TARBIYAH &
TAZKIYAH – NEED, SCOPE & PROCESS
[Shamim A
Siddiqi,
I. INTRODUCTION: TARBIYAH is a means
not an end. TARBIYAH and TAZKIYAH, in fact, are the needs of Dawah Ilallah. The
person who undertakes the responsibility to introduce the Deen of Allah to the
people of the land and for its ultimate dominance in the body-politics of the
country, is the Da’ee Ilallah. The Da’ee, while working for Dawah Ilallah in
the field, develops an understanding about the type of leadership and feels for
the qualities that he/she must possess. The Da’ee, then, determines the
kind of leadership and the team of workers that are needed in the field. The
condition of the country, the state of
the people of the land, the issues and the burning problems that they are
facing and the socio-economic-political condition of the time spell out the
qualities and the standard of Da'ees that are needed in the field to call the
people to the fold of their Creator and Sustainer effectively and efficiently.
When Rasulullah (S) undertook the mission of “La
Ilaha Ilallah” as the first “Da’ee”, his (S) foremost objective
was to prepare a team which is well-versed with the Kalimah – the Aqeedah and
what it demands, learns the Islam and its teachings in depth,
organizes those who respond to his (S) call into a Jama'ah and
inculcates a dependable and trustworthy character in each of them
through the process of Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah at individual level from person
to person. This was the prime need of the Islamic Movement that Rasulullah
(S) launched upon with the first Wahi [revelation] he received. He went on
building his team of Da'ees on that pattern through Dawah, Tarbiyah and
Tazkiyah in an organized manner. Rasulullah (S) was himself the Da’ee, the
Murabbi, the Muzakki and doing evaluation of his team, both at
individual and collective levels, every now and then on a regular basis and the
overall review was done by Allah (SWT} by Himself at each and every
occasion.That was the best possible Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah of the
followers of Islam. He (S) was free and available for all the time for that
onerous task. The Needs of Dawah Ilallah
were before him and he (S) was preparing his (S) Team of
Da'ees as per the needs of time and the situation around him. He
(S) sent young, Musa’b bin Umair ® to Madinah for Dawah while many senior
most Sahabah were present in Makkah. He (S) knew the needs of Dawah at Madinah
and, therefore, sent Musa’b as he was the most befitting Da’ee for this mission.
II. THE OBJECTIVE: We are
struggling for Iqamatuddeen in
“Kiya Sufi wu Mullah ku khabar merey Junu ki –
Unka sirey daman bhi abhi chalk naheen hai" [Translation:
What Sufi and Mullah know about my "craze" (for the Deen of Allah.
Their Sameez [shirt] is still sold (and not yet torn apart in the rush of
craze]
III.
THE SCOPE: What Includes Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah?
i. Education – knowledge and
understanding of Islam, this country and the contemporary world;
ii. Developing individual qualities of
heart and mind and attaining proficiency in presenting Islam in table talks and mastering speaking power at public
platforms at the least;
iv. Preparing consciousness to
work collectively in a Jama'ah of his/her own or with the existing Jama'ah
IV. WHAT TO PRODUCE: The ICNA,
as it claims, is the Islamic Movement of North America in process. In the light
of the aforesaid scope of Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah, we have to produce and build a
Team of Da'ees, inculcating in each of them the following requisites.
A.
Educational advancement and intellectual skill:
1. Acquiring a working knowledge of
Islam: Aqeedah, its importance and cohesiveness in life; Fundamentals
of Deen: Concept of Ebadah; Mua'mlat [affairs]; Islam as a way
of life in comparison to socialism, capitalism and liberal democracy; study of
the selected Chapters of the Qur'an and its CORRECT RECITATION; Prophet
Muhammad’s (S) life with special emphasis on his mission, how he accomplished
it and how we are going to achieve it in American perspective; Studying the life of at least 50 prominent
Sahabah; History of Islam/Muslims of at least the first 150 years of Hijrah;
Islamic Fiqh: regarding Wadu, Ghusl, Salah, Sawm, Zakah, Hajj,
Jihad, human rights, Riba, marriage and divorce etc.
