Hadhrat Raipuri(rah) and Hazrat Shaikh-ul-Hadeeth (rah)
A gem from Mawaiz of Faqeeh ul Ummat Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi 
P:148-150
Hadhrat Raipuri and Hazrat Shaikh-ul-Hadeeth
Once, Moulana Raipuri came to Saharanpur. It was the period of struggle for political power between the Majlis-e-Ahraar and the Muslim league. Moulana Habeeb-ur-Rahman Ludhyanwi , leader of the Ahraar had also arrived. A khaadim of Moulana Raipuri , who was a resident of Baht and a supporter of the Muslim League, entered the room. Moulana Raipuri stood up out of respect for him. Shaikh-ul-Hadeeth Moulana Zakariyya also stood up. (At that time he was able to walk easily.)
This khaadim paid no attention to Moulana Habeeb-ur-Rahman nor did he shake hands with him. He completed his work with Moulana Raipuri and left. Afterwards, Moulana Habeeb-ur- Rahman said: "I think I have erred. When such a buzurg stood up out of respect, I should have also stood up. The point that prevented me from doing so was a Hadeeth of Baihaqi which states that whoever humbles himself before a wealthy person, a portion of his Deen is destroyed."
Shaikh-ul-Hadeeth remarked: "It is mentioned in another Hadeeth:
Moulana Habeeb-ur-Rahman then said, "Hadhrat, there seems to be a contradiction between these two Ahaadeeth. How do you reconcile between them?"
Shaikh-ul-Hadeeth requested Moulana Raipuri to elucidate on this matter. However, Moulana Raipuri insisted on Shaikh-ul-Hadeeth explaining the matter and reconciling between the two Ahaadeeth. Shaikh-ul-Hadeeth agreed to reconcile between the two Ahaadeeth on condition that Moulana Raipuri freely criticises his answer if need be.
"If the answer is correct, how can I say that it is incorrect?" objected Moulana Raipuri . "I shall have to agree with it". Shaikh-ul-Hadeeth then explained, "The Hadeeth of Baihaqi states:
"Whoever humbles himself for an affluent person due to his affluence, two thirds of his Deen has been ruined."
One Hadeeth uses the word 'tawaadhu`' (to humble oneself) and the other has the word 'ikraam' (to honour someone).Humility is an action related to the heart. The heart has been created to humble itself, subjugate itself to Allah Ta`ala alone. As far as honouring someone is concerned, that is related to the external limbs.
Therefore, humbling oneself and honouring someone are two totally different actions. Thus no contradiction remains between the two Ahaadeeth." All were extremely happy with this answer.
"I become so elated whenever I am able to reconcile between two apparently contradictory Ahaadeeth that I do not experience such elation in anything else," admitted Shaikh-ul-Hadeeth .
This is what an aalim's outlook towards Deen should be. At every moment of our life, be it whilst walking, talking, sitting or eating, at every juncture, we must discuss `ilmi points and then point out the practice of Rasulullah 
for that specific action. The result of this will be that the lifestyle of Rasulullah will always be in front of us and we will realise that we have been created to lead our lives only in the manner shown to us by Rasulullah .
Hazrat Moulana Thanwi has written that the aim of sitting in the company of the pious is not to gain knowledge but rather the drive to practise upon knowledge acquired. Hazrat Moulana Gangohi has written that when Ulama take bay`at at the hands of one who is not an aalim, their aim is not to learn masaa'il from him. No! Their aim is that the knowledge, which they had gained and were not practicing upon due to the laziness of their nafs, will become easy to practise after establishing contact with a friend of Allah Ta`ala.
The connection between Hazrat Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Zakariya sahab (rah) & Imam Malik (rah)
Once Shaikh Alawi Maliki came to visit Hazrat Shaikhul Hadith at Madinah Munawwarah. While he was about to return.. Hazrat Shaikh sent us Khuddam (attendants) to escort him.
Shaikh Alawi commented “I feel deep envy for you Khuddam , that By Allah.. you are in the service of Imam Malik of our times, it is my claim for which I even have daleel (proof). See..how much unanimity we find between Imam Malik and Hazrat Shaikh .
Imam Malik had love for Madinah Munawwarah, similarly Hazrat Shaikh has love for Madinah Munawwarah.
Secondly, the preoccupation with Noble Hadith of Rasulullh and its love by Imam Malik is also possessed by Hazrat Shaikh .
Thirdly, Muwatta by our Imam Malik has been considered amongst the excellent books all over the world. The best commentary of Muwatta available today with par excellence from commentaries of the books of Hadith is Awjaz ul Masalik ila Muwatta Imam Malik by Hazrat Shaikh .
And the Fourth shall also be إن شاء الله completed such that Imam Malik lays buried in Jannat ul baqi’i and Hazrat Shaikh shall also be buried at Baqi’i.”
When I narrated this incident to Mufti Hussain kamani, he added a fifth point from his side that the manner in which Imam Malik was buried along with his Shaikh and Ustadh Hazrat Naf’i رضي الله عنه at jannat ul Baqi.., Hazrat Shaikh also rests there alongside his Shaikh and Ustadh Hazrat Maulana Khaleel Ahmed Saharanpuri .
Extracted from the book Mere bhaijaan by Hazrat Maulana Yousuf Motala sahab (db). http://www.muftisays.com
What is this thing called tasawuf? Raeesul Ahraar's Story Part 2
He said to her: "Mention my name and say: If this man had eaten even one morsel of food, then let me sink in the water. Otherwise let me cross over safely."
In this manner she crossed the river. Arriving back she asked her husband: "Why is it that you being a father of children have spoken a lie by denying having relations with me? And why is it that the saintly man had eaten the whole plate of food before my eyes and yet denied having eaten anything?"
