Yes, the Muslim world is facing oppression and injustice, but we can no longer escape the fact that we have enemies within the community. The Glasgow attack and the Lal Masjid horror are recent examples of extremism and terror. Clearly there is a crisis of ignorance, leadership and faith. Muslims must acknowledge that there is a radical fringe which needs to be identified and rejected. We cannot allow the pulpits of our mosques or the institutions of learning to be seized for the discourse of anger and the rhetoric of rage. It has become imperative to understand the root of militancy, which is transforming the glorious tradition of spiritual quest and scholarship in Islam to one of terror.
Prophet Mohammad said, “Beware of extremism in your religion”. This ideology of extremism stems from religious outfits like Tablighi Jamaat whose recruits are operating world over. Tablighi Jamaat was founded by Deobandi cleric Maulana Mohammad Ilyas Kandhalawi in 1920. The Jamaat-e-Islami, Ahle Hadis and Salafis share similar views.
Islam in the subcontinent is the legacy of the Sufis. Wahabism is an import from Saudia Arabia, which seeks inspiration from Ibn Wahab who died in 1786 AD. Unfortunately its followers are unaware of the political and religious activities of its founder and have become victims of the mission rhetoric: “purify and spread Islam”, which allows emotion to rule over knowledge.
The Wahabis reject the historical Islamic belief that the spiritual chains of Sufi orders (silsilas) are linkages to Prophet Mohammad. Ibn Taymiyya, a 14th century scholar, remains the primary source for Wahabi ideology who was barred from teaching and jailed several times in Damascus for issuing heretical fatwas. Taymiyya’s life was spared because he publicly repented amid 700 scholars. He slandered the Caliphs Ali and Osman, discredited Sufi scholars like Ibn Arabi and Imam Ghazali, preaching that visiting the Prophet’s shrine was sin. Inspired by Taymiyyas forgotten teachings Abd al-Wahab of Nejd in East Arabia saw himself as a reformer and preached that Muslims who sought intercession to God through Prophet Mohammad and the Sufis are polytheists who practice shirk (innovation).
Ibn Wahab’s initial devotees were largely Bedouins and he declared those who did not believe in his teachings as unbelievers. He told them: “It is halal (permissible) to kill and plunder Muslims who make mediators of the prophet and auliyas (Sufis) with a view to attain closeness to Allah.” The Bedouins used the verdict to justify the loot of Haj pilgrims. Ibn Wahab taught that it was sinful to build tombs over graves and said: “If I could I would demolish the Prophet’s shrine.” He did not believe that waqf foundations were Islamic and pronounced that salaries to Qazis were unlawful bribes. Ibn Wahab burnt original Sufi manuscripts including copies of the world famous Muslim prayer manual “Dalail ul Khairaat” by the 15th century Moroccan Sufi scholar Jazuli because along with salutations and blessings to the Prophet, its narrative included an eloquent portrait of the Prophet’s shrine. His followers plundered and desecrated the tomb of the Prophet’s grandson Imam Hussain in Karbala.
Wahabi orthodoxy was a minor current in the Muslim world till promoted by the Al Saud dynasty that came to power in 1924. The house of Saud established matrimonial alliances with Ibn Wahab’s family furthering his strident teachings to justify their take-over of the holy cities and establish the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The royals ran bulldozers over the remnants of all meditation cells and the early Sufi tombs along with the adjoining mosques. The historical tombs of the Prophet’s family and his companions at Jannat ul-Maali and Jannat ul-Baqi, the sacred graveyards of Mecca and Medina were razed to the ground.
Mecca and Medina are now managed by the Wahabis and their control has robbed pilgrims of the right to express devotion in a manner of their choice. Constant patrol of the muttawas (religious police) ensures that pilgrims don’t touch the exteriors of the prophet’s shrine or offer salutations to him. At Medina turning towards the Prophet’s tomb for supplication (dua) is met with harsh reactions and pilgrims are forcibly turned around to face the direction of the Kabbah. Women are allowed in the compound but are subject to severe restrictions of time and space.
Through well-funded outreach organisations the Wahabis spread their version of Islam where listening to music, celebrating the annual birth anniversary of the Prophet (milad-e-nabi) and death anniversaries of the Sufis (Urs) are unlawful in Islam.
