Ah Our Ammi Jaan Sahibah!

Ah Our Ammi Jaan Sahibah! (May Allah spread His Mercy widely on her )

Hazrat Maulana Abdul Qawi Sahab (may Allah increase his stature)

Dawat-ul–Haq, Vol. 6, No.8, November 2009 AC, Ziqadah 1430 AH .

It was busy time in the office during the blessed month of  Ramadan that all of a sudden a call came from respected teacher Hazrat Hafiz Muhammed Ishaq Sahab (may Allah increase his shadow for us). After initial words he said that just now the news has reached that Hazrat Ammi Jaan Sahibah has expired in Breach Candy Hospital of Mumbai at 9 a.m. today.

"Verily we are for our lord and unto him is our return,"  was reciteded and the phone was put down. A deep thinking and sorrow drained the strength. Doors of past started opening up and a series of memories of favours and kindnesses of Ammi Jaan started repeating up. Thoughts were, by force, disconnected from that side. What a should be done now? Phoned Imtiaz Bhai Bhuwera. Seeing the name on the set he turned the mobile to Hazrat Alim-ul-Haq  (Allah increase his blessings), grand son of Hazrat Ammi Jaan. Few kind words were uttered to deliver the right of condolence. I get a communication block on telephone while talking to elders because of fear of breaking the etiquette and nothing comes to mind. Nevertheless it was urged that ever since the news of her illness personal and group supplications were offered regularly. The heart wanted that the news of good health he heard but the wisdom of Allah Most High and his preference desired something else. He said, "Yes, that is right". I urged peace salutations and closed the phone call.

Life partner of Hazrat Muhi-us-Sunnah Shah Abrar-ul –Haq Sahab, may Allah have Mercy on him, and Ammi Jaan Sahibah of us all was a Rabia Basari of our times and a blessing of a woman. This humble writer, owing to honourable father’s kindness, spent lots of childhood time in her service and she taught a lot. Her upbringing and cultural and moral training used to come to the fore in spurt  and has been useful at each step in life. I saw Ammi Jaan for the first time in the age when I was not sufficiently grown up to recognize the things. She had come with Hazrat Hardoi (Allah have Mercy on him) to Hyderabad and was stationed at the Banglow of Nawab Baqar Khan Sahab (may Allah increase is stature ). Since honourable mother had lived for a long time in Hardoi and she was lucky to have served Ammi Jaan Sahibah therefore the share of kitchen arrangement came to her only. Because of this connection and relation Ammi Jaan came to our house too. We were kids and rice grains were scattered around us when we were eating. The first thing that comes to the memory is her affectionate saying, "My son food is a blessing of Allah, every grain should be valued, drop it not like this, and collect every particle". She was sat on a wooden cot in the house and all  young and old were present with due respect in front of her. This was the first sign of honour and dignity of a woman that the sinning eyes of this humble one had seen in child hood. Bodily she was a tall woman and by face and appearance also the effects of remembrance and self confidence were rather apparent in their  prominence. Where ever she sat she was a body of mercy and affection and a bearer of giving and granting.  On one side of her she had the beetle box and her spittoon and on the other side a big pouch of rupees. To each women coming to meet her she would ask the name and family connection and would make extremely sweet an very cultured talk and was generous-to kids according to their capacity and to grown ups according to their stature. It come to the memory that apart from the related people, because of Hazrat (may Allah have mercy on him), many women from the city  used to come to meet and many rich and big people too used to come. All were seen to impressed  by her grandeur. (I) Got a chance, due to very young age, to sit close to her to be in her service, to observe her from close quarters, to run around to do the errands and to serve. For all she was the kindness of mother, affection of father, care of teacher, training of a shaikh and was an epitome of mercy. In young age itself (I) got a chance to got to Hardoi and be present in her service. What service could we ignorant do of her for in living and life style too her standard was very high. In everything she preferred high manners and cleanliness. Her nature was very sensitive and delicate. Lack of care, lack of manners and gaudiness were disliked completely. The limit was that in case in the furnace the pieces of coal were of inappropriate size then she will object to that and would ask for uniform filling. She did get angry on our actions that were against her liking but never uttered any inappropriate or uncultured word. Even in showing concern and affection and pain was displayed. Even today when those words come to mind then the open pair of love touches the heart. May Allah drown her in His Mercy-what high level friend of Allah she was! She wished well for every body. She used to supplicate for everybody. She would be disturbed by the pain and trouble of anybody, particularly the people associated and she’ll quickly turn to prayers. Ah! How many families got settled because of her attention. How many lives got organized because of her. How many women learned to love Allah Most High and turned to worship after looking at her. How many sad  and dejected hearts were filled by life and happiness because of her! How many broken houses were rebuilt by her generosity and attention! Truly she was not Ammi Jaan for her children only but to all associate of Hazrat Muhi-us-Sunnah, Allah have Mercy on them both. May lord forgive-there were a lot of good things in the lady who drew the certain.

