english six fundamentals or qualities fazaileamal

8/14/2019 English Six Fundamentals or Qualities FazailEAmal

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Six Fundamentals

In the name of Allah most Gracious, most Merciful.

First Lesson: Kalimah Tayyibah

Laa ilaaha illallaahu, Muhammadur-Rasulullaah.This kalimah is just a sacred pledge of man with Allah.

That is, when a believer solemnly reads this kalimah, headmits before Allah that he is His sincere and faithful ser-vant, he will obey His-commandments, and will avoid allthe forbidden things. Therefore, one must keep in mindfour important points about this kalimah: First, he shouldremember its words in the correct form. Second, he should

remember its correct translation. Third, he should remem-ber its exact meaning. Fourth, he should observe its practi-cal requirements, and act accordingly!


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4 Six Fundamentals

worshipper, namely, hands, feet, head, waist, nose, fore-head, tongue etc., are wholly and solely devoted to Allah,that i s, every part of a worshipper's body is engaged in anexercise of the obedience of Allah's commandments. If aMuslim performs the prayer with all its conditions, he isnot likely to commit sin by any limb, on times other thanthe prayer. It has been mentioned in the Holy Qur'aan thatthe prayer prevents a Muslim from shameful and forbiddenthings. The believers have been commanded hundreds oftimes in the Holy Qur'aan to perform the prayer properly.In the hadith also the prayer has been enjoined and empha-sised many a time. For instance, Rasulullah (Sallallahoalaihe wasallam) said, "One's sins from one prayer to an-other are forgiven by Allah".

In another had ith h e says, "If one has a stream at one'sdoor, and he has a bath in it , five times a day, he will haveno dirt on his body; similarly if one performs the .prayerfive times a day, his si ns will be pardoned by Allah, and hewill !be clean of them". In another hadi th Rasulullah (Sal-lallaho alaihe wasallam) says, "When your children areseven years old, instruct them to perform the prayer, butwhen they are ten years old, beat them to perform theprayer."

Prayer w ith Congregation

Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says in ahadith, "The prayer with congregation is granted a rewardtwenty-seven times more than the prayer performedalone". It has also been mentioned in a hadith that Rasulul-lah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) intended to burn thehouses of those who di d not visit the musjid to perform the

rayer with congregation, but he abstained from doing so,[ecause of chil dren an d women. Ibn Mas'ood (Radhiyal-laho anho) says, "During the time of Rasulullah (Sallallahoalaihe wasallam) only that hypocrite dared neglect theprayer who was a declared hypocrite." It has al so beenmentioned in a hadi th that peforming the night prayer withcongregation begets the reward of prayers till midnight ;and performing the morning prayer with congregation,begets the reward of prayers during the whole night.

The right way to perform rukoo' an d sajdah

Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says in a

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hadith, "Allah d oes not look to the prayer of one, who doesnot keep his waist straight in the prayer (he prays lazily)".In another had ith he says, "The worst kind of theft is thetheft of prayer". His Companions asked, "What i s the theftof prayer?" He answered , "The theft of prayer is, not to per-form the rukoo' (bending the knees) and sajdah (prostra-tion) properly, with full time and attention."

A prayer out of time

Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "It is theprayer of a hypocrite to cause delay in prayers, and to waitfor sun-set; so when it becomes dull, he gets up to performit just a s a custom, and he remembers Allah but little."

Thir d Lesson

Knowledge and Z ikr

There are two important subjects in this lesson; first,knowledge, second, zikr (that is, remembrance of Allah).There are so many sayings of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihewasallam) which stress the utility and di stinction of thesetwo things. For instance, a hadith says, "Beware! Thisworld, and whatever is in it, is cursed by Allah, with theexcep tion of prayers, an d zikr, and the religious scholar ,and th e religious student".

Therefore, every Muslim should try his best to achievethe high standard of knowledge and zikr.

Knowledge

Only that knowledge is appreciated by Allah, whichtakes a man nearer to Him, and enables him, to observe Hiscommandments. So much knowledge of the religion ofIslam, as would purify and strengthen one's faith, is obliga-tory for every Muslim man an d woman. When a servant ofAllah has entirely submitted himself to Allah, and haspromised to observe His commandments, it is indispens-able for him to know all His commandments, and themethod of worship. Yes, he should have a perfect knowl- 3edge of prayers, fast ing, poor-rate, hajj; of mutual dealings B

.X fin everyday life, the true Islamic culture, and other import- m or

ant aspects of Islamic way of living. Every Muslim shouldparticularly know those basic things about Islam, the ignor- rZ


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6 Six Fundamentals Six Fundamentals 7

ance of which is likely to commit sins; and whe n he hasgot the knowledge of these things, he mus t observe them ina practical form, for it has been mentioned in a hadith,"Verily, the worst punish ment of Allah will be inflicted onthose o n the Day of J udge men t, who h ave been sc holars ofreligion, but did not practice it themselves".

The distinction of a scholar a nd a student

Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has said in ahadith, "Anyone who shows the Right Path to a Muslim, islike one who has already observed Allah's command-ments". Another hadith says, "A tho usand worshippers arenot so annyoing and deadly to Shaytaan, as one personwho has achieved perfect knowledge about Islam". An-other hadith says, "Anyone wh o died during the period ofattaining knowledge about Islam, his class i n Jan nah willbe only one stage below the Ambiyaa". Another h adit h

says, "The best person among you is he, who has learnedthe Holy Qur'an and then teaches it to other Muslims". Ra-sulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says in anotherhadith, "May Allah keep that person fresh and healthy wholistens to my instruction s, and then delivers them to others,exactly as I have spoken".

To leave home for the sa ke of knowledge

Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has sa id,"Whoever left his home for the sake of knowledge (about

the Holy Qur'aan and Islam), he will be honoured as one,who has entirely dev oted himself to Allah".

The service and help for a student of Islam

It has been mentioned in a ha dith, that Rasulullah (Sal-lallaho alaihe wasallam) while addressing his followerssaid, "Undoubtedly, the coming generation will followyou, for you have followed me. After me people will cometo you from remote places to atta in the knowledge of Islam.So, when they visit you, it is my will, that you should en-tertain them well". That is, when the stu den t of Islam visityou, serve them properly, sit in their society, and be cour-teous to them.

The use of schola rly meetings

Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says in ahadi th, "When certain people gather together in the Houseof Allah (tha t is a musjid ), and they read the Book of Allah(i.e., the Holy Qur'aan) to one a nother, they are blessedwith spiritual consolation and Allah's mercy, the Angelsassemble around them, and Allah remembers them amongHis courtiers (Angels)".

Zikr

The secon d part of t he third lesson is zikr. The highestdegree of zikr is that a believer shou ld be entirely devotedto Allah, and should never forge t Him. This standard ofzikr is achieved by constant spiritual exercise, and by con-tinu ous remem brance of Allah. Those who have realizedthe spiritual benefits of zikr, they do not neglect it for asingle moment of the ir life. Rasululla h (Sallall aho alaihewasallam) instructed a c ompanion of his with t he follow-ing words, "Keep your tongue always busy with the re-membrance of Allah". In another hadit h he says, "Whensome people gather together in an assembly, and then getup without remembering Allah, be sure that they satarou nd the de ad body of a n ass, and left it; therefore suchan assembly will be a sorrow to them on the Day of Qiyaa-mah".

