Shaykh Hussain Ahmed Madani (rahmatullahi alayhi)

[StudentofIslam]

Shaykh Hussain Ahmed Madani (rahmatullahi alayhi)
(1894 AD – 1975 AD)

Sheikhul Islam Hadhrat Maulana Sayyid Hussein Ahmad Madani Sahib (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was a descendant of Rasulullah (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). His father’s name was Sayyid Habibullah Sahib. He was a headmaster of a school. Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Ahmad Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) commenced his Nazirah (reading of Quran) at a very early age. He completed approximately five juz of his Nazirah by his mother.

Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Ahmad Madani’s mother was a very pious woman. She would recite Surah Ikhlas 200 times daily and offer that as Isaale Thawab to Rasulullah (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). He completed the remainder of his Nazirah by his father. Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Ahmad Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) had two brothers, Maulana Ahmad and Maulana Muhammad Siddique. They were elder than Hadhrat Maulana and were already studying in Darul Uloom Deoband.

His father decided to send Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Ahmad Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) to Darul Uloom Deoband with his two brothers to study there. Hadhrat Maulana studied his Darsi Nizami (general syllabus) in Darul Uloom Deoband and qualified at the very young age of 21. Maulana’s Father, Sayyid Habibullah Sahib, was bayat to Hadhrat Maulana Fazlurahman Ganj Moradabadi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). Allah Ta’ala had blessed Hadhrat Maulana Fazlurahman Sahib with a very long life. He had passed away at the age of 105. He was a very great saint and pious person.

When Maulana Fazlurahman passed away, Sayyid Habibullah said, “Now there is no enjoyment for us to stay in India” and made the intention to migrate to Madinah Munawwarah. That was the place where they originally came from because they are Sayyids, descendants of Rasulullah (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), and for 19 generations they were in Hindustan.

When they left for Madinah Munawwarah, Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) and the ustadh of Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi), went to leave him at the station. At the time of leaving him he emphasized, “Never ever leave dars and tadrees (teaching)!”

When Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) came to Madinah Munawwarah, upon the instruction of his ustadh, he started teaching. Initially he had difficulty in the Arabic language. This was due to him not being an Arab, but within a short period of time, he got a grip of the Arabic language and slowly his class began expanding.

Ulama from different places such as Madinah Munawwarah, Syria, Yemen etc. started sitting in his discourses. Hadhrat Maulana conducted lessons in Hadith for approximately 18 years in Masjid Nabawi (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). Once he and his brother decided to go to Gangoh to visit Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). It was during this visit that Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) bestowed them with khilaafat.

They then returned to Madinah Munawwarah. Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) continued with his discourses in Masjid Nabawi (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and it was during this time that Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) came for Hajj. He stayed in Madinah Munawwarah by Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). It was only then that Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) came to learn of Sheikhul Hind’s plan to liberate India.

Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was then arrested thereafter and taken to Jeddah and thereafter taken to Malta. Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) had so much love and reliance upon his ustadh that he was prepared to sacrifice his comfort teaching in Madinah Munawwarah and handed himself over voluntarily to be arrested in order to be with his ustadh so that he could make the khidmat of Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi).

He remained with Sheikhul Hind in Malta for approximately three years. One can imagine what a great sacrifice this was. With such a sacrifice how could such a person not get barakah in his uloom? Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) and Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) were freed together from Malta.

After Sheikhul Hind passed away, Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was in the forefront of the liberation struggle. He was the essence of this entire movement. Sheikhul Hind started this struggle at an old age towards the end of his life and thereafter Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) followed it up until India was liberated.

When India was liberated, Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) left everything aside but he carried on with his Dars and Tadrees. Normally what happens after a person takes part in a liberation struggle and they achieve their objective is that the issue of position and status plays its role. However, Maulana wasn’t interested in such things. His objective was the liberation of India and since it was liberated his objective was achieved. If he wanted he could have received the highest position that any person could have received but Maulana left all of that and went to Darul Uloom Deoband and dedicated himself to teaching. When the time came for distribution of awards and honors to those who partook in the liberation struggle, then the call was also made for Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). This was a very prestigious honor whereby his name would have become elevated throughout the world. Yet, Maulana declined to go forward to accept such an award. He explained his refusal by simply mentioning that this was against the way of our pious predecessors. This is a prime example of Ikhlas (sincerity). He took part in the struggle solely for the pleasure of Allah and not because of attaining a position in society.

Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani’s (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) very outstanding quality was hospitality. One person had observed that on an average there would be at least 50 people in the house of Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). In 1946, one person by the name of Sanul Haqq Siddiqui met Hadhrat Maulana. While staying at Maulana Madani's home, Sanaul Haqq Siddiqui mentions regarding the first night that while he was trying to sleep, at about midnight the people were waking up and the sounds of "Allah, Allah" could be heard from Maulana’s house.

The following morning he had mentioned to Maulana, “It’s a real pleasure for me to stay here. My islah could be made very quickly and I could inculcate all the good habits and qualities that all those people who stay around you have; waking up for tahajjud in the middle of the night, making zikr and so forth but the only thing is that my nature can not tolerate it. I must have my sleep at night. By everyone waking up in the middle of the night, I can’t sleep and I can not keep up to their standards.” So Maulana understood and arranged a separate room for him to sleep.

Maulana did not impose upon him the trend that was taking place there. He then stated that one night a very strange thing happened. He says that he happened to be walking around the whole day and thus he became very tired and went to sleep. And whilst he was sleeping he noticed that someone was pressing his legs. He was in the midst of enjoying this treatment when suddenly he just happened to turn and he saw none other than Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) himself pressing his legs. He woke up in a shock and actually held Maulana’s hand and said, “What are you doing!” Hadhrat Maulana replied and said, “You are tired. The whole day your were walking around. I feel pity for you and here I got a chance to make some khidmat for you and here you are stopping me for which I am very upset because you are depriving me of thawaab.”

Here Sheikhul Islam is making the khidmat of an ordinary visitor who can’t even wake up for tahajjud and zikr whereby separate arrangements had to be made for him and still too with all that comfort Sheikhul Islam goes to press his legs.

Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was the Sheikhul Hadith of Darul Uloom Deoband for approximately 28 years. One can imagine the level of his discourses especially after having taught in Masjid un Nabawi (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) for 18 years before that. There, different types of students would come to him from the different parts of the world and after that he taught at Darul Uloom Deoband for another 28 years. He was accustomed to a hectic way of life. As a politician he would travel the length and breadth of India and when he would reach Deoband, no matter what time of the day or night, be it the middle of the night, when the bell would ring then the students of Daur-e-Hadith would have to come to attend their classes. After his long arduous journeys as a politician, without any sleep, he would come to the classroom and conduct his lesson on Bukhari Sharif. Considering all this it is mentioned that his lessons were a detailed Dars. Even after the lesson he would conduct a question and answer session for the students in case they had any question to ask. Then too, very patiently he would listen to the students and answer them in complete detail. Once the students were completely satisfied and contented only then would he terminate the lesson and go. How fitting is the poem of the poet boasting about his forefathers,

Oh Jareer, these are my forefathers,
So bring forth of their likeness
When the assemblies unite us.

One noteworthy point about Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) is that whenever he would travel around India he would never travel in first class or second class. He would always travel in the third class. One can imagine how often he would have to travel as a politician, continuously traversing the different regions of India for years on end. Some allegations were made that the Congress was paying Hadhrat Maulana but this is incorrect, as Maulana wouldn’t take even a single cent.

It was Hadhrat Maulana’s habit to always travel in the third class compartment and would never travel in the first class or second class. This in itself is proof because if one has to see the conditions of the third class compartments then they would understand the reality of this situation. In the third class compartment, rarely does a person find a seat. For hours on end he would have to remain standing. Then to he would be lucky to find a sufficient place to stand comfortably being surrounding by hoards of people. If Hadhrat Maulana wished, he could have booked first or second-class tickets at the expense of the Congress, but he never did that.

Hadhrat Maulana reached a high position in regards to Sulook as well. In spite of him being a great politician, many people had ascended the heights of spirituality under his guidance. When he passed away, he had approximately 167 khulafaa.

