A TREASURE OF MEMORIES

CHOTA MOHTA FARZANDO DORTA HUA, GHAR NI TARAF GAYA

Mamluke Syedna TUS 10th ma hato, boards ni exam nazdik hati, study karto to. Mummy ye avi ne khabar kidhi, Burhanuddin Maula ni tabyet nasaj che. Mamluke Syedna TUS na ankho si ansu noto rokata. Baju ma, mohalla ma school che; bahar gayo, otla par dekhu chota mohta farzando dorta dorta hua, rota rota, ghar ni taraf dorta ta. Ek ek farzand na ankho ma ansu tha. Dardnak ghari thi. Te baad farman thaya, sagla mumineen Syedna Qutbuddin al-Shaheed RA na mazaar par jame thai. Dardnaak manzar hatu, matam no khoraam machi gayo to.

Mamluke Syedna TUS ni family tej wakht, by road, Mumbai waste nikli gaya. Rasta ma Baroda pass si dekhiye to speed si mumineen ni gario jai, faqat mumineen-j. Chand ghano lal thai gayo to. Mamluke Syedna TUS ne Rozat Tahera ma jaga mili gay. Saifee Mahal si janaza nikla, Rozat Tahera Saifee Masjid tak pohcha. Dophare, Zohar Asar ni namaz thai, te baad janaza ni namaz thai. Mamluke Syedna TUS ye pan barakat lidhi, shamil thayo. Maula TUS Raudat Tahera ma pur dard andaz ma sadaqallah parhi, te baad aap Maula TUS didaar na sharaf si nawaza. Raudat Tahera na bahar nikla to dekhye che su ekdam teyz si hava chali che, barish thayo; asmaan zameen roi che Maula RA na gham ma.

THOSE WORDS WILL ALWAYS REMAIN ETCHED IN MY MIND

My family and I went to Burhani Masjid (Shareqa) as we were going to be shown the waaz mubarak of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS from Udaipur. I was just 11 years old back then. We were listening to the video recording of the waaz mubarak, and just midway into the waaz, our then Aamil Saheb, Qusai Bhaisaheb, asked for the video to be stopped and spoke to us on the mic. The words he said will always be etched in my mind, he said

“Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Aqa, Malae Aala taraf qasd kidu che”

There was a surge of pain and sadness among the Mumineen. There were sounds of sobs and calls of pain within just a few seconds. Some people refused to believe and some didn’t know how to get sabr. At that very moment, I didn’t what to feel, but the tears were pouring down my face non-stop.

I was sitting with my friend in the masjid and we both just hugged each other in a hope that we would feel better. Right after that I went to my mother, and we both just hugged each other and she tried to calm me down and asked me to pray for Maula RA.

We didn’t know what to do, we all stayed in the masjid. There were people trying to book tickets to Mumbai, there were people praying marsiya mubarak and doing dua for our beloved Maula RA.

It might’ve been 6 years, but even now, the pain and the void remain in our hearts. But the only thing that keeps us all going is that seeing Burhanuddin Aqa’s RA Mansoos and our beloved Moula, Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin Aqa TUS gives us sukoon and sabr.

I WAS JUST STANDING THERE WITH MY MOUTH OPEN

When Maula RA had passed away, I was 15 and was in school. When the news of what happened reached me I was actually at my cricket training session. Because of that I didn’t get the news until after the session, a few hours later.

I heard the news from my mum, she had called me quite a few times to tell me to come to the masjid, which I didn’t see. When I finally heard the news, my heart broke. I didn’t know how to respond, my friends got worried too because I was just standing there with my mouth open. I thought that this couldn’t be real, until I heard my mum crying on the phone. That’s when I left as soon as I could and went to the masjid.

On the way to the masjid and subsequently, I just couldn’t believe that Maula RA was no more. He was the only Maula I’ve known since I was born, and in my innocent mind I thought he would be there until after I’m gone. How could he suddenly be no more? I found myself crying softly on the train on the way to the masjid. At the masjid, the whole scene and the feeling of everyone there was something that I cannot describe. It’s a feeling that I’ve never felt before and I don’t think I will feel ever again. The masjid was packed with elders, adults, children alike. Everyone had understood what was going on and you could see the sadness in everyone’s faces.
The next few days were very quiet. My family and I would go to the masjid everyday, watch the majlis relays, and the whole period just was a period of reflection for us. For my parents too, Burhanuddin Maula RA was the only Maula they had seen. Everyone was distraught and just did not know how to react to things anymore. The only thing that would console us was seeing Mufaddal Maula TUS. Seeing him we recognized how he is the one who will bring us forward and be our light from now on.

IT FELT AS IF OUR WORLD HAD FALLEN APART.

It was the saddest day of our life. It was as if our lives had been broken into pieces.
It was the 16th of Rabi al-Awwal 1435 H, 17th January, 2014, Friday. It was like any other day. My mother had gone for Quran khatam at our masjid which was for the tulul umar of Burhanuddin Maula RA. As the 30th sipara was going on, she said, people from all over the world started calling and asking “if she had heard the news”. The other aunties also received calls. They confirmed the news and burst into tears. My mother called me up. In her broken voice she told us to do salawat tasbeeh and go to Raudat Tahera and told us that she was going to Saifi Mahal. It felt as if our world had fallen apart.

We got the news that we could go to Saifi Mahal and do deedar of Burhanuddin Maula RA for one last time. Mumineen were rushing to Saifi Mahal so that they could see Burhanuddin Moula RA. We stood in the line and finally got our chance. Finally that moment had arrived. As I stepped into that room, I saw Burhanuddin Maula RA and cried a lot. My body got cold and stiff. I could not believe what had taken place. I was also blessed to do Mufaddal Maula’s TUS didaar and left. That moment will never be forgotten.

SUDDENLY, EVERYTHING WENT VERY DARK

It was a usual Friday in which we had gathered at Burhani Masjid, Dubai for Zohr Asr namaaz and to hear the recording of Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin’s TUS waaz mubarak delivered on the day of Imam Hasan’s AS Shahadat in Udaipur, hence the entire masjid complex was packed with Mumineen. Everyone was waiting for the sadarat saheb to arrive following which the waaz would commence.

