Simple Weddings!

Below is an extract about Sheikhul Hadeeth's (rahmatullahi 'alayh) second marriage, after his first wife had died. The 'Hazrat Madani' referred to here is Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani (rahmatullahi 'alayh) and 'Hazrat Raipuri' is Maulana Abdul Qadir Raipuri (rahmatullahi 'alayh).

"This Hazrat is getting married." [said Hazrat Raipuri, referring to Sheikhul Hadeeth.]

In a scolding voice Hazrat Madani said, "And he did not even inform me?"

Hazrat Raipuri said, "Hazrat, he did not even inform me. I am forcing my way with him. In fact, he refused point blank to take me with him. I had to put a spy in his place to inform me of when Hazrat Dehlawy's [his uncle] letter arrives. Last night I received the report from my spy and early this morning I arrived."

Hazrat Madani gave Hazrat Raipuri a message to give to Maulana Ilyas, "Tell Maulana Ilyas that this nikah will be performed by me. Without me there will be no nikah. I would have travelled with you on this train, but the ladies are with me as well as some luggage. I shall put them off at home and come to Delhi with the very next train."

Initially I declined the offer: "Hazrat, do not take this trouble."

He immediately answered in a threatening voice, "I am not talking to you. I am sending a message for Muhammad Ilyas that I am going to perform this nikah."

I answered, "In that case Hazrat should not cast yourself into such into such difficulty. Come along when it suits you. Hazrat Raipuri will experience no hard ship in waiting for you. I will also await your arrival.

Hazrat said, "There will be no need for that. I will come later in the afternoon."

This is how I remember the incident. In my diary the story is told with a bit of a difference, but about this there is no difference: up to deoband we travelled in the company of Maulana Madani. Hazrat got off there and the two of us continued straight to Delhi. My diary also says that from Meerut, Maulana Meeruty [aka: Aashiq Elahi] also boarded the train to Delhi.

From Saharanpur to Delhi, Maulana Madani talked with us in a very happy and carefree manner. He took a small bottle of atar from the pocket of his waistcoat and spread the contents on his palm and applied it to my dirty khaddar kurta. During his life, out of fear of him, I always wore khaddar kurta. It was in his kindness to me that whenever he saw a kurta other than the khaddar on me he used to tear it off my body .

I asked him, " Why waste such precious atar on my dirty kurta?"

He replied "Atar smells nice on khaddar"

I said " Just like the pearls were wasted on the neck of khalisa?"

He laughed and continued to apply atar to his hands and from there onto my clothes saying, " The barbar also gets the smell of the clothes of the bridegroom."

He used the whole bottle on me. Hazrat arrived the next day in Delhi by the evening train. Due to some misunderstanding all of us went to stay in the Masjid Abdul Rab and from there we went to Nizamuddin the next day which was Friday. Hazrat peformed the nikah for a mahr amounting to the Fatimimahr.

I said, "Hazrat the fatimi mahr is an ambiguous term - not clear and there is a difference of opinion on it. It should be fixed the current measure and value."

Hazrat smiled and said loudly, "The bridegroom is normally very shy and embarresed. Keep quiet."

I said, "In matters of deen, there is no permission for shyness. This is a matter for mas'ala."

Hazrat said, "Five hundred dirhams."

I said, "This is also a disputed term not clearly defined. What will that be in present currency?"

He said, "Approximently 130 rupees."

This question and answer series was related by Khwaja Nizami in one of his periodicals which appeared in those days, and gave the full details.

Below there is also a link to Maulana Yusuf Motala's article: 'The Need for Simple Weddings':

http://www.inter-islam.org/RightsDuties/WEDDINGS.html