Recently a Pakistani fellow was transferred into my office from London. He’s a nice guy, intelligent, and has a beautiful wife and a new born. We have become fast friends mostly because we share a common background and an intense passion for banking. He has done very well for himself Ma’shallah, just recently brought his parents a beautiful house in Surrey.
We were having bagels and coffee yesterday morning and he dropped a bombshell: He was going to request a leave of absence to do tabligh in South America. This was a big deal for me because I went through a range of emotions:
I selfishly don’t want him to leave, we get on REALLY well and he’s the only Pakistani colleague I have.
I have mixed feelings on the missionary work. I know where he is coming from, materially he is doing well Alhamdolilah, and he wants that spiritual fulfillment. I almost quit my job to take a fellowship at Al-Azhar so I admire his vision.
Also, in case you guys are wondering: He wouldn’t be one of those joker TJ types who hit up Muslims only, he has a plan for dawah that is no joke. The guy is a born salesman with a degree in Marketing, so he knows how to run things.
I didn’t really have a chance to express my feelings because he had to run to a client meeting. I don’t want to lie to him but would like to be supportive. Also, he did mention that he was going to take his wife and son with him.
I’m going through a mix of emotions and want to support this brother.
Any advice?
There is not much you can do but respect his beliefs and if you are a friend then support his actions.
Is he new to Tabligh or has he recently joined the movement? Is he going there alone or with others? TJ is never really targetted at non-Muslims as TJ's stress that we need to improve Muslims before movig into non-Muslims - a view which people criticise it for.
BEWARE - he will probably try to convert you ito a TJ too. Once they start going they spare o victims. jkg!
Please forgive me If I say something offensive, but all tableeghi jamats are not same. There are few organizations and sadly they have a quite strong hold in several mosques in UK and USA. These organisations are not teaching the core values of Islam, they are hard-core fundamentalists, and please excuse my opinion that they are doing more damage than good.
You will notice that they are very intolerant of other Islamic sects, Jihad is the recurring theme. You'll also notice that they are ritual oriented, lot of emphasis on quran memorization and supplementary prayers rather than the spirit of Islam.
All Muslim sects are intolerant of one another. TJ does not push Jihad at all - it is not a movement that challenges the status quo - in a way some may argue it has killed pjyisical Jihad to an extent.
Rituals are and important part of Islam - I have no idea what you mean by your last sentence. What exactly is your definition of the spirit of Islam?
R…man
i think it’s about time you find nice, beautiful pakhtoon kuri (everyday she will serve you garam garam sabz khewa with pista-badaam …and chaplee kabab).
ps. i hate it when u have no pakistani at your work place. banda kisi say urdu main gossips bhi nahi ker sakta :(.
There is not much you can do but respect his beliefs and if you are a friend then support his actions.
Is he new to Tabligh or has he recently joined the movement? Is he going there alone or with others? TJ is never really targetted at non-Muslims as TJ's stress that we need to improve Muslims before movig into non-Muslims - a view which people criticise it for.
BEWARE - he will probably try to convert you ito a TJ too. Once they start going they spare o victims. jkg!
Please forgive me If I say something offensive, but all tableeghi jamats are not same. There are few organizations and sadly they have a quite strong hold in several mosques in UK and USA. These organisations are not teaching the core values of Islam, they are hard-core fundamentalists, and please excuse my opinion that they are doing more damage than good.
You will notice that they are very intolerant of other Islamic sects, Jihad is the recurring theme. You'll also notice that they are ritual oriented, lot of emphasis on quran memorization and supplementary prayers rather than the spirit of Islam.
Anyone/group can claim to be islamic preacher.
TJ this guy is going on most likely has nothing to do with what you described.
There is not much you can do but respect his beliefs and if you are a friend then support his actions.
Is he new to Tabligh or has he recently joined the movement? Is he going there alone or with others? TJ is never really targetted at non-Muslims as TJ's stress that we need to improve Muslims before movig into non-Muslims - a view which people criticise it for.
BEWARE - he will probably try to convert you ito a TJ too. Once they start going they spare o victims. jkg!
I don't think i have a choice in the matter but to support him.
He is definitely new to the movement, I mean the guy was proper religious but was not "preachy" at all. I heard about TJ trying to target Muslims only, they stopped by my parents house in New York and I was not even sure about what they wanted.
Nahh, I don't convert easily to anything, besides I like my Sunni-Hanafi faith :D
Don't tell me he is going to Brazil for his tableeghi work. That will defeat the purpose. I am just saying..
Oy he's not going to Ipanema beach or during Carnival..he's going to some poor state full indigenous people. I can't believe the wifey agreed to this! I thought the wife would knock some sense into him.
I spoke with the sister and she was like "if Allah wills it, XXXX's neeyah is good" and I was like "at least think about it." And I felt bad even saying that: here I am, a sinner, preventing a brother from going to dawah right before the holy month of Ramadhan too. Honestly I wanted them to stay for purely selfish reasons, but my respect has grown because they are doing something that is so positive. That is why I am torn.
Oy Zobs, what does me getting married have to do with this dude? Honestly if I had a wife, I’d be telling her to find out the real story with his wife (if she wants to go or not).
Kya baat hai, dinner time pe yeh response likha hai? lagta hai kissi ko barhi bhook lagi hai
I don't think i have a choice in the matter but to support him.