To my surprise after a while I noticed random Mumineen sitting at different parts of the majlis bursting out in tears and crying loudly. Most of the Mumineen were unaware of what was happening. One bhai had his head against the qibla wall and was just crying uncontrollably. It got us all worried ke su thayu hase. And then came the ground shaking moment when my best friend sitting beside me just checked his phone and there sat a message from his father saying ‘Burhanuddin Moula Wafaat thai gaya’ and even now, after so many years, that sentence literally gives me goosebumps, thinking about that moment.

I kept fighting this bitter thought that it isn’t true, this just cannot happen. All our lives we grew up under the shafaqat and abadi saya of Burhanuddin Aqa RA and his countless hasanats on the mumineen of Dubai. We were drenched with barakaats in every safar Burhanuddin Moula RA used to bestow on us.

My brain was not willing to accept a world without Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin Moula RA! Suddenly, everything went very dark and things around me started to blur out. The flashback of the last qadambosi I did in Surat came to my mind and Moula’s ruhaani face and how he smiled at me. I could feel an emptiness grow inside of me even when we all were leaving the masjid complex and no one would speak to each other as everyone was in such a shock! I remember I couldn’t sleep for countless nights and would wake up in the middle of the night remembering Burhanuddin Moula RA.

THE WORLD WAS SWEPT AWAY FROM UNDER MY FEET

I have been a maths teacher at MSB Chennai for the past 10 years. On that fateful day, I was teaching maths to my class, thoroughly engrossed and my students were busy working. Suddenly, our masool came to the class and just said “sagla dua hall ma aavo”. That was so unlike him. He always generally goes around observing and rarely disturbs class. When I went to the dua hall, I was stunned. It was an unimaginable atmosphere. Nobody could control themselves. Then somebody told me the news, I don’t even remember who, it’s so hazy. But it felt like the world was swept away from under my feet.

I took some time to come to my senses. In the hall, the little kids of grade 1 to 4 were hugging Maula’s RA photo on the screen and crying. The older children couldn’t stop the tears from running down. Boys, girls, men and women all aghast and tearful.

We were then asked to go to our main masjid, Saifee Masjid.I saw people crying and climbing the masjid stairs, some I’ve never seen before. This made me realise how Maula RA was everybody’s Maula… No he was not only everybody’s Maula, He was everybody’s everything. He was our world.

Then when we came home, it was time to decide whether to go to Mumbai or not. Ticket prices had soared and seats were getting booked very fast. Then it occurred to me that when a close family member has passed away in another city, we catch the first plane to be at their last rites. This is our Maula. I had to go. So my mother and I booked the next flight available. When we reached it was time for dafan. We just wanted to take one deedar of janaza mubaraka. There were so many hurdles but with tasbeeh of Burhanuddin Moula RA, we managed to see the janaza mubaraka going from masjid to Raudat Tahera and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be able to reach Mumbai and to experience a collective grief: to experience a feeling that the entire community had lost a part of them.

I IMMEDIATELY WENT INTO SHOCK AND STARTED CRYING

I was in Sao Paulo (Brazil). I had gone there for 4 weeks of official work. It was the third week of my assignment.

That day due to the time difference I was sleeping and I woke up with 10+ missed calls from my wife. Seeing so many missed calls from my wife in the morning was unusual. I called back immediately and she said Burhanuddin Moula RA wafaat thaya chhe. I immediately went into shock and started crying with my wife on the phone. I felt so unlucky that I am not in India, mein akhri deedar nai kari saku.

I quickly drafted an email to my manager that there is some family emergency and I need to go back to India immediately. My manager approved my request and asked a travel agent to book my flight. I abruptly left without completing my assignment.

The first flight I could find was in the evening. I started feeling I would not be able to make it on time. Janaza mubaraka nai dekhi saku, last deedar nai kari saku.

It was a 20+ hour flight to reach Mumbai. I lost almost 1.5 days since the news came to me. My flight was via Abu Dhabi. At Abu Dhabi airport I connected my phone to the WiFi and saw the picture/video of the janaza mubaraka.

I thought Mumbai land thai ne pehle mein Raudat jais ane ziyarat karis. I went to the airport washroom and started crying again. Gusal lidu wahaj and prepared myself to do ziyarat in Mumbai.

10 waaja na kareeb sipara ni majlis ma Mufaddal Moula TUS padhara ane apna pehla deedar kida mein ye. Yej shaan, yej andaaz, yej salaami.

TOO DIFFICULT TO ABSORB

It was Friday morning, we were getting ready for college. Suddenly, we heard the shocking news. The first thing that came to my mind was to run to markaz, where we prayed zohr asr and instantly left for Raudat Tahera and then Saifee Mahal. That one hour drive was the longest drive I’ve ever had.

Upon reaching Saifee Mahal we saw a huge crowd at the gate, but still we somehow managed to get in. It was the same place, same building, same entrance where we were used to come for years, just to get a glimpse of Maula RA, to do qadambosi; but today we were here to see our beloved Maula RA one last time.

Upon entering, we saw Maula RA for one last time. I cannot describe that moment in words. This was too difficult to absorb. Our minds couldn’t process it, we were numb, and tears were in my eyes.

THERE WERE NO EMOTIONS, NO EXPRESSIONS, JUST SHOCK

It was Friday, January 17th 2014. I was in school, studying in Std 6. There was a tradition in our school of FMB jaman; every Friday jaman used to happen with the niyat of tulul umar of Maula RA. That Friday, we’d eaten and were returning to class when a parent of one of our classmates met us; she was crying and said “Moula wafaat thai gaya”. Just as we heard her, we were shocked. There were no emotions, no expressions, just shock. The next thing we (me and some of my friends) said was “Tamein kai bhi na kaho Aunty”. We were all so clueless, we just didn’t want to believe that Moula RA had passed. Everyone around me was saying let’s go to Raudat Tahera, but me and my sister headed home in shock.

Later as we reached Saifee Mahal, everyone was stopped just near the chowk by the police. People were gathering in the thousands, awaiting Mufaddal Maula’s TUS arrival. When Maula TUS arrived tears just started rolling down, seeing Maula TUS cry as we did didaar.