The true believers should remember Allah most often,and by contemplat ing th"e wonders of His crea tion , theyshould glorify Him, and thereby strengthen their love forHim. The more they remember Allah, the better will betheir good deeds, the stronger their faith and knowledge.Then, they will have more and more love for Allah, andtheir service to Him will be more sincere and realistic. Par-ticularly, during the Tabligh journey they should not forgetAllah for a single moment. If all the daily prayers, whichare mentioned in the hadith, viz, prayer for going to sleepand wa king up , prayer at the en d of a meeting, prayer forthe beginning a nd th e end of the meals, prayer for enteringhome and going out, prayer for starting a journey, andprayer for returning from it, prayer for riding an animal (orany other transport), prayer for entering a new town or acity etc., are remembered well , and are read on th e relevantoccasio n, naturally t he exercise of th e remembrance ofAllah can be improve d to a great extent. No amoun t of time


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8 Six Fundamentals

is sufficient for a sacred thing like zikr, yet most spare timeshould be devoted to the same; but the least thing thatevery Muslim can do, is to read the kalimah, and DuroodSharief, and Istighfaar (each a complete Tasbeeh) everymorning and evening; moreover, a time should be fixed forthe recitation of the Holy Qur'aan. Even some worldly losscan easily be tolerated for the boundless boons of Allah,that are going to be granted to a believer in the next life!

The preference of zikr

It has been mentioned in the hadith that zikr purifiesand enlightens the heart. Another hadith says that nothingsaves a Muslim from the chastisement of Allah, more thanzikr. Another Hadith says that amongst the negligent, onewho remembers Allah most often is like a.glowing lamp ina dark house. A hadith of Bukhaari says, "One who remem-bers Allah, is remembered by Him among His courtiers(Angels)". Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) in an-other hadith says, "Anyone who remembers Allah mostoften, is so much preferable to a person, who distributes agreat amount of money in the way of Allah". (Targheeb)

Fourth-Lesson

Honour for a Muslim

The gist of this lesson is that every Muslim should re-alise the rights of other Muslims, and should observe thempractically, according to the order of the classes and ranksof his brethren in Islam. Particularly, he should have greatregard for the honour of a Muslim, who deserves Teveranceby all means, for he has the light of fai th in his heart. Rasu-lullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says in a hadith, "He isnot one of us, who does not respect our elders, and doesnot show mercy to our youngsters and is not respectful toour scholars". Another hadith says, "Only a hypocritecould insult these three person; first, an aged Muslim;second, a religioug scholar; third, a Muslim king, who ob-serves justice".

According to the teachings of the Holy Qur'aan, andhadith, here are the most important qualit ies of a true be-liever. He should realise the rights of Allah's creatures, andshould be polite and humble to them. He should like forothers, what he likes for himself. He should not be envious

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of others, nor shou ld he have malice about them. He mustnot be proud. He should be courteous and loving to all. Heshould be the first to greet a Muslim. He should be gener-ous enough to pardon those who have offended him. Heshould go to visit the sick. He should respect all just as herespects himself. He should avoid back-biting. He shouldoverlook the weaknesses of others. If anyone consul ts him,he should give him the right and honest counsel. Heshould give financial help to the poor and the needy. Heshould not rejoice in the misery of others. And the mostdistinguished and valuable service to a Muslim is that heshould be instructed with a firm faith in Allah, in the Dayof Judgement, and to be prepared for it with a lot of gooddeeds , so that he should be delivered of the chastisementthereon. Undoubtedly, this is the best service to a bro!herin Islam.

Islam has instructed all the Muslims with a collectivelife, and has enjoined unity to them, that they should pro-vide peace and prosperity for one another. For instance,they have been instructed to put on their best clothes, andapply perfume to them for the Jumu'ah and the Eid prayers;they have been prevented from jumping over the necks ofthe worshippers, or to sit between two persons withouttheir permission, or to remove anyone from his sittingplace. Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says, "A trueMuslim is he, who does not offend any other Muslim withhis tongue or hand; and a t rue believer is he, who does notcause any loss to another believer". In another hadith Rasu-lullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says, "That person willnot enter Jannah, whose neighbour is not safe from his of-fence".

These sayings of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasal-lam) clearly indicate that a believer should behave so cour-teously towards others, that they should never fear troubleor a loss from his quarters.

In another had ith Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasal-I

lam) says, "Whoever helps a poor and miserable person,Allah will grant him seventy three rewards, of which onlyone would be sufficient to put his affairs aright in thisworld. and the other seventy two rewards will sublimatehis ranks in the life hereafter". Another hadith says,"When a Muslim leaves his home to see another Muslim,seventy thousand angels see him off, and all of them blesshim with the mercy of Allah". Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihewasallam) says about a co-traveller, "Only that person is


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your chief in a journey, who serves his companions best;no one can supercede s uch a person, except a martyr".

Fifth Lesson

Sincerity of Intention

This is also called the "correction of inten tion". Thatis, whenever a person intends to do something good, hemust not be tempted by some wordly interest, but shoulddo it purely for the pleasure of Allah, and to have itsreward in th e life hereafter. Thi s purity of intent ion can beachieved only when he has a firm faith in the rewardwhich Allah and Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)have promised for our good d eeds, and , therefore, the hope.of this reward should be our motive in good deeds. That iswhy Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has said, "Thereward for your deeds depends entirely on your intention,and everyone is paid in accordance with the nature of hisintention". It means, that it is not merely the action whichensures a reward from Allah, but it is the sincerity of ourinten tion , which will ensure it. If a n action is void of goodinten tion, and is undertaken for the sake of passion, or toplease men, or to attain some wordly interest, then it ishollow, lifeless and deserves no reward from Allah. Ahadith to this effect says, "All the deeds af men will begathered together before Allah. on the Day of Qiyaamah; ofthem only the deeds whic h are purely d one for Allah, willbe separated, and the rest will be thrown into hell". (Targheeb)

When certain good deeds are do ne purely for Allah, itis called "Ikhlaas" and whenever a believer inten ds to dosomething based o n sincerity , the evil self, or the Shaytaancause hinderances in his way. Therefore it is indispensableto sincerity that one should forsake the wordly tempta-tions, and should believe in the everlasting boons andfavour of the life hereafter. Those who have realized th evalue of sincerity, they apply it to their werldlv affairs also.They observe the sincerity of in tention in eating, drinking,sleeping, awaking, walking, earning their living etc., butthis standard of sincerity canno t be achieved withou t thecompany of saints and devou ts. As an example. our relig-ious scholars have told us that by observing fasts, if some-on e desires its reward and good health at the sam e time; or,

if by undertaking a pilgrimage, one wishes reward, recre-ation, and safety from the enemy: or, if by giving alms to abeggar, one has an intention to have its reward from Allah,appreciation from the onlookers, and to silence the beggar,then all th e above-mentioned deeds will be void of sincer-ity. A companian of Rasululla (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)asked him, "What is faith?" He replied, "Another name forfaith is sincerity!" (Targheeb) In anoth er hadith Rasulullah(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says. "pbserve sincerity inyour deeds, then even a few good ddeds will have thereward of great virtue for you!" (Targheeb). Another com-panio n of Rasulu llah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) askedhim, "One man participates in the holy war for the sake ofriches, and another man participates in it for the sake ofreputation, that h e may be called a hero; say, 0 Messengerof Al lah, who is fighting in the way of Allah?"' Heanswered, "Only that person fights in the way of AHah,who wants to propagate and establish the truth told by Him(in the Holy Qur'aan)". (Bukhaari, Muslim)

Those who do not desire the pleasure of Allah by theirdeeds, but wish only the worldly achievements, they arecertainly hypocrites, and this (hypocrisy) is a desease ofthe heart , which our spiritu alists say, is the root of all evils.Once Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said to hiscompanions, "The thing I fear most in your actions, issmaller polytheism". His companions asked, "What issmaller polytheism?" He answered, "Show (of one's gooddeeds!)" Another hadith says, "Whoever made a show ofhis prayer, or fasting, or charity, he committed poly-theism". Another hadith says, "There is a pit of sorrow inJahann am, of which Jah annam even seeks refuge, of Allah;those worshippers, who make a sho w of th eir worship, willbe thrown in to it".

