Saturday, April 16, 2011

'Tis Your Favour, O Morning Breeze

Pir Zulfiqar Ahmed Naqshbandi Sahab (DB) many times quotes the couplet:

Kahan mein aur kahan ye nikhat-e-gul,
Naseem-e-subah, teri meherbaani!

Look at me and look at this flowers' fragrance!
'Tis your favour, O the morning breeze!

He is a great believer of nisbet (connection). And this connection works even for those that are even remotely connected with him. All these people get the same feeling as he is trying to convey by using above couplet.

Preliminary attempts  by Abdul Baqi Sahab through Maulana Salahuddin to get Aligarh included in the circuit of Pir Sahab (DB)'s visit did not bring fruit. Even personal visit to Deoband during the announced programme could not be availed be some of the people.

Then Roznama Rashtriya Sahara (Urdu) reported that Maulana Salman Hasani Nadwi Sahab (DB) will be the chief guest at the annual function of Jamia Shah Waliullah at Phulat run by Hazrat M.M.Kaleem Siddiqui Sahab (DB). Some associates of Hazrat Maulana quickly organized a trip to attend the function. And thus began a memorable trip. Just like the trips described by Pir Sahab (DB) or Taqi Usmani Sahab (DB). Even a distant nisbet can work wonders and that is what happened.

Though it was not a Tablighi Jama-'at but Allah Most High gave the taufiq (ability, opportunity) to chose a leader and begin the journey with a Supplication. After reaching Bulandshahr by Grand Trunk road the Meerut road was taken. At one third of this patch is the town of Gulaothi that has the Madarsa Mumba-ul-Uloom. It is among the Madrasas inaugurated by Hujjat-ul-Islam Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (RA). At two third you have Madarsa Khadim-ul-Quran at Hapur and just before you enter Meerut you have the Madarsa Mehmoodiya run by Mufti Farooq Khan Sahab a caliph of Mufti Mehmood Hasan Sahab. No need to introduce Meerut which has a Qasmi nisbet too. From there an excellent high way begins. Phulat is two kilometers from the town of Khatauli (khitta-e-wali) that is around 35 km from Meerut. As described in another post this route has the famous Cheetal Grand motel just out side Khatauli.  Shariq-Wasiq Pathan brothers  run this establishment. Latter is a disciple of Dr Nadir Ali Khan Sahab (DB). Latter's son Engineer Osama Khan was in the present contingent that can be named Aligarh Contingent. Very soon the contingent became Wasiq Khan's guest. Wasiq immediately acknowledged the Anona House nisbet too. Professional hospitality combined with Islamic blessings raised to the heights of nisbet can give very strange feelings. Read the beginning couplet to get a feeling of it all. The brand new high way has moved a km away from Cheetal Grand and since there is no short-cut route the distance is effectively two km compounded by the fact that the approach is not in the line of sight from the high. Pathan brothers should soon be creating a facility close to the high way. May Lord Most High be with them. It can be repeated, just like an earlier post, that the ambiance in their establishment is such that within few meters of the (old) high way one feels as if one has laded in Europe.

On way to Phulat one got the glimpse of a vehicle whose driver what Janab Saleem, driver of Hazrat M.M.Kaleem Siddiqui Sahab (DB). On arrival at Phulat it got confirmed that Hazrat had left for Deoband and shall be arriving in the late afternoon. It turned out that on that day Pir Zulfiqar Ahmed Sahab (DB) had the Saharanpur programme that had to be canceled because of visa problems. So he was in Deoband still. The brain wave the occurred in the Aligarh Contingent was that Deoband journey is highly advisable. The Contingent could pile on with Hazrat Maulana(DB)'s appointment with Hazrat Maulana (DB).  The Contingent soon hit the high way again and withing one hour driver Qamaruddin, who was getting used to this bunch of pecks of dust of the Elders' feet, parked the vehicle in Azmi building. Soon Janab Arif Siddiqui Sahab, publisher of Qanz-ul-Ummal by Ali Muttaqi (RA) and Naseem-e-Hidayat ke Jhonke (both Urdu and Hindi versions) and other significant books, joined the contingent. Pir Sahab (DB) was in Dar-ul-Uloom guest house (mehmankhana) and the Contingent soon reached their. Aligarh Contingent reached the guest house gate from out side and Pir Sahab (DB) from inside-he was just leaving. Hazrat Maulana Kaleem Sidiqui Sahab (DB) followed him. The associates of Pir Sahab (DB) were advising against attempts to shake hand. It was learned that crowds make Pir Sahab (DB) uneasy and thus he was ushered into the standing vehicle. But it was a Gracious opportunity from Allah Most High to see him in person. He also waved to the brief crowed that has started increasing so the vehicle moved on. It was learned that he was staying with Maulana Mehmood Madani Sahab (DB). Pir Sahab (DB) is traveling with family and he had gone to be with them. A word was sent about the arrival of and desire to meet by the Aligarh Contingent.

