with English). However, even if the English taleem benefits one extra person who wouldn't have been able to understand the Urdu taleem, then, Insha'Allah and Alhamdulillah, the goal is being accomplished.

- Though still nowhere as much as I should be, I became more involved with 5 amaal of the Masjid.

- I developed a much deeper appreciation for tahajjud than I had before. Though I still struggle to wake up for tahajjud, but I am working on it and Insha'Allah seeing improvement by the grace of Allah swt.

- Before I used to talk to some friends who are struggling to make salat regularly, or struggling to practice the deen in general, etc, in a way of "why you have to pray 5x a day and what are the consequences of missing salat, how it's bad to do X or not do X because of X ayat or X hadith, etc". Going on jamaat made me realize the importance of the very basic, of having firm yaqeen & and faith in "La iLLaha iLLAllah, Muhammadur Rasulullah". Now, first of all, I don't talk, because I know I am not qualified to speak to anyone about the deen, when I need so much help myself. So I try to keep my mouth shut to the best of my ability and speak minimally, even if I am in a situation where I just want to go off (such as TV being watched, music being played, or plans being made to break other commandments of Allah). However, if Allah chooses to give me an opportunity to talk to a brother about the deen, I do it more from the perspective of "forget about why this guy is so persistent on making his salat on time or why he keeps a beard or why he wears his pants above his ankles, why he does X or why he does not do X, etc etc, rather let's work on our yaqeen and figure out how we can understand and have firm yaqeen in "La iLLaha iLLAllah, Muhammadur Rasullah", and Insha'Allah everything else will follow. I also use the analogy (did not invent it) that how they follow their bosses orders 100% at work because they know if they don't follow their bosses rules and orders at work, they have a serious risk of getting in trouble and even getting fired. They follow these orders because they have firm yaqeen that their boss is there, is watching them, and that he will hold them accountable for their actions at work. Allah is our only true "boss" but we don't follow His orders because we don't have firm yaqeen & faith that we will 'get in trouble' or 'get fired (rather get thrown into the fire, Astaghfirullah) if we don't follow His rules and orders... so we go breaking them left and right. If we had yaqeen in Allah's existence, His authority over us, and His words, as much we have yaqeen in our employer's existence, their authority over us, and their rules & words, then surely we would keep a full beard even if we thought it was impractical (Astaghfirullah), we would wear hijab in all situations where hijab is required and not selectively, we would wear our pants above our ankles even if we thought it looks "weird" in public, we would stop listening to music no matter how much we "enjoy" it, we would stop watching movies, and all in all we would stop trying to make "loopholes" in Allah's deen just to accomodate our desires. This has seemed to help in some situations. If the conversation seems to take a turn towards something specific, such as "yeah I understand belief in the kalima but why X or why not X, etc", I always try to steer it back to having firm yaqeen in "La iLLaha iLLAllah, Muhhamdur Rasulullah", and I always keep saying that stop worrying about other, "advanced" things, just worry about this one thing and Insha'Allah improvements will happen from there. Only Allah can give hidayat and only He knows best.

Like brother Servant.of.Allah said, no ameer/elder/anyone 'enforced' any of these things with me. It's not like they told me "make sure you keep doing this when you go back home" or whatever, it just happened by itself by the grace of Allah swt.

Wallahi I am not making this post to "show off" or anything like that, rather I humbly make dua that may Allah keep me and all of us steadfast in our quest to learn, practice, and spread more and more of His beautiful, one and only perfect deen of Islam. Ameen.

May Allah get this post deleted if I had even a shred of pride or "show-off intentions" when typing this post. Ameen.

[miraj09]

It's possible that you've only seen desis involved with tabligh because you haven't been exposed to the diversity of workers from around the world.

Snap, where's bro Zahed to give karguzari of last Tongi Ijtima?

That's possible, I'd love to see the diversity one day Insha'Allah

[abdulwahhab]

There are jamaats composed of all Arabs or all Malaysian. For example, here's a video recording of an all Arab jamaat visiting from Madinah Munawwarah:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_IOLXsotes

[FususAlHikam]

Tabligh work as outlined by Hazrat Moulana Ilyas (ra) is has got to be an ilham he had from Allah swt. The work is solid. Person can simply go for 3 days and his entire course of life changes. This is all from the nurani environment, the nurani a'maal, the ikhlaas and incredibly hard work of the pious predecessors of tabligh and their duas.

[Sulaiman84]

That's possible, I'd love to see the diversity one day Insha'Allah

Movement is necessary to see them, although many times they may come to see you.

[Sulaiman84]

Tabligh work as outlined by Hazrat Moulana Ilyas (ra) is has got to be an ilham he had from Allah swt. The work is solid. Person can simply go for 3 days and his entire course of life changes. This is all from the nurani environment, the nurani a'maal, the ikhlaas and incredibly hard work of the pious predecessors of tabligh and their duas.

Shaikh,

You know if I come to Chicago sharif for my 40 I'm gonna have ta holla atcha, right.

[FususAlHikam]

Shaikh,

You know if I come to Chicago sharif for my 40 I'm gonna have ta holla atcha, right.

Ya sure come down insha'Allah, we are having ijtema in June and making preparations now.

[silat]

Can someone please summarize the five amal?

wa'alaykum assalaam

1- Daily masyurah
2- Daily ta'leem (in masjid & home)
3- 2 1/2 hours daily spend to revive a'laam of masjid
4- 2 jaulah/ghast (in masjid and neighbouring locality)
5- 3 days khuruj fee sabeelillaah every month.