Hazrat Jalalatul- Ilm Allama Rashid Padshah (RH)
Glimpses of some bright aspects of his Life
A man of high moral character It is pity that even the big stride in science and technology and the modern scientific researches that paved the way to the new discoveries failed to emancipate the man from his centuries old dogmas that have been shadowing his mind since a very long time. Even the simulation of regionalism, nationalism and secularism failed to pull him out of his real crisis, because the diagnosis erred in identifying the real disease. The nationalism and regionalism has fractured the broad based human societies in to a very narrow ethnic and sectarian divide leaving little space to serve the entire humanity irrespective of his cast, color or creed. At a time when humanity was passing through its most difficult time and our time tested culture and civilization was taking its last breath, a man of firm belief, dressed in traditional oriental attire but embodied with high moral values called Jalalatul Ilm Allama Sayyid Shah Habibullah Quadri Jilani known also as Allama Rashid Padshah (RH) appeared in the scene, in Hyderabad with a call to the people to return to the way of Allah and His prophet. Being the true follower of the holy Prophet (SAW), he adorned himself with the exemplary prophetic characters, first, practiced in his private life and then invited the people to follow the foot print of the holy Prophet (SAW). Therefore, one can safely say: His whole life was a role model of the prophetic characters for the later generations. A model of pious predecessors Allama Rashid Padshah (RH) was living in the modern age, but got his light from his past window. His appearance, his style of walking, his way of conversation and even the attire wore by him presented the picture of a true Sufi and an erudite alim. In short he was a facsimile of our pious predecessors. He believed by core of his heart that whatever has been mentioned in Quran and hadith is doubtlessly true; his knowledge of religion was comprehensive and inclusive and he was very careful in practicing the shariah. A wise man had said; the great men remain distinct, whatever life style they may chose for them-selves. They do not look for foot prints of others, but others search their foot prints. For Allama, the standard of every deed was holy Quran, Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW), life of the Prophet’s Companions and wisdom of the Mujtahids (The great jurist who deduce the law from analogies). For him, the four well established schools of thought in Islamic jurisprudences are sufficient and therefore, there is no need for any fifth or sixth school of thought. His role models are the pious and righteous predecessors, none else. He had maintained special relationship and burning love with Shaikh Abdul Quadir Jilani (RH), the Master of Masters. The man of high moral character Allama Rashid Padshah (RH) has embodied himself with the ideal characters of the Prophet’s (SAW) beloved family members, his blessed righteous companions, about whom the holy prophet had said: My companions are like stars in the sky, whomsoever you will follow, you will get the right path. The company of the holy Prophet (SAW) was a special grace from Allah and whose effect was tremendous; it brought rejuvenation, a complete transformation in personalities and characters. They raised the voice of truth fearlessly and dauntlessly even when they were besieged by hostile forces. They fought against the evils, sins and ignorance. The blessed company has gave them the courage to call Allah is alone; Allah is one, even when he was forced to lay down on the sizzling sands in the valley of Makka. The same blessed company has infused in him the courage and vigor to write a new history of velour in the courtyard of Abyssinian King Negus. The morality nurtured by the blessed company of the holy Prophet (SAW) has motivated the faithful not to sip first when he heard call for water from other severely injured thirsty believers and preferred to die in severe thirst. The blessing of the company was so immense and so infused that one in extreme ecstasy for getting martyrdom acclaimed in “By Lord of Kaaba, I won” at a time when he was badly hit and his soul was leaving his body. The effect of the Prophetic company was so reflective that a young girl refused to mix water in the milk saying her mother if Caliph does not see, Allah sees everything. Bowing their heads to the command of Allah and His Prophet (SAW) the noble companions poured all their wines in to drainage and broke wine mugs as soon as they heard the prophetic call that wine has been prohibited. Can you ever imagine that a man coming from Madinah to take charge of governorship of Iran travelled the long distance from Madinah to Madain on his foot carrying the bundle of his daily needs on his head? The entire human history is unable to present any such character so far. Allama Rashid Padshah (RH) followed the foot print of the noble companions of the holy Prophet (SAW) setting a good example for the generations coming next to him. The Ringing bell Allama Rashid Padshah(RH) was an erudite