Tablighi Battle Ground Of Two Factions In Bangladesh

By New Age Islam Staff Writer 20 December 2024 1. 4 persons were killed in clashes in Tablighi Ijtima in Bangladesh. 1. 2.Maulana Saad group and Maulana Zubair group clashed in the ijtima. 2. Zubair group allegedly attacked Saad followers. 3. Zubair group enjoys the support of Hefazat-e-Islam. ----- On the night of 18 December 2024, the Turag river in Ghazipur district of Bangladesh turned red with the blood of four innocent Muslims. Their death was not the result of communal riots between Hindus and Muslims or between two sects of Muslims. The victims were caught in the crossfire of two warring factions of Tablighi Jamat, Maulana Saad group and Maulana Md Zubair group on the occasion of the international gathering of the followers of Tablighi Jamat. Four days before the gathering, on December 14, Mamunul Haque, a leader of the Zubair group had warned that the water of the Turag river will turn red. The Saad group has alleged that the Zubair group attacked the followers of Saad group when they approached the Ijtima ground. In the clashes 4 persons were killed and more than a hundred were injured, some critically. The rift within the Tablighi Jamat came into public eye in 2017 when Maulana Saad Kandhlvi dissolved the Shura Council and declared himself the de facto Amir or leader of the Jamat. Maulana Md Zubair challenged his claim and the Jamat was divided into two factions. Since then the two groups have clashed on several occasions. Both have clashed over control of mosques and madrasas. The clash in Tungi on the river Turag was over the control of the Ijtima ground. Zubair group, with the backing of the government had got the formal permission while the Saad group was still awaiting permission. When the followers of Saad group approached the Ijtima ground, Zubair group allegedly attacked them. Incidentally, the Zubair group enjoys the support of Hefazat-e-Islam, a madrasa based religious organisation that had been at loggerheads with Hasina government. The Hefazat-e-Islam is against Saad group because in his speeches, Maulana Saad has criticised madrasa teachers for charging fees for delivering religious sermons on Milad or in other religious gatherings. He has also said that madrasa teachers should not pray in madrasas. Instead, they should offer prayers in mosques to establish rapport with the public. It is known that preachers charge a hefty amount of money for delivering speeches in religious gatherings. Therefore, Hefazat-e-Islam turned against Maulana Saad. Maulana Saad's other statements against madrasas also antagonised the madrasa fraternity. It should be noted that the Tablighi Jamat does not give importance to establishing madrasas or schools and thinks that one can acquire religious education only through joining travelling groups of the Jamat. Maulana Saad has also allegedly said that Hidayat (faith) is not even in the hands of Allah but it depends on Mehnat (Tabligh or proselytisation). On the contrary the Quran says that Allah guides whosoever He wills on the right path. These controversial statements have made him unpopular among a faction of the Jamat. The Zubair group has won the support of Hefazat-e-Islam and has tried to take away control of many mosques and madrasas of Dhaka and other towns of Bangladesh with its help. On the other hand the Saad group has alleged that they have written several letters to Maulana Zubair inviting him to hold discussions to end the rift but he has not responded. Maulana Saad group also invited Maulana Zubair in November before the Ijtima but he did not respond. Instead he wrote to the Bangladesh government that he could not talk to the Saad group as it was a Batil group, that is a group on the wrong path. This is not the first time that innocent Muslims were killed in clashes in the Ijtima. In 2018 too, about a dozen madrasa students were killed in the clashes. Still the two leaders, Maulana Zubair and Maulana Saad did not find a solution to the problem. They knew well that the rift could again result in clashes. Still, they went on with the programme and both the groups vowed to control the Ijtima ground. The tragedy is that both Maulana Saad and Maulana Md Zubair claim they know the Quran and Hadith and preach their followers to follow the Quran, the Sunnah and the life of the Sahaba ( the holy companions) but they themselves do not practice what they preach. Hadhrat Ali r.a. and Hadhrat Imam Hasan a.s. gave up their claim on caliphate to avoid bloodshed among the Muslims. But Maulana Saad and Maulana Zubair have stuck to their claim on the leadership of the Tablighi Jamat. Maulana Saad insists that since he is the heir to Maulana Ilyas Kandhlawi, the founder of Tablighi Jamat, he should remain its Amir till his death while Maulana Zubair believes that it is his democratic right to be the Amir on the basis of seniority. Neither of the two is ready to sacrifice his interests for the sake of peace and harmony. On the contrary, both have sacrificed the lives of innocent followers of Islam for their personal interests and for their ego which is bigger than Islam. The Army has been deployed to restore peace and reign in the warring factions. The army tanks have been moving in the town to reign in the warriors of Tablighi Jamat. Islam does not preach personality worship but in Tablighi Jamat, personality worship has reached a stage where individuals can be sacrificed to serve the interests of the cult figures. Perhaps, the Tablighi Jamat has lost its relevance and significance in the 21st century. 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