He is definitely new to the movement, I mean the guy was proper religious but was not "preachy" at all. I heard about TJ trying to target Muslims only, they stopped by my parents house in New York and I was not even sure about what they wanted.
Nahh, I don't convert easily to anything, besides I like my Sunni-Hanafi faith :D
If he is new to the movement the elders would never allow him to go just like that. Your friend is doing nothing wrong but he is goig against the TJ procedures. They do not usually let a recent addition to the movement just do that and in their own way.
I have many relations involved in TJ and it is quite controlled. Is he going alone? He would need to go with others if he is TJ. You cant just do as you wish to.
As far as I know TJ is a part of the Sunni-Hanafi faith.
If he is new to the movement the elders would never allow him to go just like that. Your friend is doing nothing wrong but he is goig against the TJ procedures. They do not usually let a recent addition to the movement just do that and in their own way.
I have many relations involved in TJ and it is quite controlled. Is he going alone? He would need to go with others if he is TJ. You cant just do as you wish to.
As far as I know TJ is a part of the Sunni-Hanafi faith.
Honestly I didn't know what is going on. He did transfer from London, so maybe he was a TJ member before? But he never preached to me. I mean we prayed together, which was nice, but thats something that I would do anyways (find an empty office and pray namaz). His work has been top notch which is why our boss gave him the leave of absence.
I don't think he is going alone, he mentioned meeting some other TJ members while he is down there. But I thought that TJ members did not go with their wives and children. All of this is new to me. No disrespect to TJ, however they never registered on my radar. At most, I know them as people knocking on Muslim doors.
I wasn't even aware that these guys are Sunni-Hanafi. I guess I'll keep in touch with him and find out more.
All Muslim sects are intolerant of one another. TJ does not push Jihad at all - it is not a movement that challenges the status quo - in a way some may argue it has killed pjyisical Jihad to an extent.
Rituals are and important part of Islam - I have no idea what you mean by your last sentence. What exactly is your definition of the spirit of Islam?
One has to be cautious about the kind of jamat/organisation he is becoming a part of. Some of these so-called Islamic movements are doing a great disservice to Islam. They claim that they are a sub-category of Hanafi sect, but what they teach is in complete contrast of what Imama Abu Hanifa (ra) preached. They have a specific style of teaching, they would teach you three good things, but the fourth thing would be structured in such a way that it would destroy the roots of your faith, and it would seed evil in your heart, and it would get you away from God.
Within mosques, they take control by using force, and corner people who dont agree with them through systematic bullying. Many people in local mosques have either given in to their ways or have left the perimeters for good.
Tablighi Jamat are generally intolerant. They are started visiting my ancestral village in the late 1920s, after they had already screwed up Mewat, and generally exploited the poor farmers. Its a good thing that they have other targets like the kufaar in South America. They are generally seen as a conveyor belt organization, you start with the Tabligh and ended up with Al Qaeda.
“peaceful and apolitical preaching-to-the-people movement.”[SUP][59]](Tablighi Jamaat - Wikipedia)[/SUP]
—Graham Fuller, a former CIA official and an expert on Islam, (author of The Future of Political Islam)
His goal is definitely Dawah not particular agenda or sectarian view. I mean he's Sunni Hanafi and so am I, but I don't think that he looking to preach the specific madhabs. It's more geared to wards just an introduction towards Islam. He had been secretly learning Brazilian (Portuguese).
nice try. but dawat from him means a sunni, and specific hanafi mazhab (probably the intolerant, wild child, modern day violent arabized version). know this, that when he gets caught in the illegal activities, that he is bound to, you'd be suspect number 1.
nice try. but dawat from him means a sunni, and specific hanafi mazhab(probably the intolerant, wild child, modern day violent arabized version). know this, that when he gets caught in the illegal activities, that he is bound to, you'd be suspect number 1.
This is the most followed madhab in the world. Are you saying that majority of Muslims are intolerant and violent? You're ridiculous.
nice try. but dawat from him means a sunni, and specific hanafi mazhab (probably the intolerant, wild child, modern day violent arabized version). know this, that when he gets caught in the illegal activities, that he is bound to, you'd be suspect number 1.
Why would I be suspect number 1? I’m religious but don’t impose my views on anyone. I don’t see how it is bad to go out and tell people about Islam, clear up misconceptions that people have – I don’t see how that is a crime.
Not every missionary is a terrorist – not everyone is trying to wage global jihad.
Why would I be suspect number 1? I’m religious but don’t impose my views on anyone. I don’t see how it is bad to go out and tell people about Islam, clear up misconceptions that people have – I don’t see how that is a crime.
Not every missionary is a terrorist – not everyone is trying to wage global jihad.
So true. One of my mum's relatives was a TJ member for years. I judged him in a negative way too because of my own preconceived notions about them. But the way he died left me... speechless. He went to the masjid before leaving on another TJ tour, passed away during namaaz in sajdah... just like that. He died literally in Allah ki raah. I don't know about others but I am pretty envious of his manner of death which Allah taala probably wouldn't grant to a person like me. This changed the way I look at TJ now. There might be a few bad apples in the jamaat who preach one thing and practise another but there must be some of them doing something right, something noble. It is easy to compare them to Al-Qaeda from behind our computer screens but it takes a lot of imaan to take time out of our busy lives to do what your friend is doing and for that I do respect them, dawaah is afterall an obligation.
(everyday she will serve you garam garam sabz khewa with pista-badaam 
…and chaplee kabab).