MAULANA ILYAS

It was a cold day in winter. The year 1966. I alighted from a train at a station on the North Eastern Railway. On my way back home, I was struck by something rather remarkable in the appearance of a group of pedestrians who were hurrying to cross the street. Dressed in coarse, simple clothes, with bags and beddings on their shoulders, they somehow had a religious aura about them as they pressed onwards. In those now far-off days, they looked like creatures from another world, but nowadays they have become such a familiar sight that they hardly need description.

Innumerable people of this kind travelling in caravans have opted for the hard way to serve the cause of God. Many such groups, by turns, are constantly on the move. This great movement generally known as Tablighi Jama’at, has inspired in people a new fervour, a new zeal to serve the divine cause. Its founder surprisingly was a slight, short-statured individual, rather unimpressive in personality. There were times when he found it difficult to express himself because of his bad stammer due to the impediment in his speech. It was this extraordinary figure, known as Maulana Ilyas, who founded the Tablighi Jama’at, which was to inspire in thousands of people a religious zeal which had been unknown for centuries. Although frail to the point of physical weakness, he possessed great inner strength which provided solutions to every problem he was confronted with. His indomitable will and staunchness of purpose in guiding people along the right path lead him to exert himself in a manner which many a physically stronger person would have found arduous.

Early Circumstances

If one climbed a high building in Delhi at the turn of the 19th century, one could see a few buildings scattered here and there in the vicinity of sprawling jungles. This was the place famous for the shrine of Nizamuddin Aulia, which has given its name to the place. Maulana Mohd. Ismail, a religious scholar, who died in 1898, lived there. In his eagerness to help the people, he had taken to seeking out labourers in that forsaken place, offering them his help, and fetching water for them to drink. Then he would say a prayer of thanks that God had granted him the opportunity to serve His servants.

It was this saintly person who was the father of Maulana Ilyas. This family traced its descent to the Valiullahi family, who had been chosen by God to rectify the distorted picture of Islam which had resulted from the Taimur family’s wrong attitude towards religion. He was born into a family where there was no need to have recourse to make-believe stories for inspiration, as there had been a whole series of such devoted people in his family whose true stories of sacrifice in the path of God very well served the purpose. Even the women would tell their babies the stories of their forefathers who had, at all costs, dedicated themselves to the divine path. Religion was practised to the letter. The mothers in this family naturally did not wish material success for their children. On seeing extraordinary abilities in them, they did not say, like common people, “This child will be rich and great.” They said rather, “This child reminds me of the companions of the prophet. We wish he could follow the same path.” It was in such an atmosphere that the Maulana grew up.

His parents owned a bookshop which was managed by his elder brother, Maulana Yahya. Maulana Ilyas, being too weak for physical exertion, could not undertake to help his elder brother in his work. Instead, he devoted his time
and attention to religious studies, while his elder brother worked hard to run the bookshop. One day the manager suggested to him that Maulana Ilyas should also be engaged in the work. Maulana Yahya, was quite disconcerted at his remark, and replied, “The prophet has said, ‘You owe your provision to the weaker members of your family.’ I believe that it is owing to this child that I am provided for.” He further admonished him not to say such things to him in future. In this atmosphere of absolute purity of thought, word and deed, it was natural that his emotions and feelings should be cast in the same mould. One of the Maulana’s class fellows has narrated an incident which took place when he was a student. “One day,” he said, “The Maulana brought a stick, and holding it, in his hand, he said, ‘Come, my dear Riyazul Islam, let us declare holy war on those who do not say their prayers.’”

After completing his school education, he went on to higher studies. Soon he was offered the post of teacher at the Mazahirul Islam religious school at Saharanpur. But before long, new opportunities opened out before him, and his training period commenced. His father had set up a small religious school in Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin to impart free education to poor students. After the death of his father, the elder brother had taken charge of it. When, on this sad occasion, he came home to offer his condolence the people who were running the school insisted on his staying there and taking up his father’s cause. He acceded to their request.

Now there began a new phase in his life. It was at this place that he first came into contact with the Mewatis. Distressed by their religious and spiritual poverty, he set himself to reform their condition through religious education. The initial stimulus for his work thus came from Mewati Muslims. Gaining momentum gradually, the work of bringing people closer to the path of God, spread far and wide.

Mewat is a region situated to the south of Delhi, its inhabitants being known as Meo. These people could be described as semi-tribal, somewhat like the ancient Arab bedouins. These uncouth and illiterate people had converted to Islam on a mass scale as a result of the efforts of the well-known Sufi Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and his descendants. But in practical life they were very far from Islam. There was nothing Islamic about them apart from the title of Muslims that they bore. They kept their Hindu names, like Nahar Singh and Bhup Singh; they left a lock of hair on the top of the shaven head as Hindus do; they worshipped idols, celebrated all the Hindu festivals and made sacrifices to the pre-Islamic gods and goddesses. Also, on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat they hoisted the flag of Sayyed Salar Ghazi, a Muslim saint, who had been adopted by them as an object of idolatory. They could not even recite the creed of the Muslims. So unfamiliar even was the sight of prayer, let alone the saying of it, that if by chance they came across someone praying, they gathered to enjoy the spectacle, assuming that the person must either be mad or suffering from some ailment due to which he was kneeling and prostrating himself again and again. Like tribal peoples they were scantily clad, and spent most of their time in robbing, looting and other such base occupations. Small trifling matters led to prolonged wars such as the pre-Islamic Arab Bedouins had engaged in. They were a brave and sturdy people, but their lack of education and training had come in the way of their advancing beyond the tribal way of life. Major Piolet, the Bandobast officer of Alwar, at the end of the 19th century, writes:

“Meo are half-Hindus in their habits and customs.”

