TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

Ramadan of the Eldersand sunset was clearly visible in Raipūr and because of that hesynchronized his watch with direct observation of sunrise andsunset. My father [Shaikh Yaĥyā] and uncle [Shaikh Ilyās] bothnever followed the timetable or watches. They followed thehadith, when the night comes and the day withdraws. 51 Their sightswere always on the sky.3. Dates and Zamzam were important in ifţār. People who camein from hajj gave dates and Zamzam as gifts for Ĥađrat, whichwere saved for Ramadan. A certain amount of Zamzam wasspecially saved for Ramadan, but the dates were served if theystarted going bad. At the time of ifţār, he drank a half to threequarters cup of milked tea, and the rest was handed to me.4. There was a ten minute interval between ifţār and śalāt sothat people could eat ifţār at home and come in time for śalāt.5. Ĥađrat’s habit was to eat ifţār in the school. In Madina, hisifţār was in Madrasa ‘Ulūm al-Shari‘a.6. Approximately 15 to 20 helpers were present with Ĥađrat inifţār.7. Dates and Zamzam were important in ifţār.8. There was no difference in the number Ĥađrat prayed afterMaghrib, though the way he prayed his śalāt was certainlydifferent; he took longer than his normal habit.9. He generally recited one and a quarter part, reciting the samepart in Maghrib which he then recited in tarāwīĥ.10. Ĥađrat ate dinner at home after he completed his voluntaryśalāt. He took about 20 to 25 minutes in voluntary śalāt. He atemuch less than in the other months.The custom [in Kāndhla and Gangoh] was that we never ate pilaf inseĥr but actually avoided it, since it was considered to increase thirstwhen fasting. The first time I ate pilaf in seĥr was at Ĥađrat’s placein Sahāranpūr. It has never been my habit to eat anything in ifţārbecause it becomes difficult to recite Qur’an in tarāwīĥ. But when I51 Muslim, Bayān Waqt Inqiđā’ al-Śaum.113