     Patience and thankfulness was tightly packed in her. While she witnessed many good things in life but at the sometime, as per the destiny wished by Lord Most High, she bore a lots of shocks too. She  had only one brother Dr. Mehmood Shah. He lived in London. He used to visit her regularly. He was a model of love and affection. His only young son died abroad while descending the stairs. Ammi Jaan was in Hyderabad at that time. It was my childhood. I saw that as she got the news she was absorbed. In those days the facilities of today were absent. For sometime she described the fine qualities of that child. She cried a little. Asked for the praying mat and prayed. Did some recitation (of Holy Quran ). Then she supplicated and she turned this occupation of remembrance of Lord into the cure for her pain and sorrow.

Young son … late brother Ashraf. He fell ill and remained so for years. His relation had been fixed. By reaching the door step of marriage and settlement he left this world. Ammi Jaan shuddered by the pain but she remained agreeable to Divine Will. No one heard a single word of complain. No display of lack of patience. She said, son look for guidance in Heavenly Ornaments (Bahishti Zewar) and if there is a permission then spread out a mattress in his tomb for my son, years of sickness had weakened my son a lot. Remember this is the mother who had just lost her only son. First of all she turns to the books of doctrine for technicality! How deeply the value of the Doctrine was settled in her heart! Allahu Akbar !.


She wanted to die first and wished for a funeral prayer lead by Muhi-us-Sunnah. But the desire of Allah Most High and His divine decision are bound by nobody’s desires. True Lord Most High did not approve it. Hazrat, may Allah have mercy on him, was the one to inflict the pain of separation. Ammi Jaan remained agreeable to the Divine Will. Seeing the funeral of Hazrat (RA) she said that alright you go-I shall  be the one who follows-that is how she bid farewell to him. She kept a lot of patience but naturally she was shattered. As if he was no more for whom everything was given up and sacrifices after sacrifices were made. This made her heart distraught. Attention to reach there lead to regular illness.When health became very indifferent them hospitalization was done first in Lucknow and then Mumbai. Finally in the blessed month of Ramadan and in the last ten days of Forgiveness she made her journey to the actual homeland, Lord Most High willing, she reached in the Merciful expanses of Lord’s forgiveness.


The tragedy of Hazrat (Allah have Mercy on him )’s expiry and then that of honourable father (RA) rendered this humble one an orphan and uncared for. Now the news of expiry of Ammi Jaan (RA) broke the courage to such an extent that leave alone writing there was no strength left even to think about these people. Indeed their supplications and even few words by them were such a support in this world of means that their replacement is difficult, on the face of it. Now for a long time eyes will be deprived of their view and ears their kind words. Brother Ali-ul-Haq (may Allah provide his shade) had rightly said to me on one such occasion that brother Abdul Qawi grandma has taken your case in her hands after seeing her supplications for you. I immediately understood that, Lord willing the problem will now be solved. In any case for me this tragedy is personally life shattering but  the prophetic consolation-may Lord give me reward for his trial and provide goodness in it- is providing supported determination.

Today morning a student had asked, “When will you write about Ammi Jaan?” The thing to state is that in these circumstance it was not under my capacity to write any thing about Hazrat Ammi Jaan, may Allah have Mercy on her.  But the pain got revived in heart and the thought come to the mind that to recall her favours and sentiments and for the benefit of the new generation whatever can be managed that should be put on the paper. So these few lines have been jotted down. Then it came to the mind that I had also started writing something on the regretful departure of my master and perfect instructor and benefactor Hazrat Muhi-us-Sunnah, may Allah have mercy on him. But had stopped that on account of my incompetence, inability, mismanagement and being busy and because of appearance of some books and magazines. In that topic some talk about Hazrat Ammi Jaan Sahibah too was included. It came to mind that with these lines that material too should be included so that it will become a cause for further insight and admonition. Thus in the rest I am including the part related to Ammi Jaan from that article.