Sixth Lesson

The spare time

A believer should spare as much time as possible; forthe preachment of the commandments of Allah, even if hehas to leave his home and family for this nobld cause.During this stage of life one should exercise the previous

six lessons, for a long experience has told us that-by stick-ing to one's home an d familv and th e business, one cannot


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learn or teach the principles of Islam, nor one can adoptthe original and traditional Islamic culture, particularly inthis age of materialism.

Therefore, one should get rid of worldly engagements,to serve Allah and His true religion. In this course, a be-liever sitould join the group of the preachers of Islam, andshould call those to the right path, who are lost in thisfleeting world, and have forgotten immortal life hereafter.

To call the wrong doing and negligent people to Allah,and to instruct them with His commandments, was reallythe duty of the Ambiyaa, which has now been entrusted tothe Muslims. The t rue following of Rasulullah (Sallallahoalaihe wasallam) requires that every Muslim should devotehimself to his service, and should sacrifice everything forthe preachment of his t rue religion (Islam). Just as Rasulul-lah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) himself bore so manytroubles for th e sake of Islam, similarly every follower ofhis should also follow his footsteps.

The companions of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wa-sallam) had properly realised the requisites of Tabligh, and,therefore, they tolerated the troubles of this world, for thesake of the boons and favours of Allah i n the next life.They gladly devoted themselves to the service of Allah.and preferred th e needs of religion to the needs of worldlylife. Sometimes, they ate leaves, or a single date, andwalked barefoot on long journies, in the way of Allah.During the ti me of the Sahabah i t was necessary to propa-gate Islam, and o spread it far and wide, but today we haveto revive it; just as those believers performed their duty bythe sacri fice of their lives, we should also follow their ex-ample.

Leaving one's home and family for the cause of Allah,has great rewards for the subject, in the next life, just as Ra-sulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has clearly told us.

Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has said,"Whoever spends his morning or evening in the way ofAllah, his reward will be much better then the wholeworld, and whatever i s in it." (Bukhaari and Muslim). Inanother hadith he says, "The fire of Jahannam will notreach anyone whose feet become dusty whilst he is on thepath of tillah."

When we instruct th e servants of Allah with His com-mandments, it means we have fulfilled the duty of Tabligh,

and have revived it, for Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasal-lam) has said, "When people see others committing sins ,

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and do not prevent them from the same, soon Allah will in-flict a punishment on them, which will affect the commonfolk, as well as the distinguished persons".

A hadith of Tirmizi Sharief says, "I swear by Allah.you must command people with good deeds, and preventthem from forbidden things, or soon Allah will inflict a

severe punishment to you, and then your prayers even willnot be heard by Him!"A verse of the Holy Qur'aan says,

"There must be a group among you, who should invitepeople to good, and should induce them to legal things.

and should prevent them from illegal things; and certainlythese will attain salvation".Another verse says,

I"0 Muslims! You are the best nation, who has been

chosen for the guidance of other nations; you commandpeople with virtue, and prevent them from vice, and have afirm faith in Allah!"

It has been reported by Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho)that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "Youmust induce people to good deeds, and prevent them from

f bad ones, otherwise Allah will bring such a tyrant sover-eign over you, who will not respect your elders, nor will heshow mercy to your youngsters; then the prayers of your1 pious people even will not be granted by Allah; if you

I called Him, He will not pardon you!"I 3

e


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Seventh Lesson

To quit vanity

This lesson will explain the most important requisitesof piety. A Muslim sh oul d spen d every moment of hi s lifein the achie vement of t he etern al boons of th e life hereafter.He should not only avoid the sins, but also the vain and de-structiv e customs of his age, which affect our religiousprinciples and beliefs so badly. Though there may not besin in so many deeds and hobbies, yet they are a sheerwaste of time and energy, and we could do some other con-structive things during that time. This is the characteristicof a t rue believer that he spe nds his time only in virtuousdeeds, remembers Allah as much as possible, avoids all for-bidden thin gs, does not indulge in vanity, and is polite an dhumble tow ards other Mu slims. If one doe s not avoid vaintalk and vain deeds, one is likely to indulge in shameful

sins. I t has been mentioned in a hadith that when a com-panion of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) died, aMuslim said to him. "I deliver to you the happy news ofJannah!" When Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)heard these w ords, he said , "You are giving him the happynews of Jan dah , while you d ont know he might have in-dulged in vain talk, or, have been a miser in spending athin g for th e good of ot hers , which does not decrease byuse". This evidently means that one should be very cau-tious in talk, and should avoid vanity, for one's tongue islikely to talk nonsense.

Another hadith says, "A man does not slip so much by

his feet, as by his tongue".Another hadith says, "Sometimes a man speaks an of-fensive and sinful thing unconsciously, by which he isthrown into hell deepe r than the distance between East andWest!" (Bukhaari & Muslim)

Therefore, every believer shou ld be cautious in histalk, and sho uld s pen d every moment of his life in gooddeeds. He must avoid vanity, particularly, during theoeriod when he has left home to learn his religion, or topreach the same.

Someone asked Luqmaan the philosopher, "How didvou attain so much wisdom?" He answered, "Because Ispeak the truth, pay the securities to their owners, andavoid vanity!" (Muwatta Imaam Maalik)

Hadhrat Sahl Tastari says, "Anyone who desires thatthe qualities and signs of th e truthful should be revealed tohim, he must not eat anything but pure and legal, andshould follow the Sunna h very strictly". (Ihya-ul-Ulobm)

In another hadith Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasal-lam) said, "The perfection of one' s faith in Islam, requiresthat one shou ld give up vanity altogether".

The Holy Qur'aan me ntio ns a great quality of true be-lievers,

"Those who do not indulg e in vanity!"

N.B.-All the ahaadi th, which have no references have beenquoted from Mishkaat Sharief.

The requisites of a journey for Tabligh1. When a believer has determiid to undertake such a

journey, he should say the following prayer,

" 0 Allah! I attack the enemy with your help, I plan mywork with Your help, and I walk on the earth withYour help".

2. When he has left home, he shoul d read,

t

"I start my journey wi th the nam e of Alla h, I entirelydepend on Allah; the power to do good and to avoidevil is from Allah".

