I thought it was important to add this section dedicated to your contributions of the memory of Aqa Moula Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin al-Hayy al-Muqaddas. Moula’s RA zikr is more important than any other baseless claims that any Mudda‘i might try to purport. However, Bismillah is attached to praying A‘ūzo Billah Min al-Shaytan al-Rajim (after asking Khuda Taala for protection against the Shaytan, we then take his name and start our duties). Therefore, along with analyzing the illogical claims of the Mudda‘i we should certainly also dedicate our time to the zikr and remembrance of Aqa Moula Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin al-Hayy al-Muqaddas. The Mudda‘i and his fitnat will soon diminish and be forgotten, however, Moula’s RA zikr is eternal and everlasting. Please submit your essays, thoughts, and memories of Aqa Moula al-Hayy al-Muqaddas Syedna wa Moulana Mohammed Burhanuddin RA. 

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The Green Cadillac

Moula, the news of your death is a nightmare come true

I’m sitting and staring, not knowing what to do
The last poem I wrote was in your divine praise

Now I write in remembrance – emotions I don’t know how to phrase

Your happiness in all was my only motivation

In your forgiveness, my only hope for salvation

With every step, I took your mubarak name

Through which many hurdles I overcame

I cannot stop the tears streaming from my eyes

Just want to be  in your presence again – no other thoughts arise

Your voice, your deedar, were our sources of peace

I cannot believe that those blessings will now cease

You taught us matam, with your bayan you made our eyes pour

You showed us that Hussain’s (AS)  zikr is the only way to heaven’s door

The place you gave Ashura’s Sajdah became karabala’s ground

In which the chant of Ya Hussain became the only sound

Even in death, you show us Karabala’s events

for we get a glimpse of what Hussain’s ‘akhri salaam’ meant

Alas even in your death, you bless us with an amazing gift

Muffadal Moula (tus), for a leader like  him we could’ve never wished

When we wish to see Moula Mohammed (RA), or to hear his voice

We just look to you, Moula (tus), and for this blessing we rejoice

Muffadal Moula (TUS) you are Moula Mohammed’s (RA) greatest deed

In this troubling time, we find sabr by following your lead

May Allah (TA) grant you a long life til judgment day

In moula mohammed’s (RA) remembrance, whose debt we will never be able to repay

And may we devote our life to you, our king so dear

And we ask for you to always keep us near

Ameen.

Min ahkar e amae Sayedna Muffadal TUS

Insiya

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My Maula, My Maula!

My Maula, my Maula!

Mohammed, Mohammed!

My Maula, my Maula!

My whole world

My whole being

My whole intent

My whole existence.

My Maula, my Maula!

Mohammed, Mohammed!

My Maula, my Maula!

My every breath

My every thought

My every dream

My every dua.

My Maula, my Maula!

Mohammed, Mohammed!

My Maula, my Maula!

Each tear I shed

Each smile I smiled

Each sigh I heaved

Each beat that my heart pelt.

My Maula, my Maula!

Mohammed, Mohammed!

My Maula, my Maula!

Each word I wrote

Each deed I undertook

Each wish my heart desired

Each height to which I aspired.

My Maula, my Maula!

Mohammed, Mohammed!

My Maula, my Maula!

Each morning that I awoke

Each sunrise that I embraced

Each sunset that I bade farewell

Each night that I slept

My Maula, my Maula!

Mohammed, Mohammed!

My Maula, my Maula!

My birth and my babyhood

My childhood and my adolescence

My youth and my adulthood

Insha’allah my old age and death.

My Maula, my Maula!

Mohammed, Mohammed!

My Maula, my Maula!

My all

My everything

My beginning

My end.

My Maula, my Maula!

Mohammed, Mohammed!

My Maula, my Maula!

Beloved father

Loving mother

Eternal guide

Benevolent savior.

My Maula, my Maula!

Mufaddal, Mufaddal!

My Maula, my Maula!

Amate Syedna Aali Qader Mufaddal Saifuddin Saheb TUS

Duriya Shk Aziz

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Maula Burhanuddin !!

Where such a father can we find,

The lives of a million mumineen, he has defined.

Maula’s shafaqat, his nazar, his ehsaan, not one of us will ever forget,

His daur leaves not a duat, with a single regret.

As children, for his deedar we went to any end,

Today in front of his Qabar in sajda we bend.