After some time we went inside, there was just a feeling of numbness, an empty feeling, as if something attached to our soul had been ripped from us. When we entered the ground floor Bethak Room, Moula RA was laid to rest and Moula TUS was sitting right beside him. Nobody could believe that Moula RA had passed. I did didaar knowing that this was the last didaar. There were no tears at that moment. When I came out, then tears started rolling vigorously as if our world had shattered. Moments of that day are engraved in my mind, and this memory is still as fresh as if it all happened yesterday.

KOI DIN SOCHU NOTU KE AA MISAL BANSE.

Hame Jamea ma hata Darajah Salesa (3) ma ane fajare Mahad al-Zahra no period hato. Ewaan ma Quran kari rahya hata ane achanak Qasre Aali na sahebo sagla jawa laga ane Qasar na dehleez par sagla khara rahi ne roi rahya hata. Hamne em khabar pohchi ke shayad Burhanuddin Moula RA ni tabiyat nasaas che. Pachi thori der ma ekdam hal chal machi gai ane khabar awi ke Burhanuddin Moula RA wafaat paya che. Hame suni ne be-hosh thai gaya, yaqeen na thai ke aa su suni rahya che, koi koi ni waat par yaqeen na kare. Tamam talabato Fatemi Masjid ma jame thai ne Ya Sayyeda ane Fulkul Husain padhwa laga ane, Masool ul Aam ye mic ma khabar kidi ke aa misal Moula RA wafaat paya che, ane sagla Mumbai jai. Sagla talabato ek bisra ne galey lagi ne rowa laga ane kai samajh na pade. Room ma gaya, jem tem samaan lai ne direct station pohcha.

Mufaddal Moula TUS ne awa waqat ma bhi talabat ul ilm ni itni fikar ke aap ye Colombo ma farmayu ke talabato na utara ane jaman no intezam karjo. Hamne Hatimi Masjid ma utaro apwa ma ayo. Ratey jeware Mumbai pocha to direct Saifee Mahal gaya ane waha to su hangaam hato, Moula TUS nu bayan sunu, ansu rukey nahi. Burhanuddin Moula RA na deedar kari ne aqal hairaan hati. Moula TUS ne aazurda joi rahya che ane ek taraf sagla mumineen roi rahya che, jog dar jog awi rahya che. Ratey neend na awe ane fajare Marine Drive par gaya ane waha si janaza je waqat aya to su manzar hato. Hame sathey sathey chala, ye manzar ne dekho, pachi Bhindi Bazar pohcha ane rasta par janaza ni namaz padhi ane bridge par si janaza lai jawa ma aya ye manzar dekhi ne aankho purnam thai gai. Aaj bhi ye manzar yaad che, ane su shaan si Moula TUS ye taaziyat lidi ane je huzun hato aapno. Aa misal koi din sochu notu ke aa misal banse.

MUMBAI MA GHANO MOHTO AMAR BANO CHE

16th Rabi al-Awwal, 1435, a normal routine academic day in Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, Surat. My classmates and I were in our class studying Adab-e-Fatemi, the qasida mubaraka of Syedna Abdulqadir Najmuddin RA, which he wrote after the passing away of his naas Syedna Mohammed Badruddin RA:

لغياب بدر الدين عم الغيهم*و الم بالدين الناد الصيلم

None of us even had the slightest idea of what was going to happen on that fateful day. The hamnaam of Syedna Mohammed Badruddin RA, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA, was to depart for the heavenly abode.

Whatever happened after we got the naaye of our beloved Moula RA is a blur. Every one of us ran through the corridors of our classrooms towards al-Masjid al-Fatemi and Iwan al-Barakat. The whole of Jamea was there in that moment crying and praying without uttering a single word. There was an announcement made by a senior Ustaaz that “Mumbai ma ghano mohto amar bano che…”.

After this everyone rushed towards the railway station to catch the earliest train to Mumbai. The trains were packed with Mumineen, with grief and shock visible on each and every one’s faces. The train was a bit delayed, which prompted us to alight at Charni Road Station so that we could reach Saifi Mahal quickly. Today, whenever I pass Charni Road Station, memories of that fateful day come rushing back to my mind.

We reached Saifi Mahal and went towards the Daisy Lee Gate and waited and waited in the massive crowd to get a final glimpse of our beloved Moula RA. I managed to get a glimpse of Burhanuddin Maula RA and Mufaddal Maula TUS besides him. I will never forget that noorani manzar ever in my life.

Wherever I looked I saw Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA smiling upon me with his evergreen smile. I remember that night mentioning to one of my relatives looking at Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Aqa’s RA photo frame that we will never see this smile ever again.
It’s been almost 7 years since that fateful day but it seems like it was just yesterday.

QIBLA ROYA

It is difficult to recall the moment that Burhanuddin Maula RA wafaat thaya. The memory is too painful to relive, and I find that I have to push through a wall of pain to revisit that day. Thus, the time between Maula’s RA wafat and when I got to Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS’s hazrat is a blur, but there are some moments of clarity in between.

I was not fortunate enough to be amongst those who made it to Mumbai in time for Maula’s janaza mubaraka. Perhaps it is this painful memory that leads me to block out parts of that day.

Whilst waiting for an emergency Indian visa to fly to Mumbai the following morning, I spent that day of wafaat in the Masjid in London. After Zohar/Asr namaz, Mumineen were doing matam inside the masjid and someone noticed that the qibla, in which Burhanuddin Maula RA led namaaz countless times, was weeping!

All of us were overwhelmed by what we were witnessing, and it was announced in the mic. Hearing this, the grief that was already pulsing throughout the masjid increased tenfold. Mumineen went forwards to see the qibla and witnessed streams of water running down on all sides.

A friend who was with me at the time, later told me “I often find it difficult to believe the mojizas of crying walls from across the world, but I witnessed this myself. There was no other explanation for what I saw other than that the qibla was crying over Maula.”

I am witness that the masjid and mihrab wept over Burhanuddin Maula RA, just as we have heard Burhanuddin Aqa RA countless times relay how “Minbar & Mihrab” wept over Imam Husain AS. How could it not? He is Imam Husain’s Dai.

