الأخبار

By Dzulkifli Abdul Razak - - 

IT has been more than a month now that the congregation of more than 10,000 people met in a local mosque in the capital in late February.

Better known as Ijtimak Tabligh, it used to be held all over the world and attended by thousands.

A pilgrimage of sort. Thus far the meetings have not attracted much "problems" publicly; instead, admiration for the kind of dedication and commitment that everyone took to their hearts. And without much whining and griping.

After all, this is not a meeting in a 5-star hotel with the usual protocol that normally follow suit. Instead, it is a very down-to-earth meeting of hearts and minds focused on strong rapport and brotherhood for the sake of simplicity as well as humility.

Everything else is negotiable so that the state of authenticity is not compromised. You cannot get any better than that, no matter where they gather, when and in what numbers.

It could even be in the middle of nowhere, at the peak of winter. It has prevailed many times before.

More admirably still is the social order that is practised as a matter of "decorum" and “discipline.”

They eat together, seated on the floor in a small group around a single large tray (called "talam"), using just three fingers with sophistication. The food is freshly prepared by the group members voluntarily.

Many have had experience to do this, given the wide-ranging membership of the movement that comes from all walks of life: professionals, corporate leaders, academics (I know this from them!), and of course the lay public with many more talent to serve.

But it matters not. In this place, name and fame, titles and positions does not count. Only piety and sincere dedication to the Almighty.

They all literally drank from the same cup. And spend time together at the same "dining space" which also doubled as the "lecture hall," the place to offer prayers, and eventually the place to sleep when the day is over.

Even then, it is for a very short period of less than the usual eight hours. This is to allow for more time to self-reflect and renew commitment.

In all, it is like clock-work with little to fuss about because worldly status and material wealth are of no consequence.

What is surprising of late is the disconnect when it comes to the question of health and hygiene.

Until today, the various authorities, be it health or religious or even the Sultan of Selangor personally, are still appealing for those who have been to the Ijtimak to come forward to ensure that they are safe and healthy.

Allegedly, some 500 others are yet to be contacted for screening in case they are carriers of the deadly virus.

The reported lukewarm response is disappointing because by now they must have understood the fatal risk of their inaction which can be a matter of life and death; not only to themselves but others who were innocently in contact.

More so, considering the number of highly educated professionals among them, not least from the health care and medical sectors, who could be highly aware of the precarious situation.

So where is the disconnect? Given that good health is of paramount importance in the people-oriented activities of tabligh, the issue is baffling.

That the majority of the those who are reportedly infected as well as the number death could be traced to the participants of the Ijtimak, it is a big letdown for the tabligh in the drive to bring peace and harmony to humanity.

It seems to go counter to piety, or even dubbed as a failure of self-reflection and the renewal of commitment.

Or is this an unintended consequence that the movement has long overlooked just because they were spared all along from such tragic miseries.

Whatever the reason(s), it has created a significant dent to its image that must quickly put right.

Imam Al-Ghazali, a figure not unknown to many, reminded us of the fight with the "enemies" that we do not see before taking on the ones we can.

Although he was referring to a dozen of habits that are bound to harm us rooted in egoism, the same could be implied to Covid-19, which figuratively is an "unseen" foe that has shown to be capable to cause massive harm to humanity as a whole.

And to dismiss this reality, is to leave the "invisible" coronavirus unattended by pandering to our own ego, causing untold loss of human lives that is rapidly unfolding right in front of our eyes.

Could this be the tabligh disconnect?

The writer, an NST columnist for more than 20 years, is International Islamic University Malaysia rector

Source : https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2020/04/584027/tablighs-dented-image-must-be-put-right