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

Ramadan of the Elders
have written somewhere in Āp Bītī that when I went to Raipūr and
Niżām al-Dīn both Ĥađrat Raipūrī and Shaikh Ilyās loved me eating
with them, so I would stop eating the day before I left. I arrived after
Jumu‘a, stayed for two days, prayed Fajr in its earliest time with Ĥađrat,
drank tea and departed early Monday morning for Sahāranpūr. It was
decided that I would spend half the blessed month in Sahāranpūr and
half in Raipūr. According to this plan, I was to leave for Raipūr on
the 15th/19th of February, 1962 until I heard of Shaikh Yūsuf ’s arrival
on the 17th. Instead of leaving on the 15th, I waited for him then
departed on the 17th/21st of February, 1962. Shaikh Yūsuf arrived
from Dehli on that day. I immediately sat in the car with him and we
left for Raipūr and did ifţār with Ĥađrat. Shaikh Yūsuf returned the
next day while I prayed my Eid śalāt with Ĥađrat behind Shāh Mas‘ūd
and then returned to Sahāranpūr. During that time [between the 17th
until the end of Ramadan], I had to leave for Sahāranpūr for two days.
I still remember people from Bahit, Rairy [two villages] and various
other villages wearing their Eid clothes. They were walking towards
the Eid śalāt place because śalāt in Bāgh [name of village where Shaikh
Zakariyyā prayed his Eid with Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qādir- translator] was
early in the morning while Eid was prayed in the other villages at 11
am. This is how I remember the colorful scenes of adults, the elderly
and children in glittery clothing, laughing, playing and talking on their
way to the Eid śalāt place on horse carriages, bull carts and horses.
This Ramadan, Maulwī Fađl al-Raĥmān ibn ‘Abd al-Mannān
Dehlawī led tarāwīĥ in the Bāgh Masjid while Maulwī ‘Abd al-
Mannān led in the room next to Ĥađrat’s. I also prayed my śalāt
behind him in the last days of Ramadan since I had already finished
my own Qur’an in tarāwīĥ at home.
Ĥađrat was diligent about his seclusion after Ẓuhr. None but one
or two helpers were allowed in case Ĥađrat needed something or help
going to the bathroom. Besides them, everyone was forbidden entry.
After praying Fajr in its beginning time, Ĥađrat rested after he met
with the departees. He ate at about 10 a.m. [the physicians insisted
Ĥađrat not fast because of his condition]. Years of sickness had worn
him out; he could not even step up on the footrest and sit on the
155