TheRamadan of Shaykh Al-Hadith Ml ZakariyyaKandelwi by Dr Muhammad Ismail Memon Madani

the ramadan of shaikh muĤ ammud zakariyyĀ
The devotions of Shāh ‘Abd al-Qādir Raipūrī
Many incidences about Shāh ‘Abd al-Qādir Raipūrī are related
in Āp Bītī. I have spent more time with Ĥađrat Madanī and Shāh
‘Abd al-Qādir Raipūrī than with any other amongst the elders;
their affections and love for me are beyond my ability to put
on paper. Hundreds of people are still witness to their special
relations with me. Many people insisted I start working on their
biographies, but I was so preoccupied with academic work that
I could think of nothing else at that time even if I wanted to.
Now, as I sit idle, the academic work at a halt due to my illness, I
remember the events and incidents of the lives of the elders and
I cry.
My beloved, my master, Shaikh al-Islām, Shaikh Madanī never
asked me to spend time in Ramadan with him, but I could tell by
his demeanor that that was his wish. And my spiritual benefactor
and mentor Ĥađrat Raipūrī in his last years not only said it but
insisted that I spend time in Ramadan with him. Though until his
death my academic work 82 [knowledge is the greatest hindrance] was so
overwhelming that I could not tolerate anything coming in its way.
Perhaps I have already mentioned somewhere in Āp Bītī that
during the last few years Ĥađrat was so inundated with love
for me that our separation was difficult for him to bear. When I
wished to return to Sahāranpūr after one or two days in Raipūr,
and pardoned myself that I would have to postpone my Bukhārī
class, Ĥađrat occasionally said [and when I remember his words, it
brings tears to my eyes] “You can teach Bukhārī any time you want,
but we are not going to be here forever.”
When Ĥađrat’s sickness became worse and he settled in Bahit
so his personal physician could visit him as needed, Ĥađrat’s love
led me to my habit of leaving straight for the bus station from the
school after teaching Abū Dāwūd [which was in the second hour of
the afternoon].
82 ‘Academic work’ should not mistaken as purely academic but rather that
Ĥađrat was writing a commentary of the Muwaţţa’ of Imam Mālik, which was
a work of Dīn and a major service to Islam.
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