J V)3. The group of preac hers shou ld have a leader in this 3journey, who can be another person than the leader ofthe group. z,

?;)

4. When he rides and puts his feet in the stirrup, heshould say "Bismillaah" and w hen he sits on the back 2


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of the animal, he shoul d say "Alhamdu lillaah"; andthen he should read this verse,

"Glory be to Allah, who has subjected this animal tous, and we could not overpower it without His help;and at last we have to return to our Sustainer!"

"Then he should say "Alhamdu lillaah" thrice, andthen "Allaahu Akbar" thrice, and then he should sa y,

" 0 Allah! You are clear of evil; I have been unjust tomy.soul! therefore, forgive me, for no one pardons sins,but You!".

5. When h e has ridden , and the animal walks, or, whenhe himself begins to walk. he should say,

"0 llah! I seek Your refuge from the hardships of thisjourney, and from the calamities of my retu rn, andfrom failure after success, and from the ill prayers ofthe oppressed, a nd from loss of wealth and my ifamily''

6. When he ascends some high place, he should say "Al-

laahu Akbar" thrice, and when he descends, he shouldsay "Subhaanallaah" thrice; and when he passes

through a plain or a stream, he should say "Laa ilaahaillallaah" and "Allaahu Akbar" (Hisn)

7. When he has to walk on foot, he should be pleased todo so; rather he should prefer to walk on foot, for thisis a Sunnah of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)and his companions. Hence, he should get himselfused to the troubles of th is journey, which is a sourceof Allah's boons and favours, in the next life.

8. If his foot slips somewhere, or hits some obstacle, heshould say "Bismillah". (Hisn Haseen)

9. When he sets foot at some station or destination, heshould say,

"With the complete words of Allah, I seek refuge fromthe evil of whatever He has created".

10. When he enters some village or a city, he should saythrice,

"0 llah! let it be auspic ious for us."

Then he shou ld say this prayer,

"0 llah! Let us enjoy the fru its of th is city, and infuseour love into the hearts of the people of th is city, andcause the love of the pious of this city in our hearts".

(Hisn Haseen)11. He should serve his companions as much as he can,

and should take pride in it. It has been mentioned in ahadith, "Only that person is your leader in a journey,

who serves you more than him, except a martyr".(Mishkaat Sharief)


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The duties of a leader

Here are the d utie s of a leader on a journey of r eligiouspreachment:

1. He should provide comfort for his companions. Heshould cons ult his compa nions, and if he disagrees

with anyone on a certain topic, he should not discour-age him, and shou ld tell him the utility of anot her'sopinion, whose counsel is more useful.

2. He should not be hard upon any companion, andshould not speak to him in the tone of c ommand.

3 . He should behave towards his companions, accordingto their status.

4. If s ome of hi s comp anio ns are capable of s peec h, heshould give them an opportunity to deliver a speech,and if somebody's speech is not according to 'the aimsand objects of t he group, he should prevent him from

the same in such words, as would not displease or dis-hearten him.

5. He should prevent his companions from vain things ina polite and favourable manner.

6 . He should instruct them with the.morning and eveningzikr, particularly whe n they are out for Tabligh work.

7 . He himself should appoint a leader for preachment, aleader for mutu al talk, and if he does not find an y effi-cient person for this purpose, he himself s h o ~ ~ l d doptthis office.

8. During the journey even, he should instruct his corn-panions to remember the Tabligh lessons well; heshould advise them to remember the prayers for alloccasions, by heart.

9. He should entrust the ignorant to the scholars, thatthey may lear n prayers, etc., from them.

10 . If h e thinks it proper, he shou ld distribute variousduties among his companions. For instance, some ofthem should awake others for the Tahajjud prayer,some of them s hould lead them for Chaasht and Ish-

. raaq prayers, and some of t hem shoul d instruct othe rs

with mor ning and evening zikr.

11 . If the re is some friction among his comp anio ns, heshould reconcile them.

12 . He should instruct his companions again and again,with th e fear of All ah, and prepar ation for the next life,and should solemnly advise them in the followingwords: "We have left our homes to reform ourselves,before we reform others. Our real aim and objectduring this journey is that being in the company of thepious, and the God-fearing, we should strengthen ourrelationship with them, should perform our prayers inthe best possible manner. 'Thus we should rememberAllah as much as possible, should serve one anothersincerely, and should devote ourselves to all gooddeeds, preventing ourselves from forbidden things. Allthe time that we have devoted to Tabligh work, is notours at all, but for the promotion and establishment ofthe true religion of Alla h. Therefore, we should makemuch of th is time, and should learn and teach our re-ligion. We lost our lives in vanity, but at least now weshould s pend the rest of our life, just as a true Muslimwould do. We should fulfil the requisites of this jour-ney at their best".

Knowledge and zi kr

1. The subject of t he teachings of the Tablighi group is tohave a comprehensive and reliable knowledge of

I Islam, and to preach th e same to other Muslims so thatthey have a keen interest in Islam. Moreover, thisgroup must know the promises and the command-

ments of All ah, and sho uld observe them practically.2. In the education c ourse of th is group the prayer and

the Holy Qur'aan have a great importance, but the timewhich is required to learn these things perfectly,cannot be acquired on this brief Tabligh journey.Therefore, the companions are expected to realize the

i impor tance of salaali and learn ing the Holy Qur'aan,during this journey, that they should devote more andmore time to this subject, in the future.

3. The members of th e group should also contemplatetheir past life, and they should be sorry for not devot-

ing themselves to Tabligh work in the past, and theyshould seek Allah's forgiveness. And those who are


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22 S i x F u n d a m e n t a l s Six Fundam enla l s 23

observed during the Tabl igh journey. The Ishraaq, theChaasht , the Tahaj jud, the Awwaabeen, the Nawaafi l a f terfa rdh . and the sunnah p raye r, shou ld be obse rved ve rycareful ly. These prayers are genera l ly neglec ted a t home,but they can be performed during the journey, if you findle isure ; ye t a l l the persons in the Tabl igh group m ust knowthat the duty of p reachmen t i s more im portant than the op-

t ional prayers. That i s to say. preachment has a pr ior ty overthe nawaafi l , and you can easi ly give up the la t te r for theformer. Observe the requisites of Tabligh first and performthe nawaafi l a f terwards.

Gasht (To go around for an informal visit and the specialvisit)

1 . Th e real object of going aro un d for an inform al visit ora special visit for the purpose of Tabligh is that theworldly and business places l ike bazaars, s t ree ts , andthe markets should a lso be blessed and benefi t ted wi th

the remembrance of Al lah, and the fa i th of the groupshould st rengthen the fa i th of o thers, and vice versa .Remember, this Tabl igh work is exact ly the fol lowingof the Tabligh work observed bv Rasulullah (Sal lallahoa i a ihe wasa l l am) , who obse rved it by going aroundfrom home to home.

2. When you go around for an informal or a specia l visi t .lower your gaze , and keep your tongue and hear t busywith th e remem bran ce of Alla h. Thi s att i tud e of yourswill effect the heart s of o the rs, to a great exten t.

3 . Th e going aroh nd for informal visi t s and specia l visi t s

must be done before the Prayer t ime, and during yourGasht instruct others with the requisites of the kalimahan d the princ iples of Islam ; more over, call the l istenersto the prayer in the mosq ue, and ask them to join vourTabl igh group.

