Death Comes at Its Own Fixed Time

Hazrat Shaykh (نور الله مرقده) describes a near death experience from his younger days. The incident occurred during a tour of Punjab with his father, Maulana Yayha (نور الله مرقده) and Maulana Shah Abdur Raheem Raipuri (نور الله مرقده).

On this journey at Raipur-Gujran, my father performed the nikah of Maulana Ahmeduddin Saheb. Near Raipur-Gujran there is a river which we had to cross by boat. The carts and wagons from this side had to be left there. From Raipur-Gujran, thousands of people on foot and about fifty well decorated horses came along. Seeing these, I felt a great urge to ride on of the horses although I did not really know how to ride a horse. One beautiful horse was brought and I was placed on it. As I sat down, I gave the horse a slap on its hind-quarter and immediately she started to run in the direction of the river. I laid flat on it filled with fear. But immediately twenty or so young men jumped on their horses after me to head us off and bring her to a stop. they grabbed the reins and brought her to a stop. Some of them, in order to cut me off even rode their horses right into the river.

Fortunately Allah had previously determined that I should live, otherwise I would surely have drowned. I later came to know that this horse was a pedigree type. People said to me that that horse had never before had its buttocks slapped.

Anyway, the sight of those young men on horse-back will always be with me. They were real experts. They did not chase my horse, otherwise she would have gone even faster. They raced on both sides of the horse, preventing it from going to the river. Then they came from both sides and closed in on her. they then grabbed the reins and brought her to a halt. I had done practically all that was needed to die, but Allah saved me. Death was not to come to me there. It comes at its own fixed time.

Aap Beti, Page 340

The Warmth of Sincerity

Often times we make use of facilities that are in front of us in our Madrasas, Masaajid, workplaces without the thought ever crossing our minds that these things are not our property. In this section, Hazrat Shaykh (نور الله مرقده) explains that sincerity that some of his Akaabir and contemporaries had in regards to the Madressa's rights on them. This excerpt is about his father, Maulana Yahya (نور الله مرقده).

During my father's time, the Madressa did not yet have a kitchen to supply students, nor was there a cook or restaurant in the vicinity of the Madressa. Because his family was not staying here, his food was coming from a cook who had restaurant near Jamia Masjid. His name was Ismail. From the time that the food arrived till the time that that he ate it, the food used to get cold, especially during the cold days of winter. Then he placed the pot with food in front of the Madressa's hamaam (the fireplace heating the water), not in it, and so the food would become warmed by the hamaam's heat. Then he used to contribute two or three rupees monthly towards the Madressa funds, saying that he had derived some benefit of the fire of Madressa. He never took any salary from the Madressa for services rendered to teaching.

A Golden Rule

Here Hazrat Shaykh (رحمة الله عليه) explains a golden rule that he and his distinguished elders considered to be of the utmost importance.

There is one principal fact which our elders considered of paramount importance viz., that the rights of others which are due by you should be duly delivered and if there are any of your rights due upon others, they should not be demanded. My father [Maulana Yahya (رحمة الله عليه)] was a great protagonist of this and acted accordingly. He never used to consider what others were doing. He always used to worry about, "What should I do? What is my duty?"

The same principal will be found many times in the Malfoozaat of my late uncle Maulana Ilyas (رحمة الله عليه) as well as in the lectures of Maulana Yusuf (رحمة الله عليه). It is in fact derived from the hadith:

ليس الواصل بالمكافي ولاكن الواصل الذي إذا قطعت وصل

"The builder of good relations is not he who acts reciprocally (Acting in a friendly manner to those that befriend him), but is in fact the one who befriends those who cut themselves off from him" (Mishkat, Bukhary)

Aap Beti, Page 125

Sacrifices of a True Talib

In this excerpt, there lies a lesson for all those who are seeking knowledge today. The actions of our elders were not mere formalities; rather, their actions were a reflection of the purity of their hearts.

During his student days, my father was deeply engrossed in his studies. Once the doctors warned him about becoming afflicted by blindness through an eye disease (nuzool-e-ab); and that he should read less, especially at night. He says: "Thereafter for quite a few months I read books profusely, with this in mind that my eyes were going away. And whatever there was to look up should be looked up then while i still had them."