They had posed a serious threat to the Muslim rule in the initial Sultanate period, looting and plundering the city at night. For fear of their attacks, the gates of the capital were closed at dusk. No one dared to go out after dark. Sultan Ghyasuddin Balban in the year 1266 dispatched an expedition against them in which a great number of them were put to the sword, but they were never fully subdued. Even as late as the period of the British Raj, the government was only partially successful in crushing them and establishing peace in the area.

In 1921 new problems arose when Arya preachers resolved to reconvert the Indian Muslims to their ancestral religion. Thanks to the religious and cultural poverty of the Meos, the large-scale activities of the Aryan missionaries met with great success. The solution to this problem was to impart to them religious education so that they did not yield to any malign influence.

Maulana Ilyas, like his father and brother visited Mewat from time to time. Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin being not far from there. Some Mewati students were already studying there and many other Mewatis had came to hold the family of Maulana Ilyas in great reverence because of their devotion and struggle to guide them along the right path. But there was still much to do, and the Maulana, greatly moved by their plight, felt a strong urge to improve their condition. His first idea was to set up and run schools in this area of Mewat on the pattern set by his family, so that the local children could have easy access to education.

When it came to convincing the Mewatis that they should send their children to school, they were tough nuts to crack. How could they spare their children for school? This, for them amounted to a sheer waste of time. The children regularly helped their parents in ploughing, grazing the cattle and other such activities. So the idea of supporting their children without any return from them had no appeal But the Maulana was the last man to accept defeat he did not weaken in his resolve, but rather intensified his campaign, sometimes approaching them personally, and sometimes entering their congregations to plead his case. He would tell them, “If only you would spare your children, I would take the responsibility for all their expenses at the school.” They ultimately surrendered before his indomitable will, and he succeeded in establishing a number of schools where, besides the teaching of the Quran, elementary religious education was also imparted. Work on this pattern continued until another incident occurred which changed the course of his activities. On a visit to Mewat, the Maulana was introduced to a young man who had just completed his education in one of his schools. Much to his astonishment, he saw no traces of Islam in his clean-shaven appearance. He was quick to relaize his failure. His aim had not been fulfilled. He had been aware of this problem to some extent before, but now it had become plain for all to see. The schools did serve a purpose, but to the Maulana’s eyes, only a secondary one; that is, it had considerably enhanced his own image and, as he himself was now held in reverence, he was in a better position to bring pressure to bear upon them when it came to solving their disputes; there was no doubt that he was extremely successful in this regard. The Mewatis said, “Though a mere skeleton, when he takes up any issue, he can work wonders. He can solve complicated problems in a matter of minutes. Even the most stubborn of us surrender ourselves before him.”

But this was not the main issue. What the Maulana was primarily concerned with was the awakening in them of the religious spirit. Their religious inertia was so deep-rooted that even school courses could not help them to slough it off. This failure of the schools greatly distressed him, and he gave the question much thought. At last he arrived at the conclusion that the real inadequacy lay in the present method of working: the attempt to educate them in their own atmosphere and in the scene of their own activities. In such surroundings the best efforts on the part of the teachers were in vain. As soon as the young people left the school they mingled with company of their own sort, which nullified the school influence altogether. The only solution to this problem, as the Maulana saw it, lay in separating them from their milieu, and it was decided that they should be withdrawn from it in groups for a period of time, and gathered together in mosques or religious institutions away from bad spheres of influence. Thus, detached from their worldly and material atmosphere, they would be imparted education by counsel and guidance in the company of religious people. This formula proved the right one. Engaging them in religious activities round the clock for some length of time made them into new human beings. Once the trial proved effective, this pattern was to be followed in future.

The attempt proved to be harder than the previous one. The Mewatis, loath to spare their children even for part-time study in local schools, could not easily be persuaded to let their children leave home altogether. But the Maulana’s sincerity of intention, perseverance, and prayers came to his rescue once again. Gradually a new consciousness was awakened in them, and his efforts were finally rewarded. Here are two of the many incidents in his career which will convey the hardship that he experienced in taming this unyielding nation.

Once, during one of his preaching missions, Maulana Ilyas put his hand lovingly on the shoulders of a Mewati, only to have him fly into a rage and shout at him. “If you ever touch me with your hand again, I’ll give you a good beating.” The cool and calm Maulana immediately bent to his feet saying, “You did not forbid me to touch your feet, did you?”

Similarly, once, when he was impressing upon a Mewati the importance of leading a religious life, the Mewati, instead of paying heed to the message, dealt him a hard blow. The Maulana was so frail physically that he collapsed. When he regained consciousness, he got up and caught hold of his assailant’s shirt. “You have done your job,” he said, “Now listen to me!” Here was someone who, instead of taking revenge, asked only the favour of being listened to with patience. The Mewati was touched. He fell at his feet and begged his forgiveness saying that if he were not to be forgiven, he should be eternally condemned.

This latter incident, besides showing his sincerity and eagerness, also shows how his concern for their welfare had turned to anguish. He was willing to go to any lengths for the sake of impressing upon them the eternal realities.

