TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

Ramadan of the Elderswho handed them out as needed to the guests. If anyone left hisplate full or unclean, Ĥađrat would clean it himself. If he saw anypieces of chappati on the mat he picked it up and ate it. After that,people picked up on this habit and started doing the same thing.Ĥađrat sat on his knees. He held one chappati in his left handand took small bite-size pieces from it as needed. He was the firstto start eating and the last to finish. After dinner, everyone dranktea. These are the details of an invitation.If there was no invitation, Ĥađrat left after śalāt for the residence.The food was prepared and laid out on the two mats, one for Ĥađratand the chappati-eaters and the second for the rice-eaters. He usuallyfinished quickly when he ate at his residence and then sat for afew minutes after. His devotees sometimes sat and discussed currentaffairs or juridical issues during this time. Ĥađrat also participatedin the discussions and then rested for a short while.As everyone knows, Ĥađrat’s unique recitation and his concentration[khushū‘] in śalāt was known in the Indian Subcontinentbut also in Arabia and Ĥijāz. In Silhat, Ĥađrat lead tarāwīĥ himself.Hundreds of people came from all over to listen to Ĥađrat in tarāwīĥand tahajjud and left the next morning for their homes [whateverhas been written about Ĥađrat’s recitation and śalāt is absolutelytrue. I have stood hundreds of time behind Ĥađrat in obligatory śalātbut never had the opportunity to spend time with him in Ramadan.Though I did listen to Ĥađrat’s tarāwīĥ two times, the first timein Ramadan of 1363/August, 1944, when Ĥađrat was freed fromIlāhabād jail and arrived in the morning at Sahāranpūr on the 14thof Ramadan/ September 1, 1944 and took the train to Deoband immediatelyafter. He stayed one night in Deoband and left for Dehlithe next day [on a Monday] in the afternoon. Since my uncle diedthat year on the morning of the 21st of Rajab/ 04 July 1944, Ĥađratarrived at the station after Maghrib and went straight to Niżām al-Dīn to offer his condolences. At tarāwīĥ time, Ĥađrat said,“Whoever is the imam for tarāwīĥ should lead.” I said,“Who has the courage to lead in tarāwīĥ when you are here. Onlyyou will lead today.”147