Assalaamu Alaikum.
Dear Brothers,
I had published a detailed study about the Tableeghi Jamaa'ath, a major portion of which related to the practices of the jamaa'ath which were known to all its members, or matters which were based on their books or letters exchanged with their higher-ups. The study also covered some details of the Sufi practices and the recent jihaad struggles. Most things were explained in the light of Qur-aanic verses. Some people might have thought that I wrote those things, under the influence of people belonging to other groups, although in my writings I had opposed all the groups.
Having been brought up in Melvisharam town, (India), I lived in the society which identifies itself with the "Ahlus-sunnah wal jamaa'ath" sect of Islaam, and the Hanafi sub-division within it and has adpoted the practices of "Tableeghi Jamaa'ath" for its reformative efforts. If I were born in a Shi'ite house-hold, I do not know to which of its sects I would have belonged to and to which of its 'reformative effort' I would have been attached to. Then, just as much impossible it was for me to have converted into a Shia from having been a Sunni originally, the chances of my conversion from Shi'ism to Sunnism would have been as remote. Because, to whichever sect or its sub-sect or group muslims belong to, there is very little that their knowledge, intelligence or choice contributes to their being in it and mostlly it is their place of birth which determines their affiliation.
Then, after having been brought up in a sub-sect of the shi'ites, if Allaah the Exalted had given me the good opportunity, I would have compared their actions and sayings in the light of Qur-aan, and it would have been my duty to point-out whatever differences I find between the Word of Allaah and their actions and sayings. Then, a group from among them would have certainly accused that this man has developed connections with another group of their sect or that I have joined hands with the Sunni people.
Only because of the reason that I was brought up in this society, I got the opportunities to get to know the details about its teachings, practices and persons. And what could I say about the other societies or the groups about which I know very little. Even if I had done research and said true things about them, they would have paid no attention and it would be a sufficient reason to dismiss it at the very outset, that I am a sunni or that I belong to a particular sub-sect or that I belong to a particular jamaa'ath. The society in which I have been living and the incidents that came under my observation, only about these I can mention. It was not my intention to point-out the short-comings of any particular person, group or place, leaving out everyone else in the world. This study also helped me to understand the basis on which our muslim world stands divided.
About the divisions / groups is Islaam, I had written that all these groups came into being, as a result of the plots of our enemies, so that we are kept divided and we remain weak. Now let us see how, through a special design, these divisions are sustained and the flames of enmity are kept alive between them. Let us imagine, for example, that our enemies sponsored three groups among us: Group A, Group B and Group C.
Since these groups are all muslim, many or most of their beliefs and practices are common, both good and bad. But in each of these groups there are some special practices (or beliefs) which are not present in the rest of the two groups. Group A emphasizes too much on certain good or supposedly good practices (which are its distinctive characteristics), about which the other groups do not emphasize, and because of which the members of Group A feel that they are superior compared to Group B and C. In the same Group A, there exist certain innovative practices (Bid'aath), which their elders present to its members as virtuous, but the other two groups have intense dislike for them and hence they run away from these groups' activites. Similarly, all the groups have their own distinctive good practices or efforts about which their members are proud and which remain a cause of their loyalty to that group. In the same way, the special innovative practices of each of the groups is the cause for the other groups hating it and quarreling with it.
Now, let us study in the light of Qur-aan, as to who are these enemies of ours and what is their purpose in establishing differences among us and why are we being forced into rejection (kufr), denial (takzeeb) and ridicule (istahzaa) of Qur-aan. Let us study it in the form of questions and answers.
Question: Who are the satan-like enemies of Islaam, besides the satan, who want us to go astray?
Answer: They have been identified in Qur-aan, as under:
The related verses are quoted below:
5:82 (part) “Surely you will find among people, the Jews and Pagans as strongest in enmity to the Believers;” (Surah Al-Maa’idah)
About the kaafiroon (those who have rejected the faith), it has been said:
3:149. “O you who believe! If you obey the unbelievers, they will drive you back on your heels, and you will turn back (from Faith) to your own loss.” (Aal-I-Imraan : 149)
60:2. “If they have the upper hand of you, they will be your foes, and will stretch out their hands and their tongues toward you with evil, and they long for you to disbelieve.” (Al-mumtahana : 2)
Allaah says about a faction of those who were given the book:
3:100.“O you who believe! If you obey a party of those who were given the book, they would render you apostates after you have believed!”(Al-I-Imraan 100)
4:44. “Have you not turned your vision to those who were given a portion of the Book? They traffic in error, and wish that you should lose the right path.” (an-nisaa’ : 44)
The people of the Book have also been warned about a people who have gone astray.
5:77. " Say: "O People of the Book! Exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper), trespassing beyond the truth, nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by, who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the even way." (al-Maa-idah : 77)
About the hypocrites it has been said:
4:89(part) “They long that you should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they)”
These verses show that many kinds of people, the Polytheists, the Jews, the hypocrites and a group from the People of the Book have a common purpose: To make us unbelievers like themselves.