Such involvement could not fail to reap dividends: large numbers of people were brought into his fold from various parts of the country to spread the message he entrusted them with. Staying day and night in a religious and spiritual atmosphere indeed worked wonders for them for when those people returned home after having under-gone the training, they were changed people. Far from falling under the bad influence of their surroundings, they set out to be a good influence on their environment. The Maulana had found the solution to his problem.

The whole of Mewat was transformed. Great spiritual excitement and enthusiasm could be seen among the people at large. Where previously, mosques had been few and far between, now mosques and religious schools came up in every settlement. Not only had they increased in number and size, but the local people had also come to appreciate their activities. They changed their way of dressing and, grew beards, shaking off one by one almost all the pre-Islamic customs that they had retained after their conversion. Lending or borrowing on interest as well as robbing, looting, and dacoities decreased considerably. Liquor consumption came to an end. Almost every child became punctual at his prayers. Their dealings, behaviour and living standards were all influenced as a result of this religious awakening. Not only did they reform themselves, but they were also inspired to spread the true message of God to those who were as ignorant as they had been before. Their simple, sincere stories of devotion made it seem as if history were, repeating itself, as if the newly converted Bedouins, inspired with new found zeal were reborn and roaming across the desert, their only desire being to spread the message far and wide.

In September 1929, an elderly, religious person visited the area to observe personally the much talked-of religious fervour. He found on his way a group of simple Mewati villagers who were going out on a religious expedition. He motioned to one of them to stop and asked him, “What is all this movement for?” The Mewati replied, “There was a time when we were neither aware of our God nor of our messenger. May God now bless the Maulvi who showed us the right path. Our only wish is now to convey this great blessing to others.” The truth expressed in such simple words, so succinctly, reminded one of a speech made by Jafar, a companion of the Prophet, before Najjashi, the Christian king of Habash.

The Sincere Devotion

The success of a mission does not rest only on its being true, but also on the sincerity and zeal of the people involved. Maulana Ilyas burned with such zeal and was willing to face all difficulties and hardships that came his way. It is the initiative of such a person which inevitably carries him through to a successful conclusion.

Once a colleague of the Maulana visited his house to offer his condolence, when the Maulana had passed away. He sent a message to his wife, asking her to tell him some-thing about the Maulana. This is what she replied.

“When I was married to him, I came to stay with him. I found that the Maulana hardly slept at nights. I could hear him moaning and groaning in bed. One day I asked him what it was that was disturbing his sleep. He sighed and replied, ‘Would that you knew of my suffering and shared my agony, I would not be alone then. There would be two of us to keep awake at nights.’”

The Maulana’s stammering, and the complexities of traditional religious style made it difficult for him to express himself. But, thanks to his total involvement, his whole body seemed to convey the message. He groaned, and restless as a fish out of water, he would say repeatedly: “I am unable to do anything, my God. I am too weak.” The people could not help but feel pity for him. His unbounded will, however, made him overcome all obstacles. He even outdid all his companions who were more physically fitted for the job. He could walk across rough, uneven stretches of Mewat for as far as 25 miles at a time without taking any food and water. His hectic life left him no time to look after himself. Many a time he left Nizamuddin on a Friday after lunch and had his second meal only after returning home on a Sunday. Keeping awake at nights, climbing mountains, making his way through the hot, dry plains of Mewat, and alternately facing waves had almost become a routine with him. When he found that his colleages were almost dropping with exhaustion from such a busy schedule, he observed: “God is but beyond the mountain of struggle: whoever wants to see Him can find Him there.”

When someone enquired after his health, he wrote back: “How does health matter? One can be said to be well if one is able to properly perform the task for which one was born.”

Once some relatives from Kandhla, his hometown, visited him to enquire after his health. On hearing about it, he said, “You have traversed such a long distance to learn about one who is born to die, whereas the religion of Prophet Muhammad, which is eternal, is being neglected, and you show no concern for it.”

When he was seriously ill, the doctors advised him to refrain from speaking, but he said, “I prefer to die while exhorting people to the path of the Lord, than to take rest for the recovery of my own health.”.

As his health deteriorated, he received repeated inquiries about it. Replying to one of his friends, he writes:

“I have no pain except that of preaching.”

It greatly distressed him to learn that only the less educated have surrendered themselves to his fold. On his deathbed, he writes with great pain:

“Would that the religious scholars were to take up the cause before I passed away.”

Once while saying his prayers in the train, his colleagues stopped others from passing in front of him. When he had finished his prayers, he showed his resentment and said, “You had better set up a Sutrah.” This was because of his great consideration for others.

On one journey to Kandhla he bought a third-class ticket but, having failed to find a seat in a third class compartment, he got into a second class compartment along with his colleagues. He could pay the extra amount when the ticket collector arrived, he said. But the ticket collector created difficulties when he saw the tickets. The Maulana was momentarily put out and scolded him. When the Ticket Collector left after renewing the tickets, one of his colleagues, Maulana Inamul Hasan, said to him that the man had had the right to object. The Maulana was quick to admit his mistake and as soon as the train stopped at the next station, he went up to him and apologized.

His attachment to God was such that prayers were not so much a matter of obligation to him as a source of great enjoyment and solace. In the course of rough journeys where hills had to be crossed, his colleagues were usually exhausted by the time they reached the top of the hill and preferred to take rest. But not the Maulana. He would stand up on the top of hills in prayer for hours.

