Dawat-e-Islami is an Islamic organization based in Pakistan. Founded
in the early 1980s by Muhammad Ilyas Qadri. , the organization is
ideologically aligned with Sunni Islam. It has several Islamic educational
institutions around the World. In addition to local charity efforts,
Dawat-e-Islami also offers online courses in Islamic studies and runs a
television station, Madani Channel. Mission
The group's mission statement is "I must strive to reform myself and people of
the entire world". It points to an emphasis on individual
reform which can lead to a broader social reform. This reform is to be
achieved through Tableegh, eschewing what are considered to be 'contemporary
forms of politics' and calling for a revival of core Islamic traditions of
Akhlaq, Huqooq-ul-Ibaad, and Ilm-e-deen. Muhammad Ilyas Qadri, head of DI, cites
Imam Ahmed Raza Khan, an Islamic scholar considered by many to be the Mujaddid of
his time, to be a singular source of guidance and inspiration in his mission.
The philosophy of Dawat e Islami revolves around purifying society from
what it views as moral decay. According to the organization's official book on
its founder, Dawat e Islami seeks to remove societal ills such as gambling
and alcoholism via its missionary work. History
Allama Arshadul Qaudri and Islamic scholar Shah Ahmad Noorani, since 1973
head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, were early supporters of Da´wat-e
Islāmī. Along with other Pakistani Sunni ulemā they selected Muhammad Muhammad
Ilyas Qadri, who was the then Punjab president of Anjuman Tulaba-ye Islām,
JUP´s youth wing, 23 as its head at Dār-ul ´ulūm Amjadia. The group has
become known for wearing green turbans. Dawat-e-Islami has presence in almost
195 countries of the world and has established Jamia-tul-Madina in
Pakistan, India and in other countries. In 2006, 29 women and children died in
the crush of people attempting to exit one of the weekly DI events. Several
years earlier, one of the few access roads from the Karachi center had been
turned into a park by government officials and DI had been petitioning
for a reopening of the road since 2002 to help facilitate the traffic flow of
the estimated weekly attendance of 20,000-25,000. An inquest found that the
building had been filled over capacity for the Rabiul Awwal event, the basement
where the women attended had only one exit, and a bomb hoax had caused a
stampede. The following year, an additional 30 worship sites were set up
around the city to reduce the concentration of the crowds.
Dawat-e-Islami has expanded to the United Kingdom around 1995 holding its
first Ijtima in Halifax. As of December 2014, it now has at least 24 properties
in the United Kingdom which are used as a network of Masajid, Madrassahs,
Islamic Schools and/or Jamias in order to create future scholars. Some
buildings have been completed and others are being worked upon. Around 10,000
British Muslims are in some form or the other associated with Dawat-e-Islami in
UK. Dawat-e-Islami operates five centers in
Greece and three in Spain. In 2009, a madrassa was opened in Rotherham England
for the education of young children and adults. In Athens, it has association
with local Sufis and has established four centers.
Dawat-e-Islami USA has centers in Chicago, Texas and California.
In Bangladesh, Dawat-e-Islami led Jamia-tul- Madina has produced scholars
who are serving in United Kingdom. Reception
In 2007, retired Pakistani lieutenant general Khalid Maqbool praised the
organization for "motivating the Muslims to do good instead of fanning hatred
against any sect." Activities
The two most significant activities of Dawat-e-Islami are Madani Qafila and
Madani Inamaat. It likes the followers to travel for specific days to spread
the message of Islam to the people. Its leadership hardly interacts with the
mainstream media though the organisation own its TV Channel. It also arranges an
annual gathering of its followers in Multan.
= Call to Dawah = Employing peer pressure and rewarding
conformity, DI imposes a strict dress code on their adherents and are
organised in small units of lay preachers, who invite for weekly and
annual congregations. They stress the strict and literal imitation of the life
of the Prophet in all aspects of the daily routine. As missionary, the lay
preacher has to act like an ideal Muslim. The "Islamic Project" of DI is
the "Sunnaization", that is the Re-shaping and Re-construction of the
daily routine and the individual markers of identity based on the examples of the
Prophet and the Salaf as portrayed in the Hadith-Literature. It arranges
Haftawar Shab-e-Juma Ijtima in cities around the world.
Dawat-e-Islami held its first congregation for deaf, dumb and blind
students at its central headquarters Faizan-e-Madinah. Hundreds of students
between 16 and 18 years of age attended the programme.
In September 2005, players of national hockey team along with the coach pledged
allegiance to Maulana Ilyas Qadri to follow his teachings. Also in 2005,
Dawat-e-Islami invited former President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister
Shaukat Aziz to its two-day congregation in Lahore.
= Annual Islamic gatherings = It annually organizes a large
congregation in Multan, Pakistan, for South Asia and in Birmingham for Europe.
In 2002, an estimated half-a-million people participated in its congregation
at Multan, Pakistan. The 2009 event was canceled because of security concerns.
= Madarsa-tul Madina = Dawat-e-Islami has opened a department
with the name of ‘Madrasa-tul-Madina Online.’ This department aims to teach
the Quran according to the principles of Arabic phonetics to all who live abroad,
as well as to provide them with knowledge and understanding of Islamic
teachings. Dawat-e-Islami collects Zakat and
Sadaqah during Ramadan for its Dawah and organizational activities.
Notable followers Abdul Wahab Riaz
See also Jamia-tul-Madina
Arshadul Qaudri References
Notes Attar Qadri, Ilyas. Dawat-e-Islami ka
Maqsad. Maktaba Ahle Sunnah Karachi. Gugler, Thomas K.. Mission Medina:
Da'wat-e Islami und Tabligi Gama'at. Würzburg: Ergon.
External links Dawat-e-Islami Official Website