The Statements of the Deobandi Hanafi Scholars on Jamaat ut-Tabligh

Compiled, Translated and Annotated

Abu Khuzaimah Ansari

Since the establishment of Jamaat ut-Tableegh the scholars of Ahlus sunnah Wal-Jaamah have pointed out and highlighted their mistakes according to their aims and objectives, their way’s method and Manhaj. However the words of the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Hadeeth was and is never taken even after they highlighted the mistakes of Jamaat ut-Tableegh evidently from the book and the authentic sunnah. The most ironic thing of this whole disagreement with Jamaat ut-Tableegh is that the points raised by Ahlus-Sunnah Wa Ahlul-Hadeeth are exactly the same to those that their own leaders, the deobandee hanafees raised themselves, for example

The method of Jamaat ut-Tableegh is not in accordance with the Qur’aan, Sunnah or the understanding of the Pious Predecessors.
Their abandonement of rectifying the beliefs of the general masses
Concentrating on the prayer and leaving the fundamental creed of Tawhed (oneness of Allaah). Also saying the work of tableegh is of the greatest importance.
Speaking without knowledge, normal people give the lectures and sermons who lack knowledge
and believing the method of Jamaat ut-Tableegh is the only method of rectification and that it is complete.

The Statements Of the Deobandee Hanafee Scholars

Maulana Ehtishaam al-Hasan Khandelvi was a very very close friend of Maulana Muhammad Ilyaas (the founder of Jamaat ut-Tableegh) from childhood to oldage. Maulana Ehtishaam al-Hasan wrote a book called, “Zindagee Kee Siraat-e-Mustaqeem” (The straight Path of Life) at the end of which he included a very small treatise entitled, “An Important Note”,in this he wrote,

“The tableegh of the present Nizaam ud deen (Delhi- the headquarters of the Tableeghi Jamaat) according to my knowledge and understanding it is neither according to the Qur’aan nor to the method of Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Thanee, Hazreat Shaah Waleeullaah Muhaddith Dehlawee or according to the scholars of the truth. So the scholars who participate in this tableegh, their first responsibility should be to conform this effort according to the Qur’aan, Hadeeth, to the way of the Scholars of the Salaf (Predecessors) and the scholars of the truth.”

So another deobandi hanafee scholar attempted to answer this. Mahmood Hasan Gangohee (Not THEE Mualana Mahmood al-Hasan or Shaikh ul-Hindh) said,

“To this day i had been assuming that he (Maulana Ehtishaam al-Hasan) remained in Khandelah because of his bad health and and due to which he abandoned his presence in Nizaam ud deen and did not participate in the work of tableegh, however from this ‘Important Note’ I found out the reason for him not participating was because acording to him the work of tableegh is not necessary rather it is destroying the religion.” (Chashmah Aftaab (pg.7)

The author of Chashmah Aftaab, Qamar ud deen Mazaahiree writes in his foreword,

“Maulana Ehtishaam ul-Hasan is from the founders of this movement and very recently he has strongly refuted Jamaat ut-Tableegh and said it is a group that calls to misguidance.” (Chashmah Aftaab (pg.3)

Maulana Muhammad Zakariyyah admitted this and at the same time he mentions the internal feud of the tableeghee’s and deobandee’s. he says,

“However even I am hearing that some of the represenatatives (khulafaa) and Hawaas of Maulana Thanwee do not like Jamaat ut-Tableegh.” (Chashmah Aftaab (pg.11)

The representative (khaleef) of Khaleel Ahmad Saharanpooree and a close worker with the founder of Jamaat ut-Tableegh Muhammad Ilyaas and his son Maulana Yoosuf, the deobandee scholar Abdur Raheem Shaah said,

“The work that is for the people of knowledge, the general people want to do. Yet not only are they unaware of the religion but they are also not seen in good terms because of their ignorances and bad deeds in the community. Then consider the following, “When the leader of a nation becomes bad then he only teaches a path of destruction to his people.” (Usool Dawat Wat-Tableegh (pg.3)

He further said,

“I (Abdur-Raheem) swear by Allaah and say this tableegh I am doing is only due to a necessity and so I am excused by the people because since these youth have started their open sermons for which they do not have permision according to the sharee’ah and they have exceeded the bounds in regards to its virtue (ie tableegh). Also they have openly hidden other aspects of the religion and after constant reminders by the superiors they were not stopped, then in these situations the people with responsibility should make this open and public.” (Usool Dawat Wat-Tableegh (pg.52)

Maulana Abdur-Raheem Shaah writes,

“Considering the innovation (non-Sunnah) to be the sunnah is a blameworthy act of the creedal aspect. I fall short in understanding how is it correct to rectify some actions (of the people) and yet turn a blind eye to defects in their beliefs as the correct beliefs are the means of salvation, and not the actions.” (Usool Dawat Wat-Tableegh (pg.64)

The famous deobandee scholar Manzoor Ahmad Nu’maanee raises an objection on Jamaat ut-Tableegh, he say,

“This mistake is quite common, that in general gatherings people are encouraged to deliver lectures who are not worthy to do so. Sometimes these very same people are not even fully aware of the associated issues and so whilst speaking they do not even realise the limits of their knowledge. So this is the reality of this and these mistakes occur frequently so it is upon the superiors to think and reflect upon this.” (Tadhkirratudh-Dhafar (pg.244)

Abul Hasan Alee Nadwee said,

“One of the disatisfactions the Maulana (Ashraf Alee Thanwee) had, was how will these people (ie Jamaat ut-Tableegh call the people to the importance of tableegh without knowledge. So when (the nephew of the maulana) Dhafar Ahmad (Thanwee) informed him that the speakers who deliver these lectures only speak about the issues they have been ordered to speak about and they do not speak about anything other than this, so he (Maulana Ashraf Alee) became satisfied.” (Deenee Dawat (pg.126).

The biographer of Maulana Dhafar Ahmad Thanwee, Maulana Abdush-Shakoor Tirmidhee said,

“And we are seeing more commonly the people who travel for tableegh do not have knowledge and due to this the speakers, speak about of all kinds of issues whilst mentioning stories and folk tales and in doing so most of them exceed the limits of theie knowledge.” (Tadhkirratudh-Dhafar (pg.242)

Maulana Dhafar Ahmad Thanwee himslef said,

“The present method of Jamaat ut-Tableegh in cultivating the people upon the knowledge of Islaam and of the various sciences, is totally neglected.” (Tadhkirratudh-Dhafar (pg.252)

He further said,

“The tableegh of the defective person is unreliable.” (Tadhkirratudh-Dhafar (pg.253).

Bare in mind Maulana Dhafar Ahmad Thanwee addressed an individual who does tableegh according to the way of Jamaat ut-Tableegh as defective.

Abdush-Shakoor Tirmidhee writes,

“Maulana (Dhafar Ahmad) did not at anytime consider joining and working with Jamaat ut-Tableegh sufficient.”(Tadhkirratudh-Dhafar (pg.241)

Another teacher of Daar al-Uloom Deoband said,

“From the time I familiarised myself with their method of tableegh (ie of Jamaat ut-Tableegh’s), I was never satisfied with it.” (Tanbeehaat (pg.12)