Be it for Muslims or non-Muslim, the Wahabi ideology is rooted in the politics of extremism and terror negating the Quranic message of peace and brotherhood. “Islam is a religion of peace,” has been reduced to a mere cliché. Muslims have to become good communicators of that Quranic and prophetic message by reclaiming their lost intellectual heritage and reviving academic discourse on the rightful traditions of Islam.
“… and who saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of mankind.” — The Quran 5:32
No offence to anyone, but this is just a personal experience that I am going to share. In my university, the entire staff of the Islamiat Department consisted of Salafi aur Wahabi teachers. One of them was Professor Hafiz Saeed, a well known figure. It was said that the department received direct aid from Saudi Arabia and it may indirectly be going to Professor Sb's other activities.
I think this trend, being intolerant, extends from "kharji fitna" that emerged during the time of Khulalafa-e-Rashideen. The Khawarij were extremists in many respects. A notable belief they held was that a sinner is kaafir. This thinking hurts us even in the present times. Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) said that my belief is that who ever believes in the 'kalima' and prays while facing kaba is not a kaafir. We have to be tolerant. But then, this is the time of Fitnas - the Fitna-e-Aakhir-uz-Zamaan. We may have to just ride the wave.
^ You mean the Salafis...?
or the person who wrote the article..sorry..but your comment is not clear..
She meant Wahabis
I am surprise about the author's remark "This ideology of extremism stems from religious outfits like Tablighi Jamaat". It is clear that she had no idea about what Tablighi Jamaat is and does.
Author is confused about the meaning of extremism and the concept of keeping it simple. That is what Tabhlighi Jamaat does. They are actually like buddhist of Islamic culture. You slap them and they will present another cheek (their persistency of presenting another cheek is sometime irritate others:) )
That is what Tabhlighi Jamaat does. They are actually like buddhist of Islamic culture. You slap them and they will present another cheek (their persistency of presenting another cheek is sometime irritate others:) )
no man they are more like jehovas witnesses of the islamic faith, show up at your door unannounced and all.
I don’t think they reflect extremism but they are under scrutiny and examination in UK these days since Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammed SIdique Khan found visiting Dewsbury Markaz . And the Mosque ,TJ ,intends to construct at Newham in east London is now encountering opposition from locals .
I don’t think they reflect extremism but they are under scrutiny and examination in UK these days since Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammed SIdique Khan found visiting Dewsbury Markaz . And the Mosque ,TJ ,intends to construct at Newham in east London is now encountering opposition from locals .
They might be under scrutiny in western countries. The whole muslim community, in general, is under scrutiny.
As a matter of fact, all the liberals in this forum, who chant anti-mullah slogans all the time, if they think that by doing that, GORA people will hug them with open heart, then they are highly mistaken. They are the one raise more suspicious cause they act like amongst one of GORA people while they are not.
More liberal you try to act, more scrutiny you could expect. Its the world we live in.
Whilst I won't say that I'm a fan of the Tablighi Jamaat, I seem to that after the 2005 bombings in London, the government investigate the Tablighi Jamaat and concluded that they were not a violent group.
However, the report also concluded that a large portion of Britons who end up involved in terrorism were once part of or connected to people in the Tableeghi Jamaat, though they left precisely because the Tableeghis do not advocate violence. The police concluded that the Tableeghi Jamaat would make people religious and start practicing Islam, them violent extremists from other groups would radicalise some of them and get them to leave the Jamaat.
^ Yeah, that's my feeling about it too, although I don't have hard core proof. Tablighi Jamaat guys are pretty peaceful, and their movement is pretty international. I can understand why it would scare the crap out of people.
Why does it always have to come back to this gora-people complex??? Just because we don't agree with you on EVERYTHING doesn't mean we're not Pakistanis and that we're trying to run away from Islam or our culture. And goras are much better people than we are, to be quite honest, so your "insult" that we try to emulate goras is actually a compliment. And we're not looking for hugs. We're looking to be decent human beings, which rewards us with hugs from Allah. :)
TJ is not a terrorist or extremist movement IMO. They advocate purification from within and I know of some real lafangay types who have become well grounded after becoming a Tablighi. They do have some weird people though but that is present in every large grouping.
I'm much more skeptical of those I call "professional" Wahhabis. These are the Al Muhajiroun types who go out of the way to stir up trouble especially after khutbas and during non-religious events in community centers.