4. Do not ask everyone to le t you hear his ka l imah, norcompel1 him to perform the p rayer, for such an a t t i tudewould somet imes cause unfavourable resul ts . That i swhy. you are advised to take the educated and inf lu-encial pe ople of that locality w ith you , so that heshould ta lk to _them according to the i r reason- andsta tus.

5. Pray to Al lah before you star t Gasht , and ca l l upon

Him with a l l humbleness, saying, " 0 Allah! We areweak and helpless, and nothing can be achieved wi th-out Your assistance; therefore, assist us in this sacredcause . an d divert the he arts of Y our servant s, to Yourtrue religion, and to the l ife hereafter, and let us be amedium for this service .0 Allah! Accept this humbleservice of ou rs, an d establis h Your religion with i t . 0

Allah! Save us from the evil of tho se, who m we corltactin this work of Tabligll , an d also save them from th eevil of o ur self. Let then1 benefit fr om th e good in ou rsouls, and le t us benefi t f rom the good in the i r souls!(And one cou ld say any o the r su i t ab le du ' aa , a ccord ingto the occasion) .

6 . Do not be engaged in discussions wi th an yone , nor ar-range any deb ate .

7. During vour goi r lg around for an informal or specia lvisit for Tab ligh, take the local pious p eople w ith you,so that they c d n see the impie tv and t ransgression of

the people of their towrl with their own eves, andshoul d. consequent lv, join you in Tabl igh work.8 . When you reach a cer ta in c i ty or vi l lage , meet the dis-

t inguished people thereof , and expla in to them themethod and the a ims and objects of Tabl igh, and st ressthe importance of re l igious preachment , and theninvi te them to join the group. By the dist inguishedpeop le we mean the p ious , o r t he wea l thy pe r sons ,who are , one way or another, inf luent ia l in the i r c i ty,mohal la or vi l lage . One should be very caut ious,reasonable , and to the p oint , whi le ta lking to theni .

The invitation and the speech

Since your spee ch is not your rea l a im a nd objec t , andis mere ly a medium of inst ruct ion, one should ra therst ress the meaning and the purp ose of yo ur words, forthe sake of Tabligh. Make yourself clear to your l isten-ers, in simple and easy language. Do not adopt thestyle of co mm on ora tors, and d o not ta lk about things,which the l i s t ene r would no t unde rs t and . Rasu lu l l ah(Sal la l laho a la ihe wasal lah) repeated every sentence ofh i s t h r i ce , t ha t h i s aud ience shou ld unde rs t and i t

easi ly. His words were spoken slowly and c lear ly, sotha t t he l i s t ene rs cou ld cou n t t hem.


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24 Six Fundamentals

In your speech you should explain the vanity ofworldly objects, and then the greatness and immortal-ity of the boons a nd enjoyments in the life hereafter.Instruct them to prepare for the life in the grave and todo good deeds for the same; and then attain peace andsalvation on the Day of Qiyaamah; and then ask themto live a pious life, for this will save them from the

punishment of Jaha nnam . Explain to them the impietyand negligence of t he present Muslims, particularly thecond ition of local people, which you will come toknow during the going around for the informal andspecial visits.

3. Tell them the spir itua l and religious benefits of joiningthe Tabligh group, and invite them to the same.

4. Explain to them the punishment for not inducingpeople to good, and preventing them from evil, and tellthem the reward of being faithful to Islam, during thisera of s in and disobe dience.

5 . Do not adopt a to ne of command an d superiority,while instructing people.

6. In every speech, one sho uld advice the audience to bepractical about what they know of Islam.

Obedience to the leader

Every order of t he leader s hould be obeyed, providedhe does not ask you to commit a sin . Yes, obey him, thoughhe is not so much educated as you are. Rasulullah (Sallal-

laho alaihe wasallam) has said in a hadith,"If

a leader hasbeen appointed to you, whose nose and ears are cut, youshould obey him, when he instructs you with the HolyQur'aan."

Sometimes the leader will bestow an honour, or theright of spee ch, on a person inferior to you in sta tus; insuch a case, you should not object to it, and raise no objec-tion against him. Hadhrat Ubaadah bin Saamit (Radhiyal-laho anh o) says, "We took a pledge at the hands ofRasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), that we shouldobey him in prosperity and in calamity, in pleasure andsorrow, and will not obey the suggestions of our evil self,against his wish, and will not prefer ourselves to' othersagainst his choice; that we shall not try to snatch lead-

59 Six Fundamentals 25

ership from another; that we will s eak the truth, whereverwe are; that we will not mind t ! critic ism of anyone ,while obeying the comm andments of Allah".

(Mishkaat Sharief)

The etiquette of taking meals

1. Wash your hands before and after meals, and washyour mouth also.

2. Begin to take meals by saying; "Bismillaah wa'alaa bar-katillaah".

3. Take your meals with your right hand.

4. Take the food that is i n front of you, but if there arevarious things in the utensil from which you )ar eeating, then you may take it from wherever you please.

5. Place the food on a table cloth and then partake from

the food.6. Do not eat from the centre of the utensil, for the bles-

sing of Allah desc ends at that poin t.

7. Finish all the food in the utensil, and do not spare any-I thing for the Shaytaan. When all the food is taken, the

utensil prays to Allah for your delivery from Jahan-nam.

8. Lick your fingers before wash ing your hands, it is men-tioned in a hadith, "One does not know in which par-ticle of the food is the blessing of Allah."

I

9. Take your meals with thre e fingers of the right hand.I 2 0 . If a morsel falls on the table cloth, pick it up and eat i t,

and do not spare it for Shaytaan.II 1 1 . One should not lean on a cush ion or arrogantly recline

whilst eating.I

1 2 . Do not object to th e qua lity of food; if you like it, takeit otherwise don't take it, and keep silent.

1 3 . All of you should take your meals, as a group, and notseparately.

CL

1 4 . Hadhrat Anas (Radhiyallaho anho) says, "I saw Rasu-lullah (Sa llallaho alaihe wasallam) taking his meals, ina squatting pdsition."


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26 S i x Fundamentuls 59

15. If some companio ns are eating sweetmeats or dates to-gether, do not take two pieces at a time, without theirpermission. I

16. If you forget to read "Bismillaah" at the beginning of Iyour meals, then say when you remember it, "Bismil-

I

laahi awwaluhu wa aakhiruhu", that is, with the nameof Allah in the beginn ing and at the end of it. ,

17 . Do not eat onions while you are in the mosque, and ifyou have eaten them out of t he mosque, do not enter it,until suc h time that there is n o odour left.

iI

18 . When you have taken your meals, say, 1

Alkamdu lillaahil lathee at-'amanaa wasaqaanaa waja-

alanaa minal muslimeen.

"All praise is due to Allah, who has nourisned us, andhas quenche d our thirst, an d has assisted us to be Mus-lims."

19 . First pick u p the table cloth, and t hen get up.20. Do not eat food which is too hot.21. If you have eate n to your fill, d o not get up before your

companio ns, but keep eating slowly; and if you h ave toget u p, excuse yourself, and ask them to continue.

22. If you drink water, milk or any other liquid say, "Bis-millaah" at the beginning and "Alhamdulillaah" at theend.

23. Do not drink contin uously in one gulp, like a camel.24 . Do not breathe in a utens il nor blow into it.25 . If the utensil is broken or chipped at a certain point

then do not eat or drink from that point of the utensil.