A LIFETIME'S UNCERTAINTY IN 15 MINUTES

It was supposed to be a regular Friday (in the Middle East, Friday is a weekend), where all of us would’ve been sleeping-in a little late. This day, Maula ^RA had gathered us, Dubai mumineen, in the most unusual way. It was the day that we were supposed to be attending a waaz of Mufaddal Maula’s ^TUS Udaipur Safar Mubarak, which was shown the previous night in the rest of the world.

I remember waiting below my building, early in the morning, for my friends to arrive so that we could go to the masjid to attend the waaz. What I thought was supposed to be a regular Friday, turned out to be the worst day of my life.

We reached Saifee Masjid, and the waaz began. An hour into the waaz, the recording was suddenly stopped. My friends and I; had no idea what was happening, just like all the Mumineen gathered around us. I experienced all the confusion that one could possibly experience in a lifetime, in a span of 15 minutes.

Everyone was clueless. Some said Maula ^RA was suddenly arriving at Burhani Masjid, some said Bawa Saheb ^TUS had landed at Dubai Airport and was coming to masjid for Deedar Sharaf. In the midst of this confusion, an announcement was made. Suddenly I blacked out and I couldn’t register anything for a few seconds. It was Kinana BS’s call from Burhani Masjid to inform the sadar at Saifee Masjid that “Burhanuddin Maula hamesha nu aaraam farmayu che”.

The manzar was the same that one experienced when earlier Burhanuddin Maula and presently Mufaddal Maula does the maqtal sajdaa on Yaume Aashura. Everyone was weeping. It was zawaal time now, and Zohar was prayed. It was time to recite Dua-ul-Dai-Al-Asr, the first time without Burhanuddin Aqa’s name mubarak. I remember vividly, the imam was not able to get it right for 13 tries. It was so difficult to register. The name that instantly came out was “Syedna wa Maulana Abul Qaid Johar Mohammed Burhanuddin”, and now it was not supposed to be that.

The mind knew it, but the heart wasn’t accepting it. We were done with namaaz, and given food packets to take home because Saifee Masjid was under renovation and the kitchen was shut.

Aamil Saab convinced everyone that this is the time Ibadat needs to be done the most. We came back to the masjid for Quran tilawat and matam majlis spending the entire evening and night remembering Maula ^RA.

I had never longed for anything as much as I longed for doing this ziyarat. The nine months between wafaat and Ashara were spent in desperation. My legs froze when I reached the Qubbah Mubarakah gate. The moment I placed my forehead on Burhanuddin Maula’s qabr mubarak, I experienced a relief from chaos, remembering who Burhanuddin Aqa had kept behind. The days following wafat, and my entire life has a void that cannot be filled with anything other than Mufaddal Maula ^TUS‘s deedar and tabassum.

Had it not been Burhanuddin Moula’s gathering of Dubai’s mumineen on that day, all of us would have been at home, with zero understanding of what had happened.

MARA QADAM NA NICHE SI ZAMEEN KHASI GAI

Mamluke Syedna Mumbai maj hato, college na third year ma hato. Te waqat, college si return ma jiwaare ghare pohoncho toh WhatsApp group ma messages aaya. Jewaare read kidu toh mara qadam na niche si zameen khasii gai… Je ye message kido tho, ehne phone kido ane directly emmaj adaa kidu ke “aa su likhe che bhai? Hosh ma toh che ne?” Zaraa bhi yaqeen notu thaatu, to hamara sabaq na BS ne call kido, Saifee Mahal par, to ye confirm kidu.

Dohad si thora time ma to sagla na calls aawa laaga, ke bhai aa news confirm che? Mamluk na dil par itno sadmo ke phone uthaawine jawab kai tarah aapu? Ye din me zindagi ma koi din bhuli nahey sakuu.

Fajere aa news aawi, te baad Raudat Tahera pohoncho ane waha si Saifee Mahal gayo. Waha aap Burhanuddin Maula na Janaza Mubaraka na; ane aapna Mansoos na; aankho bhari bhari ne deedar kidaa.

Haalat emm tho ke jiwaare ghar si bahar niklo, to sagla bayrao ghar ma si ghana zor zor si roi rehya tha. Koi eim kahe ke “Maula aap kaha chala gaya?” Koi eim kahe ke “Aap na baad hamaru kon?”

17mi taarikh jewaare Janaza Mubaraka niklaa, to khayal ma emmaj ke bachpan si je Maula na deedar karta tha, ye wafaat thai chuka. Su hawe aa Maula na deedar nahi thaai? Pachi aapna Mansoos Aali Qadar Maula ne aapna janaza naa aage dekhine emm dill ne samjhaayu ke aapna hu bahu aapna hamshaan yahaj tashreef raakhe che. Aa Hubahu Burhanuddin Aqa-j che…

UNCLE SACCHU BOLO, SU THAYU CHE?

I was studying in 9th standard in Burhani English medium school. It was a free period around 10.30am, and suddenly I saw my teacher talking to Salim Uncle from the window and they both seemed nervous. The teacher came into the classroom and told us to pack our bags. No one realised what was going on.

I knew that something was wrong, and while leaving the classroom we heard loud crying across the whole school. I ran to Salim Uncle and asked uncle “Uncle sacchu bolo, su thayu che?”. His reply broke my heart, and every hair on my body stood up as he said ” Burhanuddin Maula wafaat thai gaya!”.

I pushed him and said “kai bhi na bolo”, and ran downstairs. There was a lot of rush in the school and I just wanted to go home. I saw my uncle standing outside the school and I left my bicycle behind and went home.

Everyone was rushing towards Najmi Masjid. I wore my kuta saya and went to the masjid.
Crying and matam was going on in the masjid, it was so heartbreaking I could not stop my tears.
I was just hoping that Janab Saheb would announce that the news is false. After namaz Janab recited “Allahumma haza dai” and took Burhanuddin Aqa’s name, which filled our hearts with hope, but after asar namaz Janab stood and confirmed that the news was true.

I was very young I didn’t understand what to do. My mother and father didn’t know where I was, as they were not at home. I stayed in the masjid with my friends while everyone was rushing to Mumbai.

