Ziya Us Salam Takes Us Inside the Tablighi Jamaat

 

It is the ‘ideal Muslim organisation’ for some – focused solely on introspection in isolation. And it would have remained so had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic that broke out in early 2020.

 

 

Not much is known about what is arguably the world’s, and certainly India’s, largest Islamic organization – the Tablighi Jamaat. From poverty-stricken peasants of Bihar to dairy farmers of Mewat, its members attend retreats in local mosques, and at times, the Markaz in Delhi. They come of their own free will, at their own expense. The Tablighi tells its members to look within, that life is about internal cleansing with regular prayer that paves the path to spiritual upliftment.

Unlike other Islamic organizations that balance the here and the hereafter, the Tablighi is concerned only about ‘matters beyond the sky and under the earth’. Its steadfast refusal to take a political stand has stood it in good stead. It is the ‘ideal Muslim organization’ for some – focused solely on introspection in isolation.

Now, for the first time, author Ziya Us Salam provides an inside view of the organization that unwittingly became a ‘hotspot’ during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

 

“Often criticised for reducing Islam to a set of rituals, the Tablighi Jamaat stood accused of spreading Covid-19 in the summer of 2020. In Inside The Tablighi Jamaat, I have tried to give a lowdown of the controversy along with information about the organization’s history and ideology.”

– Ziya Us Salam,Author

“Most of us knew nothing about the Tablighi Jamaat before April this year, which is surprising considering the size of its membership. Its penchant to fly under the radar ensures little is known about it outside its circles. This book provides a close look into the Tablighi Jamaat’s history, ideology, membership, and yes, the truth behind the COVID-19 controversy.”- Swati Chopra, Executive Editor, HarperCollins

About the book

In stark contrast to other Islamic organizations whose members are often scholars of Islam, the Tablighi Jamaat’s members are poor, often illiterate, and can barely recite a few verses of the Quran. They are told by their parent organization to look within to move ahead in life. For them, life is about internal cleansing with regular prayers. They memorize the Quran but make no effort to understand it. The text that they study is the Fazail-e-Amal (‘Virtues of Deeds’), which is a compilation of the Hadith, some authentic, others disputed, some anecdotes, other hearsay.

The refusal to take a political stand has stood the Tablighi Jamaat in good stead. No political party has had any impact on it, nor has it reacted to any social or political provocation. It is the ‘ideal’ Muslim organization for some – focused solely on introspection in isolation. And it would have remained so had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic that broke out in early 2020.

About the author:

Ziya Us Salam is associate editor, The Hindu and Frontline. He was The Hindu’s Features Editor for north Indian editions for 16 years. His books on Islam include Nikah Halala: Sleeping with a Stranger, Women in Masjid, Madrasas in the Age of Islamophobia, Lynch Files, 365 Tales from Islam, Of Saffron Flags and Skull Caps, and Till Talaq Do Us Part.

Pre-Order link: https://amzn.to/2Xf0lE2

Paperback | Rs 399

For review copy, please email or contact

Jaseya.Fazili@harpercollins.co.in

Shivendra.Singh@harpercollins.co.in