2. Knowledge of the land, the people and
the contemporary world: Fundamentals of American social, cultural,
economic and political life and their problems in their historical perspective
and their solution in the light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah; critical,
analytical and comparative study of the Torah, the Bible and the Qur'an, clearly
understanding: “who are our addressees and how to address them”;
securing knowledge of ethnic background
of different people; Genesis of the modern world in historical
perspective and Contemporary Movements within and outside the country.
3. Developing
a dependable and trustworthy character in each MGA/worker [both brother and
sister] through the process of personal evaluation on day to day
basis and periodically through Murabbis or the In-charge of Tarbiyah
Department. This is the most important assignment
of Tarbiyah Department
This
process of self-evaluation relates to the development of his or her
character and presenting a practical model of what Islam expects from his/her
actions, deeds, dealings, behavior, conversation, attitude and manners in life.
The character of “Ebadur Rahman”, as laid down in Surah Luqma'n, Al-Furqa'n, Bani Israel, Al-Muminun,
al-Ankabut, al-Maa'rij, al-Hujrat and as demonstrated by Rasulullah (S) and his
beloved companions in their life-pattern, is to be inculcated in
each MGA/active Member to the extent possible. It cannot be developed
without an intensive course of Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah on person to person basis
in the form of interviews and question/answer sessions with individual
MGA’s/Members, providing suggestions and advices towards self-improvement. This
personal interview, at frequent intervals, will cover all the aspects of a
worker’s/Da'ee’s individual life, both private and public, while he or she is
at “home” and go a long way in remodeling his or her character, as desired.
V.
HOW TO PRODUCE THE TEAM – THE PROCESS?
1. The Ideal Situation of Tarbiyah and
Tazkiyah - On Person to person basis by the Amir: It would
have been an ideal if our Amir could go out and meet the individual MGA’s and
active Members of ICNA personally at their respective places [homes],
maintain a constant contact for evaluation and re-evaluation of their personal
targets, active involvement in regular Dawah Program - both at individual and
collective levels, set before them
targets of personal study of the Qur'an, Seerah (S) and Islamic literature,
inspire them to work attentively for their respective self-development program
to be worked out by him with full cooperation and consent of the brother/sister
concern and attend their personal Dawah, individual and family
problems. The Amir would, then, have developed a follow up program
on each count and meticulously observe the progress of each brother and sister
in the matter of their involvement in Dawah activities, the quantum of their
efforts and sacrifice in promoting the cause of the Movement and its
Programs, and his or her development
towards "Ta'lluq Billah", humbleness in behavior and approach and in
building the personality which is loved by all whom he/she meets and comes
in contact as Da’ee. This entire process “on person to person basis” would have
helped the Amir to produce and build the requisite Team of Da’ee Ilallah in
American perspective within a couple of years or so.
This is the
real Training Program and the true process of Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah. It covers
the training Program both at workers and leadership levels. The Amir will deal with each of them
separately, keeping in mind their respective capacity, level of understanding
and the responsibility he/she is holding or is likely to hold in future. The
Amir should go for it and expect his reward only from Allah (SWT) immensely. This is
the process through which Rasulullah (S) got his dedicated, devoted
and committed team of Da'ees [Sahabah ®] and the same way we can build our
team, Insha Allah, in order to get the Deen of Allah (SWT) introduced,
spread and established in this country, provided we have the will and the
Azimah to get it through, both at individual and collective levels. It is a
challenge to our wisdom and ingenuity. Let our Amir, the Shurah and our MGA’s
accept it! History will then repeat.
In case the
Amir is not available or is not prepared to undertake this onerous
responsibility, the In-charge of Tarbiyah and Murabbis have to fulfill
this gap and meet the same obligation to the extent possible on their
part. The In-Charge of Tarbiyah Department can do this job
too provided he puts all his talents and energies on this
project and works round the clock for it. SIMILARLY senior Murabbis can be assigned
to do this job in confidence. [I took this
job on my own accord in 1998 when I was the Chairman of Dawah Department
and a Member of Tarbiyah and had long interviews with 210 MGA'S
through out the USA and Canada in about six month's time but later on a lot of
impediments were put through "Group-politics" pressure in
my way and, as such, it could not be carried out to its desired
end as planned. This is just for your information only and to tell you that
this job is possible and can be attained any time.]