Within 15 to 20 minutes I saw my father at the door of the masjid, searching for me and I ran towards him. In the same clothes I was wearing I sat in the car my father hired and along with my mother and aunt we left for Mumbai. I will remember forever that the highway to Mumbai was full of Mumineen’s cars. We reached Mumbai at around 3.30 am on Saturday, 18th January.

THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE MASJID WAS LIKE ASHURA

When our beloved Maula ^RA left us I was in the 9th standard, studying in A.B.N School, Indore. It was our break time and all my classmates and I were enjoying our lunch and playing games like normal. When the break finished no teacher came to take our class so we continued as we thought that we had got a free period. Suddenly our class teacher came to our class, she was full of tears, we were all shocked because we had never seen any teacher crying like this ever before. She told us that our Head Moallim was calling us to the auditorium of our school. We made a queue and left our classroom. The atmosphere of our school had totally changed, none of us had any idea about what was going on but our hearts were beating very fast.

We were all asking each other why janab was calling us to the auditorium but no one had an answer. We saw our seniors crying, we asked them why, but they just told us that janab will tell you, you just pray for our Maula ^RA. Finally, we reached the auditorium, all our teachers and janab were crying, even the teachers from other faiths were crying. Then the Head Moallim addressed us. I remember all his words, he told us “Eh Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Aqa ^RAna pyara pyara farzando, Mai tamare kai zaban si kaho ke je Maula na naam mubarak si mein tamare roz khitaab karoo chu, ye Moula aaj wafaat thai gaya che”.

It was very hard for janab to address the school that time. All the children started crying, even the students in nursery class were crying. Janab told us “Arey farzando aa madarsa no ek ek patthar Maula ne yaad kari ne roi rahya che. Arey Karbala ma Imam Husain ^AS ni zareeh roi rahi che”. At this time, it was very hard for us to leave the school, but somehow our teachers helped us leave school. Then I went to the masjid. The atmosphere of the masjid was exactly like the day of Ashura. Everyone was remembering how Maula taught us to cry on Imam Husain ^AS.

Then I went to Mumbai and attended the Janaaza Mubaraka of Aqa Maula ^RA. I remembered the day I used to rush for the deedar of my Maula on miyana sharif and today I was attending his Janaza Mubaraka. Then I saw Mufaddal Maula ^TUS standing near the Janaza Mubaraka of Aqa Maula ^RA. The chehra mubarak of Mufaddal Maula ^TUS, looked exactly like Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin’s ^RA chehra mubarak. I feel that Maula to maara samne che.

O FATHER! O FATHER! WHERE ARE YOU? WHY DID YOU LEAVE US?

Whenever I think of the day Maula passed away, I can never refrain from tearing up.

It seemed like any other day. I was studying in Hadi Ashar (11th Standard) of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, Karachi. The night before we heard the magnificent waaz mubarak of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin ^TUS, which he delivered in Udaipur on Imam Hasan’s ^AS Shahadat miqaat.

I remember it as if it was yesterday. On 16th Rabi al-Awwal we were in Iwan al-Saify, listening to a seminar being relayed from Surat Jamea. Halfway through, the seminar abruptly stopped in Surat, and a senior Ustaad in Karachi entered the Iwan and shouted “Saifee Mahal si khabar awi che. Sagla Nazrul Maqam mani le”, without conveying what had happened. The tone and the atmosphere around the announcement made it evident that something terrible had happened. The Ustaad told us to go to all the classes and ask all students and teachers to come to the Iwan immediately. I didn’t know what had happened yet. I went to a few classes and in a worried tone conveyed the message, “Janab sagla hamna Iwan ma awe, Saifee Mahal si kai khabar awi che, sagla Nazrul Maqam mane”.

As I returned to the Iwan, cries of anguish started to erupt all around us. Students and teachers had started to howl in grief. Still oblivious to what had happened, me and my other classmates also started crying.

After a while I mustered the strength to ask one of the Ustaad what had happened. Seeing the reactions around me my heart knew it. And tragically with tears flowing from his eyes the Ustaad conveyed that Burhanddin Maula ^RA had passed away. It was as if my world had shattered. Lost at that moment was the hope to live. With difficulty, between my sobs I conveyed to my fellow classmates what had happened. All of them started crying heavily.

There are so many events that took place that day and the days following it, two of which I will never forget. As we were still in the Iwan, recitation of Ya Syedas al-Shodai started. When we reached this bait in which Syedna Taher Saifuddin ^RA expressed Maulatona Sakina’s ^AS lament on her separation from her father:

ابي ابي اين انت يا ابتا لما بنت نسيت هذي البنت خذني معا حيث كنت فلا اعش في التنائي
والهفتا يا حسينا يا سيد الشهداء

O father! O father! Where are you? Why did you leave us? Did you forget your daughter? Take me with you wherever you are. I cannot live being far from you.

I cannot describe the cries of anguish which filled the Iwan upon hearing this verse. So apt was this bait in conveying our emotions. Everyone was pleading to Allah and begging for their beloved Maula to come back.

The second event happened the following night on 17th Rabiul Awwal. There is a tradition amongst students of Jamea that before going to sleep, all students gather on their respective floors and recite from the Qasaid of Awliyah Kiraam ^AS. This is followed by recitation of 5 verses selected by Amirul Jamea Muqaddas to be recited by students of Jamea daily, followed by

وطول الهي عمر برهان دينك الذي حاز من غر الشؤون أفانينا.

That night was the first time we had gathered for Qaseeda after Maula’s ^RA wafat. This night, all of the students gathered on a single floor. At the end of the 5th bait, unimaginable grief struck every student. No longer could we recite the verse of وطول الهي عمر برهان دينك الذي حاز من غر الشؤون افانينا that we used to recite with such zeal.

I vividly remember that no one present would say a word. I don’t know how much time passed, with each and every student doing nothing but weeping uncontrollably. It was so hard to find solace in anything. We wept as hard as we could and for as long as we wanted. After what seemed like an eternity some of us gathered the strength to do Zikr of Maula whilst tears flowed from our eyes.