It is also mentioned that one of his habits were that whenever he was invited for any program, he would make sure that there were no acts of Bid’ah or un-Islamic activity taking place. If he were invited to a Nikah also, he would make sure that no innovated traditions taking place there. This was especially rampant in the customs of India. Upon witnessing such nikahs in India one would wonder if the participants were Muslim or not. It was also special habit that he would only attend such a Nikah where the husband agreed to give the wife Mehr Fatimi.

Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) passed away in 1975 at the age of 81. He was buried in Darul Uloom Deoband next to his ustadh Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). The name of the graveyard there is Maqbar-e-Qasimi.

May Allah Ta’ala fill the qabr of Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) with noor and allow us to benefit from his roohaniyah. Ameen.

taken from http://www.almahmood.org/

[Saad]

JazakAllah good post =)

[Journo]

Review: Maulana Husain Ahmad Madni – A Biographical Study by D.R. Goyal

by Ismaeel Nakhuda - Islamica Magazine, Autumn Issue 2005

Since partition in 1947, India has been witness to a great deal of sectarian violence, not to mention Kashmir and the various wars fought with neighbouring Pakistan.

With rivalry so intense in the sub-continent, it is a sad reality that Indian Muslims are viewed contemptuously as a fifth column. During the Gujarat pogroms in 2002, right-wing Hindutva fanatics ripped through Muslim neighbourhoods chanting slogans such as: “Go to Pakistan, or otherwise to Qabrastan (graveyard).”

Sadly many Indians, Muslim and Hindu, are oblivious of the contribution of the Muslim populace, especially the Ulemah, towards securing a free and secular India. Describing this as ‘a tragic irony’, D.R Goyal, a veteran journalist, author and promoter of minority rights and communal harmony, says that in academia the effort of Indian freedom fighters such as Mahatma Ghandi and Jawaharlal Nehru has been acknowledged where as the struggle of the Ulemah has largely gone by unnoticed.

With an aim of creating religious harmony, Goyal attempts to fill this academic vacuum by presenting a biographical study of the political life of Maulana Sayed Husain Ahmad Madni (1879 – 1957).

Unfortunately, very little of the works and biographies of the Ulemah of Indo-Pak has been translated from Urdu into English. So it is a novelty to come across an English biography of one of the foremost Alims the subcontinent has seen in the last century and that also written by a non-Muslim.

In a nutshell, Maulana Husain Ahmad Madni, or Sheikhul-Islam as he became widely known in the sub-continent, spent a number of years throughout his political life incarcerated in British prisons.

In 1916, after the Ottomans were driven out from the Hejaz, Madni, who was resident at the time in Medina-Munawwarah and teacher at the Prophet’s Mosque, was arrested in Makkah al-Mukarramah by the British together with his teacher Sheikhul-Hind Maulana Mahmudul-Hasan, who was in his 80s. The two were taken to Cairo with a number of other Indian Ulemah and accused of plotting to overthrow the British Raj with the aid of the Ottomans.

After being questioned in Cairo, the Ulemah were sent to the island of Malta (the British Guantanamo Bay of World War One), where they spent four years without charge or trial until their release in 1920.

Upon their return to India, both Sheikhul-Hind and Maulana Madni began to rally Muslim support for the non-violent non-cooperation movement spearheaded by Ghandi. Until the British left India in 1946, Sheikhul-Islam remained fervently involved in the freedom movement, being arrested on a number of occasions and even serving two separate jail sentences of two years each in various prisons across India.

Goyal covers the above but mainly focuses on the political nature of the Maulana as an advocate against the ‘two-nation theory’ and a champion of inter-religious peace.

With brief references to the Maulana’s lineage as a Hussaini Sayed, family life, education, Tasawwuf and teacher of traditional Islamic sciences, the book is certainly a delight to read. In fact, Islamaphobic elements in Indian society would be abhorred to read about the patriotism emanating from a graduate and teacher of Darul-Uloom Deoband, dubbed baselessly by much of the Indian right-wing press ‘an institute of terror’.

By and large Goyal adequately achieves his objective in presenting the political life and contribution of an Indian scholar in successfully gaining freedom for India from an imperial power. Interestingly, he also gives the reader a brilliant insight into the manner by which the British implemented ‘divide and rule’ policies to sow distrust between Hindus and Muslims during Congress and Muslim League negotiations for independence.

