TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

Chapter SixThose who come here should not talk. If you wish you maysleep or sit quietly but do not talk under any circumstance.After ‘Aśr, the book [on taśawwuf ] Imdād al-Sūluk was readfollowed by two small booklets, one of them by Imam Suyūţī.Once they were completed, Itmām al-Ni‘am [translation of Tabwībal-Ĥikam] and then Ikmāl al-Shiyam [commentary of Itmāmal-Ni‘am] 23 were read. Throughout Ramadan, many books ontaśawwuf were completed in the reading session. Ĥađrat went intohis quarters and opened his ifţār with a Madanī date and Zamzamwater [he never ate anything else at this time] and then went intomeditation. After Maghrib, he stood up for voluntary śalāt andprayed for about 45 minutes. He ate two eggs and drank a cup oftea, then the curtains of his quarters were removed.At about 7:15 p.m., people from the general public met withĤađrat and newcomers shook hands with him. He asked how longthey planned on staying and issued orders for their accommodationsaccordingly. During this time, he narrated stories of the elders andpeople came to take bai‘a (pledge with the shaikh). After adhān, heprepared for śalāt and then prayed voluntary śalāt. After tarāwīĥ,Sura Yāsīn was recited followed by a beautifully long du‘ā. If anyone of the noted workers of tablīgh was present, Ĥađrat asked himto supplicate. Then, the reading session began until 11:30 p.m. afterwhich the workers of tablīgh updated Ĥađrat and the gathering onthe work of tablīgh.In the previous Ramadan, lack of food made Ĥađrat suffer fromextreme thirst. As a result, when he tried to drink, he would havestomach problems that prevented him from eating in Ramadanand even after Ramadan. For this reason, his family and closefriends insisted he eat something during ifţār this Ramadan. Inthis private gathering, which lasted about 45 minutes, he oftensat in contemplation and meditation. He slept after one and wokeup at four, attended to his personal needs, and began voluntary23 Two main books of Taśawwuf27