Ali Miyan signifies to that personality among Indian Muslims, who was a genius and talked and wrote in Arabic as nobody did in the subcontinent. Here I render the second chapter of the Arabic Reader “Al-qirautur-Rashida Volume First” written by the author of this textbook that reflects the childhood of Ali Miyan (Hazrat Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi Rahimahullah), who was undeniably the role model for a Muslim child:
لمَّا بَلَغْتُ السَّابِعَةَ مِنْ عُمُرِي
لَمَّا بَلَغْتُ السَّابِعَةَ مِنْ عُمُرِي أَمَرَنِي أَبِي بِالصَّلَاةِ ، وَكُنْتُ تَعَلَّمْتُ كَثِيراً مِنَ الْأَدْعِيَةِ وَحَفِظْتُ سُوَراً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ الْكَرِيمِ مِنْ أُمي ، وَكَانَتْ أُمِّي تَتَكَلَّمُ مَعِي كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ عِنْدَ الْمَنَامِ فَتَقُصُّ عَلَيَّ قِصَصَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ ، وَكُنْتُ أَسْمَعُ هُذِهِ الْقِصَصَ بِنَشَاطٍ وَرَغْبَةٍ .
وَبَدَأْتُ أَذْهَبُ مَعَ أَبِي إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ ، وَأَقَوْمُ فِي صَفْ الْأَطْفَالِ خَلْفَ صَفُ الرِّجَالِ ، وَلَمَّا بَلَغْتُ الْعَاشِرَةَ مِنْ عُمُرِي قَالَ لِي مَرَّةً : قَدْ أَكْمَلْتَ الآنَ مِنْ عُمُرِكَ تِسْعَ سِنِينَ ، وَالآنَ أَنْتَ ابْنُ عَشْرِ سِنِيْنَ فَإِذَا تَرَكْتَ صَلَاةٌ ضَرَبْتُكَ ، لأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ : مُرُوْا أَوْلَادَكُمْ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَهُمْ أَبْنَاءُ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ ، وَاضْرِبُوهُمْ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ أَبْنَاءُ عَشْرِ .
وَقَصَّ عَلَيَّ أَبِي قِصَصَ الأَطْفَالِ الَّذِينَ حَافَظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ في الصَّغَرِ ، وَكَانَ لَهُمْ شَأْنٌ فِي الْكِبَرِ .
قُلْتُ : يَا أَبِي! إِنَّكَ لَا تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى أَنْ تَضْرِيَنِي وَسَأُحَافِظُ عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ ، وَكَذَلِكَ فَعَلْتُ ، فَقَدْ كُنْتُ أُصَلِّيَّ أَيْنَمَا كُنْتُ ، كُنتُ إِذَا ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى السُّوْقِ أَوْ كُنْتُ فِي شُغْلٍ وَأَدْرَكَتْنِي الصَّلَاةُ فِي مَكَانٍ صَلَّيْتُ ، لأَنِّي أَرَى النَّاسَ لَا يَخْجَلُونَ مِنَ الأَكْلِ إِذَا جَاعُوا ، وَاللَّعِبِ إِذَا أَرَادُوا ، فَلَمَاذَا أَخْجَلُ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ؟ وَإِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ لَفَرِيضَةٌ ، وَإِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ لَشَرَفٌ لِلْمُسْلِمِ.
وَخَرَجْتُ مَرَّةً إِلَى مُبَارَاةٍ (١) وَكَانَ الرِّحَامُ شَدِيداً ، وَأَدْرَكَتْنِي (٢) صَلَاةُ الْعَصْرِ وَكُنْتُ عَلَى وُضُوْءٍ ، فَقُمْتُ أُصَلِّيْ وَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَنْظُرُوْنَ إِلَيَّ وَيَتَعَجَّبُونَ ، وَأَكْمَلْتُ صَلَاتِي بِسَكِينَةٍ وَاعْتِدَالٍ وَرَجَعْتُ إِلَى الْمُبَارَاةِ .
