TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

Chapter EightThe great Muftī, Muftī Shafī‘ writes in his biography of hisfather, “I am narrating something which my father Shaikh Yāsīnsaid that summarizes the piety, character, deeds, and life of ourelders. He said:I have seen that time in ‘Dār al-‘Ulūm Deoband, wheneveryone from the dean and principal down to the janitor andguard were all Auliyā’ Allāh and shaikhs who had attainedcomplete closeness to Allah u. It was ‘Dār al-‘Ulūm by dayand a khanqā by night; you could hear the dhikr of Allah uand the sound of the recitation of Qur’an coming from theirhomes in the last part of the night. [Ĥađrat Shaikh al-Ĥadīth]Part 2The Ramadan of ĤađratShaikh ‘Abd al-‘Ażīm Nadwī MażāharīThe dining mats were laid out a few minutes before sunset. Mostpeople in i‘tikāf made their du‘ā during this time on the mats. Theifţār and dinner of the people in i‘tikāf was in the courtyard of themasjid while everyone else ate outside the masjid. The organizersannounced, “All guests [who are not in i‘tikāf ] please sit on themats outside the masjid.”A small section of the masjid was designated for private guestswhile the larger portion was for the general public [i.e. those ini‘tikāf ], though the food served in both areas was the same. A fewminutes after sunset, it was announced through the speaker systemthat, “The time of ifţār has begun, please break your fast.” Onecould hear people saying their du‘ā of ifţār and breaking their fast.For ifţār, the organizers prepared rice, sweetmeat, and sherbet dailywhile kabob and jalebī (type of sweet) were also served occasionally.The adhān of Maghrib was prolonged so that the locals couldfinish their ifţār and make it in time for the opening takbīr. Dinnerwas laid out after everyone had prayed the obligatory, Sunna andvoluntary śalāt. People gradually gathered by the dining mats and53