A participant observer's insight into rituals and practices of the Tablīgh Jamā‘at in Australia

Whilst there has been only a handful of research conducted about the Tablīgh Jamā‘at (Convey [message of Islam] Group) in the past, in the last ten years there has been a sudden increase in the number of studies undertaken globally. A vast majority of these studies, however, have essentially explored the evolution and development of the Tablīgh Jamā‘at from a historical perspective largely in a local context. A sociological analysis of Tablīgh Jamā‘at as an integral part of the global phenomenon of contemporary Islamic revivalism and the rituals and practices as its core features has received scant attention from academics and social researchers. This paper is a sociological study of the Tablīgh Jamā‘at as the world’s largest transnational Islamic revivalist movement. It is an apolitical transnational Islamic revivalist movement with a strong Sufistic tendency aiming to make Muslims better adherents of Islam. Utilising participant observation approach the paper explores the rituals and practices of the movement in Sydney, Australia and gives a glimpse into the inner workings of the Tablīgh Jamā‘at. Such an insight is pivotal to a better understanding of the Tablīgh Jamā‘at as part of the global phenomenon of contemporary Islamic revivalism and a transnational movement of faith renewal. The paper posits that the rituals and practices of the Tablīgh Jamā‘at has a strong cohering and socialising force and a sociological study, therefore, provides essential insights into the role of the movement in the global process of Islamic revivalism.