My father used to stay in Nizamuddin and used to study in Madressa Hussain Baksh. He says that he used to come to the Madressa in the mornings after Fajr, and in the afternoons, after classes, he went back to Nizamuddin. Thereafter he used to come back after Zuhr and returned after Asr – a total of fourteen miles daily, because each journey was about three and a half miles long...

...In Nizamuddin he stayed in Maulana Yusuf's room on the western side of the masjid. Now the room has been very fine. In those days it was very dilapidated with a very low roof. The door is still where it was in those days, but where today the window of the ladies section is, there used to be a door. Today, where the ladies section is situated, there used to be so many trees that it was difficult to walk there. I have seen it in this condition that there used to be a little canal of dirty water flowing through it with an endless stream of mosquitoes.

This was where my father stayed. My grandfather had two students, who had to fill two lotas with water and bring it to this door leading to the bush at every Azaan time. They would also receive their meals from there. My father says that on finishing his sunnat salaahs, he used to remain in the closed room studying until the time for takbeer. Then he opened and joined the Jamaat. On finishing his salah he again entered the room and performed his sunnats there. He says, "During that time a telegram arrived which told of my proposal of marriage. The people of Nizamuddin sent it back, saying that for quite a few months, I was not there. Perhaps I would be at the home of my father." But this telegram was in fact sent by his father (my grandfather).

My father further said, "Within a period of six months I studied Bukhari, Seerat Ibn Hisham, Tahawy, Hidaya and Fathul Qadeer, so thoroughly that the examiners were surprised. Maulana Khaleel Ahmed examined me in Bukhari, Sheikhul Hind examined me in Tirmizi and Maulana Ahmed Hasan and others did the other kitabs. At the time of eating these Elders were all together. Hazrat Maulana Khaleel Ahmed told my father, "Your son wrote such replies which even some experienced teachers are incapable of giving."

Respect for Sacred Knowledge

There is an irrefutable link between Sheikhul Hadeeth's رحمة الله عليه utmost respect for the words of Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم and his renowned achievements in the science of Hadeeth. Our teachers will often tell us that the more respect one has for knowledge, the more Allah will open up its noor on the seeker of knowledge. Below is an oft-quoted example of such respect.

The two of us had two golden rules during our Daura year, namely that not a single hadeeth with its chain of narrators should be left out without being read. Secondly, never to recite any hadeeth without wudoo. Whenever any one of us had to leave the class to perform wudoo, as we had to attend lessons for five to six hours on end, he would touch the other to inform him of the need for wudoo and quickly leave the class. The seated one of us would then quickly raise some problem for father [who was teaching] to answer. This happened very seldom, perhaps once or twice in a month or two. At that time, our health was quite good. In those days I had the habit of performing Esha with wudoo performed for Zuhr. This carried on for many years. But now and then the need did arise for wudoo in between.

My father understood from the very first time it happened when he saw one of the two friends suddenly getting up, leaving the room to return in haste rolling down his sleeves. From this he understood and was quite pleased.

Once Hasan Ahmad touched me to inform me of his need for wudoo and quickly got up. I immediately asked: "Hazrat, in Fat'hul Qadeer is written....". I said this without having thought and did not even know what Fat'hul Qadeer wrote. But on hearing my mention of Fat'hul Qadeer, my father burst out laughing. Placing a marker in the kitab, he closed it and said: "Let me tell you a story until Hasan Ahmad comes back. Why should I start a fight with you over what Fat'hul Qadeer says?"

Anger of the Awliya

In this section of Part IV of Aap Beti Shaykh ul Hadith (rah) describes the zeal with which his father Hazrat Maulana Yahya Kandhlawi (rah) studied sacred knowledge. Hazrat Yahya (rah) had the great fortune of studying Hadith under Hazrat Rashid Ahmed Gangohi (rah), one of the founders of Darul Uloom Deoband. In this excerpt, we learn of the great love his teacher had of him and the incident of the result of his teacher's anger on a certain student of Hazrat Yahya (rah)'s time:

My father had this strong urge not to miss any lesson in class. Once he had to go to Kandhla at the request of Hazrat Gangohi and Hazrat promised not to teach anything during his absence. When he returned from there, the reader started the lesson leaving out a chapter. My father and some others objected that he was reading from the wrong place but he continued reading. Later it so happened that my grandmother in Kandhla asked Hazrat to send him home for some reason or the other. My father did not want to go because as he said: "Last time I went one whole chapter was missed." Hazrat replied "Tomorrow we will go over that chapter."