Hazrat (RA)'s wife and our serviceable Ammi Jaan Sahibah, though she belonged to a cultured and serious family but she and her family had acquired modern education and because of that they were, to some extent, were affected by modern culture.

On the other hand Hazrat (RA)’s education was completely religious and to top it all his tack was Deobandi and Thanwi. Following of Sunnah was in nature and in dealings adherence to the doctrine was the basis. In spite of that this match proposed by the Healer of the Generation came to the fore as a strange and beautiful example of mutual agreement, understanding and confidence. In this connection Ammi Jaan’s sacrifice and dedication is not only worth admiration but is also worth imitation by the women of the Generation. For she so much diminished herself for her Friend of Allah husband that not only she played the role of a sincere and serving wife but also, going beyond that, she became a body of devotion, sincerity and obedience and became the means of Hazrat (RA)'s peace, comfort and ease.


By nature Ammi Jaan was a woman of extremely delicate nature and feminine grace, very highly cultured and sophisticated, benevolent to the poor and the orphans, statue of sympathy and sharer of pain, model of support provider and she was used to forgive and forget. In spite of being educated and being brought up in tenderness she had completely cast herself according to the desires and nature of Hazrat (RA). Because of starting Ashraf-ul-Madaris without any collection and because of complete devotion of time to Call and Guidance (Dawat-o-Tabligh) there were initially financially difficult  times for Hazrat-o- Aala. There was also situation of personal debt. But Ammi Jaan always took it as her duty to provide ease, support and comfort to Hazrat-o-Aala without giving any thought about shortage or abundance on the financial side. She preferred this duty over all of her desires.

Her father was a doctor and so was her brother. Her maternal uncle was a rich man fond of hunting. He indulged in his hobby in the country and outside of it, including Africa and created a sort of history. So much so that he prepared and published a thick volume describing his interesting and astounding hunting experiences. Because of modern education, in spite of being protectors of old culture, their family has signs of modern cultural values. This has been added to amplify the fact that a reader of later incidents should get the idea that the sacrifices made by Hazrat Ammi Jaan were not of insignificant nature. Such things might not be extinct today but these are certainly rare. It is not so difficult for a rural woman unaware of changing norms of life to adjust to the new environment as it is for a modern educated women to completely annihilate her self according to the desires and wishes of a religious scholar and servant of Islam and Muslims. The writer of these lines got to spend some time of his childhood in the house of Hazrat (RA) owing to my honourable parents. Sometimes Ammi Jaan Sahibah used to tell her things but that age was such that neither we listened carefully nor paid to value to her narrations. Only if we did.


Some incidents are being written from memory. The responsibility for inaccuracies is not on her but on the memory of this humble self. Once she said that when I came once to your Hazrat house after marriage then I had photographs of my family memories. At some point of time Hazrat (RA) came to know about it. He explained to her that his is a sin and it is not right to keep such things and he emphasized it so much that I handed over the album to him saying that you can do whatever you deem proper with it. Hazrat (RA) said that I shall not even touch it-you yourself put it in the fire place. She said that in no way my heart was inclined to put the pictures of my elders into fire except for this one decision of  him! So I burned all the pictures but since my heart did not agree to it I saved a picture of my father. I told Hazrat-o-Aala that I do not have the courage to consign this to fire you do that and do not demand me to do this. But Hazrat (RA) was not ready to touch it at any cost. Ultimately I put that into fireplace. Son I can not tell you as to what passed on my heart. But this incidence itself became the means of cleansing of those inappropriate sentiments. This small incidence gives some idea of absorption in religion on part of Hazrat (RA) and his adherence as well as obedience and adjustment on part of serviceable Ammi Jaan Sahibah and her regard for religion.

When they went to Haj than a dinner set was bought in Medinah the Shining as a memento. She used to keep it with great care. In our times there were so many beautiful sets present but that one set was kept separate from others. So much so that, I remember, that the kettle’s pipe was slightly broken and a plastic pipe was covering it. Ammi Jaan would get this set out when one of the Grands (Akabir) was visiting. Thus once Maulana Muhammed Ahmed Sahab (RA) came. His visits to this house used to generate more happiness than Eid and more commotion and activity. Thus Ammi Jaan herself went to the Owen and prepared  the main items on her own.The above mentioned set was brought out and a cup was handed over to the writer of these lines for cleaning. In immaturity and hurry it slipped out of grip while washing it under the tap while standing and it broke! Breaking of a thing that was so cared for and for such a long period, a thing that was kept as a memory of journey of Haj, as a gift of the home of Allah’s Beloved (SAW)! Its damaging effected her as much as it could have. The scolding with enough anger and displeasure was about to descend that Hazrat (RA) appeared there and he saw and heard the fall and break of the cup. He said, "Alright, a utensil too has a life and its life was completed." When these words of Hazrat (RA) fell on her ears then her anger evaporated and and she become silent. I had prepared myself to hear everything and whatever scolding she might have done that would have been on the right! But by Allah! She said nothing! This stature of patience and self-control was heard a lot in case of man but among ladies it is rather rare.

