The IPB Journey: Bagerhat & Nawabganj

Note: This article is written based on my memories of the journey back in 2000 when Bangladesh and Pakistan still have the right environment of dakwah. Now in my opinion, it is no longer ideal to learn the work of dakwah and tabligh in Bangladesh and Pakistan until righteousness returns to both.

Our first tasykeel in Bangladesh was a transit place called Nababgonj, a few hours bus ride within Dhakka city. We stayed at Nababgonj Boro Masjid from 13 to 15 February 2000. A blind brother, Mohammad Mohsein and a Qur'an teacher, Hafiz Jamaluddin gave nusrah to us at the masjid whilst we made arrangement to Bagerhat  district, 200 miles south-west of Dhaka. 

We took a large ferry to Bagerhat from a river port sailing through Burigangga River. The local brothers quickly found a space on the upper deck. They tied ropes around the area to make a boundry since that area was to be made a mussolla and and a place for us to rest. Alhamdulillaah, it really helped us a lot since the ferry were crowded and overflew with passengers. Adzan was called loudly and we performed solah in that area. Ta'leem also was performed by reading the kitaab Fadha'il Aamal whilst we went around making ghast requesting people on the ferry to join the aamal of ta'leem. The local brothers who were in our jamaat performed the responsibility admirely. They were mostly university students. The aamal on the ferry during the overnight journey all came out from their suggestions. Although they are young students, they have already a good experience in the work of dakwah and tabligh.

Nur Masjid is the Bagerhat markaz. We arrived there at 6.00pm on 16 February 2000 greeted  by Murrubi Abdul Sattar, the Bagerhat markaz elder. Though it is situated south of Dhaka, somehow the temperature in Bagerhat was colder than Dhaka, perhaps because it was a rural area. The next day a few local brothers who were sent by Kakrail Markaz to join our jamaat arrived; Mohammad Moslehudeen, Mohammad Akramul Hassan, Mohammad Ashraf Hussein, Mohammad Motiur Rahman, Mohammad Rafiqul Islam and Mohammad Rizaul. 

One of the first thing that I endured to do was to learn Bangla language. You will not be able to get to know the people better if you do not speak to them. Certainly I had met many Benggalis in Malaysia before since there are hundred of thousands of them working in Malaysia. But I had never known them. In fact the Benggalis are one of the the nicest people that I had ever met. After the journey my feeling towards them totally changed, growing into a brotherly affection. I would gladly stop and speak to a Bengalli brother whenever I met one anywhere. 

"Apni kaemon achen?" How are you?
"Bhalo achen." Fine.
"Apni khothai kas koren?" Where do you work?
These simple sentences would always draw smiles on their faces.
"Ami matro bangla shikti arombho korchi" I just learned the bangla language.
This sentence would draw bigger smile and laughter from them.

Then they start listening to you - 
"Manushe duniya ebonk akhirate shopolata ekmatro Deenir mothe. Duniya akhirate kamiyabi Allah Ta'ala hukum manar mothe ebonk Rasulullah sallalaahu alayhi wasallam ir tarika cholar manthe."
The success of mankind in this world and the hereafter is only in Deen. By obeying all the commandments of Allah Ta'ala and following the way of life of Rasulullah sallalaahu alayhi wasallam.

And they are people who listen. Mashaa Allah! They really listen to your speech. It makes learning dakwah a lot easier. They give us encouragement for dakwah. 
In the masjid that we were making effort of dakwah and tabligh, after solah you would hear the local called out loudly, "Inshaa Allah, baki namaaz badh iman amoler ofor bayan hobe. Amorosh shabai boshe onek faida hobe." Inshaa Allah, there will be a talk about iman and aamal. It will benefit you if you give time for it. 

During bayan in the masjid, whenever they heard any virtues of aamal, they would loudly respond, "Subhanallah!" May Allah keep choosing us and them for the effort of dakwah, and keep us and them on the path of the Sahabah radiyalaahu anhum only for the sake of Allah Ta'ala. 

