TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

the ramadan of shaikh muĤ ammud zakariyyĀnew masjid built within the new complex [of Mażāhir al-‘Ulūm]was chosen as the new venue for i‘tikāf. The year before, news hadleaked out that Ĥađrat is performing i‘tikāf, raising the hopes ofhundreds of people who wished to perform i‘tikāf with Ĥađrat.There was much excitement that the new complex had been chosenas the main venue for i‘tikāf; hundreds made preparations for i‘tikāfwith Ĥađrat.People arrived for i‘tikāf and moved with Ĥađrat into the newcomplex the night of the 29th of Sha‘bān. That year, forty peoplemade intention to perform i‘tikāf for the whole month of Ramadan.This gathering increased to 313 people by the end of Ramadan.Shaikh Abū al-Ĥasan writes with reference from one of Ĥađrat’shelpers:I compiled a list of names of the people who came for i‘tikāffrom mid-Sha‘bān to the 28th of Ramadan. Altogether, thenumber of people on this list came out to 313 people.Ĥađrat wrote some details regarding i‘tikāf in the old masjid inhis diary. He wrote about the lack of space, the inflow of guestsfrom around the country and his decision to hold i‘tikāf in the newcomplex the upcoming year. He writes:I‘tikāf was in the old masjid last year, but it soon becametoo small for the number of people who came for i‘tikāf. Iwas most dissapointed to find that 15 people who had leftShaikh Yūsuf behind in Niżām al-Dīn to perform i‘tikāf inSahāranpūr had to return due to lack of space in the masjid.Unfortunately, they weren’t able to perform i‘tikāf in Niżāmal-Dīn either. Therefore, we performed i‘tikāf the wholemonth in the new complex of the school. Forty people werein i‘tikāf from the very beginning. This number increaseduntil the masjid was full and canopies were pitched in thecourtyard.22