Many Muslims do not aware of the difference between the term Sunnah and Sunnat. Many Muslims think that the two words have the same meaning. Many Muslims know the word Sunnat but very few who knows and understand the word Sunnah. Many Muslims think that the word Sunnah also means Sunnat. When something is mentioned to be a Sunnah, many Muslims think that the Sunnah is also Sunnat to be practiced. When a practice is Sunnat, it means that the practice is not obligatory or Fardu to be practiced by the Muslims. A practice which is Sunnat can either be a practice which is recommended or highly recommended for Muslims to practice. Many Muslims men are having beard because they believe the practice of having beard is the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw. However there are many Muslims who do not know the Hukum of having beard is only Sunnat Muakkad or highly recommended to be practiced by Muslims. On the other hand according to the Indian Muslim who majority is following the Mazhab of Imam Hanafi, the practice of having beard is Wajib. However, the Hukum of Wajib in Mazhab Imam Hanafi is the same as Sunnat Muakkad or highly recommended practice in Mazhab Shafie. Some Muslims men are wearing turban and jubbah because they believe the practice is the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw. However many Muslims do not really know what the Hukum of wearing turban and jubbah is. The Hukum of wearing turban and jubbah is only Sunnat which is not Muakkad or recommended to be practiced by Muslims. There are some Muslims who are so particular in wearing turban and jubbah but they are not particular in observing the Sunnah which is Fardu or obligatory to be practiced by Muslims.
In my opinion, Muslims who are not particular in observing the Sunnah which is obligatory to be practiced by Muslims should not busy practicing the Sunnah which is Sunnat, either the Sunnah is Sunnat Muakkad or not Sunnat Muakkad. Many Muslims in Jemaah Tabligh and Jemaah Al-Arqam are very particular in observing the Sunnah which is only Sunnat but they are not particular in observing the Sunnah which is Fardu or obligatory. Many Muslims think that the orders of Allah which are Fardu to be performed by Muslims are not Sunnah. As for example, many Muslims think that the work of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils is not the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw. What is the Hukum of doing the work of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils? I think there are many Muslims who do not know the Hukum of doing the work of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils. In the Quran, Allah says with the approximate meaning; Say Muhammad to your umat this is my path, the path of calling peoples to Allah with Basiroh and this is my path or the path of those who follow me. The path mention in the above verse of the Quran does not mean the path or the road which is found in this material world. The path which is mention in the above verse of the Quran is the action which will bring men to Allah. What is the action which will bring men to Allah? The actions which will bring men to Allah are the actions of our Prophet Muhammad saw which are also known as Sunnah. The action of calling peoples to Allah is the same as the action of calling men to good and forbidding men from evils and it is the Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw.
In my opinion, the Sunnah which is Fardu or obligatory to be practiced by Muslims should be called as the Great Sunnah and the Sunnah which is Sunnat to be practiced by Muslims should be known as the small Sunnah. Many Muslims in Jemaah Tabligh and Jemaah Al-Arqam are very particular in observing the small Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw such as the Sunnah of wearing of turban and jubbah but they are not particular in observing the Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw. In this verse of the Quran, it is mentioned that the Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw is to invite men to Allah which is the same as the work of inviting men to good and forbidding men from evils. What is the Hukum of this Sunnah of inviting men to good and forbidding men from evils? The Hukum is Fardu Kifayah and Fardu Ain. All the actions of our Prophet Muhammad saw are called Sunnah. Sunnah is not the same as Sunnat because the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw can either be Fardu or Sunnat. All practices which are not done by our Prophet Muhammad saw are known as Bid’ah. Bid’ah practices are the practices which are not Sunnah. Bid’ah practices can either be Haram or Makruh. The practice of Jemaah Tabligh in going out for 3 days every month, 40 days every year and 4 months once in the whole lifetime are Bid’ah. Allah orders Muslims to revive the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw and not the Bid’aah. When the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw is revived, then Islam will be revived. How to revive Islam? In order to revive Islam we have to revive the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw and we have to start by reviving the Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw. The Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw is also the first order of Allah. The first order of Allah is the work of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils and it is the same as the work to call people to Allah. The work of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils is also the work which fulfills the right of reciting the Great Kalimah, I bear witness there is no God except Allah and I bear witness Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah. When the Greatest Sunnah is revived then other Sunnah will also be revived. I believe the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad will never be revived by Bid’ah practices. Nor the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad be revived by having power or by having wealth. The only way to revive the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw is by reviving the Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw.