When he died, his body had been given a bath, and was being perfumed, when one of his close colleagues said: “Perfume his forehead well, it used to stay in prostration for hours.”

His heart-felt prayers, sacrifices, his attachment to God gave such force and effect to his mission that today it makes people wonder at the astonishing results achieved, as they find it hard to explain this phenomenal success in material terms.

Here is a short extract from one of his letters which shows the degree of his involvement:

“The results are in proportion to one’s struggle. The more one humbles oneself before the Lord and bears the hardship in this path; the more one is entitled to divine succour.”

These words give an accurate picture of the Maulana himself. In actual fact, his self-abnegation in God’s path was total, and this gave peculiar vision and penetration to his words. When one has fully devoted oneself to one’s cause, one’s personality takes on such depth that it penetrates the very hearts of the listener.

Here are some more excerpts from his speeches to this effect.

“This is the most important task; a pearl among pebbles. Sacrifice your lives for this cause. The more you forsake materially the more you gain spiritually.”

Once as some guests were leaving, the Maulana said to them, “You came and stayed just as guests. Remember, the cause of God involves forsaking even the barest necessities of life like food and water. Sweat in this path and be ready to shed your blood.”

In one of his letters to Issa, a friend of his, he expresses regret at those who refrained from becoming involved in this mission.

“Issa, think, how all members of a family engage themselves in this ephemeral world, whereas not even one of them is willing to spare a little of his time for God. Does this not imply holding this world superior to the next world?”

Once a Tabligh gathering was held in Lucknow. After the meeting, a group of people began to exhort the audience to offer to go to Kanpur for the sake of the mission. Despite repeated exhortations, not a single person responded to the call. The Maulana was pained to see this indifference. One of the participants, Haji Wali Mohammad, was suffering from piles and obviously was too weak to travel. The Maulana asked him why he lagged behind. He told him that he was almost dying. The Maulana said, “When you are dying already you had better die in Kanpur.”

These incidents reveal only partially the degree of his involvement, because, when an incident is reported, the personality of the speaker, the emotions and feelings attached to words are missing. The sincere feelings, the inner conviction, the impassioned and heartfelt longing to make the listeners understand the message—not all of this can be captured in writing.

Once someone came to see the Maulana after attending the congregation. The Maulana asked him, “Didn’t you feel sorry for the pathetic abyss we have fallen into?” He replied, “Since I have witnessed for myself the ignorance of our community, I’m ashamed of our very existence.”

It was as a result of such dedication to the cause that in the first major congregation in Mewat in November 1941, about 25,000 people attended it. A large number of them came walking all the way from as far as fifty miles. Their pitiful lack of education can be judged from the response the Maulana received when he urged one of the Mewatis to work for Tabligh. “Tablid? What is Tablid?” rejoined the Mewati, unable even to pronounce the word. Yet these very people, ignorant of even the term, had been converted as if by magic, into great missionaries, the like of whom the country had never known.

Motivated by an overpowering urge to salvation in the next life; a longing that God should forgive them when they came before Him, they set out to conquer the hearts of the people. When Islam penetrates into the depth of one’s consciousness, one becomes concerned with one thing alone: how to earn God’s favour and forgiveness. One im-mediately seeks to mould one’s faith, ideas, character and actions on this and all one does in life is in accordance with one’s overriding concern to avoid displeasing God. It is on the hereafter that one focusses all one’s attention. One calls others to Islam, making sure that one is first a good Muslim oneself. These enthusiastic preachers, roaming across the country, reminded one of the materially resourceless Arab Bedouins, who, inspired by the spiritual wealth of Islam, were to be seen on the move everywhere in order to propagate the truth.

Absolute Trust in Divine Succour

What was it, in the main, that the Maulana gave his followers which completely transformed their lives? What he did was impress upon the people the fact that this world did not spring up by itself, but was created by one God, who continues to watch over it that all men were His servants, responsible to Him for their actions, that death was not the end of man’s life; rather it was the beginning of another, permanent world, where the good would enjoy the bliss of paradise and the wicked would be cast into raging hell.

The Maulana impressed upon the people that believing personally was not all that was required of one; one was also entrusted with conveying the word of God to others. All obstacles in the path would be overcome with God’s help. Here is an incident which shows how convinced his followers were of the help of God.

Once a Mewati, asked to narrate some event during his preaching career, said “The Maulana once dispatched a Jama’at (group) consisting of three men, to Moradabad, I being one of them. On reaching the city he went to a mosque and stayed there. After the Maghrib (evening) prayer, we made an announcement that people should stay for a while after the prayer so that we could discuss some religious issues. But much to our astonishment, not a single person stayed after the prayer. We waited for the next day. At the same point we made a similar announcement, but to no avail. Once again, all the worshippers got up and left without showing any interest. This incident reminded us of the last thing that the Maulana had done. He made us promise that in times of any difficulty we would go away from human settlement to some lonely place and turn to God in solitude. So, we stayed that night in the mosque, and as soon as the day broke, all three of us went out of the settlement to pray. We prayed the whole day and returned in the evening to the same mosque. After the Maghrib prayer, the same message was announced.” At this point the Mewati paused, as if he was going to unravel some mystery. A mystery it was indeed. He went on, “They all seemed rooted to the spot. Not a single soul stood up to leave. My friends, this is the way our work shall continue, with the help of God.”

Here was the evidence that prayer was the power that could shake the world and move mountains. It armed the resourceless and gave them courage to face all obstacles in their path. It was a blessing that made the dumb speak, the blind see and the lame walk; in short, a key to all locked doors.