alim, a great preacher, a fluent speaker and an impeccable teacher. He has served the people by teaching them Quran and Hadith for more than 50 years. Adverse conditions, harsh weathers, scorching summers, freezing colds, personal engagements, marriages and other family functions, even the non- serious illness could not fitter his special crave, developed over the times, from teaching the people even in most difficult conditions. Unlike other great people born in turning times of the history, there were only a few wise men who took the discourses of Allama Rashid Padshah(RH) with their hearts and understood the width and depth of his saying. Farsighted and soft-spoken The glorious history of Asif Jahi Sultanate in Southern India recorded the two great rulers of the Asfiyah Sultanate, Asif VI and Asif VII had ruled over this DeccanSultanate for a long time, but, at the same time, there was another ruler, a vali, a friend of Allah who ruled over the hearts of the people. The name of this most venerated personality was Shaikhul Islam Arif Billah Muhammad Anwarullah, the founder of the Jamia Nizamiya of Hyderabad. This Arabic institution has produced a number of great ulema, one of its alumni’s was Maulana Mufti Ruknuddin (RH) who later became the grand Mufti and offered solutions to the various problems of the Muslims. Similarly, Maulana Mufti Makhdoum Hussaini(RH) spent his whole life in imparting religious and spiritual guidance to his students and the common people who attended his assemblies. Later, the people turned towards Mufti Abdul Hameed (RH) for the solution of their ideological and religious problems. After him, Allama Jalalatul Ilm (RH) followed their footsteps to keep up the continuity of the glorious religious and academic heritage of Jamia. A bright star In fact, the entire life of Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) was based on two most prominent façades; (1) personification of prophetic moral values presented later by his noble companions and (2) reinforced by his inherent bright thoughts. This unique synchronicity was a bounty from Allah and which has made his personality a perfect role model for the posterity. By the grace of Allah, he was a complete man leading an austere life of our pious predecessors. Had he written his own biography, it would have eclipsed the great works done by his contemporaries. Selfless service Sacrifice, selflessness, preference to others, total resignation to Allah, renunciation and contentment were the special features of the life of Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH). He drew a life of austerity, stretched to about 50 years of active service without any desire for praise or expectation for a reward. He has never sought any worldly benefit even though he devoted whole his time and energy for the elevation and benefit of the Islamic community. As a founder member of Muslim Personal Law Board, Chairman Majlis Ulma-e- Deen, as a Sheikhul Jamia, Vice-chancellor of Jamia Nizamia Islamia of Hyderabad and as a Patron of Ghulaman-e- Ghous, his only crave was to serve the Islamic ummah for the sake of Allah. He has played a very special role in the important meetings of Majlis Ulma-e- Deen, in its deliberations, arriving at historical decisions and for the stability and development of the Majlis. Nobody can deny or forget his great contribution in taking important decisions for the long term and larger interest of the Islamic community. Bold and fearless speaker For Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH), the movements and organizations initiated for any purpose other than Allah where traditional moral values are mere additives, or where the Messengers of Allah have not been given their due respects or without proper veneration to the holy Prophet (SAW) are likely to be a pitfall of aberrations and deviations. Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) had exposed the errors and the hidden hypocrisy of the so-called rationalists or orientalists whenever they tried to interpreter Islamic Shariah by their own false logics or saw holy Quran and Hadith through their tainted glasses. In the majority of the cases, he was up to the mark and his arguments were found true. Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) was a literary man. He was an expert in Arabic and Persian literature. He was a reflective writer of Urdu language and a profound orator. Often, he used to ornate his orations, discourses or writing with quoting couplets from a famous Urdu or Persian poet. The end of prophecy Nobody can deny the fact that Great Britain has throughout the history remained a sworn enemy of Islam and the Muslims. They have committed countless heinous crimes against the Muslims. They have subjugated a number of Muslim countries; made the people of the Muslim countries their slaves and tried to change the topographies of many Muslim countries. Even they conspired and hatched a plan to lure the Muslims and convert them to Christianity. They strived to foment internal differences and variations in their fundamental belief and practices to deviate them from the right path. For this purpose the British have picked up a number of imposters and charlatan prophets like Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadyani to twist or interpolate the verses of the holy Quran to buttress their claims. Like a most trusted lieutenant, the imposter did whatever he could do for deviation of the common Muslims from the fundamental belief. For this purpose he crossed even the red line by creating confusion among the Muslims that chain of the prophecy has not ended with the holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and he is the Jesus Christ to whom the Muslims are waiting. Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) in a separate book has exposed the lies of the imposter by irrefutable proofs and evidence. Profound love to the holy Prophet (SAW) The delegation of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to the world, as the holy Quran asserts, was really a manifestation of Allah’s flowing mercy to the human being and the entire universe. The faithful believe that, first of all, Allah has made the reality of His most beloved prophet and thereafter began with the dispensation of other components of the universe. For Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) an overall love, respect and veneration for the holy Prophet (SAW) is the integral part of the faith because this profound love is a precondition for being a true Muslim. Therefore, every Muslim endears the holy Prophet (SAW) more than his parents, children and even his own self. As Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) was a sincere devotee to Allah and a true lover to the holy prophet (SAW), he wished that their obeisance and veneration should synchronize to their magnanimous positions. Therefore, a fatwa calling the Muslims not to celebrate Eid Miladun Nabi for being an illegal innovation has made Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) restless. From the very childhood to his last breath, he remained a sincere lover to the holy Prophet (SAW) and his family members. He participated enthusiastically in many functions organized for the celebration of Eid Miladun Nabi. Any misdemeanor affecting the magnanimous personality of the Prophet (SAW) was not bearable to him. In words of Fasahat Jung Jalil he believed in: O Jalil, during my questioning on the Day of Resurrection, only the love of the prophet (SAW) rescued me - nor worship, nor renunciation, or fear of Allah came to my help. Later, Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) wrote a separate treatise on the legality of the celebration of” Eid Miladun Nabi’ to make the above mentioned Fatwa ineffective. Salman Rushdie, a proscribed person Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) was among the first who declared the Indian-born Salman Rushdie a profane renegade deserving the death penalty. Islam considers blasphemy most heinous crime which makes the split of his blood legal. Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) delivered many historical lectures on the subject proving from many sources that Rushdie is really a renegade blasphemous and therefore, the Iranian supreme cleric ImamKhomeini is right in his Fatwa for his elimination. Effect of good blood lasts many generations Many people believe, who, on their parts, may be right, that some special traits found in one’s gene last for many generations. On the basis of this theory, many faithful believe that special qualities entrusted into the gene of a vali, Allah’s friend, are transmitted, partially or totally, to their next generations. In the material life of today, any talk about spiritual transmission may not be very convincing, but in many cases the presence of such spiritual transfusions was very discernable and lucid. In this background, one may stumble around many similarities between his pious predecessors and his later generations. Therefore, one may notice a number of unique synchronicities between Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) and the master of all mystics Abu Muhammad Meeran Mohiuddin Sheikh Abdul Quader Jilani (May Allah do mercy on him) from whom he had his direct lineage. The great mystic has set forth from Jeelan to Baghdad and was a student of “Madarsa Nizamia” while his descendant Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) received his education from Jamia Nizamia in Hyderabad. The city in which his great forefather received his education, there was River Tigris flowing in the middle of the city while River Musa flowed in the city of his descendent. Special crave for learning and intensive spiritual exercises enabled the great forefather of Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) to ascend to the high rank of Qutub, the Pole and to become the master of all Gnostics as he had proclaimed: I remained busy in learning until ascended to the rank of Qutub (Pole) It was a rare boon for me from the Lord of the universes. On the other hand, his descendent Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) learned knowledge until he became perfect and later became chief corrector or reviser in the erstwhile government press of Hyderabad. His great predecessor had spent forty