The most significant even in Amin Ahsan’s life as a student of Farahi is the death of his beloved teacher. He passed away on November 11, 1930, in Mathura.
Dr. Sharafuddin Islahi has compiled many reports on this subject. Among them, several reports are contradictory, and the entire event has been described in a very ambiguous manner, which he has also acknowledged. Keeping these reports and notes presented by Maulana Islahi in mind, we express this event in our own words.
Islahi’s description of events leading to death of Farahi
Imam Farahi generally enjoyed good health. He regularly exercised, so he usually remained lively and cheerful in his daily life. However, he suffered from two recurring issues: headaches and kidney stone. The severity of his headaches often prevented him from working, and the kidney stones caused him discomfort by obstructing urine flow.
The kidney issue became apparent when he was in Hyderabad. Imam Farahi endured his suffering with great patience, bearing it as best as he could under the circumstances.
However, the pain he experienced in November 1930 was beyond endurance. He was admitted to a government hospital in Mathura. There, his trusted physician was Dr. Hafeezullah, who hailed from Imam Farahi’s locality and had personal ties with him. Dr. Hafeezullah was also a Hafiz (memorizer) of the Quranand was relatively younger than Imam Farahi. He greatly admired Imam’s scholarly eminence and noble character.
Prayers for Imam Farahi’s health and prediction of a winebibber
Imam Farahi was a renowned scholar in his area and also the president of the Madrasah Al-Islah. After his admission to the hospital, prayers were held in the Madrasah every afternoon. People would recite Ayat-e-Karimah and then offer prayers. Ordinary people also used to participate in this prayer. One particular deranged person named Mohsin would also join in this prayer. He also had a habit of drinking alcohol. Generally, people treated him with disdain and contempt, but Imam Farahi showed him great compassion. He considered him his friend, engaged in conversations with him, empathized with his deprivations, and tried to reform him. Once, he came to him and said, “Your death will occur in the land of the infidels.”
Because of his friendship with Imam Farahi, people informed him about the Imam’s illness. He, too, without hesitation, would join the prayer gatherings after washing up. However, a day before the news of Imam Farahi’s passing reached, he sat in the gathering and began throwing pebbles, saying, “Now there’s no use. He’s just roaming around in the pomegranate orchard.” The next day, news of the Imam’s demise arrived.
A Strange Dream
Regarding Imam Farahi’s demise, two dreams are attributed to him. The first dream is narrated by Dr. Sharafuddin Islahi. Here’s how he describes it in his own words: Maulvi Parwaaz Islahi narrates that his father, Maulvi Muhammad Shafiq, informed him that Maulana Farahi had recounted a dream to him some time before his death. He said that in the dream, he saw that Lord Krishna was presenting him with a necklace, and he accepted this necklace. At that time, Maulvi Shafiq did not pay much attention to this dream. However, a few days later, when Maulana Farahi went to Mathura for treatment and passed away there, Maulvi Shafiq described this dream to people.
It’s worth noting that according to Hindu tradition, Mathura is the birthplace of the deity Lord Krishna, and there are three major temples there. Lord Krishna is considered a divine incarnation of compassion, love, and forgiveness among Hindus. The interpretation of the dream suggests that Imam Farahi’s passing would occur in Mathura. However, what’s intriguing is that despite this dream, Imam Farahi did not hesitate seeking treatment in a hospital in Mathura.
A few days before his passing, Imam Farahi had another dream, which he shared with Dr. Hafeezullah. He recounted, “I saw that the Angel of Death had come. He greeted me with ‘AssalamuAlaikum’ and said, ‘I have come to take your soul.’ I replied, ‘I am ready.’ After that, he departed.” He described the appearance of the Angel of Death. Upon hearing this, Dr. Hafeezullah remarked, “It seems as if I am the one in the dream.”
