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

Caution in Shariah - Salaat of Ml Rashid Ahmed Gangohi (ra)

“In his personal life, his piety and precaution was of a very high level to the extent that on matters in which there were differences of opinion, he would follow the preferred opinion which was closest to caution. He would never leave the cautious opinion even at times of need.

Here is a small example of his caution: During all his various illnesses and sicknesses, no matter how severe his illness was, he never sat and performed salāh. During his final illness, as long as he could stand and perform salāh by getting the support of two people, he would stand and perform his salāh. [This is how he used to perform it]: two or three people would carry him with much difficulty, he would stand up with two of them standing on either side with their hands around his waist. His standing, bowing and prostrating postures would all be performed by taking support from them. His attendants would constantly request him to sit and perform his salāh, but he would neither reply to them nor accede to their request.”

“Maulwī Muhammad Yahyā Sāhib rahimahullāh asked him on one occasion: “Hadrat! If it is not permissible to sit and perform salāh even in such a situation, when and in which condition is it permissible to sit and perform salāh?” He replied: “According to Imām Sāhib [Imām Abū Hanīfah rahimahullāh] a person is considered to be ‘able’ if he is able to perform an act with the support of others. Since I have friends who carry me and help me to perform salāh, how can I sit and perform salāh?”

“When he eventually became so weak that he could not perform salāh standing with the support of others, he performed a few salāh while sitting. In so doing, he demonstrated the real meaning of following the Sharī‛ah, the real definition of taqwā, and this is how one ought to choose the most cautious option [or opinion].”