As a young boy growing up in Bombay, I was fortunate to be able to attend many majalis and bayans of Syedna Taher Saifuddin (AQ), usually at Saifee masjid. The starting of a majlis held a fascination for me, seeing Moulana ascend the takt and Syedi Mazoonsaheb always there to hold his hand. Then came the rasam of each Shahzada saheb seeking raza and sitting in their places. After that, each Shahzada saheb would stand up, do tasleem, come forward in front of Moulana, do tasleem again, then move to Moula's left side, and perform khidmat with the chamad. We have all been witnesses to this event numerous times.
My eyes would be riveted on one aspect of this entire scene, as it represented to me the essential link between our Moula and the saheb standing before him, and that aspect was the tasleem. Each tasleem seemed unique, clearly signaling the relationship between Dai and that saheb. To me, the tasleem is to show obedience and respect and servitude to our Moula, how we perform it is very telling.
We had an uncle, Roshanmama, who had a passion for filming events (on 16mm film). My father, who was in the movie business, hooked him up with a photographer named Sajju. It was Sajju who filmed the many movies that Roshanmama loved to take. Most of all, Roshanmama loved to have films shot of events surrounding Syedna Taher Saifuddin (AQ).
I remember seeing some of these movies at Roshanmama's home, scenes of processions in the Mohallas, scenes of majalis. But one scene, out of them all, forever burns bright in my mind, even though the passage of time has a way of blurring one's images.
The scene I remember, etched so well in my mind, yet so difficult to convey, is of then Mazoon-e-Dawat, Syedi Mohammed Burhanuddin Saheb (TUS) approaching (straight towards the camera). Oh, such grace in his footsteps. Slowly he comes to a point directly across from Moulana Taher Saifuddin (AQ), turns and faces him squarely. He gathers his dupatta just slightly. His head bows low to the ground, but not too low, just at a right distance. The right hand drops to the ground so that the tips of the outstretched palm touch the ground. The hand moves from the ground up to the forehead in a graceful smooth motion. Three times the motion is repeated. The shoulder remains fixed, unmoving, the movement is all from the joint of the elbow which is itself tucked in to the side. The palm is open, fingers are together, just slightly curved and flat upward.
No words of mine can convey the effortless flowing of those three tasleems, so exact is the period between each one and so smooth the total movement. This is the essence of the tasleem.
The camera catches the radiant, smiling face of Syedna Taher Saifuddin (AQ), resplendent, bursting with pride, a father's love, and a Dai's shafaqat. Then it is over; Mazoonsaheb raises himself upward and walks towards the right side.
I do not get chances to observe scenes such as the above anymore. But what my eyes have witnessed will surely remain embedded in my memory forever. In truth, I have never seen as perfect a tasleem as I remember from that one scene. As I have reflected more on this, I have realized that the perfect Tasleem of our beloved Aqamoula Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin saheb (TUS) to his father Syedna Taher Saifuddin saheb (AQ) represents that unique link of one Dai to another Dai. Thus, the words of our Moula, when he tells us, "Everything I have learned, it is from Syedna Taher Saifuddin" (AQ) mean so much more.
On this happy occasion of the 86th Milad Mubarak of Aqamoula (TUS), may Allah Subhanahu give our Moula a long, long life, and for us his children, the taufeeq to give our all for him. Ameen.