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

Chapter Six
anyone up except for śalāt time, the guests could sleep for as
much and for as long as they liked.
At exactly 10 a.m, Shaikh Balyāwī gave a talk for approximately
40 minutes. Whoever is awake listens to the talk while
others sleep. By the time the talk ends, everyone is awake
and busy in voluntary śalāt or recitation of Qur’an. This
continues until noon, after which everyone rests for a short
while. The adhān of Ẓuhr is called at 2 p.m. and the khatm-e
khawājagān is held immediately after. Then the dhikr in the
gathering [of dhikr] begins in a slow crescendo. People prescribed
dhikr perform their dhikr while the rest recite Qur’an.
The effervescence and spiritual power that emanates from this
gathering of dhikr cannot be expressed in words. Of all the
programs of the day, it is by far the most spiritually elevating
and vigorous.
After the gathering, some people in i‘tikāf rest while the
restless souls begin reciting Qur’an. Some of this time is spent
in sleep, tasbīĥ [subĥān Allāh, al-ĥamd li Allāh, Allāh Akbarusually
read on beads] and recitation of the Qur’an until ‘Aśr.
After that, Ikmāl al-Shiyam or Imdād al-Sulūk is read in the
reading session [presently we are on Imdād al-Sulūk]. Shaikh
Mu‘īn al-Dīn Murādabādī, who reads in the session, inspires
the listeners with the passion and urgency in his tone. Those
who are unaware [like me] of the terminology of taśawwuf
and who are incapable of understanding the high spiritual
states and feelings associated with this path have a difficult
time understanding the book. Still, the Shaikh’s inspiring
voice and fervor holds us to our place. This gathering ends 10
to 15 minutes before ifţār time.
After this, everybody moves towards the dining area. The
ifţār is simple, including guavas, bananas, chāt, sliced apples
and peas. Cold water is plentiful and Indian dates are arranged
at every few feet while Madanī dates are also handed out
occasionally for blessing. A short interval is provided between
ifţār and śalāt for guests to wash their hands and mouth. After
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