This dream is also quite astonishing. Despite seeing it and Dr. Hafeezullah’s statement that he was the one seen in the form of the Angel of Death, Imam Farahi did not react. It was after this dream that he underwent an surgery one day, which unfortunately failed.
I had asked Maulana Islahi about this occasion, mentioning that Imam Farahi had seen the form of Dr. Hafeezullah as the Angel of Death, but he identified him as the Angel of Death. I couldn’t understand the rationale behind it. Maulana responded that this identification was made by Imam Farahi himself.
On that occasion, Maulana explained in response to our questions that when people claim to have seen the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in their dreams, it’s not always certain. Only the Companions, who had already seen him, and those who recognize him well, can be believed. That’s why the Prophet instructed his Companions that if they ever saw him in a dream, they should believe it, because Satan cannot take his form. Hence, we should be aware that those who have not seen or recognized him might be shown someone else’s form by Satan, as he cannot take the Prophet’s form. Therefore, we should not fall into Satan’s deception, and claims of seeing the Prophet in dreams after the era of the Companions are questionable.
Apart from these dreams, other people also saw some dreams (about Farahi).
Maulana Akhtar Ahsan Islahi, one of Imam Farahi’s other significant disciples, saw a dream in which he witnessed that Imam Farahi’s room was drenched in blood. He shared this dream with several people. The very next day after seeing this dream, news of Imam Farahi’s passing reached the Madrasah.
The arrival of Maulana Islahi in Mathura
In Maulana Islahi’s own words, he narrated the incident as follows: “When the operation took place, I received a message from Dr. Hafeezullah that I should come to Mathura. I went there. Maulana’s wife and his son, Ibad, accompanied me. Haji Rasheed (Imam Farahi’s brother) had already arrived. I had just placed my belongings when the Doctor came and said that Maulana Farahi was calling me. As I went, I saw that there was no particular expression on Maulana Farahi’s face that would cause concern. His eyes were naturally red. Upon seeing me, he smiled, got up, and sat down, but the doctor did not stop him from getting up, even though he was not supposed to get up in that condition. He sat me down and held me close to his chest for a long time, which was against his usual behavior. He rarely hugged anyone, and he had never behaved like this with me before. The most astonishing thing for me was that I had just landed when said to the doctor, ‘Amin has come, call him’ despite that nobody had informed him of my arrival. He usually referred to me as Amin Mian. At that time, I had a certain feeling, but I brushed it off. But later, I pondered over it. I kept it in my mind and didn’t tell anyone that he had taken Amin in the sense that the heir of his thoughts had arrived.”
The Doctor said, “I felt that he wanted to talk to you, so I gave you a signal, but he didn’t say anything.” The Doctor pointed towards me, and I left. The very next day, he passed away. It was surprising because there were no apparent signs to suggest that Maulana was just a guest for a day.” (Reference: Zikr-e-Farahi, p. 456-457)
When Maulana Aslahi reached Mathura, at that time the impression was that the operation was successful and Maulana’s condition seemed good outwardly. Maulana Abul al-Layth narrates that when the news of Imam Farahi’s death reached him the next day, he went to his room. The bed was soaked with blood. It was clear that the stiches of the operation had broken, and there was a lot of bleeding, which proved fatal. Maulana Islahi could not bear this sight. Perhaps he was angry. He said that if he did not have faith in fate, he would have shot Dr. Hafizullah. His clear thought was that there something had gone wrong with the operation.
Doctor Hafizullah’s statement confirms Maulana Islahi’s concerns. He says that he was going to perform surgery to remove a kidney stone, but along with that, he also performed surgery on the intestine. Thus, two surgeries were performed simultaneously, and the situation got complicated. On the second day of the operation, the stiches broke for some reason, and Maulana passed away.
Maulana Islahi stated that people insisted on burying Imam Farahi in his village. However, Imam Farahi had repeatedly stated that a person should be buried wherever he passed away. Eventually, a unanimous decision was made, and he was buried in Mathura.