The history of Tabligh abounds in experience which have endowed its members with such mental and physical powers as enable them to surmount all difficulties. They do not stop short when it comes to taking initiatives, however adverse the circumstances may be. To them prayer is as dependable as anything can be. It is like the magic wand of Moses.

Be it an individual or a community, there is always the need for external support, to give the stability, courage and confidence necessary for survival. In search of such a prop, people tend to look up to some visible material object. Their worldly mentality leads them to think only in terms of worldly sureties and guarantees. Naturally, those who do not own worldly resources are considered ill-fitted to live in this world. But the Tabligh concept of prayer acquaints man with a treasure that has nothing to do with worldly resources. It lays claims only on one’s heart which no one can take away from one. When man surrenders his heart to God in total submission, the whole universe capitulates before him.

A concept which bestows upon man such huge reserves of strength, which arms a resourcesless person, surpasses all limitations. Tabligh workers have encountered in-numerable miraculous events in their service to God’s cause, which is a proof that God has granted them access to this great source. God’s blessing will fully mainfest them-selves when a whole community is willing to surrender before the will of God. If a whole nation followed this faith, the Maulana had no doubt that God’s succour would be ours in its consummate form. It is then that oceans and jungles surrender themselves; the nations capitulate before them. All is possible provided we can tap the source of this moral strength which God will give us if we surrender to Him our hearts and our minds.

It would be pertinent to quote some excerpts from the Quran regarding the forms taken by divine succour. One is mentioned in the Quran in terms of the good life and another in terms of entrusting man with power on earth:

“We shall reward the steadfast according to their noblest deeds. Be they men or women, those that embrace the faith and do what is right We will surely grant a happy life; We shall reward them according to their noblest actions” (The Quran, 16:97).

“God has promised those of you who believe and do good works to make them masters in the land as He had made their ancestors before them, to strengthen the Faith He chose for them, and to change their fear to safety. Let them worship Me and serve no other gods besides Me. Wicked indeed are they who after this deny Me” (The Quran, 24.55).

‘Good life’ here has different aspects: lawful earning; contentment; peace of mind; love of God; enjoyment in worship; success in this life as well as in the next: all of which go to make up a successful life.

The second form of the blessing descends on a society which has withstood the test by purifying itself. When a considerable number of such good souls comes into being, God’s blessing at times takes the form of power on earth, because God wants the religion He has chosen for His servants to be established on earth. The power shall not, however, be inherited like that of kings and emperors, but like that of the descendants of the Prophet, the humble servants of God. They will be granted power so that they can proclaim the divine will on earth and overcoming every obstacle on the path, bring stability to the true religion. Then Muslims will no longer cower before non-believers, for they will not fear them; they will not care for any mortal’s pleasure or displeasure. Peace will consequently prevail over the world and God’s servants will worship Him in peace. They will surrender their wills to Him alone, fearing no one but Him. These blessings that descend upon individuals and on society are in no way an acquisition, but a gift from God. The common ground for deserving such blessings for both the individual and society are faith, good deeds, and being able to prove ourselves worthy of receiving such blessing. Then God, the Omnipotent, who is in control of all events, creates conditions and circumstances to facilitate our discovery of truth. It is through His help that we arrive at the essence of religion.

Thus, when a group of individuals fully submits to God and does good deeds, God’s blessing embrace the whole of society. As a consequence, our activities are brought to fruition and our initiatives yield positive results.

The belief in this concept serves a double function. On the one hand, it strengthens the heart of the preacher; on the other, it brings the hope and conviction that God will melt the hearts of the congregation so that they become receptive to the message.

To Maulana Ilyas, this concept of blessing provided the greatest weapon to the preachers. It gave a preacher the force and inner conviction to face all hardship. He would never yield to pressure, whatever the circumstances, and there would be no challenge which he would not feel well equipped to meet—such would be the resoluteness of his character.

An Appeal to the Heart

Late one evening in October 1930, the renowned poet, Dr. Mohammad Iqbal, received a visitor, who was also a litterateur, at his residence in Lahore. Reclining in his armchair, he was conversing with him on a variety of topics which seemed of great importance and immediacy when he suddenly sat up straight and said to his guest, “Why don’t you write a book?” His guest was somewhat startled but naturally wanted to know what the subject should be. Dr. Iqbal then launched with great enthusiasm on an explanation of the project which had taken shape in his mind. “Hundreds and thousands of Indians from the villages and outskirts of the towns of India have converted to Islam on their own. If you meet them and inquire about the reasons for their self-conversion, they will reveal strange reasons that appeal to the heart. If all that were to be compiled in book form, it would be of
tremendous help to the missionaries.” “Don’t we already possess enough proofs of the truth of Islam?” the visitor asked. “Yes, we do have ample evidence,” replied Dr Iqbal, “But contact with the new converts will unearth such strange, amazing proofs of the veracity of Islam as have hitherto been unknown. This is sure to prove a great asset to the propagation of Islam. To me, there is a great difference between heart and mind. The mind often discards the most powerful of arguments. On the contrary, the heart is often won over by less forceful arguments, and, to such an extent, that one’s whole way of life is transformed altogether in a matter of minutes. The matter of conversion has always related more to the heart than to the mind. What a preacher must learn to aim at is the heart that is what will serve his purpose best. Many such revolutions in the lives of polytheists and non-believers have been recorded in the history of lslam.

