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

the ramadan of shaikh muĤ ammud zakariyyĀ
Ĥadīth that two of my special guests are coming. Make sure you
take care of them”. [I don’t remember the exact words but this was
the gist of what the Blessed Prophet s said].
Ĥađrat interpreted this to mean that the Blessed Prophet s was
referring to Dr. Ismā‘īl and Sufi Iqbāl. Our elders were head over
heels over the smallest gesture from the Blessed Prophet s. Ĥađrat
was profoundly affected by this instruction; he treated us with the
utmost respect and took special care of us in every way, spiritually,
financially, externally and internally. His special blessings and
affections for us are not something I can put into words. Throughout
the month, he granted us his time and special attention and on the
night of Eid during tahajjud time, he granted us successorship. All
praise is due to Allah u and gratitude is owed to Allah u alone.
That night I was sitting in Ĥađrat’s presence and a few others
were also nearby. Bismil Śāĥib, a well-known chanter [na‘t khāń]
of na‘at (hymns in praise of the Blessed Prophet s) came in. He
asked Ĥađrat if he could recite a na‘at but Ĥađrat declined saying,
“This is how innovations [bid‘a] are born. The purpose of these
gatherings [where na‘at were chanted and dhikr was held] was
good in the beginning. When a shaikh passed away, his successors
and devotees would come together and say, ‘when shaikh was alive
we gathered here [at the shaikh’s khanqā], but how will we come
together now?’ They finally agreed to meet once a year, but were
still undecided as to when and where. They decided the best place
to hold their annual gathering would be by the shaikh’s grave, and
the best time, the day the shaikh passed away since no one would
ever forget that date. This was the beginning of these festivals
[urs] 24 , but look at them now?”
A similar incident took place in Madina. The program was the
same in Madina as in India, with the common gathering being held
after ‘Aśr. I don’t know the exact year, but I do remember that
24 Festivals held around the graves of elders. Shaikh Zakariyyā explains that
the beginning of these festivals were simple gatherings where the students of a
shaikh gathered by his grave. But as time passed these gatherings became festivals
that bred innovations and pagan customs [shirk].
30