By Asim Ahmad

• Shaikh ul-Hadith and the Twentieth Century

The condition of Muslims changed dramatically in the twentieth century. The colonial powers had laid out an education system that was designed to peel away every layer of faith and leave the Muslims suspended between belief and disbelief. It was deeply painful for the elders and friends of Allah to witness this subtle transition first hand. Worse was that the Shaikh Ul-Hadith saw that Muslims were defenseless against the onslaught.

Eventually their outward and inward became so assimilated to Western norms that they lost touch with their identity, their history, and their own ideals. They lost any feeling for Islam and were inspired only by that which encouraged their assimilation. The changes that came thereafter were drastic and shocking. Muslims, in general, became indifferent to Islam and came to look upon its  teachings as backward. As liberal mindedness settled in, and increasing number of Muslims began deserting the Sunnah and adopting Western culture, and objections were raised against the wisdom behind the different laws and rulings in the Quran and Sunnah.
The disintegration of the Ummah put the Shaikh Ul-Hadith in consternation. He viewed it to be symptomatic of lack of love for Allah and His blessed Prophet. During this same time, he saw dreams in which he was visited by the blessed Prophet and told that Allah will take some work from him. Thought the Shaikh Ul-Hadith was passionate about his research on hadith and thought his health was failing him, he became inspired with establishing centers of dhikr around the world.

This was the first step he took to helping the Umma back on its feet. The second step was to establish a spiritual regimen for the month of Ramadan. Considering the immense virtue and the special mercy in this blessed month, he revived the Sunnah of collective I’tikaf and instituted a special plan of rigorous devotions to Allah. He assured that the Sunnah of collective i’tikaf would be conducive to rehabilitating faith in and connection with Allah. Every year, from 1965 to his last Ramadan in 1981 in South Africa, the  Shaikh Ul-Hadith revived the Sunnah of collective i’tikaf. He retreated for the whole of Ramadan and thousands of people turned out to be with the Shaikh Ul-Hadith wherever he spent his Ramadan. Shaikh Maulana Yusuf Ludhainwi writes of the i’takaf of the Shaikh Ul-Hadith:

During this blessed month, the pious are characterized by their devotion to worship, recitation of Quran, seclusion from the material world, and fervor for worship in every moment. The Shaikh Ul-Hadith contributed much to the attainment of these blessed characteristics by increasing the intensity of seclusion from the material world and the fervor for attaining the pleasure of Allah.

The first years of his collective i’tikaf were spent in Saharanpur, India. He also spent a few Ramadans in the two holy cities of Makka and Madina, one Ramadan in Faislabad, Pakistan and his final Ramadan in South Africa. He aimed to spend at least one Ramadan in different parts of the world; especially the western hemisphere and any other place Muslims communities were settled. Shortly before his final Ramadan in South Africa, he even expressed his desire to spend Ramadan in the United States.

He advised his closest students to carry on this legacy and entrusted them with implementing this program wherever they spent the blessed month of Ramadan. Many of his students continue this legacy in different parts of the world today.