TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

Chapter Onedhikr and recitation, the nocturnal worship, or a schedule of thespiritual programs that went on during the month of Ramadan,though we are able to capture some glimpses of them in Fawā’idal-Fu’ād, Siyar al-Auliyā’ and Durr al-Ma‘ārif. My words cannotexpress the beauty of these khanqās, but for those who haveexperienced their spiritual programs, the vigor and power of itsshaikhs and the illumination that emanated from them, they willunderstand what I am talking about.Indeed, many khanqās from the recent past inherited the spiritualwealth of the 8th and 9th century khanqās and their shaikhs, andthe shaikhs of these recent khanqās successfully revived the fervorand spirit that was the life and soul of the older ones. It seemed asif history was once again repeating itself.There are few people alive today who have witnessed firsthandthe month of Ramadan in the lifetime of Shaikh Rashīd AĥmadGangohī 11 , though many saw the shaikhs after him like Shāh ‘Abdal-Raĥīm 12 in Raipūr and Shaikh Thānwī in Thāna Bhawan. Whensuch people remember those times, they are overcome by nostalgia.Shaikh Madanī and the Month of RamadanOne of the only shaikhs we know from this era who revived thisforgotten Sunna was Shaikh al-Islām Ĥusain Aĥmad Madanī.11 Maulānā Rashīd Aĥmad Gangohī (1829-1905) was the spiritual fatherand guardian of the school of Deoband. He combined the best of Shari’a andtaśawwuf; he was a brilliant scholar and also on the highest spiritual state oftaśawwuf. In one of his letters to his shaikh, he writes, “praise for me and denigrationare equal in my eyes.” His letters and fatwas (religious law edicts) tell ofhis acumen and prove that he was a true inheritor of the insight and intellect ofShāh Walī Allāh.12 Maulānā Shāh Abd al-Raĥīm Raipurī (1853/1919) was one of the highestrankingsuccessors of Maulānā Gangohī. He was a master in Taśawwuf and lovedrecitation of Qur’an. He established centers for learning recitation of Qur’an[for children and adults] throughout his region and spent his night and days recitingQur’an in the blessed month of Ramadan. Due to his devotion to Qur’anin Ramadan, no one was allowed to meet him in the holy month. MaulānāShaikh ‘Abd al-Qādir Raipūrī [next footnote] was his main successor.5