26. Wash your mouth after drinking milk, and read thisdu'aa,

Six Fundamentals 27

Allaahumma baarik lanaa feehi wa zidnaa minhu." 0 Allah! let it be a blessing for us and increase it forus".All these etiquettes of taking food and drink have beenquoted from Mishkaat Sharief.

The etiquette of going to sleep

1. Do not go to sleep without wudh u.2. Clean the bed thrice before going to sleep.3. Lie on the bed on your right side, place your right

hand un der your cheek, and read "Allahumma be'is-mika amooto wa ahyaa". 0 Allah! In Your name do Idie and live.

4. Read "Aayatul Kursi" and "Aamanar Rasoolu (up tothe end of Sura h) before going to sleep.

5. Read "Subhaanallah", "Alhamdulillaah" and "Al-laahu-Akbar", thirty three times each, before going tosleep.

6 . Read all the four Surahs, beginning with "Qul", then. blow on your hands, and apply them to your whole

body; do this thrice.7 . Read Surah "Alif laam meem sajdah" and "Tabarakal-

ladhi beyadihil mulk" (u p to the end of Surah) beforegoing to sleep.

8. When awakening read,

Alhamdu lillaahil la he e a ba an aa ba'da maa amaata-naa wa ilayhin nushoor."All praise to Allah. He who revived us to life aftergiving us death and to Him we shall have to return."

V)

3. Apply collyrium (surmah) to your eyes thrice, before 3going to sleep. .X E

cn a10 . If you want to get up for the Tahajjud prayer, read. "In- ucalladhina aamanu" ( U p to the end of Sura h Kahaf). All 2


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S i x Fundamentals 2928 Si x Fundamentals

these etiquettes of sle eping have been quoted from theahaadith.

Wudhu and Salaah

1. If the time of sa laah is near , then have wudhu beforeproceeding on a journey, also take a Lota (utensil forthe purpose of wudhu) and a six yard rope, to drawwater from a well if th e necessity arises.

2. The water from the station taps a nd that from the toil=in the train is clean. If th is water is not available thenonly will Tayammum be permissible.

3. The time for Maghrib salaah begins after sunset andends when the redness in the sky disappears. The gen-eral belief that Maghrib salaah cannot be performed ashort while afte r the sunset is incorrect.

4. If th e distance of your journey is more than forty eightmiles (77 ,248 Kilometres) then instead of performingfour fardh rak'aats you should perforkal nly two.

5. Do not postpone any prayer during the journey, for asingle postponement will render your journey useless.If you have forgotten a certain prayer, or its time haspassed during your sleep, then perform it as soon aspossible, if the prayers of a journey are performed afterreaching home, then observe two rak'aat for Zuhr, As'rand Esha: on the other hand , if the prayers postponedat home, are performed during the journey, then ob-serve them in a complete form (four rak'aats for Zuhr,As'r and Esha).

6. There are many Muslims on whom Qadha salaah foryears was due. they are advised to perform these sa-laahs as soon as possible, whilst on a Tabligh journeythe opportunities are numerous so perform as manyqadha salaahs as possible, rather perform the fardhqadha, instead of the nawaafil. Remember that qadhasalaah is only performed for the fardh and Wit'r sa-laahs.

7. The jamaat salaah (congregational prayer) is necessaryeven during the Tabligh journey. When it is time forsalaah, say the adhaan (the call to prayer) and thenperform the salaah with jamaat, and say takbeer before

the same. If all the members cannot perform the salaahin a group, then let them perform it in pairs.

8. If you are in a hurry, the n you may omit the sunnatsbefore and after the fardh salaah, but not those of theFaj'r salaah. And if you are not in a hurry, the n per-form all the Sunnats.

9. If you have put your luggage in a railway compartmentor in a bus, and it is about to depart, then terminate thesalaah. Perform the same, salaah in the train o r vehicleif it is possible.

10. To face the qiblah is necessary even in a railway com-partment, therefore perform your salaah in the correctdirect ion; and if you do not know the direction of theqiblah, nor is there anyone to show you, then establishthe same by careful estimation. If the train or vehicletakes a turn, while you are performing the salaah, thenturn yourself accordingly.

11. Even if the train is moving it is fardh for you to standand complete your salaah. If you are healthy andstrong enough to stand, then do not sit for the salaah.One can easily perform the salaah in the passage or inbetween the seats, moreover you can perform thesalaah in pairs with jamaat in the space between thetwo rows of sea ts.

I 1. Every member of th e Tabligh group is respons ible for~ his expenditure during the journey.

2. Be courteous and polite to every Muslim whom youImeet during your journey. Be courte ous to the non-

I Muslims also, and show them Islamic manners. If youI

sometimes talk to them, tell them tha t humanity is gen-f;i erally negligent of Alla h, therefore they must submit to

~ Him for their salvation.1

3. When you reach a certain destination, consult the localinhabita nts, before you start your work of Tab li h., -

1 4. When you reach a city or a town, or a village, do notstay anywhere except in the musjid, even though

3

I someone may insist on doing otherwise. e l9. Extinguish the lamp or the light of th e musjid where


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30 Six FundamentalsSix Fundamentals 31

you stay, at the normally fixed times, for it is not cor-rect to use it for yourself only. Extinguish the lightsafter Esha salaah, when the musallies (worshippers)have departeg; then light a candle of your ow n, if it beneeded.

6. Do not ask for any bedding from the people of that

place; anyhow help one another if there is a shortage ofbeds: nor ask for any utens ils.7. Fix a fee before engaging any labourer: if you employ

any labourer without fixing a fee, then pay him his fullremuneration. If you pay him less than the local rate,and he is unhappy, and kept asking for more, until hewent away disappointed, then you will have to payhim on the Day of Qiyaamah. Remember. oppressionor forced agreement co~l cern ing ixing a fee beforeengaging any labourer is not recognized: therefore ifanyone gives up his right by oppression, then the op-pressor can not be forgiven by that person .

8. Avoid every kind of useless talk du ring your Tablighjourney, and be cau tiou s of everything you do . In shortspend your time carefully during this journey, and payspecial gttention to the Tabligh work. Do not talkmuch , nor laugh unnecessarily, for i t is mentioned in ahadith, "Too much talk hardens your heart, and toomuch laughing kills your heart. and the noor of yourface is lessened.

9. Every action of yours mus t be based on sincer ity, andyou should not despair the reward from Allah. Inwhatever you do you must make a good niyyat (inten-

tion).10 . Make your return journey also a Tabligh journey, and

on your way home, observe the same as you observedwhile going abroad. v

11 . All the requisi tes of Islamic etique tte that you learntduring the journey, and all the salaahs that you per-formed, should be maintained at home also. Humble-ness in salaah, constant zikr service to humanity,sincerity and all the good actions that 'you practisedduring the journey, should be observed at home also,for the main object of th is journey was to involve one-

self in the practice of good deeds.

12 . If vou undertake a journey for worldly objects, and notpurely for Tabligh work, even then observe Islamic eti-quette and du'aas; perform your sal aahs regularly, withJama'at and if there are three co mpanion s, one of themshould be made an ameer.