2. THE ALTERNATIVE: Considering
the lack of ideal situation in ICNA and keeping the needs and requirements of
Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah upper most in mind, Training Program can, otherwise, be
arranged at two levels as follows
A. At Al-Markaz: A week
long workshop for intensive training be held at Al Markaz and to be
participated/attended by the following groups, one after the other, in the same
order as listed below:
i. First Group - The Amir, the SG & The Shurah
Members;
ii. Second Group-
Regional/Zonal/Local Presidents, Departmental Heads and other office bearers;
iii. Third Group – Two or three Selected MGA’s from each
Region, Zone and local Units who are considered fit to shoulder the
responsibility of ICNA leadership in future.
Notes: 1. This
program will be repeated after every six months till each targeted
brother/sister becomes an efficient Da’ee in American perspective within the
course of 15 to 18 months;
2. The Team of Murabbis will not be
changed and the participants too for the entire period;
3. The Amir, the Shurah and the
Chairman of Dawah and Tarbiyah Departments will select the Team of Murabbis
[Moderators/Conductors] in consultation with each other or in a joint
meeting;
4. The team of Murabbis will
prepare the course, syllabus and reading material on the topics or themes
suggested/proposed earlier in this paper. They will then divide the
syllabus in three stages, covering the entire program into three weeklong
workshops for each group;
5.
These workshops will be arranged and controlled jointly by Dawah
-Tarbiyah Departments
6. The Team of Murabbis will
constitute 4 brothers from ICNA and 2 from outside, provided they are
movement-oriented and have the expertise of the subject to be assigned to
them.
B. AT REGIONAL/ZONAL/LOCAL LEVELS: The same
team of Murabbis will prepare a condensed course for holding a week-end
Dawah-Tarbiyah Training Camps and when, out of Session at Al-Markaz, will
visit each Region, Zone and Local Units
and conduct these Programs. It is to be
arranged by Tarbiyah Department. It will be attended by the MGA’s who are not
participating the Program at Al-Markaz + active Members. Imams and the Muslim Leadership of
the area will be especially invited to attend these Camps.
VI.
THE BEST MEANS OF TARBIYAH:
For the
benefit of all concerned I would like to add that the best course of Tarbiyah
is through an organized regular Dawah work in the field, both at individual and
collective levels. It would be supplementary to all that I have
discussed above. A person in the field of Dawah is under constant
observation of his friends and adversaries. Wherever he/she goes and whatever
he/she says or presents, he/she is judged and measured in terms of his/her own
action, deeds and appearance. He is subject to criticism every now and then. This
critical evaluation by others is very valuable. A Da’ee should
take easy and try to remove his shortcomings, if the criticism is genuine or
remove the misgivings with wisdom, if the case is otherwise. This will go on
polishing his character, behavior and temperament, which he/she cannot do so
only through weekend training programs. This will also inclined him/her to know
more and more about Islam, the country and the people when he will meet
situations where he/she may cut a sorry figure due to his/her ignorance or lack
of knowledge. This is the best Practical Training Workshop for a Da’ee. It
prepares him/her for the true leadership of the people of the land through
their criticism by others, the source of constant evaluation.
That is why I have always been emphasizing that the Training Camps at
Regional/Unit Levels must be conducted jointly by both D & T Departments as
“Dawah-Tarbiyah Training Camps” with “Dawah in the
field” as its integral part.
VII. CONCLUSION: I have
discussed the ideal situation of Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah for our Amir to
undertake and its alternative too along with the practical workshop through
Dawah in the field for the training of our Da'ees. Under the condition, ICNA is
passing through or till the time we are able to create the desired situation,
all the three methods of Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah can be resorted to. In other
words, while we all will try to create the ideal situation within ICNA for our
Amir to do our Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah as desired, all the three methods can be
applied to train ourselves, our MGA’s and our active Members to the extent
possible. May Allah give us Tawfeeq to raise ourselves and our Movement to be
the true Islamic Movement of North America.
Amen!
Shamim A Siddiqi
May 23, 2007