TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

the ramadan of shaikh muĤ ammud zakariyyĀĤađrat ‘Alī Miāń writes:From 1385/1965, Ĥađrat began spending his Ramadan in thenew complex of the student’s dormitories. Every year thenumber of guests increased. In 1385/1965, there were 40 guestsfor i‘tikāf, increasing to 200 by the end of the month, whereasin the Ramadan of 1386/1966-67, the number of people startedat 200. In 1387/1967 canopies were pitched in the courtyardand student dormitories were opened for arriving guests.The Ramadan of 1394/1974 was in Sahāranpūr; by this timethe second story of the masjid in the student’s dormitorieshad been constructed. When more space was required, thedormitories were opened to accommodate the guests. Thefirst of Ramadan began with an estimated 800 to 900 people.Maulwī Naśīr al-Dīn reported that by the end of the monththe number exceeded 1800, but a more accurate count is about1000 in the first ten days and approximately 2000 on the 27and 28th of Ramadan.The program was as follows:- A talk for approximately one hour, which began at 11a.m.- Khatm-e-Khawājagān followed by the gathering of dhikrfrom Ẓuhr to ‘Aśr- Ikmāl al-Shiyam and Irshād al-Mulūk after ‘Aśr- An hour of voluntary śalāt after Maghrib then dinner- Meeting newcomers and locals until adhān of ‘IshāĤađrat stayed in the masjid for many days after Eid in orderto meet the large number of people who had come for i‘tikāf[everyone wished to meet him]. Shaikh writes of the first dayof Shawwāl of 1394/1974:I guessed that there were about 50 to 100 people left basedon the number of people who came to meet me, but I laterlearned that over 500 people stayed for one or two more days.The guests and people in i‘tikāf were devoting all their timein worship, dhikr, recitation of Qur’an and their prescribed36