By and large she used simple cotton dress and she did not desire ironing for that. But for Hazrat (RA) she always arranged to get the dress ready. His washing, ironing, kerchief and cap were taken care of by her. At the time of his journey she personally supervised the arrangement of necessary means according to weather. To the servants she herself instructed that while keeping the clothes in bathroom check whether it is torn, buttons are in order for Hazrat (RA) is so busy that he’ll wear and leave whatever be its condition.

Similarly in matters of food she did not made too many arrangements for herself. But she was concerned and attentive to Hazrat (RA) and his guest’s food. Till the strength did not give away, in spite of presence of maids, she herself prepared the curry and other things according to the taste of Hazrat (RA). Mostly she was present at the noon or evening time table spread. Specially she used to call attention to food items. After her weakening of strength , though she was no more able to prepare or feed, but supervision and inquiry was constantly there. To the people traveling with him in journey she did repeatedly instruct about  medicines and the matters of comfort again and with emphasis. And she did not stop there and kept worrying about these things and kept trying to ensure compliance.  

Once Hazrat (RA) was in journey and probably there was some inconvenient information. I was very young and was living with them. She took me to Hazrat (RA)'s room and asked me to do ablution and pray two units then recite Surah Yasin in the following way that at each mubeen  stop and recite Surah Fatiha and start again from beginning and thus complete the recitation and then make lots of supplications for Hazrat  (RA).

There is lots of indulgence in acts of worship together with incantations and rounds of remembrance (by her). After Fajr to Ishraq, from Zuhar for one or one and half an hour and the whole time from Maghrib to Isha she spends on praying mat to complete her routines. In this duration if there was any communication required then it was done by gestures except in presence of special guests where it was necessary to get up to make arrangements for them.

In any case whereas the continuity, diversity, excess, adherence and solidity of Hazrat (RA)’s religious services had their origin in the God given qualities-purity and God consciousness, strong determination and constant struggle but at the same time it has a great share of love and consonance, delicate dealings and sacrifice on part of Hazrat Ammi Jaan Sahibah and Lord Willing she will be equal with Hazrat (RA) in her share.

On the other side Hazrat (RA)’s attitude too was extremely affectionate. He used to keep her comfort and convenience in all matters in mind . While traveling he will inform her about his safe reaching. He will inquire about her health and well being. In times of sickness he’ll inquire about treatment and care from wherever he was. Even in those times when today’s telephone service was not available he’ll inform her about his arrival and well being immediately after reaching-by telegram.

It is an event of my childhood that once Hazrat Siddique Ahmed Sahab (RA) came to Hardoi from Banda Hazrat (RA) was busy in work in the manager’s office and I was  pulling the fan. Both  Elders met with enthusiasm and sincere love. The Hazrat Qari Siddique Ahmed Sahab (RA) present, with much simplicity and humility, some non-hybrid eggs  and a green handloom lungi. Hazrat (RA) accepted it with display of lots of love and regard and kept it near him. Aftter finishing the work he himself took them inside and told Ammi Jaan that this is a gift from Qari Siddique Sahab-keep the lungi in Almirah and feed the eggs to yourself and myself. And thus he included his wife in the blessings of one contemporary and friend.

The way she cared for Hazrat’s health and comfort, Hazrat (RA) too never ignored her health, care and comfort. In the last period when honourable Ammi Jaan’s health was down he got it displayed at the gate of the house that owing to ill health of the lady the care and comfort of the guests is difficult from home but arrangements will he made from the eatery.

This is the supplication to Allah All-Pure that may He provide her good reward from our side, provide a place in his special nearness after complete forgiveness and converting her failings to beautiful deeds.

Oh my Allah for give her, have mercy on her, give her peace, enter her in Jannah, Accept O Lord Most Merciful of all merciful.