“Normally, thanks to one’s traditions and upbringing, one stands as firm as a rock, clinging to his set of traditions or to a religion. For this there is no dearth of arguments appealing to the mind. Yet, all of a sudden, the heart leaps at a new idea, and within seconds, one’s whole life is transformed. If a large number of incidents of this type were compiled in book form, I am sure it would not only prove a great asset to our preachers, but would be a kind of cornucopia to the average reader whose religious inclination need circumstantial support.”

Perhaps one would be right in saying that Maulana Ilyas’ mission, as far as working among poorly educated Muslims is concerned, is the realization of Iqbal’s dream. Throughout his life, the Maulana adopted the way through the heart, which worked wonders. There are innumerable examples of this kind. We mention here one of them, showing how he once won the heart of an unruly and stubborn student, who was notorious for his wrongdoing and refusal to submit to school discipline.

This student had once been appointed to collect funds for the school, and thanks to his ingenuity, had managed to collect a donation of Rs. 20,000. But he never handed it over. To the horror of the school authorities, they received instead bundles of works of fiction to the value of the whole amount. Without even opening the bundles, the school sold the books by the kilo. Another misdemeanour occurred when a group of students from an Arabic school in which this boy was also studying, was coming to see the Maulana. His classmates insisted on his accompanying them, and finally, he was persuaded to come to Basti Nizamuddin. But, at night, when everyone had gone to bed, he quietly slipped out, along with some other students, to go to a cinema show in the city. (As Nizamuddin was situated on the outskirts, there were no cinemas there.) When the show was over, they failed to find a conveyance, and had to pass the night in the city.

The Maulana, in the habit of holding a congregation after the morning prayer, came to the pulpit to address the people. He asked the schoolboys to come nearer, and all of the students did so except two who seemed to be missing from the congregation. The Maulana, assuming that these two could not be very far away, decided to wait for them, and start the sermon when they had arrived. But it took a long time for them to arrive, which in itself seemed very suspicious, and it was soon revealed that they had left the night before for a cinema show.

The manager of the school to which the students belonged was also present at the centre. He was distressed at their bad behaviour. He as well as other authorities, had done their best to reform him, but to no avail. Now the boy had come to be considered incorrigible, as he had resisted all well-meaning efforts to improve him. Now his expulsion from the school was brought under consideration. After the incident, at Nizamuddin, the Manager wrote to the headmaster to order his explusion immediately.

In the meanwhile, his schoolmates were also ashamed. They then hit upon the idea of bringing the matter to the Maulana’s notice. One of them, therefore, met him in private and told him the whole story. The Maulana asked them not to get upset and to pray to God to help them.

After the evening prayer, the Maulana asked for pen and paper and sent for the manager of the school. When he arrived, the Maulana told him to write a letter to the headmaster on his behalf. The Maulana himself dictated the letter to him. It read as follows:

“Some students from your school came to our Centre. I am happy at their performance. They have benefited from the religious gatherings at the centre. My prayers are with them. I would request you to honour and welcome them.”

Then the Manager was asked to endorse the report. He had no choice but to do as he was bidden. The Maulana saw to it that the letter was posted.

This event brought astonishing results. A student who had been considered totally incorrigible had been transformed into the most sincere and most serious of young men. Later on, he chose to become a volunteer of the Tabligh mission. When asked the reason for his complete transformation, he would simply say, “Maulana Ilyas has captured me.” At a point where training and education had failed, prayer had triumphed.

The career of Maulana Ilyas in particular, and the Tabligh mission in general, is full of such instances. The power of prayer, love, character and sympathy has, astonishingly, conquered innumerable hearts. The answering of prayer gives great inspiration to the people associated with the mission. Simplicity, perceptiveness, natural arguments and a realistic approach cannot but fail to move any audience. The Tabligh preachers, so to speak, follow the path of the heart as opposed to that of the mind. This is their greatest asset.

Programme

The Maulana’s plan had six important aims. They were:

1. To implant the significance of Kalimah (The creed of the Muslims): there is no deity but God; Muhammad is His Apostle.
2. To observe prayer as is proper.
3. To acquire religious knowledge.
4. To give due respect to Muslims.
5. To spare time, that is, to withdraw from one’s worldly engagements and go forth in missionary groups.
6. To purify one’s intentions and to remain sincere and self-appraising.

These six points can be condensed into three:

The Kalimah Tauhid, prayer and sparing time for good works. The other three are, in actual fact, offshoots of the main tenets. When they are adopted whole-heartedly all other things follow in consequence.

There are many ways of explaining this preaching mission. The Maulana, however, preferred to allude to this programme in terms of the revival of the prophetic way, and would explain it accordingly. This is, no doubt, the most appropriate definition of his work. Considering that there are people who attach importance to things only when they are described in the modern terminologies of psychology, philosophy and science and so on, this programme can likewise be described in any language they can understand, or which has a special significance for them. His message gives prime importance to the Kalimah: to believe in the reality that there is no deity but God, that He alone is the Creator and Nourisher of the universe, and that the truth had been made manifest through his messenger, Prophet Mohammad (on whom be peace). When one recites these words: there is no deity, but God and Prophet Mohammad is His messenger, it amounts to expressing one’s inner feelings of conviction of the truth of these words. It also proclaims one’s determination to follow a path based on the firm conviction that God is the only real existence, centre of all our complete trust. This proclamation is an expression of an all-pervasive feeling within one of having at last found the true way of life and also the source from which the truth emanates—the only source whose guidance is worthy of trust.

