Daily Ritual, Mission, and the Transformation of the Self: the Case of Tablighi Jamaat

Abstract

Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) is Islam’s largest movement, with estimates of up to 80 million Muslims taking part in its activities. Having originated on the Indian subcontinent, TJ has expanded to have a strong presence across the globe. Traditionally, TJ is known for bringing lapsed Muslims back to a stricter understanding of Islam and the recommendation that its male (and to an increasing extent also its female) members spend a certain portion of time each year working on the “path of Allah” — that is, on missionary activities. Tablighi leaders are conscious that participation in the movement impacts not only those who are the targets of missionary activity but also those who are doing the missionizing, having a powerful effect upon the formation of selfhoods. TJ also emphasizes the importance of imitating the Prophet Muhammad, and members are encouraged to ritualize every aspect of their life in accordance with the Prophet’s example. The ritualization of everyday practices, a focus on purity and mission, combined with textual (re)interpretation, contribute to individual and collective identity construction among members of TJ. For TJ, the formation of modern Muslim selfhoods is of vital importance, as they believe that an identity centered on an authentic form of Islam can protect Muslims in a fast-changing world.

Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements

“…TJ is an all-encompassing movement that aims to regulate every aspect of the lives of their followers. Participants in the movement are encouraged to model themselves after the Prophet Muḥammad in all actions, they are to build up communities of practicing believers as the path to salvation, and they should reject all non-Islamic pursuits (Pieri 2020). Because of this, the movement can be analyzed through Charles Liebman's (1983) framework of religious extremism, in which he argues that there are three characteristics that define such groups, including the desire to expand religious law, a desire for social isolation, and cultural rejection.…”

“…Acts that would be considered as mundane by many in society, for example drinking water, going to the bathroom, brushing one's teeth, how long to grow one's beard, and how to sleep in bed are regulated, and ritualised. This removes committed Tablīghīs from the prevailing secular (or un-Islamic) societies in which they would ordinarily function, and reinforces their identity as reoriented Muslims (Pieri 2020;. Self-enforcement of these practices, through encouragement from TJ, allows each believer to create their own moral universe in which they are linked to other Tablīghīs around the globe through knowledge that they are all striving for the same end goal.…”

Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements

“…The preaching groups consist of around three to fifteen participants, with each expected to finance their own travel, and all commit to staying together, cooking, eating, and sleeping in Tablīghī affiliated mosques along the way. The more one participates in khurūj, the more opportunities open up to that individual for leadership roles within the organisation (Pieri 2019). Those who complete a four-month tour are given the title of purani sathi, meaning old comrades, and are rewarded with invitations to special Tablīghī gatherings, opportunities to meet with senior leaders of the movement, and eligibility to join some of TJ's governance committees (Reetz 2008: 114).…”

Madhhab Negotiation, Education Transformation and Conflict Resolution in Conveying the Sermon of Tablighi Jamaat in Southeast Asia

“…Syaikh Maulan Ilyas was one of the charismatic Muslim figures who understood the socialpolitical condition that happened and the impact towards the development of religion of local Muslim community in India. There were two movements faced by Muslim back then, one was colonial political movement with mission to spread Christianity, and the Hindu extremism movement with mission to spread Hinduism and brought back Hindu who converted other belief especially Islam (Gent, 2018;Lone, 2018;Mamun, 2019;Barbara Daly Metcalf, 2002;Noor, 2012;Pieri, 2019). After gaining inspiration or inspiration from Mecca when doing the pilgrimage/hajj, Syaikh Ilyas then built the movement that was recently known as Tabligh wat Dakwah.…”

“…If the dakwah is practiced, then the other obligations for Muslims are abort. To be a preacher doesn't require a lot of knowledge because dakwah for the Tablighi is conveying religious message, not rhetoric or selling knowledge (Pieri, 2019). Kyai Lufi, the leader of Tablighi headquarter in Banjarmasin on his preach in Masjid Agung, Al-Mujahidin, Selong East Lombok states that waiting for more knowledge is not significant for Islamic dakwah, knowledge will come later.…”