Shehre-Ramazan-al-Moazzam, 9th month of the Islamic Calendar, a month beyond compare, a month so powerful, that it can influence, minds, entire societies and communities into acts inconceivable during other periods around the year. A month during which a single good deed is equivalent to an act of compulsion during other months and where a single act of compulsion is equivalent to seventy such deeds during other months. A month in which a chosen night is so spiritual that it is better than a thousand months. A month during which reading an ayat of the Quran is as good as reading the entire Quran. If one offers iftaar during this month he gets multiple sawaab even if it is just a Tamar or a sip of water and if he offers a full meal to a mumin, he will be given such a sherbet in heaven that he will never experience thirst thereafter.
A month that purifies the soul and softens the heart. A month whose nights are more luminous than the days. A month when sins are forgiven and when the Satan is chained. A month when the doors of heaven are open and the doors of hell closed. When the misaaq is given and the oath renewed. During the nights of this month thousands receive salvation and its culmination is on the last night of this month when crores and crores will get liberated from the fires of hell.
A month that ignites the spirit and energies the body or how else could a simple man besieged by so many problems, fast, visit the masjid 3 times a day, stay up during the nights and do ibaadat ? A month of Allah, so spiritual, that it brings the mumin closer to his Rab.
But for the Mumeneen in Mumbai, Ramazan means much, much more. It means deedar of Aqa Moula every morning in Fatemi Masjid. Reciting the doa of Imam Ali Zainul Abedin with Moula. Doing ziarat with Moula in Raudat Tahera. It means following Aqa Moula to every masjid for every namaaz. Giving vaajebaat to the final authority whose single glance and wave of the hand will lift the mere mortal to dizzying heights.
Lailat-ul-Qadr with Aqa Moula who is a part of Lailat-ul-Qadr Himself. It means listening to the shahadat of Amirul Mumeneen on the 19th of Ramazan and to the vasilas and doas of Aqa Moula on the Layali Fazela. It means doing maatam of Imam Hussain on every occasion. Qadambosi of Moula. Giving misaaq to Moula. Ibaadat with Moula on the eve of the thirtieth of Ramazan when Moula's vasila puts a continuous stream of tears on every face as He bids farewell to Shehrullah and prays the salaam on this month.
No wonder then that Shehzaada Qaidjohar Bhaisaheb said to Aqa Moula after the waaz on the 19th of Ramazan:
"Moula aa Mumbai naa mumeneen, ni ek dil ni vaat kahu chu, .... ke Moula aap Shehrullah maa, Mumbai maa tashreef nathi rakhtaa, to ghanu sunu lage chey. Aa sagla mumeneen intizaar maa hatha ke kivara aa hamara haqiqi hilal avey ane aap ne dekhi ne rozaa rakhe. Par Moula aap to Imam Hussain ni ziarat Misr maa kari ne poonam naa chandermaa bani ne barakaat aapva ne ayaa chho....."(Aqa Moula arrived in Mumbai on 16th of Ramazan).
No sooner did Aqa Moula arrive in Mumbai that the mumeneen put on their extra energy packs and got into the frenzied activity which is so common at this time of the year. The setup of the immense organisational task to manage the influx for vajebaat. There would be the gathering of mumeneen and mumenaat outside the gates of Fatemi masjid every morning at 4:30 am. When the gates open this lithe bunch would perform their daily morning steeplechase event with a couple of long and high jumps and a bit of sprinting. In a flash, all the massalla spaces in the masjid would be taken up for the morning farz with Aqa Moula. After the farz and the morning doa there would be a rush to occupy the space near the qibla for a close deedar of Moula but more so because Moula will look at each and every face in that crowd.
The troupe of school children would then hold up their banners and start reciting the qasidas. And Aqa Moula, as always would give shifa to the infants being held up in the first row, give a long healing glance at the children on the right, look up at the terrace opposite the Raudat Tahera and then while slowly ascending the steps on the red carpet a glance on the right, then left and then at the buildings opposite where scores of mumeneen and mumenaat would be waiting for this moment, Aqa Moula enters the Raudat. Then Aqa Moula performs ziarat, slowly, purposefully and gracefully. The mumin watches Moula kiss the kabar mubarak thrice and he knows Moula has done ziarat on his behalf too. Outside mumeneen wanting to make an araz are seated patiently for Moula to emerge from the Raudat Tahera. Then after Moula has given shifa to the water, He gives the final salaam to the mumeneen and is on His way out.
