Mother of Moulana Sayyid Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi

[ummtaalib]

An Upbringing of Piety

 

(Mother of Moulana Sayyid Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi [rahimahumallah])

 

The greatest accomplishment of Khairun Nisaa (rahimahallah) and the highlight of her life was perhaps the exemplary manner in which she raised and moulded her son, Moulana Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (rahimahullah).

 

Moulana was orphaned at the tender age of nine. It was thus his mother who single-handedly attended to his upbringing. Khairun Nisaa was extremely kind and compassionate towards her son, especially since he had lost his father.

 

However, there were two aspects regarding which she was unrelenting and extremely strict.

 

The first was Salaah

 

In this regard, she would not tolerate even the slightest negligence or laziness.

 

If her son ever fell asleep without performing his Esha Salaah, she would wake him up and make him perform it, even if he was in a very deep sleep.

 

Similarly, she would wake him up at the time of Fajr Salaah and send him to the masjid. Thereafter, when he would return after salaah, she would make him sit and recite the Quraan Majeed.

 

The second aspect regarding which she was very strict and firm was his behaviour with the servants and the poor.

 

If he ever ill-treated a servant or the servant’s child, or displayed arrogance and treated them rudely, she would force him to ask them for forgiveness and beg their pardon.

 

Moulana explained the great impact that this had on him throughout his life in the following words, “This (approach, which my mother adopted,) benefited me greatly in my life and instilled within me the intolerance for pride, arrogance and oppression. It also impressed upon me the seriousness of the sin of looking down at people and treating them badly. Furthermore, due to this, it was always easy for me to acknowledge my mistakes (throughout my life).”

 

When Moulana went to Lucknow to study, his mother continued to monitor his progress and check on him through his step-brother. She also continued to write letters to him, advising him and giving him guidance in various areas of his life.

 

Lessons

 

Although it outwardly seems as though she was only strict regarding two aspects, the reality is that she actually impressed to her son the importance of the entire Deen. The reason is that Deen is primarily divided into the duties of Allah Ta‘ala and the duties of the creation.

 

By being strict on salaah, she instilled the importance of the first category of duties in his heart, and by being strict on his behaviour with the servants and the poor, she instilled the importance of the second category in his heart.

 

Even after Moulana grew older and left home to pursue his Deeni studies, his mother remained concerned over his progress and continued to check on him and advise him. This is because the parents’ concern for their child is until they die.

 

Hence, parents must never stop making dua for their children, and so long as they are able to, they must continue to advise them and encourage them towards righteousness.

 

UswatulMuslimah