In such a Tabligh journey keep all th e books of Tablighwith you, namely Hikaayaat-i-Sahaabah, Fadhaa'il

Namaaz, Fadhaa'il Tabligh etc., and you should alsohave a miswak, lota (utensil for holding water for thepurpose of wudhu), musallah (prayer mat), soap,thread and needle, table cloth, mud lump made for thepurpose of istinja, matches, candle, comb, surmahdaani (s urmah dispense r), torch, staff (which could beused as a sutrah ).

14 . If the leader a sks you to prepare food for the group, orto do some other service, obey his orders happily; anddon't think that you will be dep rived of the reward ofTabligh when your companions leave you with yourtask, for then you will deserve double reward, one forrendering service to your companions, and the other,for relieving your compan ions of the ir worry to enablethem to do Tabligh work freely.

1 5 . The Tabligh journey is a good period in which to prac-tice Islamic routine; therefore, be heIpful to one an-other, and promote unity. Don't insist on your ownproposdl, but only suggest i t , and explain the merits. Ifyour companions do not accept your proposal, thendon 't despair; If the proposal of somebody else is ac-cepted by the group, and the result is not good, thendon't say. "What did I suggest to you? Had you ob-

served my counsel, you would have attained muchgood!"16 . During the informal or special visit, or during Taalim

lessons, or at the time of da'wat don't discus s any con-; troversial subject; but should rather invite people to

the fundamentals of Islam and th e Onenes s of Allah,for when one und erstand s the meaning of the kal imah,then he will want to know more about Imaan andIslam. I

i

17 . Remain in any city or village that you visit as long as 8ts inhabitants can easily un derstan d th e main object of1

the work of Tabligh, and are prepared to observe all 2


18/21


the rules of T&!igh work. It is not correct to be at oneplace in the morning, at another in the evening; at oneplace at Zuh'r, and at another as As'r. One cannot dojustice to Tabligh work, if you-visit only a few persons,or deliver a speech in the musjid. Your attempt in thistask can be successful and impressive only when youstay in a town for a required period.

18. When you return from a journey, and are nearing yourcity or village, say,

Aa-iboona, taa-iboona, 'aabidoona lirabbinaa haami-doon."We are returning (to piety); we are repenting; we areworshipping Allah; and we are giving thanks toAllah!''

19. When you return from the journey, and enter yourhome, say,

Owban, owban, lirabbinaa towban, laa yughaadirualaynaa hpwban."I have returned, I have returned to my Sustainer withrepentence, which would cleanse us of every sin".

20 . It is preferable to reach your town after sunrise; thenperform two rakaats nafl in the local musjid, then talkto your Muslim brothers for a while, and then enteryour home. Whenever Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihewasallam) returned from a journey he did so. (Mish-kaat )

21 . Whenever Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) re-turned from a journey during the night, he did notenter his home, but on the next morning or evening.(Mishkaat).

22 . It has been reported by Jaabir (Radhiyallaho anho) that

Rasulullah [Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "When-ever you return from a journey after sunset, and wish

tcl go home to your wife, then give her sufficient timeto remove pubic hair and to comb the hair on her head(in order that she groom herself in preparation for yourreturn). (Bukhaari & Muslim)

23. After returning from a journey, one should hastelyrejoin the Tabligh workers, successful and fortunate ishe who observes the requisites of this journey sin-cerely, and returns home with a great spiritual im-provement.

Directives for the workers of Tabligh

(Selected from the sayings of Hadhrat Maulana MuhammadIlyaas (Rahmatullah alaih)

1. The first and the main object of knowledge is that oneshould examine his actions; he should realize hisduties and shortcomings, and should seek means toovercome them. Then if you only compare the actionsof others according to your ilm then this pride destroys

those who have ilm.2. The real remembrance of Allah is that a Muslim

should always obey the commandments of Allah, andshould keep them in mind at all times. I instruct myown friend with the same zikr.

3. The main object of our jamaat is to teach the Muslimsthe original and complete religion taught by Rasulullah(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). This is our real object; asfor our Tabligh journeys in groups this is a preliminarymeans to carry out our work; the instruction of Kali-mah Tayyibah and Salaah is the initiation of our course.

4. Our workers should remember that if their da'wat is notaccepted anywhere, they should not be disappointed:they should remember that they generally are follow-ing the Sunnah of the Ambiyaa (Alayhimus salaam)and particularly the Sunnah of Rasulul lah (Sallallahoalaihe wasallam). How many are there who go out inAllah's path, who bear hardships and yet are dis-graced? On the other hand, if they are welcomed andhonoured somewhere, they should think it to be afavour of Allah, and should have great regard for it.When they teach religion to those who pay heed to it,though they be commoners, they thank Allah for Hisfavour.


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34 Six Fun damen tals Six Fundamentals

5. Our workers should not desire for calamities fromAllah. Should any misfortune befall them then, theyshould accept tha t to be the mercy of Allah, and a com-pensation for their sins, and as a means to raise theirranks.

6. In your explanation you should have the intention toplease Allah only, and not your audience. In the Tab-ligh journey we should bear in mind that we have leftour homes in obedience to Allah's command, and notby our own wish; therefore it is He who will assist us.When you have suc h an intention, you will not be ang-ered by the i.11 trea tmen t of the people to whom youtalk, nor will you be discouraged.

7. It has become an undesirable cu stom, if our audien cedoes not follow our instructions we regard ourselves tobe loosers, whereas it is infact the loss to our listeners,because they have not obeyed the teachings of their re-ligion, our success lies in performing our duty to de-

liver the truth. How can we be unsuccessful, by thenegligence of ot hers? Our duty is to present Islam i nthe best possible manner. Even the Ambiyaa fAlayhi-mus salaam) were not held responsible, if th e audiencedid not follow them. You may learn a lesson frompeoples rejection, that your approach to this work maynot be perfect a nd faultless; therefore, you s hall im-prove your fut ure attempts an d ask Allah for completeguidance.

8. If th e Ulama and pi ous peop le of a town sh ow no keen-ness and are not sy mpatheti c towards the work of Tab-ligh, then do not doubt their sincerity, and don'tdevelop any ill feeling about them in your heart, butyou shoul d realize that the object of t he work is notapparent to them yet.

9. Wherever you go, you should visit the Ulama andpious p eople of that place , so that you can benefit fromtheir knowledge and piety. You should not invite themto the work of Tabligh, for they know thei r dut ies best,and the benefits thereof; they will not understand theobject of your work merely by explanation, therefore,they will naturally not confirm the same, and oncethey do not acknowledge, they shall insist on theirdenial, hence meet them only for your benefit, as longas you are in their town make an effort to follow your

lessons and principles very strictly; when the ulamaand pious one s are informed of your activi ties, theywill naturally be interested in your Tabligh work;thereafter in a very honourable and respectful mannerexplain to them your aim s and objects.

10 . One of t he prin ciples of Tabligh is that a speakershould be concise and to the point in his general ad-dress but very polite an d courteous, when addressing aparticular person; rather when he instructs a particularperson , even then his ad dres s should be of a generalnature. Whenever Ras ulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasal-lam) came to know of th e wrong actions of a particularperson, he disappro ved of it in general terms and sai d,"What will t he result of suc h a nation be, who commitwrong actio-ns".

11. We are accustomed to be pleased with talk only; wemerely talk about good deeds, and think that our

I words replace them; therefore, try to refrain from thishabit.

