TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

the ramadan of shaikh muĤ ammud zakariyyĀsix rows, it was soon full with the belongings and luggageof the people who had come for i‘tikāf. Those who arrivedthat night, the next morning or later were allotted places inthe courtyard. There were a little less than a 100 people atifţār and over a 100 at seĥr. When the courtyard was full andguests continued to arrive they were designated places insidethe masjid. Every guest was allotted 1½ foot [widthwise] ofspace during the last two weeks of Ramadan. As the numberof guests continued to increase, an enormous pavilion waspitched in the middle of Ramadan outside the masjid, whichbecame full by the end of Ramadan. Six rooms of thestudent’s dormitories were vacated and furnished with bedsfor special guests who came for i‘tikāf before Ramadan. Butas the designated areas became full, only two rooms were keptfor special guests while straw mats were laid out on the floorof the other rooms for everyone else.From the 23rd to the 28th of Ramadan, approximately 315people were tallied on the mats [at the time of ifţār]. Everyone else[who could not find space in the masjid] ate with Maulwī Naśīral-Dīn.This year, a large company of tablīgh members and scholarscame for i‘tikāf, many of whom were granted successorship byĤađrat. It was clear to any observer that many of the peoplein i‘tikāf were from Gujrat, Mumbai, and Pālanpur [India],though the largest number on average were from U.P. [UttarPradesh]. At the same time, many guests were from AndamanIslands, Mysore, Chennai [formerly Madras], Bihar, andAssam [different cities or provinces in India] Bangladesh, andSouth Africa. Many recited Qur’an from Żuhr to ‘Aśr whilethe dhākirīn were busy in dhikr of Allah u. Until ‘Aśr, mostperformed dhikr loudly while others softly. Still others wouldbe in meditation or reciting the Qur’an. Talking was strictlyforbidden and a bulletin clearly stated:26