Tabligh Jamaat is a leading Muslim missionary and revival movement with hundreds of thousands of supporters. It was founded in the 1920s by Maulana Muhammad Ilyas (1885-1944) in Mewat, India. By 1946, the group reached Asia, Africa, Europe, and America. Tabligh Jamaat seeks to revitalize Muslims through a non-political Islamic identity.
It has an international headquarters, in Nizamuddin, India and national headquarters in over 80 countries. It sends hundreds of members annually to travel the world, preaching a message of peace. It organizes voluntary, unpaid preachers who fund themselves in groups (called Jamaats) and sleep at Musjids. Activities begin at the Musjid with 2 weekly visits to Muslims; daily reading of Islamic books; going in groups 3 days a month, 40 days a year, and 4 months in a lifetime; a daily council to discuss how to increase activity; and spending 2½ hours in the Musjid daily. Main points include firm belief in the Islamic declaration of faith, acquiring knowledge and devotion in Salaah. Tabligh Jamaat hosts gatherings of Islamic lectures (Ijtimas) with the 2nd largest gathering of Muslims after Hajj being the Tongi Ijtima in Bangladesh.
UK is the focus of the movement in the West: by 2007, Tabligh members were situated at 600 of UK's 1350 Musjids. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the movement made inroads into Central Asia. As of 2007, there were 10,000 members in Kyrgyzstan alone.
Members include the poor as well as the wealthy, with famous supporters including former presidents, cricketers and pop stars.
