Memories (Episode 7-A)

As I mentioned earlier, my respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) had established a bookstore in Deoband named Darul Ishāʿat, which he left behind and Bhai Jān (respected Muhammad Zaki Kaifi (may Allah have mercy on him) was overseeing it. However, it generated only a modest income and there was also no way of moving it over to Pakistan. Even after migrating to Pakistan, my respected father somehow managed to publish a few small booklets. However, this was a time when Urdu speaking immigrants were arriving in Pakistan broke and distressed, and their main concern was making arrangements for their food, drink and accommodation. Hence, keeping in view the printing and publishing costs, the demand of Urdu books was not sufficient to generate any income.

Along with this financial situation, our respected father also had a constant concern for his elderly mother whom he had left behind in Deoband. She had given bay’ah to Hadhrat Gangohi[1] (may Allah have mercy on him) and we had never, throughout our lives, seen her void of remembrance of Allah Most High. This was to such an extent that we could hear the words “Allah, Allah” with each breath she took. Our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) wanted to arrange her migration to Pakistan as soon as possible, but due to her advanced age, she was not able to travel by train. Meanwhile, Bhai Jan was alone in our Deoband home. He was only 22 to 24 years of age and managed all matters related to Darul Ishāʿat by himself. What were his emotions living alone, away from his parents and siblings? A card he wrote to us when Eid arrived in those days offers a glimpse into his sentiments. He wrote it as a poem and I still recall the following verses from that poem:

مانا کہ میں دل درد کا خوگر ہی بنا لوں
لیکن جو خلش چھپ نہ سکے، کیسے چھپا لوں
تم عید کی خوشیوں سے کرو گھر میں چراغاں
میں اپنا ہی دل اپنے ہی داغوں سے سجا لوں
ماں باپ جدا، بھائی بہن پاس نہیں ہیں
ایسے میں بتاؤ کہ میں کیا عید منالوں

Translation:

I accept that I should make my heart accustomed to sorrow,
But how can I conceal what refuses to be hidden?
You may rejoice at home with the joys of Eid,
While I adorn my heart with its own wounds.
Parents are distant, siblings not by my side,
In such a situation, how do I celebrate Eid?

A third concern for our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) was that us four brothers who had migrated to Pakistan were in need of education. However, at that time, there was only one madrasa in Karachi, named Mazhar al-ʿUlūm, which was located in Khadda area. It was so far away from our house that studying there was simply impractical for us.

The biggest difficulty our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) faced was that the neighbourhood in which we relocated had a majority British and Parsi population, and the few Muslims who lived here sadly did not have much concern for Dīn, except a few. Consequently, there was no mosque up to a long distance. In the beginning, our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) used to travel far in order to attend congregational prayers, but later, with assistance from some Muslims, he had a cabin built almost adjacent to our house, where five regular congregational prayers began. Over time, a space for a mosque was acquired in a neighbouring alley, where Al-hamdulillah, a formal mosque was built, which continues to stand to this day.

Another challenge was that there was a daily influx of immigrants pouring into Karachi, some of whom were our relatives who had no one for support except our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him). They therefore stayed in our home as almost permanent guests, and endeavoring to help them acquire a source of income was also among our respected father’s (may Allah have mercy on him) duties. Besides this, he would try to help the financially struggling and distressed immigrants in any way possible.

In short, our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) was confronted with a multitude of challenges, and today it is difficult for us to even imagine how he managed those circumstances. Nevertheless, to us he remained an incredibly kind and caring father who would always appear contented and happy in the presence of his family. In fact, he would even take us out on excursions to make us happy. The most picturesque seaside attraction in Karachi in those days was Clifton, which was often called “Hawa Bandar” in those days. Since it was considered quite distant from the city, and very few bus services operated there, it would often be secluded and tranquil during daytime. Our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) would often take us all there during this time. The sea extended up to the area where the large park stands today, and the sea waves would come to beneath the front portion of the aged bridge that today extends from the eastern to the western side of the park. We would swim amidst the sea waves, each of us according to our own physical capacity, and would return home after eating the home-cooked lunch we had brought with us. In similar vein, our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) would occasionally take us on a sailboat ride from Keamari to Manora, which would be a thrilling day-trip for us children.

