Rang-o-Noor (BY SA'DI)

THE LEADER FO EXEGETES HAZRAT MAULANA MUHAMMAD SHARIFULLAH OF MAULVIANVI

May Allah bless us all with fortitude! Our Spiritual Guide has also departed.  
Is this news true? All say this. Some people that they have attended his funeral prayer. Some others say that they have visited his grave. All these people say may be speaking the truth; O yes, very bitter truth. It is bitter for us all but sweet for my spiritual Guide. We don't know since how long he had been sitting ready to depart. He talked of death as a bride is anxious to go to her bridegroom. People are talking of his death. He was talking of his Real Lord on Rajab 12, at 5:46 and departed to Him while talking of Him. He taught Al-Bukhaari for forty-one years. This year, he completed all his courses. This year, he taught At-Tirmizi also. He allowed the students to study Hadith before the fixed schedule contrary to the routine. He would give alms to the poor daily. This routine was not missed even on the last day. He had many other traits and qualities. All these things tell us that the said person has departed. Poor Sa'di could not go to have his last visit nor he could carry his funeral cot nor could visit his grave. I thought of sending him good reward (thawab) the maximum and write down his sayings and memories but no effort seems successful. I tried to write with pen, paper and tears yesterday, and today, I have been lost in thoughts and benumbed for several hours. It seems that the Hazrat has come before me smiling and then I am lost in his thoughts and memories. He had very charming loving style of visiting, strange sweet affection in saying how do you do, real hosptitality of old great saints, independence greater than the kings, so good expression of worship that one may understand the meanings of slavery. Moreover, there were showers of learning and explanation in the sitting of teaching of Holy Quran, belief-provoking suggestions and priceless points of knowledge. More than all this, the visiting in loneliness. I may perhaps not be able to forget the sweetness of those visits. Only three topics remained under discussion in those visits:

i. Love and Knowledge and Reverence of Allah the Almighty.

ii. The Topics of Love and Fidelity with the Holy Prophet .

iii. The Advice to the be Thankful to Allah in every Situation.

It is a fact that he was a great blessing for us all. It will not be exaggeration to say that he had no equal in his age. Allah had made him owner of two springs i.e. the spring of knowledge which he had inherited from his father and learned family. This family of the Maulvis is the honour for Din. During the period of his coronatin, he deepened this tinge of knowledge of his family and spread its benefits far and wide. Once, in a private sitting, he said, "Don't upset and be gloomy due to the opposition of the people. Note, how greatly people opposed me but I did not reply to anyone. These days, it is Allah's grace and favour that supervisors of forty Madrassas in Balochistan are my pupils." His family holds unique position in arts and learnings but he paid maximum attention to three branches of learning only:

i. The knowledge of Exegesis, ii. The knowledge of Traditions. Iii. The knowledge of obligations (inheritance)

He would teach exegesis and traditions very wonderfully. Whenever, I happened to attend his sermon, I was greatly impressed by his knowledge. Though I have not been able to become a scholar after studying books for twenty-five years yet Allah be thanked, I have been blessed with the recognition of the person who is a true scholar and who is false claimant. The Hazrat was a scholar of sound knowledge. Knowledge had got into the very marrow of his bones and blood. He had been suffering from the problem of weak eye-sight for three years. Still he had been teaching all the lessons orally. Once he said, "When I sit to teach, I am young and my youth is worth-seeing. He had mad love for Exegesis. He wrote Tafseer Badi' in Arabic and Tafseer Kausary in Urdu. May Allah spread the beneficence of these Tafseers in the world! The second spring of which Allah made him the owner was "Recognition." He was the official vicegerent of Hazrat Maulana Hammaad-Allah Havllaijvi. Note below a few sayings of the elder scholars in order to perceive the position and status of Hazrat Hallaijvi.:

I. Sheikh-ul-Islam Hazrat Madani said to Hazrat Hallaijvi: Sir, if you come to Dar-ul-Uloom Deo Band, it will be a great favour to us. We get spiritual beneficence from you, and learn the lessons of Recognition of Allah and relation with Allah.

II. Hazrat Allama Binnori says: Hazrat Hallaijvi is one of the old Mystics. He has a very high position in mysticism.

III. Hazrat Maulana Ata-ullah Shah Bukhari says: There used to be no conception of sin in the heart of Hazrat Hallaijvi. His sacred heart always remained busy in remembering Allah.

Hazrat Binnori would go to Hazrat Hallaijvi regularly. He persuaded the teachers even to go to meet him. Our Hazrat had pledged an oath of allegiance with Hazrat Hallaijvi. He followed him like salves. He laboured so much to gain recognition of Allah that it was beyond imagination in that age. In private sitting, when he would talk of "Journey of Recognition," the heart would sink in awe and respect. He would say, "I dig a ditch in the earth and then remain busy in remembering Allah for hours. Hazrat Hallaijvi was a very high -ranked scholar also. He paid special attention to this loyal and devoted disciples of his and at last blessed him with the certificate of the height of achievement. The Hazrat had mad lave for his Sheikh. No sitting was without his mentions. So much so, if a student came from sind, he respected and entertained him greatly only because he belonged to the land of his Sheikh. Once he said:

"When I wrote Tafrseer-e-Kausary, some opponent scholars confessed that there was beneficence of Hazrat Hallaijvi in it. He was perfect in all the four chains of mysticism but he was inclined more to the chain of Qaadaria. He would teach its lessons. Allah had blessed him abundantly with a number of philosophic, practical and spiritual qualities. He had been endowed with a "Certificate of Nearness" to the chain of Traditions. He spread the beneficence of this certificate to the learned people of Arabia and non-Arabia. He established a new series of Tafseer for the Holy Quran. He was the founder and patron of this chain. His ancestral Madrassa was situated in "Basti Maulvian." He honoured Rahimyar Khan for the spread of Din. He sold his inherited property and established a very popular and authentic religious institution in Rahimyar Khan. He used to express his fondness for martyrdom in his meetings. It was a great favour on his part on us that he patronized our organization since its very creation and guided us in so many important matters. He supported us with supplications on several occasions. We are very grieved and upset at his demise.

I can estimate the sorrow and grief of venerable brother Hazrat Maulana Muhamamd Khalil Allah, his brothers and relatives. We condole with them and they condole with us and all of us try to continue the task of Hazrat Sharifullah.

The readers of the Al-Qalam should pray for the Leader of Exegetes Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Sharifullah. I shall try to convey to you numerous points of the Hazrat when the sorrow lightens. O Allah, raise our Hazrat in degrees and bless him with the state of Firdous in paradise, protect his religious institutions, religious services and his children and do not deprive us of his spiritual beneficience!  

Translated by: Abdullah