There mumeneen with medical problems will have chance of making araz to Moula. A doctor checks each patient's medical records and places the facts before Moula. A queue has already been formed at the Raudat Tahera office counter to collect the shifaa water and roses placed by Aqa Moula on the kabar mubarak. In the meanwhile at Saifee Mahal the crowds of Mumeneen have started to pour in for vaajebaat. Dressed in their best, this is probably the only gathering of people in the whole world who are so enthusiastic and happy, for it being their turn today to pay up their annual tax. They are also the only ones in the whole world who after paying this tax of Allah will do shukr and give mubarakbadi to each other for being able to do so.
The precious moments of this month are flying by and mumeneen are seen making the most of them. Its become a practice of mumeneen to carry pocket sized Qurans and start reading it as often as one can, be it in the bus or the shop or while waiting for namaaz. After Zohr/Asar namaaz at Saifee Mahal the next stop will be at maghrib wherever Aqa Moula's namaaz had been announced. As the days go by the heat is turned on but the mumin never says die, his adrenalin level is at its peak and he is in top form. The Layali Fazela are here already.
On the eve of the 19th, Aqa Moula narrates the shahadat of Amirul Mumeneen and there is purjosh mataam in Saifee masjid. Aqa Moula says:
" Ae parwardigaar tu hamara aasuo ne rehmat karje."
The next day Saifee masjid is packed and mumeneen are still filing in. If there is place to stand, surely you must be able to sit - is the firm code adopted by the volunteers. Everybody uncomplainingly makes place for a fellow mumin, knowing that once the ruhani kalemaat of Aqa Moula begin to flow, the minds of mumeneen will be taken on a beautiful tour of a metaphysical world beyond ours; such that the physical pain of our bodies will not be felt anymore.
Some excerpts from Moulana's waaz, during which there was purjosh maatam, are as follows :
On the seclusion of Imam-uz-zaman... Aqa Moula said ...
"Saglaa logo kahe ke Imam pardaa maa chhey. Mamluke Aale Mohammed kahu chhu ke hamaara hirdaa maa chhey."
On who is a Mumin.....
"Mumin kaun - ke Imammat, Aimmat Taahereen no ikraar kare - Duat Mutlaqeen no ikraar kare; Wa-illa Muslim kehvai Mumin nahi."
"Imam naa Dai no ikraar naa kare to ehnu Imaan zaae chhey."
On maatam....
"Hussain no maatam hameshaa taazaa chhey."
Relating the zikr of Moulana Ali breaking fast on just 3 pieces of roti and namak
"Shehrullah maa teen lukmaa par iftaar karta. Aa amal maa ghani hikmato chhey. Ek hikmat bataavu chhu ..... Aap ne ilm hatu ke aap naa Shehzaada teen din naa bhukaa ane pyaasa shaheed thaase."
On Lailat-ul-Qadr ....
"Aa raat ave to Aashurah ni raat yaad avij jaye." "Aa raat maa saail mange nahi - par - Khudaa aapse."
On Ramazan ...
"Aa kayaa mahina ke ehni layaali, din karta roshan chhey."
Aqa Moula praised mumeneen for coming in His hazrat at all times even in Shehrullah, from other parts of India and abroad. Mumeneen have come from UK, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore.
Then Moula said ....
"Imam nu ehsaan chhey ke Mumin ne kabool kari laye chhey."
And Moula added .....
"Ehnaa Lai jaanaar nu bhi ehsaan chhey."
"Ae parwardigaar .... mane yaari aapje - me aa nufus kaaflaa ne pohchaavi dao."
"Ao Ao mumeneen - Rasullullah na chehra mubarak ne dekhvaa hoi to aa kaaflaa maa shaamil thai jao."
Moula also repeated part of the bayaan of the Zikra majlis on 1st Shabaan for the iftetaah of Saifee Masjid.
And so the days and nights passed by and Shehrullah finally drew to a close. Mumeneen were replenished. Our sins were forgiven. It was the day of Id-ul-Fitr. In Badri Mahal masjid in the vasila Aqa Moula said "Eh Mumeneen tame hargis naa ummeed naa thaajo." As usual there was purjosh mataam. On the day of Id Moula said He would end the vasila on the mataam and shahaadat of Imam Hussain.
There was maqdam majlis and qadambosi. The Maghrib/Ishaa namaaz on Id-ul-Fitr was also at Badri Mahal after which Moula proceeded to the Marine Drive flyover. From there Aqa Moula and members of Qasre Aali alighted from their cars to see the new moon of the month. We were privilleged to be there too for this special moment. There clearly visible on the horizon was a thin crescent - the new moon for the month of Shawwal. Our eyes were absorbing the light from the new moon as well as from the haqiqi chaand amidst us. May Aqa Moula forgive my mistakes and accept this small khidmat.
The doa for Aqa Moula (TUS) is that may He live forever in excellent health till the day of Qayaamat. Ameen.