وَلَمَّا انْتَهَتِ الْمُبَارَاةُ جَاءَ إِلَيَّ رَجُلٌ وَسَأَلَنِي عَنِ اسْمِي وَاسْمِ وَالِدِي ، وَسَأَلَنِي عَنْ سِنِّي فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ ، فَأَثْنَى عَلَى أَبِي خَيْراً ، وَدَعَا لِي بِالبَرَكَةِ ، وَقَالَ : مَا رَأَيْتُ وَلَداً يُصَلِّي فِي الْمُبَارَاةِ وَيَتْرُكُ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ الصَّلَاةَ فِي هَذَا الْوَقْتِ ، فَحَمِدْتُ اللَّهَ وَشَكَرْتُ أَبِي .
وَلَا أَتَرُكُ الصَّلَاةَ إِذَا كُنْتُ مُسَافِراً وَأَرَى كَثِيْرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ يُصَلُّونَ فِي الحَضَرِ وَيَتْرُكُونَ الصَّلَاةَ فِي السَّفَرِي ، وَيُصَلُّونَ فِي الصِّحَّةِ وَلَا يُصَلُّونَ فِي الْمَرَضِ ، مَعَ أَنَّ الصَّلَاةَ لَا تَسْقُطُ عَنْ أَحَدٍ .
وَأَرَى كَثِيراً مِنَ النَّاسِ لَا يُصَلُّونْ بِاعْتِدَالٍ وَسَكِينَةٍ وَيُسْرِعُونْ كَثِيراً، وَلَا أَذْكُرُ أَنِّي تَرَكْتُ صَلَاةً فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَوَاتِ الْأَرْبَعِ، وَإِذَا نِمْتُ عَنْهَا (۱) أَوْ نَسِيْتُهَا صَلَيْتُهَا إِذَا تَذَكَّرْتُ.
وَإِنِّي أَسْأَلُ اللهَ تَعَالَى التَّوْفِيقَ وَالثَّبَاتَ (۲).
(When I reached the age of seven)
When I (Ali Miyan) reached the age of seven, my father ordered me to pray. I had learned many supplications and memorized chapters from the Holy Qur’an from my mother. My mother used to talk to me every night before I went to sleep, telling me stories of the prophets. I used to listen to these stories with enthusiasm and eagerness
And I began to go with my father to the mosque, and I would stand in the children’s row behind the men’s row. When I reached the age of ten, he said to me once: “You have now completed nine years of your life, and now you are ten years old. If you neglect a prayer, I will beat you, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Command your children to pray when they are seven years old, and beat them.’” Upon them, and they were ten years old.
And my father told me stories of children who maintained prayer in their youth, and had a great standing in their old age. I said, “Father, you do not need to harm me, and I will keep the prayers.” And so I did. I used to pray wherever I was. If I went to the market or was busy with something and the time for prayer came upon me in a place, I would pray, because I see that people are not ashamed to eat when they are hungry, or to play when they want, so why should I be ashamed to pray? And indeed, prayer is an obligation, and indeed, prayer is an honor for the Muslim.
And once I went out to a match and the weather was very hot, and the time for the afternoon prayer came upon me and I was in a state of ritual purity, so I stood up to pray and the people began to look at me and marvel, and I completed my prayer with tranquility and composure and returned to the match
When the match was over, a man came to me and asked me about my name and my father’s name, and he asked me about my age, so I told him. He praised my father well, and prayed for blessings for me, and said: I have never seen a boy pray during a match, and many people leave prayer at this time. So I praised God and thanked my father.
I (Ali Miyan) do not abandon prayer when I am traveling, and I see many people who pray when they are settled and abandon prayer when they are traveling, and they pray when they are healthy and do not pray when they are sick, even though prayer is not waived for anyone.
And I see many people who do not pray with moderation and tranquility, and they rush too much. I do not recall missing a prayer in these four years, and if I slept through it or forgot it, I prayed it when I remembered.
And I ask God Almighty for success and steadfastness.
Note: Ali Miyan was born in Takia Kalan, a panoramic village of Rae Bareli district in UP. A good video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCMujFVYfwE is available on line to have a glimpse of the village where one of the great Indian Muslim was born and preached as only some men do.
(Hamid Siddiqui Nadvi)
∑∑∑
NADVIYAT KYA HAI?
DAILY ROUTINE OF A MADRASA STUDENT
BULANDSHAHR AS A ZONE OF ISLAMIC HISTORY
Patta – Patta – The Leaf
Leave a Reply