Jemaah Tabligh claim to the world to be the Jemaah which revive the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw. What is the approach taken by Jemaah Tabligh to revive the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw? In order to revive the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw, Jemaah Tabligh takes the approach of reviving the small Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw. According to them, when the small Sunnah is revived, all other Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw will then be revived. In order to revive the small Sunnah, Jemaah Tabligh invite Muslims to go out in the path of ibadah for 3 days in a month, 40 days every year and 4 months once in the whole lifetime, a practice which is Bid’ah. How could we revive the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw by first reviving the small Sunnah and how could we revive the small Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw via Bid’ah practices? In my opinion the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw will never be revived in this world with the method use by Jemaah Tabligh. I think the ulama of Jemaah Tabligh are not the real ulama who understand about Quran and Hadis and who know how to revive Islam. There are so many misunderstanding about Sunnah in Jemaah Tabligh. One of the misunderstandings in Jemaah Tabligh is to believe that all Sunnah are Great Sunnah. According to them, to practice and to revive Sunnah is obligatory. In my opinion it is absurd to believe all Sunnah are Great Sunnah. Sunnah is the action of our Prophet Muhammad saw. Sunnah is also the orders of Allah. When the order of Allah is great the Sunnah is also great and when the order of Allah is small the Sunnah is also small. A Great Sunnah is the Sunnah which is Fardu or obligatory to be performed by Muslims and a Sunnah which is small is the Sunnah which is Sunnat to be performed by Muslims.
I think it is impossible to revive the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw or to revive Islam by reviving the Small Sunnah. It is illogical to believe something which is small will be able to revive something which is great. It is only logical to believe something great to revive something which is small. In my opinion, the work of Jemaah Tabligh is the work of stupid peoples who wants to revive Islam or the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw by reviving first the small Sunnah. Jemaah Tabligh is trying to revive the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw by inviting Muslims to practice the small Sunnah such as the Sunnah of having beard, wearing turban and jubbah, taking meals with hand and licking the fingers after taking a meal. The fact that they ask their followers to discuss daily about the small Sunnah such as the Sunnah of eating, sleeping and the Sunnah of going to the toilet during their outing for 3 days or 40 days or 4 months only shows that they just serious in reviving the small Sunnah. The fact that they do not ask their followers to discuss daily about the Greatest Sunnah which is the work of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils only shows they are not serious in reviving the Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw. In my opinion, it is a very great tragedy for Jemaah Tabligh which claim to be the Jemaah that revive the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw but refuse or not willing to revive the Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw.
As for example, the Sunnah of taking food with the hand is only Sunnat that is not even Muakkad but only recommended for Muslims to practice. However, many Muslims especially in Jemaah Tabligh who regards the Sunnah of taking food with hands as the Sunnah which is obligatory or Fardu to be practiced by Muslims. I still remember at one time when I was with Jemaah Tabligh, I was scorned by one of the members of Jemaah Tabligh because I was not using hand but a spoon. According to Jemaah Tabligh, eating with a spoon is not Sunnah and therefore it is not befitting for a person with the status of syurah Malaysia to eat with a spoon and not with his fingers. There are many members of Jemaah Tabligh who insists on eating with their fingers and by sitting down on the floor and not on the chairs simply because they believe it is the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw and to practice these small Sunnah according to many members of Jemaah Tabligh is obligatory. Whenever a member of Jemaah Tabligh does any amal, the aim is only to gain rewards and not to please Allah. Many of the members of Jemaah Tabligh who believe to practice a Sunnah is to revive the Sunnah and whoever revives a Sunnah at the time when the Muslims are away from Islam that person will be rewarded with the rewards of hundred martyrs. How does Jemaah Tabligh motivate their followers to undertake certain action or to do certain amals? Jemaah Tabligh motivates their followers to undertake certain actions or to do certain amals by telling them about the reward they will get in doing such actions or amals. When the members of Jemaah Tabligh know that they will obtain the reward of hundred martyrs by reviving only one Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw, they become very enthusiastic in reviving the Sunnah particularly in reviving the small Sunnah. The mindset of the members of Jemaah Tabligh is only about rewards and paradise. Whenever the members of Jemaah Tabligh do any actions or amals, they will do only to gain reward and paradise and not to gain the pleasure of Allah. The members of Jemaah Tabligh are very particular in reviving the small Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw because they want the reward of hundred martyrs.
