TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

Chapter Ninedown almost impulsively and cried over their past life and beggedfor the raĥma of Allah u.When the worship began after tarāwīĥ, the atmosphere becamecharged. Some are reciting Qur’an, some are standing behindgroups of ĥuffāż in voluntary śalāt, some are trembling and cryingin front of Allah u and some are conversing with Allah u in theirdu‘ā. Words cannot express the spiritual liveliness of that time.Even the police officers who patrolled the area during the nightwere affected by the calming and peaceful atmosphere. Magazinesand newspapers also had much to say about the event. Opponentswho had vehemently opposed Ĥađrat’s coming, distributing pamphletsand building it into a movement, came to Ĥađrat showingregret for their actions. They admitted their faults, expressed theirregret and begged Ĥađrat for forgiveness. The ringleaders, whoinstigated the use of physical force against the aĥl al-ĥaqq also cameasking Ĥađrat for his forgiveness; Ĥađrat was just as fast in forgivingthem.Since no khanqās exist in this part of the world, most people areeither completely ignorant of taśawwuf or don’t think much of it.In a country deeply rooted in European culture and ideals, this spiritualitywas something of a marvel. Whoever stepped into this atmospherefelt like an arrow had pierced his heart. He trembled andwas permeated with the love of Allah u and returned with the firmintention to change his life to the way of Allah u.There were about four hundred people in i‘tikāf. Scholars,students, professors, physicians and people from every walk of lifeattended the gathering. University students, who happened to beon a three week vacation, came in large numbers and took refugein the worship of Allah u. In fact, most of the volunteers runningthe daily operation of i‘tikāf were university students. They beganto work at ifţār time and after taking a few dates and water beganserving the guests with love, care, and dedication. Their wayof taking care of the guests was truly fascinating; nobody everneeded to ask for anything. Despite a short and quick ifţār, theyserved guests after Maghrib and once the guests were finished, they103