On the one hand, despite the aforementioned challenges, our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) would arrange such outings to make us happy (and during them he would shape our mindset by narrating stories and sayings of pious elders). At the same time, due to the scholarly disposition bestowed upon him by Allah Most High, he never ceased his pure academic and fiqh-related pursuits. Even though he had resigned from the position of Head Mufti at Dār al-ʿUlūm Deoband long ago, people from all around the world continued to send fiqh-related questions to him, and he would respond to them even under those circumstances. And while he was not able to bring along many belongings from Deoband, he took great care in bringing important books, manuscripts, handwritten documents, and letters and blessed relics of pious elders. He used to say: “During customs checks, my biggest concern was for these books and papers, but the customs officers were not at all interested in them; their worry was that no gold, silver, or unstitched clothing should be able to pass through.” Consequently, a substantial portion of his scholarly possessions had arrived with him, to the extent that not even Shaykh al-Islam Hadhrat ‘Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani (may Allah have mercy on him) had been able to bring as many books with him. Thus, whenever he needed to conduct research on a fiqh-related matter, he would climb up to our third-floor flat and conduct his studies there.

By the grace of Allah Most High, those challenges began to resolve over time. This began in the form of a publishing company established in Karachi itself by our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) in partnership with some of his friends. At the same time, it became possible for Bhai Jan, who had been managing the bookstore in Deoband, to somehow wind it up and relocate to Pakistan and also bring our paternal grandmother (may Allah have mercy on her) along with him. Since it was not possible for her to endure travelling by train, he brought her from Delhi by flight. It was a day of unforgettable joy for us family members when we went to receive them at the Drigh Road Airport. The airport at Drigh Road, at that time, was deemed to be very far from the city and one had to pass through a forest to reach it. In those days, Orient Airways was the sole airline operating flights between Pakistan and India. When its Dakota aircraft taxied to a halt on the runway, it was my first experience of seeing an airplane up close. We all had our eyes fixed on its door. Within a short while, Bhai Jan emerged from the door with his beaming face, waved at us, and returned inside. He reappeared a few moments later, this time carrying our grandmother in his arms. In this way, a major concern of our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) was alleviated.

Bhai Jan brought with him as many books on the plane as he could, but the entire collection could only be transported by sea. Allah Most High made this possible through a special student of our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him), Hadhrat Mawlana Nur Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), who hailed from the Akyab district in Burma. He had come to Dar al-ʿUlūm Deoband to study and shared a close relationship with our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him). Since our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) had decided to participate in the Pakistan Movement and disliked being involved in any political activities while being affiliated with Dār al-ʿUlūm, he had resigned from it upon the instructions of his mentor Hadhrat Hakīm al-Ummah Thanwi (may Allah have mercy on him). Hadhrat Mawlana Nur Ahmad was quite close to our respected father; thus, he would study some books under our respected father, probably in his free time, and would often stay in his service and company. He was deeply saddened by our respected father’s (may Allah have mercy on him) departure to Pakistan and wanted to migrate himself. Allah Most High had endowed him with a passion and a natural penchant for accomplishing difficult tasks in quick time. He took upon himself the task of bringing the books with him by sea to Pakistan, and made it happen. In this way, the bookstore was relocated to Pakistan through his efforts. Our respected father had also called his nephew, respected Fakhr ‘Ālam, to come to Pakistan with him by sea. After the passing away of his parents, he had been under the care of our paternal grandmother (may Allah have mercy on her). After our grandmother’s migration to Pakistan, he had been living with his maternal aunt in Deoband. Our respected grandmother had been quite anxious at his separation, so our respected father (may Allah have mercy on him) found it fitting to call him to Pakistan together with Hadhrat Mawlana Nūr Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him). Consequently, the two of them arrived by ship.

…………….(Continued)…………….

[1] Translator: Hadhrat Mawlana Rashīd Ahmad Gangohi (may Allah have mercy on him)