years educating and preaching to the people of Baghdad while his descendent rendered the same service up to the same period to the people of Hyderabad and its adjoining areas. His great forefather has fought the holy war by his knowledge and pen against the deviated sects like Khwarijs, Shias and Mutazelas. His great descendent Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) followed the footprint of his predecessor by fighting against the Naturists, Rafzis, Wahabis, Qadyanis and Maulana Wahiduddin khan’s misinterpretations of holy Quran and sunnah of the holy Prophet. Generosity, sacrifice and munificence were the special traits bestowed by Allah to the pious forefathers of Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah’s (RH) .He not only followed their suits, but added a new chapter of generosity in the history. He donated his whole salary from the Jamia Nizamia to the poor and needy students. Divine color The great personalities that have direct or indirect influence on the life of Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) were the well-known mystics and Sufis of their time like Sheikh Akbar Muhiuddin Ibn Arabi, Hazrat Abul Qasim Abdul Karim bin Hawazin Qashiri and Maulana Jalauddin Rumi. Syed Sabahuddin Abdur Rehman has enumerated the following reasons behind this influence: Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi laid great emphasis on inner belief in reality of this life and the life hereafter while the former life should be illuminated by inner discerning and traditional knowledge, firm belief on existence of an Omniscient and Omnipotent Creator, belief on deputation of messengers from Him, patience, endurance and fortitude, passionate love to Allah, His Prophet and human being, wisdom, renunciation of the worldly pleasures and contentment etc. Besides presence of the above-mentioned qualities, he finds divine color in every facade, purpose, and continuity of life beyond this world which unfortunately has not found its due place in western ideology. On the other hand, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi lays great emphasis on all the above-mentioned qualities. Once the famous oriental poet Allama Iqbal had glorified Maulana Rumi in the flowing words: The great Rumi unraveled to me the mysteries of life. When a thousand intellectuals failed, one mystic succeeded in discovering the truth Conditions for divine rule Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH) had a soft corner and sympathetic feeling for the Islamic ummah. He was forward looking and believed that downfall of the Muslims is temporary and they will rise again as soon as they hold up the rope of Allah. With these feelings he was very optimistic about the bright future of the Muslims. He asked the Islamic ummah to follow the way shown by their pious forefathers and seek the solutions of their problems by special messages they had left for their guidance. He asked the ummah to uphold Hazrat Abul Hasan Al- Hajviri’s philosophy, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti’s message of truth, Hazrat Bakhtyar kaki’s love to Prophet, Hazrat Baba Farid Ganj Shakar’s ecstatic state of heart, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia’s rights of the people, Hazrat Sharfuddin Yahya Muniri’s discern to unseen realities, Hazrat Sheik Abdul Quadir Jilanis’ fear of God, mystic Hazrat Syed Ashraf Jehangir Simnani’s, absolute submission to Allah, Hazrat Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gesu Draz’s moral purity and Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Sani’s invitation and resolution. He emphasized that if the Muslim ummah followed the ways shown by the above mentioned great personalities of Islam, Allah will solve all their problems and will make them rulers of over the world as He has promised in holy Quran. Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah strived hard up to his last breath for the social and religious reformation of the Islamic ummah. Doubtlessly, he had virtually transformed himself in to Allama Iqbal’s “Bang-e- Dra”, and “Zarb-e- Kalim in raising his voices for the need of urgent reformations from every platform in Hyderabad and nearby areas. His thinking had a striking similarity with the thoughts of “Bal-e- Gabriel” and his message was also the same given by Allama Iqbal in “ pyam-e- Mashriq”. The language of character A few pages of the biography of a titanic personality like Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah (RH cannot encompass all aspects of his multifarious characters because every aspect of their lives speak their own language comprehensible even to the common man. They bequeath a rich treasure comprising of some written, told and untold stories for the guidance and benefit of their following generations. Their achievements cannot be fathom with their biographies alone, but there are some things else; untold stories are mirrors that reflect their high moral characters while told stories harbor a narrative risk of deliberate omissions or additions. Written by one of Jalalatul Ilm Rashid Padshah’s disciple |
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