As salaamu alaii kumm wa rahmatullahi wa barakath,
“After us the descendants of our clan will wear gold embroidered garments, eat rich and sweet food, ride fine horses and embrace beautiful women but they will not say that they owe all this to their fathers and elder brothers, and they will forget us and those great times” ~ Genghis Khan
When the effort of Dawah & tabligh was revived nearly a century ago, and because it was an effort that was largely neglected until then, there were people who were doubtful of its legitimacy, of its method in the light of the shariah. Yet, as they say that the proof of the medicine is in the cure, it was only after the sacrifices bore fruit, did people across the strata of society come to embrace it.
That was then.
Strangely enough, even now we find that there are people who still are in relentless doubts and uncertainties with regards to the work, so, is there a solution? In an age where everyone claims to know the truth and professes it at the top of their voice, how does one know who is right and who is on shaky ground?
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (may Allah have mercy on him) answers.
The Sheik writes in his ‘malfuzaat’ (anecdotes) of a simple formula to recognize truth from falsehood, he says and I quote:
“I shall show you a wonderful criterion by means of which Haqq (truth) and Batil (falsehood) may be recognized in ambiguous and doubtful cases. Even if there happens to be no Aalim (scholar) around, you will be able to distinguish between Haqq and Batil on the basis of this standard. Regarding new and innovated things, find out who are the originators. Are the originators laymen or pious Ulama? If the originators are pious Ulama, then such things, e.g., Madrasahs, Khanqas, Darul Iftas, etc are part and parcel of the Deen. The introduction of such things was inspired into the hearts of the pious Ulama. Practices such as urs, fatiha, third-day, seventh-day khatm, etc., which were introduced by the laity (ordinary people – non ulama) are not part of the Deen. By means of this standard, all innovations and new practices may be distinguished and recognized to be either Haqq or Batil!”
With that as the criteria, lets see what kind of people were the people who sacrificed their lives for the sake of Deen in the effort of Da’wah and Tabligh.
Prof. Dr. Abid Siddiqui (b. Rabi ul Oola 21, 1358 H / May 12, 1939 d. Ramazan 11, 1421 H / December 7, 2000)
Born in Doraha Mandi (Patiala, India), he got his early religious education from his parents. He did Masters in Urdu from Oriental College, University of the Punjab, Lahore, in 1962. His personality had many shades of versatility. He started with teaching oriental languages in college. He was an athlete and sports figure in his youth. He played hockey, and remained a referee and coach for years. He was a wrestler as well. At the same time he was the master of the science of classical music and was a good musician. He was among the chosen masters of the philosophy of Homeopathy in Pakistan. But his religious family background, God-gifted natural bias towards religious figures, kind attentions of the elders of Tabligh and to crown it all, his long family association with the family of Ameer-e-Shari’at Syed Ataullah Shah Bukhari (rh) soon claimed a big change in his life. Although his father, Maulana Muhammad Siddique (rh) and brothers had association with the work of Tabligh for many years, but he himself came to it in about 1967. Until the time his health permitted, he very efficiently did the work of Tabligh with all his body and soul. Seeing his eagerness in manly-work, Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Ansari Saheb (rh) named him as ‘the man of action’ (roughly translated as kaam karnay walay). He was a godly person, and was a staunch and regular performer of zikr and sets of prayers (probably referring to Nafl or supererogatory prayers – Blog author). He used to sit on his prayer mat for hours and hours daily. He was well prepared to embrace the death. Just two days before his death he spent many hours in the nusrat of a jama’t (serving a group of people in the path of Allah) and he intended to spend one year with the jama’t.
On the day of his death he completed the reciting of Qur’an and the tafseer of Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani (rh). Just before his death, he made his wudhu (ablution) and was on the way to perform Isha salat (compulsory night prayers) when he felt uneasiness in his head and after reciting the Kalimah, surrendered his soul to Allah within seconds without any difficulty or signs of pain. “Verily, unto Allah do we belong and, verily, unto Him we shall return”.
He used to pray for a happy and easy ending and of not being burdened with the debt of the favors of people and Allah accepted both his prayers. He wrote a book on Western literary criticism which is being recommended in almost all the universities of Pakistan. He was a poet as well and his poetry has been published. Both his books have received due appreciation from the masters of literature and poetry of this age. A thesis on his life and works was written in his life. In his last years he worked on completing the references of the tafseer (exegesis of the Glorious Quran) of Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani (rh); this tafseer finds a valuable place in the well trusted commentaries of the Holy Qur’an in Urdu.
Maulana Abdul Rasheed No’mani (rh) gave him the permission (ijaazah) to relate Hadith. In his youth he became the disciple of Hazrath Raipuri (rh); after his death he did bay’t on the hands of Maulana Muhammad Aslam Saheb (rh), and after him, gave his hand in the hands of Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Ansari Sahib (rh).
Maulana Abdul Aziz Du’aa ju Dehlawi (d. Zul Hijjah 13, 1388 H / March 2, 1969)
He belonged to Delhi and was a very popular, polite, knowledgeable, hospitable and restless person. His coming to the work of Tabligh was the result of the du’a of Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ilyas. Before this, he was a big refuter and arguer and used to attend discussion contests against atheists and Christians. He came to Pakistan in 1952, and occasionally stayed with his son in Karachi, and with his brother in Tando Adam (Sind). He remained in motion so much that even in these two places he used to offer the salat of a traveller. Remaining in one place was against his temperament. On his death, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rh) wrote in a letter: “He is indeed lucky who leaves so much people behind him that make du’a for the dead”. A book comprising his sayings has been published; he allowed its publishing just one week before his death. He was the disciple of Maulana Shah Muhammad Yasin Nageenvi (rh), who himself was the disciple of Hazrath Gangohi (rh). It is his distinction that he laid the foundation of the masjid of Raiiwand Markaz.
Continue: theijtema.com/2014/01/24/biographies-scholars-elders-tabl...