AA AANKH MA ROSHNI AAP NA DIDAAR KARWA NA LIYE MANGI HATI!

Mein 9 saal si ta’abudat na amal ma Banswara si Galiyakot Maula ^RA ni umar darazi ni niyat si chalta huwa sagla mumineen sathe jato hato. Tej din mane Indore si Banswara na liye jawu hatu, te si mein saloon gayo hato ane wahan mane ghar si phone ayo ke Maula ^RA ni kai khabar awi che tame jaldi ghare awo. Mein ghabrai gayo ane jaldi ghare gayo to dekhu ke sagla roi raya hata ane mara bairo ye mane kidu ke aam khabr awi che ke Maula ^RA wafat thaya che. Mane yakeen na thayu magar thorij der ma khadim aya ane masjid ma jame thawa ni nida kidi. Hame rota huwa masjid ma gaya ane wahan janab ye hamare khabar kidi ke Maula ^RA wafat thaya che. Mein, mara dikra ane bija mara ghar na hame sagla ye gaari karawi ane Mumbai na liye nikla. Aa Moula ^RA nu mojizo che ke hame Indore si Mumbai by road faqat 7 kalaak ma pohchi gya.

Me aje dekhi saku chu ye Burhanuddin Maula ^RA no mojizo che. Me ye jiware Maula ^RA na janaza dekha te waqat aap ne dil ma araz kidi ke Maula ^RA aa aankh ma roshni aap na didaar karwa na liye mangi hati, aap na janaza dekhwa na liye nahin. Te waqt Mufaddal Maula ^TUS aap khara thaya ane salami aapi, tej waqat mane aem yakeen thayu ke aaj Maula^TUS na sabab Burhanuddin Maula ^RA ni nazaraat hamara par baqi che.

Khuda aa Mufaddal Moula ^TUS ni umar shareef ne ta roze qiyamat daraz kare. Ameen.

THERE WAS A HUGE ROAR OF GRIEF

I was in fourth grade in MSB Educational Institute at that time. It was our Lisan al-Dawat period when suddenly Janab came and told us to gather in the dua hall. We all ran to the dua hall, we didn’t know something tragic like this had happened. All around us, the teachers were crying, our Masool was on call, teachers were calming students. I got scared about what had happened. Suddenly our Masool came on the podium and informed us of the tragic news. There was a huge roar of grief. Everybody was hugging one another and crying. Even our non-Dawoodi Bohra teachers were crying. The photo of Aqa Moula ^RA appeared on our projector screen, every student in the dua hall ran towards the screen and tried to hug it. There was a huge crowd around the screen. We were then told to leave school, find our parents and gather in our mohalla masjid as soon as possible.

HAME ROTA HUWA ANE DUA KARTA HUWA MASJID MA GAYA

Me ghar ma jaman banawi rahi thi, te waqat mara parosi ek mumin behn ye aawi ne aa khabar aapi ke Burhanuddin Maula ^RA wafaat thaya che. Mane yakeen na thayu ane rota huwa Maula ^RA na photo na nazdeek kahri rahi ne bas emaj dua karti thi ke aa khabar galat hoi. Ane thorij dair ma khadim phira ane masjid ma jawa nu elaan kido. Hame rota huwa ane dua karta huwa masjid ma gaya wahan janaab ye aa khabar sunawi ke Burhanuddin Maula ^RA wafaat thaya che.

Aje bhi aap na wafat par sabar nathi thato. Leykin Mufaddal Moula ^TUS ne dekhi ne itminaan mile che.

EH WAAT NO AFSOS MANE AAJ TAK CHE

Jivare Maula ^RA wafat thaya, tiware me Mangalore ma hato. Mane ghano sadmo lago, me Mumbai aawa waaste koshish kari pan kai ek reason si Maula ^RA na janaza ma shamil na thai sako. Eh waat no afsos mane aaj tak che. Te din si meye em niyyat kidi ke every month Maula ^RA ni ziyarat karwa hazir thais. Mein February 2020 tak continuously every month ane every urs of bewe Maula ^RA ma hazir thayo chu. Pachi aa pandemic na reason si Maula ^RA ni ziyarat naseeb nathi thai. Em dua karu chu ke Moula ^TUS aa bimaari ne jald si jald khatam kare ane me pacho every month Maula ^RA na hazrat ma avi ne ziyarat karu.

I FELT LIKE SOMETHING HEAVY HAD BEEN PLACED ON MY CHEST.

We were having a sports tournament in school and suddenly our Head Moallim came and stopped the tournament and gathered us all in our assembly hall and shared with us the news that our Bawa Shafiq passed away. My friends and I could not hold back our emotions and we were all crying. Our assembly hall was filled with sounds of crying and grieving voices, and then we did matam of Imam Husain ^AS with tears in our eyes.

I could not process the news as it was so shocking and so heartbreaking, not accepting what I was hearing. I felt like something heavy had been placed on my chest.

Not a day has gone by when I haven’t thought of Burhanuddin Maula ^RA, when his blessed name comes in Dua Dai-al-Asr, his face comes before my eyes and I remember all that he has done for us.

FOR A FEW BRIEF MOMENTS, OUR LIGHTS DIMMED AND FLICKERED

I had an early morning E-learning Quran Majeed Class with Mahad al-Zahra, Surat. For a few brief moments, our lights dimmed and flickered, (something that rarely happens in the UK) and myself and the Janab who was listening to my Hifz, felt an overwhelming feeling of uneasiness.

Shortly afterwards, I was informed of the tragedy that had come about. If the kamparo of Qayamat nu Din was ever to be described, it would be that day.

Am grateful that during that instant, I was engaged in the highest form of ibadat, tilawat al-Quran al-Majeed.

NOTHING BUT DARKNESS

The day I heard about our father, Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin’s ^RA demise I was preparing for my 12th Std. prelims. That morning since I woke up I felt a bit different and uneasy then I went and kissed Maula’s^RA photo. My amma came knocking at the door and she was crying uncontrollably. I couldn’t understand what had happened, then amma slowly gathered her courage and told me that Maula^RA was no more.

