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taawiz See amulets and talismans.

taaziya See ashura; muharram.

Tablighi Jamaat

The Tablighi Jamaat is a transnational Muslim

reform movement founded in the early 20th cen-

tury in colonial india. Although it is one of the

largest of such organizations in the world, its lack

of institutional hierarchy and structure makes

systematic study of the Tablighi Jamaat’s member-

ship and program quite difficult. The picture that

emerges from the small body of literature that does

exist is that of a “revivalist” movement looking to

precipitate societal reform through a hadith-based

program of personal piety, and a program of tabligh

(offering guidance) to wayward Muslims. What dis-

tinguishes the Tablighi Jamaat from many Islamist

movements, which often also base programs of

reform on a mythico-historical community of

Muhammad (d. 632) and his Companions, is that

state power is anathema to the Tablighi program.

The Tablighi Jamaat, however, is not at all

apolitical—in fact, the movement’s central prin-

ciples are themselves political in that they deal

with issues of aUthority (God versus the material

state). While many scholars confuse a rejection of

the modern state with a lack of political vision,

the Tablighi Jamaat’s political outlook is simply a

rejection of modern political organization. This is

particularly true internationally. Although many

of its scholars understand the Tablighi Jamaat to

be apolitical, the movement’s aversion to state

affairs stems from the tension between two vastly

different political visions.

The Tablighi Jamaat seeks the creation of a par-

allel authority to the state that does not entail any

direct involvement with it, including active or open

opposition. Avoiding the state-centered identity that

is characteristic of modern political organization,

the Tablighi Jamaat preaches fealty to Islam above

all else—being Muslim trumps all other identities,

including family and nation-state. In this sense, the

principles that govern the Tablighi Jamaat resemble

those of al-qaida. The Tablighi Jamaat, however,

offers an alternative vision of how transnational

revivalist movements can work toward reform. In

light of the tremendous amount of attention given

to “Islamist” and “Jihadist” movements, which are

not limited to al-Qaida, the Tablighi Jamaat points

to an important alternative, nonviolent method of

political organization and authority.

See also reneWal and reForm movements;

terrorism.

Caleb Elfenbein

T