A lot has been written about Mufti Azam e Hind and a lot will be written, in fact; it will continue to be written.
Rather, I say, without any doubt, that whatever has been written or whatever will be written – all of it will not do justice to his sublime status.
All praise to Allah, I have been blessed to be in his company continuously for 11 years, even in his prime (meaning from the ages of 35 to 40): in particular, as a dweller and also as a traveler.
Mufti Azam e Hind’s life is split into 5 parts –
- Childhood,
- Studying and graduation,
- During the life of Ala Hazrat,
- After the passing of Ala Hazrat until becoming the Sajjadah Nasheen
- And finally from becoming Sajjadah Nasheen to the end of his life.
(Narrated by Mufti Shareef ul Haq, Book: Jahan e Mufti e Azam)
Mufti and Faqih
To become a Mufti nowadays is seen as very easy. It is famously known that any layman can issue a fatwa simply by referring to Fatawa Razaviyyah and Bahar e Shari’at. However, only the people who have given service in a Dar ul Ifta understand the difficulty of being a Mufti and Faqih.
(Narrated by Mufti Shareef ul Haq, Book: Jahan e Mufti e Azam)
Once Mufti Azam e Hind presented his Fatwa to some scholars to check and verify. Every scholar verified the Fatwa and stamped it ‘The correct answer’ or verbally verified it. Nevertheless, when the Fatwa reached Muhaddith-e-Kichochwi, Allama Sayyid Muhammad Ashrafi Jilani, he became extremely pleased and joyfully verified it with “The ruling in this Fatwa is by a scholar who is followed: therefore, it is necessary for us to follow”.
Why? I (Mufti Mujeeb Ashraf) say that whenever Mufti Azam Hind used to write a Fatwa, the same method as Ala Hazrat was adopted. Not only would he mention the rule, he would in fact include the reference and proof to satisfy the questioner.
(Narrated by Mufti Mujeeb Asharaf Razvi (who spent the years 1953-1957 while writing fatawa for Darul Uloom Mazhar e Islam in the service of Mufti e Azam Hind), Book: Jahan e Mufti e Azam)
Priority of Obligatory over Voluntary Actions
In a certain area within a city, an individual invited Mufti Azam e Hind to his residence. When Mufti Azam e Hind went to sleep, the host stayed awake. Hazrat never woke up to recite Tahajjud. After the Fajr Azaan, as per my habit, I presented myself in the court of Mufti e Azam and awoke his eminence. He performed salah with congregation and after having breakfast, we left the place. Thereafter, we came to hear that the host began to say that people claim he (Mufti Azam e Hind) is an esteemed personality, but I did not see anything unique in him: he did not even pray Tahajjud. Consequently, an illness overcame him and his entire property, belongings and wealth all burnt down. Thousands of monetary notes which were in the house were reduced to ashes! Only the clothes on his body remained! With this loss, he became severely depressed. The Ulama warned him and told him that you have disrespected a true Wali of Allah and [so face the consequences of your error]. [Realising his error, the host sincerely repented].
After a few years, Mufti Azam e Hind visited the very same area again and the very same host requested Hazrat to bless his [new] house a visit. The host also pledged allegiance at the hands of Hazrat.
Those who spend most of their time performing Nawaafil, Tahajjud, Ishraaq etc and those who engage themselves with Waza’if (litanies), they deceive themselves to think that they are from the saints of Allah. Further, people who look at these types of individuals also deem them as from the saints of Allah. However, those who are firm on the Fara’idh, Waajibaat and Sunan, such as Mufti Azam e Hind, continue to remember Allah; they do not think of themselves as Friends of Allah and neither are the public mislead by their appearance and actions.
Nevertheless, I am not lowering the value of actions such as Tahajjud, Ishraaq and other methods of remembrance to reach Allah. I am simply mentioning the best way to reach Allah. This is better understood from the following – I ask everyone, the method that Mufti e Azam used – i.e. being firm on the Fardh, Waajiib, Sunan and even the Mustahabaat, in fact staying away from Haram, even staying away from Makruh, in every way possible – his whole life was dedicated to spending time in helping the public, remembering Allah, writing fatawa, correcting or advising Muftis and ordering good/forbidding evil.
Is the aforementioned better, or is it better not to be punctual in the obligatory actions, being careless or heedless in abstaining from Haram/Makruh and instead spending your time in voluntary actions? The decision is left to you.
(Narrated by Mufti Shareef ul Haq, Book: Jahan e Mufti e Azam)