Sitting in class Hazrat Gangohi asked "Moulvi Yahya, which chapter did you miss?" Thereupon Hazrat taught that chapter. It was a mere coincidence that the reader on that day was the same student. At the completion of the chapter he asked sarcastically: "Is there any other chapter that has been left out? Then it will also be taught." Hazrat became angry and said " Go on, you are mad." A few days later that student lost his mind.

That was the time when the mas'ala concerning crows was quite in the public eye. This same student used to tie crows to a long bamboo and carry it around through the streets of Gangoh saying: "This is halaal."

اللهم انا نعوذبك من عذابك و غضب رسولك و غضب اوليائك
'O Allah we seek refuge in You from your anger and from the anger of your Rasul and your saintly servants.'

This is something concerning which I have written many times. Be very careful of the saintly ones. May Allah protect us from their anger and displeasure.

The Crying of Hazrat Madani (رحمه الله)

During my life I have heard no one else weeping so much in dua before Allah in the latter part of the night as I have heard Maulana Madani and my father. Very often in spite of my deep sleep I used to be woken up by this crying. Hazrat Madani would recite Hindi lamentations with so much pain and sorrow. I was unacquainted with Hindi and could not understand, but the wailing and crying still echoes in my ears. It was almost like a child who was recieving a hiding and is crying. As much courage as Hazrat had, as brave as he was and as much as he encountered ordeals, I have not seen this type of crying in any of my Elders.

(Part IV pg 376)

"In the Will of Allah no one has a say..."

There is another letter from Ala Hazrat on the occasion of my father's death:

"From Abdul Raheem to brother Moulvy Zakariyya Saheb."
Assalamu Alaykum Warahmatullah.

A telegram was brought to me from Bahut addressed to Shah Saheb and reached me at 20 minutes after eleven, at the hands of Haji Ghulam Muhammad Saheb. From it I came to know of the sudden demise of Maulana Yahya Saheb. It is such a shock and brought me much sorrow, which I am unable to describe in words.

In the Will of Allah no one has a say. He is the Master who does as He pleases in what is His. Kindly inform us quickly about his illness. We are all struck with grief and I would have come there immediately but because of my condition I am unable to do so. What else is there that one can write at this moment?


Abdul Raheem from Raipur.
Saturday 11.20am"

Respecting our Teachers

The hadeeth kitabs which were taught in the madressa by other teachers were always accompanied by long lectures. Whenever I saw these lectures being held, my mouth used to water to attend. I sought my father's permission to be allowed to listen to these lessons held by someone else, but he always refused permission most emphatically and every time he used to say:

"You are unmannered. You only repsect me because of the shoes with which I beat you and you honour Hazrat [ie. Hazrat Khalid Mahmood Saharanpuri رحمة الله عليه] by heart."

This is reference to a specific incident to which he referred to on many occasions saying: "You do not even go on to the roof of Hazrat's house (out of respect for him) but you are prepared to climb on my head."

The story is this: My father's room was the western-most room of the library, which is now included into the library. The outside area of it was empty (as already mentioned in connection with the reading of Sharah Tahzeeb). When one wished to come along the stairs to my father's room, one had to walk over the roof of Hazrat's room. To come to his room instead of crossing over Hazrat's roof I climbed over the wall alongside his roof. Actually this was done for show because I am not even in possession of good manners upto this day. This is the reason why my fahter said: "You are unmannered. If you should act unmannerly to a falsafa or mantiq teacher, that knowledge will leave you and it will be a calamity for me. But if you should act unmannerly to any hadeeth teacher, this will be completely unbearable and unacceptable to me because you will then be deprived of the blessings of hadeeth."

In this he was right. I have not been able to show due respect to my Ustads and in spite of my ill-manners, my Ustads have treated me with great love, sympathy and goodwill. May Allah grant them all high ranks. Except for Hazrat Saheb, all the rest of my teachers treated me as an equal as if I was their contemporary or class-mate.

A most pertinent talk on this topic can also be found on the Sacredlearning website [see links] titled 'Debt to our Teachers'.