Trust and conviction are, in fact, the source of all revolution, be it religious or secular. A history of revolution tells us that it was the courage of conviction—right or wrong—in certain souls, which has made history. The revolution of France: the victory of Communism and the freedom movements in various countries were all, in fact, based on such conviction as stimulated them to action. Initially none of these movements had possessed either huge resources of armaments or enormous wealth. They were unable even to conceive fully of what shape their activities were going to take in future; how their theories were going to be put into practice. The only thing that spurred them on to make unflagging efforts was a concept which had preoccupied their thoughts. It was the discovery of some political, economic or nationalistic truths that inspired them to such a degree that they concentrated all their potentialities and energies on making it known to people. For this, they accepted the challenge—however harsh it was, of external opposition and engaged themselves in a fervent struggle; such an effort is inevitably seen through to its conclusion. The only possible result of such initiatives is success.

Yet they were people who had found only a partial truth, wrongly considering it to be the whole truth. One can then imagine what the strength of such a conviction would be like when based on truth in the real sense of the word. When such truths are firmly implanted in one’s heart and mind, like a divine fervour, one can gauge what enormous benefits can result. Where other movements have succeeded in influencing only some parts of the world, or only a limited number of people, the true faith has the potential to move all mankind. Who can check the tide of a movement launched by people who have put their total trust in God? When human concepts can bring about revolution, what greater revolution can be brought about through divine concepts!

The Kalimah is thus the essence of religion—the greatest power on earth. The movement can, therefore, be appropriately called a Kalimah movement. But one should not forget that any movement, secular or religious, is essentially a movement of words—be they political, economic or nationalistic. How then can a movement based on religious Kalimah be called deficient or limited in any way? Religious Kalimah is an all-embracing, all-inclusive Kalimah.

The second part of the Maulana’s call is to prayer. Usually people underestimate it, and therefore, fail to appreciate its real significance.

Just as Kalimah enjoys the main position in one’s thoughts and feelings, so does prayer in one’s practical life. The real significance of prayer lies in man’s diverting all his attention to God and making contact with Him through sense-perceptions. Through them, the worshipper bows before his Lord, placing his forehead on the ground, he testifies to his own lowliness as opposed to God’s exalted nature. He presents himself as God’s servant. He stands before God, bows down to Him, and prostrates himself before Him, in a practical demonstration of submission to God. It is when one humbles oneself before the Lord, that one is in a position to meet Him; for one discovers God on a level of humility, not on a level of pride and egotism. One’s soul then undergoes such an experience that one can feel the blessing of God descending upon one.

Such an experience, which defies description gives a new dimension to human personality. The worshipper consciously realizes how helpless and powerless he is before God. Humility and modesty alone befit a servant of God. In the process, arrogance and haughtiness, which are the source of most evils, vanish into thin air.

Prayer, as is mentioned in the Quran, also keeps one away from evils and shameful practices. With every prayer, man expresses his servitude before God and promises to Him that he will lead his life as His devoted servant. It reminds him of the day of reckoning. If man is true to his words, his life can be transformed by them.

Remembrance, which is called Dhikr, forms an important aspect of prayer. To fill one’s heart and mind with remembrances of God is to occupy it with such thoughts as befit it. Prayer thus serves to train people’s thoughts and feelings in the best possible way.

Prayer also has psychological and social values; one can see the effects in economic, social and political life. The essence of prayer is to bow down one’s head before God, and with one’s heart, utter these words: “God, I have become yours, and you become mine.”

Sparing time for the propagation of religion constitutes the third part of one’s mission. People commonly misunderstand the word Chilla, which means forty days. It is nothing but a period fixed for training and being trained and is fixed as the maximum time for one stint of outdoor missionary activity at a time. There is nothing mysterious or ritualistic about it. When one finds the truth, it is but natural to feel the urge to impart that treasure to one’s brethren. This urge is manifested in one’s willingness to spare time—even if it involves forty days—leaving all activities aside. One who has discovered the truth will not rest content with just being a true Muslim himself, but will want to announce it to the whole world. Such a mental state arising from a desire to reform all that comes in its path, takes on practical shape in the form of Chilla.

Maulana Ilyas attached great importance to this method of preaching. Besides being a means of conveying the message to others, it was a multi-purpose scheme meant to train, educate and reform. When a person undertakes long, arduous journeys in the path of Tabligh, he himself learns, while teaching others, and rectifies his own mistakes. Coming face to face with the pathetic plight of the people, he feels spurred on to intensify his efforts to bring them to the straight path. He makes sacrifices. He prays for them. It is then that he can truly taste the pleasures of a religious life. Then alone can he utter words which melt the hearts of the listener.

Making people come out of their homes is central to the Maulana’s way of working, because this gives people the opportunity to quit their worldly atmosphere and go in search of a religious one. Only in an atmosphere free of worldly thoughts can there be true receptivity to the message conveyed. It becomes like a chain reaction. The listeners are imbued with the zeal to make others listen to them. This scheme of encouraging people to come forth has had amazingly successful results. Those who have not themselves experienced it, cannot imagine the transformation that takes place.