I was in shock, I couldn’t believe it. Maula^RA was my entire world and it felt as though everything was falling apart, like this bubble had burst and suddenly there was nothing but darkness.

I didn’t know what to do, I just sat in a corner and cried. Then I knew that I had to go to Raudat Tahera, so I went with my friend. We just reached Raudat Tahera in a state of trance. When I reached there it all suddenly became real. My only thought was that Mufaddal Moula ^TUS will come and only he can make it right. The doors of Raudat Tahera were closed and I could hear machines working inside, I didn’t want to believe what was happening inside and I cried till I had no tears left. I sat for a couple of hours in Raudat Tahera and news came that Mufaddal Moula ^TUS would land at 5 p.m. from Colombo. After hearing the news I went home and I don’t even know how the day passed.

In the night at about 9 p.m. my friend gave me a call to tell me that she had just finished muroor and I should come fast. My family and a few friends left for Saify Mahal, I somehow reached Daisy Lane gate and waited there for about 3 hours. My friend and I were one of the last people to be taken in for muroor.

When we reached the room, I saw Mufaddal Maula^TUS sitting on the ground with a few bhaisaabs and it looked as though Burhanuddin Maula^RA was just sleeping. I hoped with all my heart that this was just a bad nightmare and Burhanuddin Maula ^RA would come back to us.

I know that we can’t see Burhanuddin Maula ^RA anymore but he has never left us. No matter what or where Moula is he is always watching over us and there is not a day that goes by where Maula is not remembered.

I LEFT MY EXAMS

I still remember that day. I was giving my college exams. On that particular day my mother had visited the Amil Saheb’s office. Over there everyone was running around; here and there making phone calls. My mother; clueless of the situation, asked one miyasaheb in the office what had happened? With a heavy heart and tears in his eyes exclaimed, “Aqa Maula wafat thai gaya”.

My mother was shocked and became numb. She couldn’t figure out what to do next. She called me and narrated the news. I left my exam and immediately rushed home, and from there, my family members and I immediately rushed to the railway station, to reach Mumbai ASAP.

Due to the hujum of Mumineen at the station, we weren’t able to get a ticket, but managed to hire a cab with another Mumin bhai and immediately left for Mumbai.

On the way we were just hoping and praying for the Deedar of Aqa Maula. Finally when we reached Mumbai, we went directly to Raudat Tahera. Being in BGI, I got the azeem sharaf of ‘Qabar ni mitti nikalvu’ khidmat, in Raudat Tahera. During the khidmat the news broke that there is Last Deedar of Aqa Moula being done in Saifee Mahal. We went group by group to Saifee Mahal for the Deedar. With tears in our eyes and YA HUSSAIN on our lips we did the last Deedar of our Beloved Burhanuddin Maula (RA).

This day of my life will always remain in my memories and I will narrate it to my future generations to come.

Burhanuddin Maula RA Aap na jeva ek Maula TUS ne muki ne gaya che je, Maa ane Bava jem Mumineen no khayal rakhe che. Aa Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin Maula TUS ni umar shareef ne Khuda Taala ta roze qiyamaat daraz ane daraaz karjo. Ameen.

TEARS FLOWED AND OUR HANDS DID MATAM

On that day I was in Dubai and a recording of Mufaddal Moula’s TUS Udaipur waaz mubarak was shown in every mauze. So when the news came, every mumin on that day was in the masjid attending the relay.

During the middle of the recording a bhai came running towards the Amil Saheb and he said something in his ears and after that Aamil Saheb just started crying. Many were confused and later after 2 mins of matam Amil Saheb announced the wafaat of our Aqa Maula.

After hearing the news we were just shocked and didn’t know how to react. Tears flowed and our hands did matam. Everyone in the masjid started doing matam for about an hour after which zohr namaz was prayed and again during the dua of dail asr matam was done for another 15-20 minutes.

Only one thing was going on in everyone’s head that ‘je dai na haq ma hamnaj hame ye dua kidi hawei su hamei ye dai ne “khuda afzalul jaza aapei” aney “ridwanullahe alaihe”, ye dua karye?’

Khuda Taala apna Aqa, apna bawa Burhanuddin Moula ne afzalul jaza aapei ane aapna Mansoos Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin Aqa ni umr shareef ne khuda qayamat na din lag daraaz ane daraaz kare.
Ameen

HOSH URI GAYA

Mamlooke Syedna TUS ne barabar yaad che ke zohor no waqt hato ane Ahmedabad mazar ma darees na baad jaman jaari hatu aney ghulam ehma jaman jamarwani khidmat kari rahyo hato.

Ghulam kai kaam si mawaid ni office ma gayo ane waha je janab betha hata ye phone ma kai parhu ane zor si YA HUSAIN ni nida kidi ane Syedna Qutbuddin Shaheed RA na qubba ni taraf bhagwa laga. Ghulam ne kai samajh na pari ke su thai rahyu che ane janab na peeche bhagwa laago. Jiware qubba ma pohcha to joyu ke Syedi Mukasir Saheb na farzand Ibrahim BS qabar par khara rahi ne zor zor si roi rahya hata.

Ghulam ne haji bhi kai khabar nai ke su thai rahyu che, magar ek ajeeb be-chaini mehsoos thawa laagi ane zehen ma aayu ke kai na kai ehwo amar bano che ke je na sabab ek azeem sadmo poncha che. Janab bhi corner ma khara rahi ne roi rahya hata, ehne jai ne mei ye puchu ke mane batawo ke su thayu?? Tiware janab rota rota kahe che ke Burhanuddin Moula guzri gaya che.

Jiware ghulam ye aa sunu to hosh uri gaya ane kai samajh na pare. Em laage ke duniya sooni thai gai che ane me yateem thai gayo chu. Har taraf fakat sannato sannato hato ane maayoosi na sabab zehen kaam karwu bandh thai gayu hatu. Fakat dil ma ekkaj khayal aayo ke moula na nazdeek pohchi jaw!

