By Asim Ahmad

• The Spiritual Mentor

Early Life

The Shaikh ul- Hadith’s upbringing played a key role in his magnetism as a spiritual mentor, which led to the eventual worldwide spread of his order through his disciples.

His father, Maulana Yahya Kandhelawi, was diligent about his spiritual upbringing. During his son’s student years, Maulana Yahya segregated him from his peers, family and society and kept him under his watchful eye at all times. To embed a deep love for Allah and an aversion for the worldly life, Maulana Yahya applied an austere code of conduct. When these qualities matured and became ingrained in his nature by the age of fifteen, his father suddenly lifted all the restrictions and let him be. The shaikh ul-hadith was baffled, asking why. His father replied, “I am no longer worried; you have achieved a bond with Allah.”