In my opinion, Jemaah Tabligh does not have the real understanding of the word Sunnah which is mention in the Hadis with the approximate meaning; whosoever revive the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw in the time when the umat of Prophet Muhammad saw is away from Islam, will be given the reward of hundred martyrs. Is the Sunnah to be revived mention in this Hadis means, to revive all the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad saw which include reviving all the Small Sunnah or does it means to revive the Greatest Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad saw? According to Jemaah Tabligh the Sunnah which is mention in the Hadis is to revive any of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw which include reviving even the small Sunnah. In my opinion, to revive the Sunnah, means to revive the Greatest Sunnah. It is only when the Greatest Sunnah is revived then only all the other Sunnah will be revived. What is the Greatest Sunnah? The Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw is the Sunnah of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils.
Why the ulama of Jemaah Tabligh did not advise their followers to first revive the Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw. Does the ulama of Jemaah Tabligh know what is the Greatest Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw? Does the ulama of Jemaah Tabligh know that the work of inviting mankind to good and preventing mankind from evils is the Greatest Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad saw? When I was with Jemaah Tabligh I had never heard from the ulama of Jemaah Tabligh that the work of inviting mankind to good and preventing mankind from evils is the Greatest Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw. Also I had never heard from them that the meaning of evil in the Quran refer to the action of not willing to recite the Great Kalimah and the meaning of good in the Quran refer to the action of willing to recite the Great Kalimah. I believe the verse of the Quran with the approximate meaning; to invite mankind to good does not mean to invite mankind to go out for 3 days or 40 days or 4 months or to practice the small Sunnah such as the Sunnah of eating and the Sunnah of sleeping but it means to invite mankind to recite the Great Kalimah; I bear witness there is no God except Allah and I bear witness Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. The Sunnah of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils is the Greatest Sunnah but the Sunnah of eating and sleeping are only the small Sunnah and to invite Muslims to go out for 3 days or 40 days or 4 months is actually to invite Muslims to practice Bid’ah. How can Jemaah Tabligh regards the practice of going out for 3 days in a month, 40 days in a year and 4 months as the ‘Greatest Sunnah’? The Greatest Sunnah of Jemaah Tabligh in reality is only a Bid’ah. What a shame on Jemaah Tabligh?
What it means to revive the Sunnah in the Hadis is to revive the Greatest Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad saw which is the Sunnah of inviting mankind to good and preventing mankind from evils. The ulama of Jemaah Tabligh are regarded by all of their followers as great ulama who understand about the Quran and Hadis. However in my opinion the ulama of Jemaah Tabligh are not the true ulama of the Muslims. In case they are the true ulama of the Muslims, they should be given by Allah the true understanding of the Quran. A true Muslims scholar or a true alim must be given by Allah the true understanding of the Quran. Why the elders of Jemaah Tabligh do not understand that the practice of going out for 3 days in a month, 40 days in a year and 4 months once in the whole lifetime is a Bid’ah practice? Why the elders of Jemaah Tabligh are not given by Allah the true understanding of the Quran? Why Allah does not give them the understanding of the Quran whereas they are the peoples who have studied the Quran for many years? Why Allah does not give them the understanding of the Quran whereas many of them have memorized the Quran and the Hadis? Allah has not given them the true understanding the Quran and Hadis because of one simple reason. What is the reason? They are not given by Allah the true understanding of the Quran and Hadis because they are not doing the work of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils in the way done by our Prophet Muhammad saw.
Also Allah does not give the understanding to the elders of Jemaah Tabligh about the Hukum of doing the work of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils is Fardu Kifayah and Fardu Ain. Thus the elders of Jemaah Tabligh does not order their followers to do the work of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils because they believe nowadays Muslims are not ready or not capable to do the work. What is understood by the elders of Jemaah Tabligh the work of Dakwah is mainly to invite Muslims to spend 3 days every month, 40 days every year and 4 months once in the whole lifetime and not to invite mankind to Allah. While spending time for 3 days, 40 days and 4 months the elders of Jemaah Tabligh order their followers to be busy practicing the small Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw such as the Sunnah of eating, drinking and sleeping. In my opinion, the elders of Jemaah Tabligh probably believe that the Sunnah of eating with hand is equal to the Sunnah of inviting mankind to good and forbidding mankind from evils. What a pity to Jemaah Tabligh who thinks and believes that they are in the correct path but in fact they are not. Oh Allah, guide the elders and the members of Jemaah Tabligh to the correct path.
Prof Dr Nasoha Saabin
April 2013
Integrative Holistic Wellness Centre