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

Chapter Six
Those who come here should not talk. If you wish you may
sleep or sit quietly but do not talk under any circumstance.
After ‘Aśr, the book [on taśawwuf ] Imdād al-Sūluk was read
followed by two small booklets, one of them by Imam Suyūţī.
Once they were completed, Itmām al-Ni‘am [translation of Tabwīb
al-Ĥikam] and then Ikmāl al-Shiyam [commentary of Itmām
al-Ni‘am] 23 were read. Throughout Ramadan, many books on
taśawwuf were completed in the reading session. Ĥađrat went into
his quarters and opened his ifţār with a Madanī date and Zamzam
water [he never ate anything else at this time] and then went into
meditation. After Maghrib, he stood up for voluntary śalāt and
prayed for about 45 minutes. He ate two eggs and drank a cup of
tea, then the curtains of his quarters were removed.
At about 7:15 p.m., people from the general public met with
Ĥađrat and newcomers shook hands with him. He asked how long
they planned on staying and issued orders for their accommodations
accordingly. During this time, he narrated stories of the elders and
people came to take bai‘a (pledge with the shaikh). After adhān, he
prepared for śalāt and then prayed voluntary śalāt. After tarāwīĥ,
Sura Yāsīn was recited followed by a beautifully long du‘ā. If any
one of the noted workers of tablīgh was present, Ĥađrat asked him
to supplicate. Then, the reading session began until 11:30 p.m. after
which the workers of tablīgh updated Ĥađrat and the gathering on
the work of tablīgh.
In the previous Ramadan, lack of food made Ĥađrat suffer from
extreme thirst. As a result, when he tried to drink, he would have
stomach problems that prevented him from eating in Ramadan
and even after Ramadan. For this reason, his family and close
friends insisted he eat something during ifţār this Ramadan. In
this private gathering, which lasted about 45 minutes, he often
sat in contemplation and meditation. He slept after one and woke
up at four, attended to his personal needs, and began voluntary
23 Two main books of Taśawwuf
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