12 . Whatever good deeds you do, attribute them to Allah,and seek His forgiveness for verily you should keep inmind that whatever action you did was not the best,and that there was fault in its completion. Rasulullah(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) used to seek Allah's for-giveness at the end of his sal aah. The responsib ility ofAllah's work cannot be completed in anyway by Hisservants, and when w e are busy with certain work thisshould not stop us from doing other work, and weshould seek Allah's forgiveness and assistance at thecomplet ion of all good work.

1 3 . All your Tabligh journeys w ill be worthless if you didnot continue studying deeni ilm and regular zikrullah,hence, there is fear that neglige nce of these two es sen-

Itials cou ld be a ca use of t urmo il, and to be led astray. Ifyou do not possess deeni ilm then Islam and Imaan isfor name sake and customary, for no good deed is poss-ible without s ound Islamic knowledge, and knowledgewithout zikrullah is but darkness and no noor can be

v,

derived therefrom, and this is what our workers have 3neglected. 5

.5 E14 . When a deeni explanation is made and also during the

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gasht the jamaat m embers are taught to remain in zik- Ek


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rullah an d fikr. The reason for this i s whilst an effort ismade to explain the truth and at the same time manyhearts in the group are occupied in endorsing with afirm belief, the same idea, this makes an impression onother hearts.

15. The proportion of zikrullah must be increased concert-

edly to outweigh the unfavourable and adverse con-diti ons the jamaat encounters when going out forTabligh. This will protect them from the evil effects ofthe human and jinn shayaateen.

16. Sincerity and good intention is the base of Tablighwork, and steadfastness of the abovementioned i s veryimportant. Therefore, Tabligh workers should at alltimes seek Allah's pleasure and obey His commands,the greater the extent there is in your sincerity andsteadfastness, the greater will be your reward withAllah.

17 . The end of your good actions shou ld always be a con-fession of your weakness and negligence, and th e fearof that deed not being accepted by Allah.

18. In our Tabligh work in addition to both sincerity andtruthfulness, unity and mutual consultation is essen-tial. Without these a great danger of committing errorsprevails.

19. Those high positions which Rasulullah (Sallallahoalaihe wasallam) showed, that could be attained bylove and dedication of deen and which was also at-tained by the Sahaabah (Radhiyallaho anhum) for theirsacrifices and hardships which they underwent, youwish to attain that status by the mere leasurely readingof books. For those lofty favours and rewards that wereobtained through total sacrifice, we should at leastsweat a bit.

20. What benefit is there in remembering the dutie s whichhave been completed. One should plan the completionof the remainder of t he mission , and assess the short-comings of th e work done.

21. Don't be contented wi th a person's accept ing or under-standing your message, be mindful of how many mil-lions are left out +a whom Allah's message did not

reach. How many more are there who accepted and

were aware of your message but due to our negligencedid not carry out Allah's command.

22. Many are of the view that to convey the message isTabligh, this is a serious misunderstanding. The mean-ing of Tabligh is that a person shou ld according to hisability and experience convey the message of deen in a

manner, that there is hope for the people to acceptwhat is being said. This was the method practiced bythe Ambiyaa (Alayhimus salaam).

23. Those who go out for deeni work or for gasht, and theirhearts are effected by meeting unmindful and negligentpeople or irreligious'places should make good this lossby zikrullah an d fikr of the Deen in seclusion.

24. Basically, every good deed is for the pleasure of Allahand to gain reward in the Hereafter. Worldly gainsshould also be mentioned for encouragement towardspiety. At the beginning, some do religious work for

worldly gain , but d ue to the blessing of th e work theyare later favoured by Allah with sincerity.25. Plan, suggest and propose ways and means to call

people towards Deen and doing the work of Deen. Ap-proach them in a manner that will draw their atten-tion, and attract them towards Deen.

26. The purpose to go out for Tabligh journeys is notmerely to advice and guide others, infact the object isto reform ourselves and develop pleasant habits.Hence, during the journey we should be engaged at alltimes with zikrullah and aquiring deeni ilm. Theseshou ld be practiced with the advice and guidance ofour learned e lders and Ameer (leader). Be mindful ofthese for your going out for Tabligh will be futile ifthese are neglected.

27. In this work of Tabligh firm establishment is more sig-nificant than expansion . The method of this i s thatwith establishment, expansion must be simultaneous.Without travelling to villages, towns and countries,how could t his work of Tabligh be established. .-

1

28. One of the pr inciples of this Tabligh work is that oneabstains from unilateral decisions and freedom of .a 8movement, and at all times abides to the guidance of

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the recognized learned elders. 3k


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29. The general practice of Tabligh workers is that theygive full attention to the more prominent personalities,and are less attentive towards other pious and humblenot well to do persons who offer their services. It mustbe understood that this is an approach totally forworldly gain. Keep in mind that the pious and humblewho are very poor and needy, who offer their servicesout of dedication for guidance, are a blessing fromAllah. Therefore honour an d be grateful to them.

30 . Womenfolk should assist the men and give them theopportunity to do religious work. Make their house-hold duties lighter for them so that they may do relig-ious work withaut a ny hinderance. If the women d onot co-operate in this direction, they will be the vic-tims of becoming a trap of Shaytaan.

31 . It is very important when one goes out for Tablighwork that one remains occupie d in the activit ies of thejamaat, and does not get involved in other things. The

work schedu le of t he jamaat is as follows: (1 ) To goaroun d meeting Muslims for the upliftment of Deen.(2) The acquiri ng of deeni ilm, and t he develop ment ofa habit of constant zi krullah. (3 ) To be helpful, particu-larly to your close associates. (4 ) The correction of in -tention and working towards the development ofIkhlaas (sincerity) and exercising Ihtisaab, i.e. with aconcerted effort of k eeping ones self un der se rveilancefor purity and clarity of niy yah. One must also regu-larly entrench the thought in your heart that onesgoing out is solely for the pleasure of Allah alon e,therefore one will definately be blessed with the prom-

ise in the Qur'aan and hadith for dedication ornatewith this refined quality. It is this Ikhlaas that is keptin check by Ihtisaab which is termed true Imaan, andis also the essence of a ll our deeds.

32. The Shaytaan's desire is to annul and destroy the pro-gress and higher position which would be attained bybeing punctual with the faraa'idh, therefore all onesfree moments must be spent in nafl zikr (optional zikr),so that the Shaytaan is unable to influence you intomeaningless things which would result in harm.

33. One of th e princip les of Tabligh work is that youhonour every Muslim and respect th e Ulama.

Six Fundamentals 39

34. Understand that when some companions intend re-turning home, don't desire or yearn to follow them,rather contain your heartfelt desire and continue withTabligh work, for great virtues have been promised forthe sam e. The example of thos e who contain theirheartfelt desire and remain steadfast on this work isthat of a fighter who remains fight ing on the battlefield

whilst hi s co-fighters disappear in retreat.

I 35. The condition precee ding the assured method of at-taining Allah's assistance is that you should assist His1 true religion. If you offer assistance to His deen thendifficulties alld obstacles in life will turn into means

for your pleasure in this world, and the earth and skiesan d whatever it contains will be of ass istance to you.Those who aft er carrying out Allah's work despair the

I mercy and pleasure of Allah would be most unfortu-nate and w ilfully transgressing His laws.36. What is termed to be divine assista nce and unforseen

power is not bestowed initially but is disseminated atthe appropriate occasion and time.

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