As has already been stated, the tragedy of the death of Abu Saleh Islahi was the greatest calamity of Maulana Islahi’s life. However, the most significant aspect of this grief is the manner and patience with which Maulana bore it; this stands as an unparalleled example of his character. Through this, the deep relationship of the author of Tazkiyah-e-Nafs with his Lord becomes manifest, and the trust and reliance of the exegete of Tadabbur-e-Quran upon his Creator become evident—qualities that distinguish him among the scholars of truth, just as his commentary does. The self-accountability he undertook in light of this incident is a magnificent example of faith in the Hereafter. This unparalleled critic who regarded Sufism as a “parallel religion” demonstrated, in this context, a remarkable mode of intimate supplication with Allah.
It is a strange coincidence that despite years of association and hundreds of meetings with him, this incident never came up in discussion. Thus, over many years of close relationship, I remained unaware of this event that so profoundly affected his life. When I eventually learned about it, it had become quite difficult to speak to Maulana directly due to his weakness, illness, and hearing impairment. Consequently, when I once mentioned it specifically to his “special disciple,” the late Khalid Masood, he told me that Maulana had very high expectations from this son of his. After the accident, we—the students associated with the circle of Tadabbur-e-Quran—were anxious about how Maulana would endure such a great calamity. However, he said that we found Maulana at that time like a mountain of patience and steadfastness. He composed himself very quickly, became extremely quiet, and thereafter would also fall silent whenever Abu Saleh was mentioned. Very few people saw him with tearful eyes. Mr. Khalid Masood said that we realized he now avoided mentioning Abu Saleh in order to forget the tragedy. Hence, we too understood it as a silent message and refrained from mentioning the incident in his presence lest his wounds be reopened.
Here we quote some excerpts from two articles which reveal how Maulana endured the grief of his son, what Abu Saleh meant to him, and which aspects of his character and conduct were sources of gratitude and reassurance for him. These articles also bring to light many important events and circumstances of his life. Both articles were published consecutively in the June and July 1965 issues of Mithaq:
“On 20 May 1965, the tragic accident that befell a PIA aircraft near Cairo was, in general, a national tragedy for all of Pakistan. The entire nation was grieved by it, and I share equally in that grief with the nation. But for me, this incident became a double sorrow, because my young son Abu Saleh Islahi was also martyred in this accident. I am a weak human being made of flesh and blood. I am deeply affected even by ordinary incidents whose news appears daily in newspapers, so how could I protect my heart from the effects of an incident that burned my entire home to ashes? I confess that these days passed very heavily upon me; never before in my life had I experienced such hard days. Although upon hearing the news of the accident I immediately entrusted myself to my Lord, saying: ‘O Lord, if this is not the result of Your wrath, then I am content with Your decision. Grant me the ability of patience and acceptance,’ yet despite this, during this
period a constant battle raged between my intellect and my heart, and many times in the solitude of the night I felt that my emotions were overpowering my reason. But now I do not wish to stir those emotions and increase my own grief and that of my sympathizers. Rather, by way of recounting blessings, I wish to mention some matters that manifested from the Lord Most Generous, through which I received great help in lightening the burden of this sorrow.”
“The first thing is that on this journey, the late Abu Saleh had intended to perform ‘Umrah, and therefore he had made all the necessary preparations before leaving home. This intention was known to my brother-in- law, Chaudhry Fazlur Rahman Mahmood (may Allah preserve him), for several months, but before the journey he conveyed this good news to his mother, and through her, as it were, to me as well. In early May, I had gone to my land for matters related to agricultural management. There, one task after another arose, and it took more days than expected. Alarmed by my unusual delay, my wife and my younger daughter also came there. One day before the accident, my wife mentioned that Abu Saleh was going on a journey to the Middle East. I said, ‘What is new about that? He regularly travels to China, America, and England.’ She said, ‘No, the matter is that now he has made the intention of ‘Umrah.’ When he used to come to me, he would say: ‘Mother, you think I am indifferent to religion, but I have made the intention of ‘Umrah. I will return after performing ‘Umrah on this journey. During the day I do office work; at night I memorize the supplications of Hajj. I have read several travelogues of Hajj. If you have read any travelogue that describes the spirituality of Hajj, please tell me about it. Ask father as well.’ I said, ‘Yes, this indeed is new news.’ In this way, I was truly very pleased.”
It should be remembered that the mother with whom Abu Saleh is expressing such closeness was not his biological mother. His real mother had passed away during his childhood.
“Abu Saleh had achieved remarkable fame in journalism at such a young age, and his continuous successes in the struggle of life were, on the one hand, admirable, but on the other hand, from a particular angle, a cause of concern for me. My heart feared that perhaps the intoxication of these successes might make him heedless of the Hereafter. Therefore, I would constantly pray for him: ‘O Lord, You have given him worldly success; guide him also to the path of religion.’ Whenever he would come to visit us, his mother would invariably raise the issue of regularity in prayer. I too once or twice said to him: ‘Abu Saleh, you are a son to be proud of; if you become devout, I would also offer thanks to my Lord for having a son like you.’”
It should be noted that Abu Saleh was by no means negligent in fulfilling obligatory duties, but the level of consistency and readiness that Maulana expected from his son is the context of this admonition and reminder.
“There was indeed some heedlessness, but his temperament was very receptive to advice. He also possessed great zeal for religion. Now when I think of his death in exile (that is, away from his homeland), imagine the flames of fire in which his body and my heart were scorched, recall the martyrdom mentioned in the hadith for a believer who perishes in fire or by drowning, and then consider his intention of ‘Umrah, my chest fills with good hope that perhaps the Most Generous and Merciful Lord chose this short path to take that youthful soul into His Paradise. This hope reduces my grief so much that at times I feel as if no incident had occurred at all.”