The husband replied: "Whatever I have done was done on the command of Allah not out of the desires of my self. And whatever he had done, was done in answer to a Divine Command wherein his self had no share. On the other hand whatever the world does is done to satisfy one's desires. We do not fall in the category of those whom the world looks upon as being married people enjoying conjugal relations and feasting."
It is not certain that this story is the same as the other one or that it is the same story told in another form. There may be many similar stories. Even among the Sahaba Radiallahu Anhum there are many well-known stories telling about them walking on water and driving their horses through raging flood waters.
Having reached so far, mention was made in the after Asr majlis about Shah Ilmullah of Rae Bareilly. A story of him was told of how a discussion took place about Hazrat Bayazid Bustami Rahmatullah Alayh. Hazrat Bayazid was going somewhere when his path was blocked by a river. As he reached it, there suddenly appeared a clear path across. Hazrat Khwaja Saheb said: "This is a test from Allah!" Then he made dua asking Allah to return the river to its former state and he will turn back, or choose another route. He said: "I am afraid of this test."
The narrator said: "If this saint among saints had such fear at the appearance of karaamat, and was so fearful of Allah's power, then how much more should not other lesser saints fear? It is the duty of every seeker after the truth to beg Allah only to be Allah conscious and to be in His presence and to be involved with His remembrance."
Read more: What is this thing called tasawuf? Raeesul Ahraar's Story Part 2
What is this thing called tasawuf? Raeesul Ahraar's Story Part 1
There are many still alive who have seen the leader of the Ahraar Maulana Habibur Rahman and those acquainted with his name are even more. in the end he was a man with great love and affection for me, Numerous were the times when he expressed the desire to reside near me in Saharanpur rather than in Delhi. But because of his usefulness and my uselessness I always declined.
However initially my relationship with him was very bad indeed. In those days he never even entered Mazahirul Uloom. I, on the other hand had to visit Deoband quite often, sometimes as messenger on behalf of Hazrat Khalil Ahmad Saheb to check something in the library or to consult with the principal over some matter or another. I used to go with the 1 o-clock train and return the same day.
The Ra-eesul- Ahraar knew me quite well that I was the son of so and so, a teacher in the Madressa. As far as he was concerned, I only knew that he was a student from Ludhiana who had no real interest in studies but tried to be a student leader. Because he was just roaming about if always so happened that I had to bump into him two or three times on my visits to Deoband. When he saw me he used to shout to make me hear him in his extreme anger because he was politically inclined while he knew that I had absolutely no interest in politics and in newspapers. In those days the habit of reading newspapers did not even reach Deoband and Saharanpur. The teachers and students of both Deoband and Saharanpur did not even know what newspaper-reading was in those days.
Here by Hazrat's place one or two newspapers used to lie about after Asr which some of the guests used to read. In Deoband Mauiana Izaz Ali Saheb and others like him were very much against the reading of newspapers while Maulana Shabir Ahmad Usmani and others used to read them sometimes.
Whenever the Raeesul Ahraar used to see me, he used to scream aloud: "The presence of this person on earth is a calamity! The inside of the earth is better for him than the outside!”
I never had the courage to answer him back. But some students who on seeing me, accompanied me, and answered him with a message: For that person it is haraam to eat the Madressa's bread. The moneys collected for the Madressa is not meant for people trying to be leaders. For those students who have no interest in studies, do not attend classes, it is haraam to eat the Madressa's bread. It is haraam for him to stay in the Madressa and to make use of any of the Madressa's facilities." etc. On receiving this message the Raees became even more enraged. The same thing continued to happen for quite a few years. But Allah guided him and in the latter part of the life of Hazrat Abdul Rahim Raipuri he became a mureed of Hazrat at the hands of Hazrat Shah Abdul Qadir Raipuri. In those days because of Hazrats extreme weakness, 'bay'at' was accepted on his behalf by Hazrat Abdul Qadir Saheb, who dictated the words of 'bay'at'. No doubt, the placing of your hands into the hands of the saintly is not devoid Of blessings. Thus this bay'at connection too was not without its special colour. Later he developed great love for Hazrat Abdul Qadir and through him with me also.
Raees Saheb spent a large part of his life in continuous travelS. Almost daily he had to travel to Bombay, Calcutta, Peshawar etc. For almost all of these Saharanpur was a junction. So when he had to travel through Saharanpur he always visited Raipur for a day, or to return after spending a night there. Many are the ones alive to this day who can confirm how much love Hazrat Maulana Abdul Qadir had for me. My friend Soofi Iqbal of Medina previously a worker in Pakistan. Whenever Hazrat Raipuri visited Pakistan, Soofi Iqbal wrote to me asking me: 'When you reply my letter, please send greetings to Hazrat Raipuri (in Pakistan), because in the Majlis after Asr if I say to him that I have received a letter from my Sheikh who gives salaams to you, I am quickly called to come near to the bedstead on which Hazrat is seated and he asks about your welfare. In this manner I get the opportunity to sit near his bed till Maghrib time." People have come to know of his connection with me. Hence, whenever they go to Raipur from here, the first question Hazrat asks is : "Did you meet Sheikh before com ing here?" If the person says "Yes" he spoke to them quite freely, asking about my welfare and whether I had perhaps sent some message. And if the person answered 'No', then he did not take any notice of him after that. In any case he treated all of them according to the degree of contact with me. Because of this many people were quite disappointed in that they had to merely come here to me to stand and shake hands with me before going to Raipur even though they did not really want to meet me. Of those was Raees Saheb. They came to meet me in order to be able to say that they have come from Saharanpur, have met me and that I had sent greetings.
Read more: What is this thing called tasawuf? Raeesul Ahraar's Story Part 1