The rukh or routes in Bagerhat had been decided for us as follows: 

16-17 February 2000 Nur Masjid, Bagerhat markaz

18-19 February 2000 Railway Masjid, Bagerhat
20-21 February 2000 KB Masjid, Bagerhat
22-23 February 2000 Mogra Bazaar Masjid, Bagerhat
24-25 February 2000 Shat Ghombuj Masjid, Bagerhat
26-27 February 2000 Mitha Pukur Par Masjid, Bagerhat
28 February 2000 Hospital Masjid, Bagerhat
29 February-1 March 2000 Dipara Bazaar Masjid, Bagerhat
2-3 March 2000 Dipara Madrasah, Bagerhat
4 March 2000 Mukhait Masjid, Bagerhat

Shat Ghombuj Masjid or the Sixty Dome Masjid was built in 1440 by Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali. Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali was the sultan dai'e who had spread Islam in Southern Bangladesh. It is believed that he was of Tughlaq-Uzbek origin. I remember Mahmudur Rashid brought me visit the grave of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali. Unfortunately the Mazar (mausoleum) of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali are mostly being visited by the ignorant grave-worshippers and the Brelwis. 

Shat Gombuj Masjid is very big that it actually has 77 domes and 60 stone pillars. It's large size made it look like we only occupied a tiny part of the masjid. During daytime, a lot of people came just to visit the masjid as a historical site.

Most of the masaajids in Bangladesh has a small pond or pukur beside it. We used the pukur for wudhu', for bathing and for washing our clothes. 

We cook our own food but sometime the local prepared food for us from their homes. "Khanna thayar. Ashen bhai, boshen." The food is ready. Come brother, sit. With white rice, we eat alu, muruggi and kacha morich. And I certainly will not forget naga morich, the hottest chilli that I had ever tasted at the time. I realised then why they drew up cartoon characters that breathe fire and smoke when they ate chillies. I was so astonished of its hottest taste that I brought home a few with the hope of growing it locally. 

On 4 March 2000 our jamaat and another local jamaat were combined at Mukhait Masjid, Bagerhat. Al-Hafeez Abdul Baari, who I met earlier at Kakrail Markaz became aamir of the combined jamaat. He made us all read surah Yaa Sin as an asbab for Allah to form cash jamaat from Bagerhat. It was here I met a murubbi Samirudeen of  Village Rodropara, Thanasrinogor, Mounshiganj, Dhaka. He was about 97 years old and was on his way to go out in the path of Allah for 4 months. As if I can still see him smiling and hear his voice, "Allah Khub Boro" (Allah is the All Mighty). We called him Abu Ayyub as Sayyidina Abu Ayyub Ansari radiyal laahu anhu, a Sahabi who was in his 90s when he died in the path of Allah and had been buried in Istanbul. The Turks called him Eiyyup Sultan.

From Bagerhat, we went back to Kakrail Markaz. After a couple of days at Kakrail Markaz, we were then tasykil again to Nawabganj Thana Area not far from Khaka. Thus in Bangladesh, our chillah had been spent in a long tasykil  to Bagerhat and a short tasykil to Nawabganj. I could not remember much of our effort at Nawabganj except we were at a very large centre for the orphans called Yateemkhana Masjid. 

We practised what we learned from Hafeez Abdul Baari in preparing people to gout in the path of Allah. I remember we tasykil a postman to go out for 40 days. He gave us reason that he will not be able to get leave for he is the only postman in his area. So we went to his superior, the Post Master and tasykil the Post Master to go out for 40 days. He gave us all sort of excuses saying that he will not be able to leave his position as there is no one else that can relief him  of his post. So we told him about one of the postman under him who wish to go out for 40 days but leave was not granted to him. He immediately told us that he would grant the leave to the said man to go out in the path of Allah for 40 days. 
Subhanallah! Allah taught us so much in our first chillah in Bangladesh. Then we took a flight to Delhi, India to continue our journey for the second chillah.