"My Father..." (3)

There were many points upon which my father and Hazrat Saharanpuri had differences of opinion. Because of the fact that they never had any enmity and open arguments, leave aside the general public, even the Ulama with close contact with them did not even know about these differences.

Allow me to write about one such difference of opinion by way of example: If in the case of an animal offered up jointly for Qurbani, two or three persons hold one share jointly to be offered on behalf of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam, my father considered it permissible on condition that each of them have a share in the rest of the seven shares of the animal. Hazrat considered this as being not permissible.


During that time my father was staying upstairs and Hazrat was below, on the ground floor. I have seen many people come to Hazrat to ask about this same mas'ala. He would say to them: "In my opinion it is not permissible. Maulana Yahya considers it permissible. Go upstairs and ask him. If he gives you permission then accept and act accordingly."


In my opinion also it is permissible, while our Mufti (Mufti Saeed Ahmed Saheb) and the previous Nazim Maulana Abdul Lateef Saheb in accordance with Hazrat's opinion considered it as being not permissible. We knew about each other's views and have discussed the matter but the end result was that I did not accept their view and they did not accept mine. But never was there any pamphleteering against each other, nor any arguments. Regarding the burial of Hazrat Raipuri in Pakistan (instead of Raipur), I have always told people that there is no need for fighting over the issue, no need for taking out pamphlets against the other side, nor for debates, as always happens in cases of differences of opinion. No matter what the nature of the dispute, what need is there for fighting and arguments? There is no harm in explaining one's view with sanity, reason and calmness. If after that, the other party does not see his way clear towards accepting your view, then it is most inappropiate to resort to swearing and degrading them. I was so open-minded in this regard that I never even debated with Congress, League, Jami'at or Ahraar supporters.

"My Father..." (2)

Another of his specialities was that he would not allow me to be taught Hadith and Fiqh by anyone other than himself and Hazrat Saharanpuri. Repeatedly he used to tell me that I am rude and if I was ill-mannered towards my Ustad, that knowledge would be lost to me. If any other subjects were lost to me, the loss would not be so grave.

While writing about Hazrat Madani I mentioned that I have never seen anyone crying aloud so much in the latter part of the night as Maulana Madani and my father. My father used to read the Quran a lot. Whenever he was free from work, he would start reciting from memory, during the latter part of the night. He used to recite loudly and with much weeping. He was also very strict that I should not have any free time or that any of my time go wasted. Through the barakat of these things, these same aspects have become standing habits of mine.

My father was also very particular about drawing up time-tables for his special students and for me. Every year, he used to tell me: "Draw up your time-table and show it to me." He also had a habit of giving money for distributing sweetmeats at the completion of every kitab and also took great care that I was not allowed to spend the money as I wished.

Because he was a very accomplished Aalim, Fiqh, Hadith and Adab (Arabic Literature) were to him such basic subjects like the Qaida Baghdadi. Up to now, this humble one has not been able to emulate him in anything.

Often he used to tell me: "There was a certain Maulana, who was an Allama like me. He had a son who was a no-good like you. When he was on his death-bed, he called his son and said: "You no-good! You have not done a thing! All my students and mureeds will come to you and ask: Sahebzada Saheb, why is this so and what is the reason for that? Then you must just say: 'The Ulama differ upon it.' If you say that, you will be saved from exposing your ignorance."

This statement of his made a great impression on me. When I started teaching Hadith in 1340, time and again I had to say those very same words: "The Imams have a difference of opinion on this. This Imam says this and that Imam says that."

I spoke about this in 'Al-Etidaal'. During the time when I was teaching Mishkat I once enumerated the number of differences of opinion concerning salaah consisting of four raka'ahs. I found more than two hundred differences of opinion. From that time onwards, I had no problem with the differences among the Ulama. It became a very easy thing for me to grasp. Therefore whenever I became aware of the differences of opinion among the Ulama, and saw people giving it a lot of importance, it caused me no distress. I always said: "Bhai, there will always be differences of opinion. Follow the view of whomsoever you find yourself having faith in his person. There is no need for debates, fights and arguments."

to be continued inshaa allah

"My Father, Hazrat Maulana Yahya Saheb"

It was never my intention to write a biography of any of these Elders. All I wanted to do was quote some examples of how their relationship with me constituted their favours upon me, for which it is my duty to speak about Allah's ni'mats on me. The incidents mentioned are examples of those favours.