To set out to propagate the divine message as the prophet has enjoined is to stear one’s feet along the path of God. Feet once sat on the path of truth will not be touched by hellfire. Those who perform the miracle of jumping into a pit of fire, without being hurt by the fire, actually rub certain substances over their bodies which protect their skin from fire. So, the divine particles of dust which arise from this path and adhere to our bodies will neutralize the effects of fire in the next world.

This, however, should not create the impression that Maulana Ilyas and his followers, considered just the mobility of some groups, in the name of Tabligh, enough in itself to earn us salvation. It is, indeed, the upsurge of religion, which is aimed at, and not just the physical movement of the people. What the Hadith has to say regarding protection from hellfire will thus be applicable to us only if we can make religion a reality for others. The more our intentions are pure, the more we qualify for divine succour. The Maulana has thus ruled out the idea that the movement of certain chosen groups is desirable in itself. He once said: “Our method of working, lays emphasis upon taking people out of their homes in groups. The main advantage of this method is to encourage people to come out of a worldly and static atmosphere in order to enter a new, pure and dynamic one where there is much to foster the growth of religious consciousness. Besides, travel and emigration involve hardship, sacrifice and self-abnegation for the sake of God’s cause, and thus entitle one to divine succour.

Stressing on the Basics

The Maulana described this method as the ABC of the Tabligh mission, but it does not mean that ABC and XYZ are far removed from one another. Those whose eyes are set on appearances are incapable of observing reality in depth. In fact, this method is like a drop of water which finally becomes an ocean. The difference between a drop of water and an ocean is one of degree. The drop is like the steam which an engine driver gets up for his locomotive. Without that, the engine cannot even start, let alone reach its destination. There has to be that first drop for the ocean to be formed. There has to be steam in the engine for it to move at all.

There are two ways of working. One is to draft the whole plan before the launching of the mission. Another is to start with the basics, the foundations. While the first method is adopted by the legislature, the second is adopted by a movement, for the first method will do the movement more harm than good. That is why messengers of God emphasized the basics in order that the foundation may take root. In the early period of Islam only the fundamentals were revealed for a long time. It was only with the advance of time that other things followed. Thus a solid foundation was gradually built, without which no edifice can be constructed.

From the Islamic point of view, it is by the grace of God that we are able to work on an individual or social level. Man takes certain initiatives which come to fruition only when God approves of and blesses them.

Once a person asked the Maulana why the Muslims were not entrusted with power on earth. He replied: “When you are not applying God’s commandments and injunctions to yourselves when there is nothing actually to prevent you from doing so, how can you hope to have the administration of the world committed to your care?”

The Use of Pen

One day the Maulana said to one of his followers, who was a writer, “So far I have not approved of the use of the pen in this work, but now the time has come to use this medium. Not only have I not approved of it, but I have also prohibited people from using it. But now I want them to write as much as they can. You must consult other senior members in this regard.” They were consulted but they did not agree with his opinion. On hearing of their disagreement, the Maulana again observed: “Actually, in the beginning, we were in danger of being seriously misunderstood. People were not prepared even to listen to us. It was, in those circumstances, imperative that we approach them personally, and, by our example, impress upon them our objectives. If we had then taken recourse to writing, people would surely have misinterpreted the mission. And then, when its application went awry, they would have rejected it altogether as worthless. That is why we deliberately avoided the help of the news media. But now, owing to our devoted volunteers who have worked hard to spread the mission among the people, it has become as clear as the day. The people themselves are now flocking to us in order to learn more and more. We have a large number of devoted people who can be sent to any part of the country wherever the need arises. There is no point in our sticking to the initial method of working when the times have changed. I recommend therefore, that you take up your pens to further the cause of this mission.” He commented a number of times that they functioned according to the capacities of the people at their disposal. “If we had people with a different set of abilities, we would have expanded our work in other directions too.” His thoughts on the use of the written word, may be summarized thus:

“Whenever a new movement is launched, the most important task is that of proper introduction. The need is felt for the preacher to approach the congregation personally. But a time comes when the message becomes plain for all to grasp. Then there are no chances of misrepresentation. The main terms are fully understood by the people and become a part of their consciousness. Then it is not so much the speaker’s words being a source of introduction, as people’s minds being already conditioned to the thoughts expressed, which makes it easier to convey the message. There is, therefore, no need for the reservations initially considered necessary.”

Another thing is that there are many different aspects of a movement. In practice, the movement functions only in the field for which its workers are well-equipped. How can one succeed in realizing projects for which there are no efficient hands? The method adopted by the Maulana at the outset cannot be underestimated as a matter of funda-mental principle, but the abilities of the workers that came to him also account in large measure for the way his mission took shape. With the spread of the movement, the work can also be expanded to other fields, as the workers are now more versatile than they were formerly. The Maulana once said something of great value. He said that one approach is through general training and education, whereas, in emergencies, something quite different is called for. The first method is that of the prophets—to train and educate in general; otherwise it is the situation and circumstances which dictate the method. It is self-evident that the first method is unvarying in value, while the second is subject to change from situation to situation. The Maulana did not underestimate the importance of literature. The issues that confront us on an academic level can only be properly presented and countered by the same weapon. In the Abbasid period, the publication of Greek literature aroused many new intellectual problems, which were adequately countered by the writings of the scholars of the time. Consequently, theology came into existence. Similarly, today, Islam is being challenged at various points by thoughts and issues that have to be countered on its behalf. The Maulana was fully aware of this necessity, but felt that this was a secondary matter and, as such, should be treated as a temporary emergency, and should not form part of the substance of religious teaching in general.