NOBODY HAD THE COURAGE TO EXPRESS

I had just reached the office and a friend called me; he couldn’t say anything and just asked me to call my father. My father picked up and in a forlorn voice asked me to leave everything and reach Saifee Mahal. Nobody had the courage to express what had happened. How our worlds had shattered; tears started rolling uncontrollably. I called a friend who was nearby and requested him to pick me up, because I was in no condition to drive. I ran through the lane, my friend arrived to pick me up – he was already in tears. There were no words between us, we rode like it was the last day of our lives; it indeed was.

We ran into Saifee Mahal with nothing on our minds, overcome by emotions. By then we had started weeping loudly. A large crowd was already inside, nobody wanting to leave.

Maula Burhanuddin was the one I saw when I was born; He was the one I wanted to see when I shut my eyes.

Later that evening, I got the sharaf of deedar of Burhanuddin Maula RA for one final time.

I was fortunately right there when Maula Mufaddal TUS arrived. HE is the reason alone our hearts are consoled. Maula-ka maza Maula-ka baqi (مولاك مضى و مولاك بقي).

THERE WAS SADNESS IN THE ATMOSPHERE

Alhamdolillah, I was fortunate enough to witness Maula’s RA janaza mubarak. I have not experienced anything like that in my life. There was a sea of people, but there was so much sadness in the atmosphere. There was a time when we were just on the road with the crowd and there was a feeling that, though you are in the midst of such a huge crowd, your soul is with Maula. There was a connection that I feel every soul had with Maula during his hayati and even after he left this world.

EVERYONE WAS AVOIDING EYE CONTACT

“Husain na ghum siwa koi ghum na dikhawey”. I joined khidmat 5 years ago, and Bangalore was my first posting. It was my turn with raza for imamat namaz tawalli for my students. I had returned from a class and had gone for wudu. When I returned, our Masool came and informed us that Janab Amil saheb had just called and asked us to get all the students to their homes immediately and instruct them to do tasbeeh on their way home. The commute from the school to the last student’s home takes about an hour and namaz might get qaza for him. So Janab decided that we will conduct namaz for misaqwala students and then dispatch the students. So I stepped forward, and prayed zuhr asr, not knowing that I was reciting “Allahumma haza dai” with Burhanuddin Maula’s name for the last time.

When I completed the namaz and returned to our staff room none of the Janabs were able to meet me eye to eye. They were just leaving, avoiding eye contact with anyone. I caught up with the last one of them and physically turned him towards me and he was weeping. He just hugged me and wept. And that was it. That is how I knew that the Dai whose dua always was “khuda tamney khusho khurram rakhjo. ek husain na gum siwa koi ghum na dikhawjo”, had left us.

I remember the first feeling of utter despair. I had never experienced that feeling in my life till then. The second thought that came to me was how will I ever face my students. What will I tell them? And then it struck me. How am I going to tell this news to my family? Some teachers and I got into my car and we left for home. As soon as I reached home, it was evident that the crushing news had not reached as the faces of my family expressed pleasant surprise that I had returned home early. I couldn’t see their faces. I had to tell them that we have to leave immediately for Mumbai. But how? Not able to come up with anything I just screamed in an attempt to release enough agony from my heart to form words. My family got scared. They hugged me asking me what had happened. And then Mukasir saheb Syedi Shahzada Qaidjohar BS Ezzuddin’s message came through that “Aqa Maula ye hamesha no aaraam farmayo chhe”.

It seems odd to say this to say it now, but that message saved my life. It relieved me from the pain of conveying those words to my family. I showed them the message. We departed for the airport grabbing whatever we could.

The reality sunk in when we got the deedar sharaf of Maulana Burhanuddin RA. Till then it was all “feeling”. Not concrete. Now that I look back to that day, the painful words were never spoken, but the message travelled from heart to heart, and broke them all into a thousand pieces.

Why else would there be tears in a Mumin’s eyes? He was always khush and khurram. But when Husain jiwa Husain left us, tears flowed like rivers. And Burhanuddin Maula jiwa Burhanuddin Maula – Mufaddal Moula’s deedar and existence was the only solace.

LOOKING FOR ANY MEANS TO REACH MUMBAI

That day, we were on our way to the masjid for the Udaipur waaz relay, and Jumoa namaz. Outside the masjid there were Mumineen on their phones, crying. Initially, we didn’t really know about it so we thought that ‘koi guzri gayu hase’ and then we proceeded to go inside the masjid. To our surprise the waaz had not started. We were very confused and couldn’t even ask anyone about it as everyone was in deep sorrow.

I vividly remember Amil Saheb Kinana Bs entering the Masjid and sitting down heavy-hearted. He took the mic and weakly spoke into it. ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihe rajeoon’! And then it struck. We were devastated. Without a second thought we dashed out and headed to the airport. At the airport hundreds of mumineen were running here and there looking for any means to reach Mumbai, and they all did…

“KHUDA MOULA NI UMAR LAMBI KAREY…”

I was in the 3rd darajah (class) in Surat Jamea. At the time, I was sitting in the Iwan al-Barakat. It was our hifz period and I was reciting the Quran, when one of the senior ustaaz kiraam walked in, all sad and tears in his eyes, as if all the happiness from his life was taken away. He slowly walked towards the frames of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA and Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA, and started crying out loud. When we heard his sobbing voice, it brought us to tears, without knowing what had happened.

The first thing that came to my mind, was “khuda Moula ni umar lambi karey aney je umoor thayu hoi ye sehel thai”. And then Janab Sh Murtaza bhai Qari walked in, and told everyone to recite Dua-e-Kamil.

My father was present in Surat at that time, and he came to Iwan al-Barakat to call me, and that’s when he told me that Aqa Moula RA had left us. I was speechless! I thought I was in a dream and it would end soon. I told my father, what are you even saying? And he started crying too. I removed nazrul maqam and prayed for Moula to come back.

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A TREASURE OF MEMORIES

ابي ابي اين انت يا ابتا لما بنت نسيت هذي البنت خذني معا حيث كنت فلا اعش في التنائي والهفتا يا حسينا يا سيد الشهداء

وطول الهي عمر برهان دينك الذي حاز من غر الشؤون أفانينا.

ابي ابي اين انت يا ابتا لما بنت نسيت هذي البنت خذني معا حيث كنت فلا اعش في التنائي
والهفتا يا حسينا يا سيد الشهداء