What is the Tablighi Jamaat and how does it function

New Delhi, Apr 01: The Tablighi Jamaat is in the news after over 2,000 tested positive for coronavirus from among the 4,000 who had gathered at the Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi.

The Tablighi Jamaat is a society for spreading the faith. It is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement and aims to reach out to Muslims in matters of ritual, dress and personal behaviour.

It was launched by Deoband cleric, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Khandalaw in 1927 in Mewat. Ilyaz aimed at bringing the Men Muslims back into the fold of traditional Islam and he trained several young men from Deoband and Sahranpur and sent them to Mewat. It is here that the Tablighi established a network of Mosques and madrasas.

Its reach spread far and wide in two decades of it being launched. In the 1941 conference, nearly 25,000 from north India were present.

Following the partition of 1947, a Pakistan chapter was formed in Raiwind, Lahore. At the moment the largest chapter is in Bangladesh. It also has chapters in the United States and Britain apart from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

The Tablighi is based on six principles- kalimah, salaat, ilm and dhikr, ikram-i-Muslim, ikhlas-i-niya and dawat-o-tabligh.

During its gatherings between 8 and 11 am, the people are divided into groups of around 10 people. Each group then choses a leader. The group is given a destination depending on how much money the individuals have brought for the purpose. Between 3 and 5 pm there is a talk on Islam for the newcomers. After sunset, there is recitation from the Quran.