TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

Chapter Eightrules of Quranic recitation [tajwīd]. The interval between eachfour rak‘as was long enough for people to attend to their personalneeds. Since only one and a quarter part was recited in tarāwīĥthis year, it took approximately one and a half hour to completethe śalāt.Gathering After TarāwīĥOnce the witr was finished, people rushed and gathered at Ĥađrat’squarters. After tarāwīĥ, it was announced that, “We will be recitingSura Yāsīn first, then du‘ā, and then the reading session.”As per instruction, the ĥuffāż stayed seated and began recitingwhile non- ĥuffāż took a Qur’an and looked for a place to recite.Then, Shaikh ‘Abd al-Ĥāfiż supplicated loudly.In his du‘ā, he asked Allah u for the success and protection ofMuslims all around the world, adherence to the Shari‘a, attainingthe pleasure of Allah u, following the Sunna of the BlessedProphet s, protection of the Blessed Precincts, Masjid al-Aqśā, allthe Muslim countries and that Allah u bring back the spirit ofIslam and create an Islamic environment in all of them. This du‘āwas extremely powerful and moving.After du‘ā, the forty hadith of śalāt and salām was read followedby a reading session of Akābir kā Ramađān or Fađā’il-e-Ramađānetc. or any other such book. This gathering ended after 30 to 40minutes. The door to Ĥađrat’s quarters closed and people eitherdrank tea individually or rested.Staying Awake at NightA large number of people stayed awake the whole night. Smallgroups of two to four people either recited or listened to theQur’an while others recited individually.These groups where put in a bind when some people startedcoming to rest in the courtyard of the masjid. If they recited in themasjid, they disturbed the people [in i‘tikāf ] resting in the masjidand if they recited in the courtyard, they disturbed the people whohad come to rest there.63