Deoband mosques have a very wide spread in Prayer times, when permissible. The last Zuhar Prayer was to be in Masjid-e-Rasheed and soon the time for that arrived and the contingent headed for the mosque. After returning from the Prayer it was learned that as soon as the contingent left for the mosque the green word had come from inside for a meeting. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon.

And who is a better planner than our Lord Most High? It was decided that it was lunch time and the contingent enjoyed a very lavish lunch at the residence of Janab Arif Siddiqui Sahab. This hospitality in the town of Qasim Nanotwi (RA)? Read the couplet in the beginning again. Maulana Qasim Nanotwi sahab (RA) would walk bare foot in Madinah, the radiant. When asked the reason he said that it is the right of this city that you walk on your face. For sinners like us it is the right of Deoband that we walk on our face.

All thanks to you oh Lord, we did not deserve it.

After departure of Pir Sahab (DB) from Dar-ul-Uloom guest house it was impressed by Hazrat M.M.Kaleem Siddiqui Sahab (DB) that the contingent should skip the Phulat programme and instead attend Pir Sahab (DB)'s sermon in Dar-ul-Uloom (Waqf) after Maghrib Prayers. Insides of Masjid-e-Rasheed were full during Asr Prayers, perhaps with the expectation of Pir Sahab(DB)'s presence. It was clear that crowd management is not possible so easily at thus he did not arrive there. After the Asr Prayers the crowed made its way to Dar-ul-Uloom (Waqf). Maghrib Prayers were done there. The compound, park and mosque of this run by two illustrious sons Hazraat Maulanas Salim and Aslam Qasmis of Qari Taiyyab Sahab (RA) were all crowded during prayers. Because of the crowd the Optional Prayers were out of question.

With little bit of delay Pir Sahab (DB) made his way to the stage. Balconies and roofs of the compound were all occupied and then nearly an hour long sermon began. Focus was on students and the urge to get knowledge and its excellence. Stories of old students were narrated. Then the stories of relatively new students. Poor students, rich students. Male students, female students. It was a long roller coaster ride. Only an Elder of high stature can hold a crowd of about ten thousand for such an analytical talk. Background of the present host institution was smoothly woven into the talk. It was a live experience of so many of the things that have become so familiar from his books. It is apparent that Pir Sahab (DB) is not a regular visitor to this place but any stranger will conclude from the current event that the speaker is a local resident. Both Pir Sahab (DB) and the Deoband nisbet were palpable by their action.

Before the sermon there was a marriage ceremony and after it a Pledge ceremony. after that there was muraqbah (visual imagination). This took the meeting to a new high level and there was more to come. Some things do not become clear from books and muraqbah is one of them. At the time of writing these words Pir Sahab (DB) is already in Hyderabad and another programme should be underway but the programme under consideration was one that was very exhausting. Only divine help can make it possible to accomplish the fete of doing such things.

After muraqbah it was Supplication time. And one does not come across such supplications everyday. It was based on Excellent Names (Asma-ul-Husnah) of Allah (SWT). Here you can listen to the sermon so we'll spare you any further elaboration. After the Supplication the organizers got busy with making a human ring to cover the honourable guest and Aligarh Contingent made its way to Masjid-e-Rasheed in spite of the fact that there would be a Congregation there itself in ten minutes and in Masjid-e-Rasheed Isha Prayers would be long over. Reason being the near impossibility of Ablution in the crowd. In Masjid-e-Rasheed it was a different scene. There were small groups of Congregational Prayers. There were two units (travelers) and four units groups but one could not make out without joining.

After Prayers the contingent again hit the high way, en route Phulat. Reaching there it was silence of the night that greeted the contingent. Hazrat M.M.Kaleem Siddiqui Sahab (DB)'s brother Advocate Salim Sahab was now with the contingent and as usual Hazrat had fixed hospitality over the telephone. Familiar faces greeted the contingent and late night meal was served. The meal was much simpler than the other two meals of the day but its lights (nooraniat) has still not left the soul at the time of typing these thoughts. What seems more remarkable, when one thinks back about it, that in the environment there was no indication that the Annual Function of Jamia took place just a few hours ago. This should be taken as an example of abundance in the life of people related with deen. On !6 April, 2011 Urdu Roznama Rashtriya Sahara would report on p.5 the one of the statements made by the Chief Guest Maulana Salman Hasni Nadwi Sahab (DB):
Khatauli:  Every age has such a group of Scholars that, apart from removing the foreign elements from religion, present an action plan free from exaggeration, modification and excess, keeps a stern eye on the machinations of the followers of false hood, explanations of Qur'an and Hadess free from mistakes of less literate people and presents the true picture of religion to the people.
 This too was an overwhelming experience so read the beginning couplet again.

The forward journey  was taken up in the night itself. Even so late in the night frequently vehicles will take over ours carrying people that were returning from  Pir Sahab (DB)'s programme. Allah (SWT) was moving the earth for his favoured servant. But the people who felt the movement were still a minority as compared to the ones that either ignored it all or have no clue as to what is happening.