TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

the ramadan of shaikh muĤ ammud zakariyyĀlatrine without help from others. Since the news had spread thatĤađrat was going to spend Ramadan in Pakistan, the crowd was big.After he ate a little, four people lifted the straw-twine bed outsidefor Ĥađrat and people came upon him from all sides. Zakariyyā wasalways forced to push people back from the bed.People were taken in bai‘a in large numbers. Every time he cameout, people were seen as far as the outer edges of the field. Ĥāfiż‘Abd al-Rashīd took everyone in bai‘a. In the beginning, Ĥađratrecited bism Allāh and there was no formal and lengthy wordingfor the bai‘a. After bism Allāh, the kalima ţayyiba was read. Then,repentance was sought for all sins and finally emphasis was laid onimportance of praying śalāt and adherence to the Sunna. After ‘Aśr,Ĥađrat’s bed was kept outside until Maghrib. A reading sessionwas routine with Ĥađrat for many years at this time [between ‘Aśrand Maghrib-translator] and was kept up throughout Ĥađrat’stours of India and Pakistan. This year Āzād read the ‘Letters[maktūbāt] of Khawāja Muĥammad Ma‘śūm 84 ’. The letters areoriginally in persian but have been translated by Shaikh NasīmAĥmad Farīdī Amrohī into Urdu and have been published in partsin al-Furqān monthly [monthly magazine founded by ShaikhManżūr Nau‘mānī-translator]. Since the gathering was big, ifţārwas held in different places, e.g. in the masjid and the school.Ĥađrat’s closest companions broke their fast by Ĥađrat’s bed andthen Ĥađrat prayed his Maghrib with this group in the courtyard.Everyone else prayed their śalāt in the masjid. Approximately halfan hour after śalāt, dinner was laid out in different areas [due tothe numbers in the crowd] followed by tea.It was my routine from 1338/1920 to eat only dates and Zamzamin ifţār whereas my real ifţār was after ‘Ishā.Shaikh ‘Alī Miāń writes in Ĥađrat’s biography under the section,‘The Ramadan of Raipūr’:There was a certain liveliness to Ramadan in Raipūr. People preparedin advance and awaited the arrival of the blessed month of Ra-84 Son of Mujjaddi Alf-e-Thānī [Shaikh Aĥmad Sirhindī].156