Goyal also makes a unique point about how post-partition; Sheikhul-Islam would use his influence to grant safety to destitute Muslims in non-Muslim dominated areas and would lobby the government to secure the respect and custody of abandoned Darghas (Sufi Shrines) in Indian Sikh-dominated Punjab. Goyal writes that this is indicative of the ‘Maulana’s liberal attitude’ towards other Sunni Muslim groups ‘because the Sunni Islam that he himself (Madni) practised and preached did not approve of the worship’ at such sites.

The life of Sheikhul Islam Maulana Husain Ahmad Madni is an epic in itself. For readers wanting to know more about the Maulana from an Islamic perspective in relation to his education at Darul-Uloom Deoband, family background, his Tasawwuf as a Chishti-Sheikh, migration to Medina al-Munawwarah, teaching of classic Islamic texts in the Prophet’s Mosque, impressions of living under the Ottomans, imprisonment with his teacher in Malta, his return to India and involvement in politics, role as teacher of Hadeeth at Darul-Uloom Deoband and immense sorrow at the time of partition, then the autobiography of the Maulana, Naqsh-e-Hayat (recently translated into English from the original Urdu) would be a definite must.

Naqsh-e-Hayat is sure to stir compassion and pity for the Maulana and is a testimony to the sacrifice and selfless service of Indian Ulemah for the betterment of not only Indians, Muslims and otherwise, but for all colonised nations irregardless of religion.

With India and Pakistan coming close to war on every random issue from Kashmir to Cricket, perhaps the words of Sheikhul-Islam would be most appropriate: “The good of the entire country, nay the whole of Asia, demands that the relations between the two countries (India and Pakistan) should be friendly, the two should have mutual trust and all the differences should be resolved peacefully. The common people on both sides should come close and develop maximum possible trade and economic relations.”

Islamica Magazine, Autumn Issue 2005
http://ismaeelnakhuda.blogspot.com/2006/02/review-maulana-husain-ahmad-madni.html

[Ansari]

Its just amazing what kind of personality Mawlana Hussain Ahmed Madani had. How much he did solely for the deen.

There is a nice, rare photograph of him in this book called "Deoband Ulema's Movement for the Freedom of India" of Farhat Tabassum (p. 137).

[StudentofIslam]

Yeah Alhamdulillah I got that book at home it is a very good insight not just into the islamic life in India in those times, but also the political struggle against the imperial rulers it is a very good book to read and indeed to increase our knowledge about this sometimes forgotten Alim whom many should thank for his works in Islam and in Politics. The fact remains people need to realise there is a reason why this great man has been referred to as Shaykh al Islam.

I also recommend another book called The Prisoners Of Malta

This book 'The Prisoners Of Malta' is a translation of 'Asira'n-e-Malta' written by Maulana Muhammad Mian in Urdu many years back. This translation in English has made the book accessible to non-urdu readers. It throws light on almost all the activities of the two great personalities who had sacrificed their all for the cause which was dear to them.

http://azharacademy.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1385

[Nu'ayman ibn Amr]

:salam:

Taken from another thread ..

http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17422

As the original post was about Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madni :rahim: I thought I'd share some of what Hadhrat Shaykh al-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya :rahim: said about him in his Al-E'tidaal:



Maulana Madni was an exceptional personality and for me to even try and emulate him, would be an impossible task and foolishness on my part. How can I possibly emulate him whose life on journeys and at home was the same, whose hard work by night was the same by day - a man who felt no need for rest nor ever seemed to tire (after his continuos struggles and hard work.) Such a man was he, that he would return from Hijaz and disembark at Karachi. From there, he would immediately board a train and travel for two days and nights arriving at Deoband at 5 a.m in the morning and then at 6 a.m he would take his place in front of a class to teach Bukhari.



One should bear in mind that Maulana Madni commenced his lectureship (teaching Islamic sciences) in Madinah Muawwarah. (He taught Hadith in Masjid al-Nabawi) For many years, he lived such a life of dedication and devotion, that at times, he lectured twelve or thirteen classes daily, sleeping for only two or three hours per day. The rest of his time, he spent in studying or preparing lectures for the following days classes

.