The hadith to which Maulana refers in these lines is:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قال: … الشُّهَدَاء خَمْسَةُ الْمَطْعُونُ، وَالْمَبْطُونُ، وَالْغَرِيقُ، وَصَاحِبُ الْهَدْمِ، وَالشَّهِيدُ فِي سَبِيلِ الله.
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ‘…The martyrs are five: one who dies of plague, one who dies of an abdominal disease, one who dies by drowning, one who dies under debris, and one who is martyred in the path of Allah.’ (Muslim, No. 1914)
“How many people have performed the funeral prayer in absentia, and how many letters I have received. From their meetings, I have felt that their hearts are even more wounded by this incident than mine. Many have informed me that they and their families rise at night, weeping and praying for the deceased. Among them are common people as well as such scholars and righteous individuals whose knowledge and piety I greatly respect. When I observe this widespread impact, I find myself worthy of it neither, nor the late Abu Saleh. This appears to me to be entirely God-made. When the Most Generous and All-Managing Lord wishes to bestow His mercy upon one of His servants, He fashions his death in such a way that countless hands are raised in supplication for him, with tearful eyes and anguished hearts. How then can I imagine that the hands He Himself has raised for prayer will be returned empty? This thought fills my soul with joy and dispels all grief and sorrow.
“The third thing is that some of my elders and sympathizers, instead of writing condolences, wrote congratulations to me upon this incident. Those who offered congratulations hold distinguished positions in both knowledge and piety. I maintain a good opinion that they did not congratulate me merely to console me, but that in their view Abu Saleh’s death truly held the status of martyrdom. Martyrdom is a great rank. If Abu Saleh attained this rank, he attained something immense. Thousands of lives are sacrificed for a martyr’s death. I had never imagined that anyone from my humble family would be deemed worthy of such a rank. When I reflect upon this rank, which the Most Generous Lord granted purely out of His grace, my soul feels deeply ashamed before my Lord that why did I mourn Abu Saleh’s death? Why did I not perform a prostration of gratitude instead? May Allah reward all those friends and elders who drew my attention to this reality.
“Another matter that most helped in relieving my grief was the dream of a long-standing friend of mine. Although I do not give much importance to dreams, this was the dream of a person whose dreams I have personally experienced to come true. I once spent nearly ten months with him in Borstal Jail and Lahore Central Jail. During that period, he saw astonishing dreams related to forthcoming events, and all of them proved true. He saw a dream between the nights of 30 and 31 May, around four in the morning, which I narrate in his own words:
‘The late Abu Saleh Islahi appeared cheerful and lively, dressed in nightwear—a greyish bush-shirt and pajama. He said, “I experienced pain for only half an hour. Now I am completely fine.” He repeated this two or three times. I said, “Your father, Maulana Islahi Sahib, is deeply grieved by this incident.” He replied, “Yes, that is correct; he is deeply grieved. Why would he not be? Now all responsibilities have fallen upon his shoulders.” He also said, “Please convey my message, which I have just stated, to my family.” I said… and the feeling was that perhaps they would or would not accept what I convey as a dream. What message would I deliver? But he insisted two or three times, saying, “What concern is that of yours? Convey the message; whether they accept it or not is their choice.”’
The dream was quite long, and the full sequence of events is not entirely remembered, but those parts of the conversation that are written above remain engraved in my mind. In addition, it was also seen that three or four of his friends were moving around near him, dressed in white shirts and trousers, without beards or moustaches. One of them asked Abu Saleh: “Brother, it is time for prayer.” At that time, it was indeed the time for the Fajr prayer. “Now we need to perform ablution; tell us where.” Abu Saleh pointed to one side and said: “There is a washroom adjacent to the room with my dining table. You may perform ablution there.”
The interpretation of this dream is for the interpreters of dreams to explain, but a few things are absolutely clear to me, and they are the source of my reassurance and comfort.
First, the dreamer is a person with whom, although I have not been in contact for a long time, I have personal experience that his dreams come true. Therefore, any message from the late Abu Saleh conveyed through him has an aspect of reassurance for me.
Second, within two or three days after the accident, I had analyzed all the causes of grief and overcome most of them, but one question persistently troubled my soul: what was the Lord Most Generous’s dealing with Abu Saleh at the time of the accident and thereafter? At night, when this question would dominate my mind, sleep would elude me. I repeatedly wished that something should appear before me that might slightly ease this burden from my heart. Even if in a dream—but I myself rarely see dreams, and those I do see I do not remember. Now that this dream has come to my knowledge, the thought persists that it is an answer to that very question. And if it truly is the answer to my question, then it is indeed a most beautiful and blessed dream.
بریں مژده گر جاں فشانم رواست
This is a hemistich of Saadi Shirazi. The complete verse and its meaning are:
بریں مژده گر جاں فشانم رواست
کہ عاشق چنین شادماں کم رواست
“This glad tiding is so great that even if I were to sacrifice my life upon it, it would be little, for such joy is rarely granted to a lover.”
“In the dream, the color of Abu Saleh’s nightwear that stood out was later confirmed at home to be exactly the same as his actual sleeping suit. During that time, the room containing his dining table was indeed adjacent to his washroom. The dreamer had no prior knowledge or conception of these details.”
The person who saw this dream was the late Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, Mian Tufail Muhammad Sahib.
[To be continued…]