Memoirs No. 7
(1966-69)
Now in the beginning of 1964 academic year we were blessed
to have seven new teachers. My father Abdul-Ghaffar Hassan (d. March 07), as a
teacher of Isnad and Usul-al-Hadith, Hafiz Muhammad Gundalwi for Hadith in
particular, Sulaiman Al-Ashqar, for Fiqh, Muhammad Al-Lubadi for Arabic
grammar, Muhammad Ibrahim Shaqra for Fiqh as well, and Mahmud Al-Tahhan for
Usul-al-Hadith as well. As for my father, an exhaustive biography is available
on my blog.
Hafiz Muhammad
Gundalwi
I am sorry to say that I could not benefit from him a lot
because he had to leave our class – after a few lessons – to teach the batch
one year ahead of us. His short biography is as follows. He was born in
Ghondlawala, an outskirt of the famous Punjab town, Gujranwala (the then
British India) in 1897. He studied locally then proceeded to Amritsar first and
later to Delhi. Among his teachers were farmers Muhaddithin like Sheikh Abdul
Jabbar Ghaznawi and Sheikh Ahmadullah in the mosque of Sheikh Nazir Hussain of Delhi.
After completing his studies at the age of 22, he came back to his home town
where he started his teaching career at Madrasa Muhammadiya. Later he was
honoured to be invited to teach at the prestigious educational site,
Darul-Hadith Rahmaniya at Delhi (where my father received his higher studies in
Hadith), then at Jami’a Darussalam, Omar Abad in Hyderabad, Deccan. After
returning back to his home town once again, especially after the one year when
he was invited to teach at Madinah. Though his story in the city of the Prophet
(SAW) was very short, he left a great impact on both, the teachers and students
in the university. Throughout his life, he taught the famous Hadith collection
of Imam Bukhari fifty times from the beginning to the end.
He was gifted with a very sharp memory. According to Isham
Ilahi Zaheer, his son-in-law, he never committed himself to read daily papers
or other magazines lest he committed to his memory some useless material or
unnecessary information of knowledge. It was also reported that throughout his
life he never missed Takbira-tul-Ihram of the daily five prayers in circles.
This is why his written inheritance of knowledge does not exceed ten books and
seven unpublished works. At the age of ninety years (according to the lunar
calendar) he passed away on 14th Ramadan 1405 A.H. (04/06/1985).
Sheikh Muhammad
Sulaiman al-Ashgar
I have received some lessons of Fiqh, mainly from
Bidayat-tul-Mujtahid of Ibn Rushd from him in the third year. He had also given
tafsir lessons from Fath-ul-Qadir of Imam Al-Shaukami. In my fourth year, both
of these lessons are awarded to Sheikh Muhammad Amin Al-Shanqiti. His short
biography is as follows. Born in the middle of 1930, Nablus in Palestine. After
receiving his early education locally he moved to Saudi Arabia College of
Riyadh in 1956 and was among the first batch to graduate. He started his
teaching career as a lecturer in the same seat of knowledge. In 1964, he was
invited by Sheikh Ibn baz to teach at the Islamic University. His tenure did not
last long. He had to leave the university two years later to Kuwait where he
worked at different teaching posts including his research work for the
ambitious Kuwaiti project of preparing the Fiqh Encyclopaedia.
In 1990, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, he had to
move back to Jordan, a natural shelter for the Palestinians. He leaves behind
him a wealth of contribution both in the field of Tafsir and Fiqh. He died on
16th November 2009.
Sheikh Noor-ud-Din
Muhammad Itr
He was among the youngest teachers at Madinah. Now, at the
time of writing these lines, I realise that he was older than me by just five
years. Being a graduate of Hadith, he was awarded the subject of Usul-Al-Hadith
which was later taken by my father. He belonged to a prestigious family of
scholars in Halab, Syria. After he received his doctorate from Al-Azhar in
1964, he straight away came to Madinah to join the teaching staff at the
university. His stay in Madinag was confined to two years as well. Being
brought up and trained in hanafi Fiqh, the students could notice his warm
support for Hanafi opinions both in Usul Hadith and Fiqh.
Apart from them I benefitted from some more people of
knowledge either through their lectures from time to time by attending their
circles in the mosque of the Prophet (SAW). Among them comes on top, Sheikh
Hammad Al-Ansari, a great scholar of Hadith, followed by Muhammad Mukhtar
Al-Shanqiti, who used to have his Fiqh circle in the mosque, Sheikh Abu Bakr
Al-Jaza’iri, the author of ‘Aqeeda-tul-M’umin and a regular speaker at the
mosque. Qari Abdul Fattah, the famous Qari from Bukahara who like many other
Turkistani migrants have settled in hijaz after the repressive Bolshevik
revolution in Russia in the beginning of the 20th century, Yousuf
Nada of Egypt who used to be our neighbour and had developed a good friendship
with my father.
King Faisal’s
Visit tp the Jami’a
King Sa’ud bin Abdul Aziz had to abdicate in March 1964 and
was succeeded by his brother Faisal. After enthroning as a King, he paid a
visit to Madinah, the city of the Prophet (SAW). During his short stay in
Madinah he paid a visit to the university as well. It was a simple but adorable
ceremony in the only hall existing in the campus at that time: a hall with its
ceiling not higher than any adjacent class room. The presences of some sofa
sets were the only luxuries at that time. There were welcome speeches, one by a
representative from among the students and one by Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz,
the vice president. I remember the Sheikh suggesting to him to accept the title
of Amir-al-Mo’minin as used to be the traditions among the early Muslim
Caliphate. King Faisal was wise enough to say that he would rather remain to be
a servant of the believers, not their master.
I remember the famous Arabic Nashid (anthem) by which the
streets of Madinah had been resounding:
“Ya Faisalna, ya Faisalna, Allah yuhayee Faisalna, ya
Faisalna ya Faisalna.”