Now, hear about his spiritual training. he was trained by that man who is the ocean of love and divine knowledge, Hadhrat Shaykh al-Arab wa al-Ajam Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki . in the blessed and Holy city of Madina, in such a blesed place as Masjid-e-Ijaabat and under the supervision of his Shaykh he devoted himself to Thikrullah for a very long time for the sake of purifying himself spiritually. Thereafter, the completion and polishing of his training was done under the guidance of Hadhrat Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Therafter, for many years, his spiritual training reached its pinnacle and maturity under the sympathetic and benign shadow of Hadhrat Shaykh al-Hind (Maulana Mahmood Hasan) in the seclusion of their exile on the Island of Malta.

In his Aapbeti, Hadhrat Shaykh :rahim: writes:



During my life, I have heard no-one else weeping so much in Du'a before Allah in the latter part of the night as I have heard Maulana Madni and my father Very often, inspite of my deep sleep I used to be woken up by his crying. Hadhrat Madni would recite Hindi lamentations with so much pain and sorrow. I was unacquainted with Hindi and could not understand, but the wailing and crying still echoes in my ears. It was almost like a child who was receiving a hiding and is crying. As much courage as Hadhrat had, as brave as he was and as much as he encountered ordeals, I have not seen this (type of crying) in any of my elders.

[Umme Hani]

Salam,
A progressive translation of Hadhrat Hussain Ahmad's (RA) autobiography can be found at:

www.qalamee.blogspot.com

[Umme Hani]

Salam,
A progressive translation of Hadhrat Hussain Ahmad's (RA) autobiography can be found at:

www.qalamee.blogspot.com

[At Tayyib]

Works of Hazrat Sheikh-ul-Islam:rahma: : Analysis and Introduction - URDU

by Moulvi Nayab Hasan Qasmi
Shaikhul Hind Academy, DU Deoband

A good introduction and review, published in Mahanam DU Deoband Feb 2013 edition, of the various works of Shaikhul Islam Mawlana Husain Ahmed Madni :rahma: viz,

(1) Naqshe Hayat
(2) Aseer Malta
(3) Maktubat Shaikhul Islam
(4) Muttahida Qomiyat aur Islam (Composite Nationalism and Islam) - A great book debunking the lies attributed by the Muslim League against Shaikhul Islam :rahma: and the political stiff created by the former between Allamah Iqbal and Shaikhul Islam.
(5) Maududi Datoor aur Aqaid ki Haqeeqat
(6) Iman wa Amal ma' Aiterazat wa Jawabat - Refutation on Mawlana Syed Abul Ala Maududi's stance of Kufr on the Muslims who neglects the obligations and commits Major sins.
(7) Maktube Hidayat - A letter addressed to a notable scholar of Jamat-e-Islami, highlighting the errors and deviations of Mawlana Syed Abul Ala Maududi
(8) Al-Shihab al-Thaqib ‘ala al-Mustariq al-Kadhib – The Shooting Meteor on the Deserving Liar (Ahmad Rida Khan) (http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?52565-The-Shooting-Meteor-on-the-Deserving-Liar-Mawlana-Madani-on-Ahmad-Rada)
(9) Silasile Tayibah - A good resource on the awrad and ashgal of the Four Silsilahs (Qadri, Chishti, Suharwardi & Naqshbandi) and their respective manzoom Shajara for the ease of Salikin and Talibin
(10) الحالة التعليمية في الهند قبل الاستعمار الإنجليزي و فيما بعده - ARABIC. A detailed work highlighting the superior educational system of the Indian Subcontinent in general and the Muslims in particular. Shaikhul Islam also highlights the atrocities committed by the English in disrupting and destroying the glorious educational system from the Englishmens own works. Something similar has been presented by Shaikh Khalid Baig in his article Rethinking Education. (http://ow.ly/hBywX)
(11) بحوث في الدعوة و الفكر الإسلامي - ARABIC. A collection of short and concise scholarly treatises and lectures compiled by Mawlana Nur Alam Khalil Amini (HA)

Download (http://darululoom-deoband.com/urdu/magazine/new/tmp/06-Hadhrat%20Shaikhul%20Islam_MDU_02_February_13.pdf)