My father was a very intelligent and perceptive person from his young days. Some of his qualities have been mentioned in Tazkira-e-Khaleel. I have heard him say many times as he reported on the authority of his mother, my grandmother, that when he was born, his mother had no milk to feed him and subsequently a midwife fed him, but if she would not have a bath and apply scents daily, he would not drink milk from her. At the time of his being taken off breast-feeding at the age of two, he was already a Hafiz of three quarter para. He completed Hifz at the age of seven years. (I mentioned this in the section where I dealt with my early education.)...

...Many people who saw how he treated me were under the impression that I was not his child but my mother's child from a previous marriage. This was not so, because my mother was for the first time in her life married to my father. He, however, had been previously married to my aunt, who was my mother's elder sister who had passed away soon after marriage.

My father used to tell me that after the death of my aunt, he had prayed to get married to my mother because he had seen the beauty and good character of her sister. After much effort, he succeeded. Thereafter, it was only natural that he should love me. But in my case, his love for me was hidden by the stern upbringing he gave me. That was in conformity with the Hadith:

"Never does a father give his son anything better than good character." (Mishkat)

"That a man shall teach his child good manners will be better for him than to give one saa' (three and a half sier) in charity." (Mishkat, Tirmidhi)

Because of these Hadith, my father believed that his love for me was to teach me proper behaviour, good manners and good character. No doubt at that time I was very dissatisfied as one would naturally expect from a child. But now, I only make lots of dua for him for his favours, because it was because of his harshness and stern attitude that I am now a human being. Had it not been this way, I wonder where I would have landed, despised and disgraced.

to be continued inshaa allah

Sincerity in Seeking Knowledge

Indeed, Shaykhul Hadeeth (rahmatullahi 'alayh) was blessed through the barakah of his father's prayers. This is surely what is meant by true love; a love that is always linked with Allah (subhaanahu wata'aalaa). The extract below demonstrates this love, and shows just how immersed Maulana Zakariyya (rahmatuallahi 'alayh) was in the world of Hadeeth...

On the 7th Muharram 1332 Hijri after Zuhr salah I started Mishkat Shareef . My father who used to lead salah, led Zuhr salah on that day . After Zuhr he performed ghusl and proceeded to the room upstairs which today is the guest-room . At that time it was the Farsi-khana and other than during madrassa times it was our resting place . There, facing the door leading to the masjid, on the spot where the Farsi teachers sit and where their mats are spread, he spread a musalla and performed two raka'ahs nafal salah. Then turning towards me, he made me recite 'Bismillah" and read the Khutba of Mishkat. Then turning to the Qiblah he made duaa for about fifteen to twenty minutes. I am not aware of what things he prayed for. I know that I only had one prayer in my heart :"The study of hadeeth for me had stated quite late. Ya Allah keep this Knowledge with me till my death." Alhamdu lillah in spite of my weakness and iniquity Allah has accepted this duaa of mine. So that from 1332 Hijri onwards until 1390 Hijri no time passed when I was not busy with some aspect or other of hadeeth studies.

This is so, although at the time I was wondering how this will be attained because , even if I should become a teacher, ten or twelve years will pass by before I will be allowed to teach hadeeth. At that time Maulana Abdul Lateef, who had been appointed as lecturer in 1323 Hijri, had up to then not yet reached the stage of teaching Mishkat.

But of course Allah is the Causer of Causes and when He desires anything, He Himself creates the Cause . In 1332 Hijri I read Mishkat and in 1333 Hijri and 1334 I read Daura, which will be detailed later.

From 1335 Hijri Bazal Majhood was begun , which lasted till 1345 Hijri. Then started the work on Owjaz which was finished in 1375 Hijri and together with it various other works connected with hadeeth, which through Allah's Grace still remains with me.

In 1341 Hijri my period of teaching hadeeth started which lasted till 1388 Hijri, after which through bladder problems (Nuzool Ab) this blessed programme of teaching was terminated. Praise be to Allah that even today in 1390 Hijri I am still involved with writings on hadeeth. We shall continue whether my evil deeds will allow it or not.