TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

the ramadan of shaikh muĤ ammud zakariyyĀFrom my hometown of Ludhiāna [Punjab, India], Hājī Ismā‘īl[aka Pehlwān] and Hājī Ibrāhīm came with wife and children toserve the guests of Ĥađrat for the whole month. At the ifţār, he putbutter-filled dates in the mouth of the guests with his own handsand followed up on their needs and presented them with fruitsand sweets. May Allah u grant all of them the best of returns andbless them and increase them in their sincerity.Our elders believed it was necessary for the scholars of the Dinto purify their hearts of the filth resulting from evil traits and fill itinstead with the remembrance of Allah u . Until this was done theybelieved that he would be deprived of the blessings of the knowledgeof Dīn, and would not derive the maximum benefit from it. Such ascholar, in their view, was not credible and was wish-washy.All of our elders followed the path of taśawwuf and served theirown shaikh in this path. Once they completed their sulūk, theybecame the epitome of Shari‘a and taśawwuf in their words andstate, externally and internally; and this was the trademark of ourgreat elders. Their hearts glowed with the love of Allah u, ‘ishq(adoration) of the Blessed Prophet s, the Śaĥāba l and the Auliyā’Allāh who succeeded them. They were strict upon the Sunna anddespised the innovations while the qualities of iĥsān (perpetualconsciousness of Allah u), closeness to Allah u, and ikhlāś(sincerity) permeated their every deed. Self-effacement, humility,and self-annihilation [losing awareness of oneself ] were their mostoutstanding qualities.It says of Shaikh al-Hind [Maĥmūd Ĥasan] in Tazkirat al-Rashīd,For the longest time, Ĥađrat’s routine was to leave early in themorning for Gangoh by foot, pray Jumu‘a behind Ĥađrat Gangohī,and return at night. Since he had classes the next morning inDeoband, the strength of will that drove him to walk 28 miles inone day exemplifies his fervor and love for Dīn. When he came inĤađrat’s gathering he sat down quietly amongst the people in thegathering. Once Ĥađrat Gangohī said of him: Maulwī MaĥmūdĤasan is the essence of knowledge.52