Question: Do they have the required deep knowledge of our religion, in order to misguide us successfully?
Answer: Since the same religion was earlier given to the other nations, the leaders of these groups referred in the verses have no difficulty in imparting misguidance to Muslims, as they had done it earlier to their own people and to other nations.
42:13." The same religion has He ordained for you as that which He commended unto Nooh - that which We have inspired in you (O Muhammad) - and that which We commended unto Ibraaheem and Moosa and Eesaa : saying: Establish the religion, and be not divided therein. To those who worship other things than Allaah, hard is the (way) to which you call them. Allaah chooses to Himself whom He will, and guides to Himself him who turns (toward Him)."
Question: Do they have the required access to the common people among the Muslims?
Answer: Those who want to misguide us, they utilize the hypocrites among us Muslims, who, in turn, implement what their masters instruct them for misguiding the common people.
Question: Why do they do it? Why is it so important to them that Muslims lose their way and go astray?
Answer: The first reason is: The leaders of other religions project Islaam, among their people, as an evil that must be countered at any cost. So they collect taxes and donations from their people or spend government money to counter Islaam and to promote their own diluted or distorted religions. A huge army of people hired to do propaganda, clergy, publishers and party-men earn their livelihood off this money. As Allaah tells them :
“And have you made it your livelihood that you should declare it false?” (Al-waaqi’ah : 82)
The more important second reason is:
If we are made to do kufr and shirk, we lose acceptance (good
pleasure) 
of Allaah. We then lose
our ‘favoured nation’ status and stand on equal footing with them, as far
as the help of Allaah is concerned. Then they try to weaken us in the worldly
matters, in the manner described in the page : danger.html
. Thus, we become losers both in this world and in the Aakhirah.
Viewed from the standpoint of the following verse of Qur-aan (Surah An-noor), the most important reason for them to make us commit acts of shirk is that we should stand deprived of the inheritance of this earth:
In the above verse, Allaah has promised that He will grant inheritance of the earth and establish for us the religion which He has chosen for us and that He will change our state of fear into one of security and peace. In the same verse, he stipulates : " They will worship Me (alone) and not associate anything with Me. "
Taking a cue from the above verse, they want to make us do acts of kufr and shirk. However, if we are openly instructed to do kufr or shirk, most of us will not do it consciously, in-shaa-Allaah, and also neither in our sleep, nor in our dreams.
So. after the demise of our prophet, peace be upon him, when the time was opportune for the evil forces, they stealthily introduced changes into our swalah. We have no knowledge of when and who introduced these changes. But the creation of unrest in the heartland of Islaam so soon after the demise of our prophet and the successive murders of the caliphs and then of the prophet’s grandson show that our enemies were in an indecent hurry to extinguish the light of guidance.
It is very difficult to believe that our swalah is corrupted to any extent and that Muslims could be cheated so easily, giving false reasons and thus manipulated into doing acts of kufr and shirk. However, when we look into the affairs of the Tableegh Jamaa’ath (whose magic has not yet worn off), we come to know as to how many million innocent muslims around the world could be cheated in the name of deen and da’wah and made to do things that are contrary to the teachings of Qur-aan. What is surprising is that even well-educated people - including those who have got religious education - have been carried away by the illusory work. (Please refer the web-site copy by clicking this link : ikhwah.com )
In the next article, prayer.html , I would be giving details of the errors of omission and commission in our prayers (swalah).
Before explaining this, I want to get a concurrence from you. The concurrence is about your identity.
Allaah says in Qur-aan (41:33)
“And who is better in speech than the one who invites towards Allaah, does good deeds and says : (indeed) I am from the Muslims (those who surrenders unto Him).”
In the above verse, Allaah informs us that the best speech is of such person who :
Allaah says that the best identification of oneself is to say : "I am from the Muslims."
Racial, geographical, gender, tribal and occupational identities would differ. But as far as the religious identity is concerned, say: "I am from the Muslims", and combine this statement with call towards submission to Allaah and follow it up with good deeds. Stop identifying yourself with Jamaa'aths, maslaks and madhabs and start saying : "I am from the Muslims."
This is the first step towards unity among Muslims. Thus contribute towards unification of the Muslim nation and do not contribute to its fragmentation. Allaah has asked us to establish the deen and not create differences and divisions in it (42:13-part)
“that you should establish the religion, and and be not divided therein.”
In the wake of numerous divisions within the ummah and its differences over matters of deen, it would appear impossible that the Ummah will ever get united. But if we study the following verse of Qur-aan, we get hope:
Let us have hope and faith in Allaah that He will similarly guide us to the Truth, concerning that wherein we differ (away) from the truth, by His Leave and thus unite us.
To read the next article on our prayers, swalah, please click on this link: prayer.html