Maula taught me to do matam, “do gham” and feel the pain,

He left us an eternal gift, it is known as “Fulkul hussain”

For his ‘Ek nazar’ at times we waited the entire night,

A mere glimpse of his chehra filled us with contentment and delight !

We travelled across the world to listen to his bayaan,

Mumineen !! We are the fortunate ones, to have seen his ‘True Imami Shaan.’

He left us another maula, without a doubt an equal to Maula Burhanuddin,

His son, his vaaris, his “Only Jaanisheen” !!

Be it ‘deen’, be it ‘duniya’ the answer has always come from him,

Then those who deny Mufaddal Maula, seem to be out on a whim.

Today, with us on this planet he may not be,

But everytime I close my eyes, all I see is Maula Burhanuddin !

Abde Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS

-Taha.

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The Seeds of Love 

I think our own experiences and understanding of what we observe often serves as a fundamental component to our beliefs. However, at the same time, there are certain truths in this world that exist in plain site; they just cannot be denied. Such is my experiences with the family of Syedna wa Moulana Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS. As a young boy, around the age of thirteen, I was in Ashara in Mombassa in 1414 H. I had just joined Jamea and it was my first year. Although I had attended Asharas before, I was just beginning to understand what the spiritual journey of this amazing event entailed. As most of us know, traditionally Ashara Mubaraka consists of morning waez, and in the older days Maghrib Ishaa namaaz in the evenings with Aqa Moula Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA followed by raat ni majlis. The raat ni majlis would finish, as it does now, with mumineen performing matam which was often done in circles. When I was young and the crowds were significantly less, talabato would often gather in the same circles and do matam. In Mombassa Ashara, three sahibo would lead talabato in matam. I did not know them personally at the time, but later came to know that they were Shz. Jafarus Sadiq Bhaisaheb, Shz. Taha Bhaisaheb, and Shz. Husain Bhaisaheb, the children of Moulana Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS. They would not only lead us in matam, but seeing that we were young, they would often pull me and my friends in the center of the circle. They welcomed us, offered us a sense of identity, and most of all, did not separate themselves from us or create barriers which implied they were different or too elite for us to be there.

Rather, when Imtihan would take place each year, I would see these same sahibo passing through the Devdi Mubarak, continuously greeting people and smiling. They were Burhanuddin Moula’s RA grandchildren, yet always so approachable and encouraging. I never once felt unwelcome by them nor did they ever make me feel that I couldn’t do salaam or exchange words with them. I grew to understand the teachings of Moulana Mohammed Burhanuddin TUS about humility and kindness through them. Furthermore, each year I would continue to hear their performance in Shefehei Imtihan. Aqa Moula RA would ask them to recite certain nahw ni ibaarats and pray different shahadats. All the Qasre Aali were amazing, but these three sahibo were incomparable. And therefore, leading through example and living and studying in Jamea, they showed other talabato how to aspire. By coming to the same classes, playing the same sports, and constantly showing kindness to everyone, I found an ideal to strive for – a goal to achieve. In order to do the best in my studies I could emulate their example. By never setting themselves apart from talabato, they enticed us to work harder to be like them, to do the khidmat of Moulana Mohammed Burhanuddin TUS. For instance, Shz. Husain Bhaisaheb completed the hifz of the Quran as per Moula’s RA khushi, and then talabato strove to accomplish the same goal. These sahibo became paragons of excellence. I often say in nostalgia, ‘those were the golden days….’

I now look back and realize all the barakaat my family and I  received because of Jamea and also these three sahibo. For instance, in 1417 H. al-Masjid ul-Aazam in Surat was newly built and Aqa Moula al-Hayy al-Muqaddas  did Ashara Mubaraka there the following year in 1418 H. As my habit had become, I continued to do matam with these three sahibo in the raat ni majlis. However, that year something amazing happened. Every night, as we did matam with them, Moulana Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS would come to our circle in the last ten to twelve minutes of the majlis. I still visually remember; this circle was located at the left center side of the masjid (facing qibla), near the bairao’s gallery. I can still remember – Moulana Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS would do matam with us – adna ghulamo – regular talabato. He would do nazr on each of us individually while we did matam. He would  stand with us for the entire time he was there. He personally oversaw our tarbiyyat for the ‘aml which Aqa Moula Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA often said: ‘your call of Ya Hussein is the most precious voice to my ears.’  At that time, I don’t even think I understood what an azeem sharaf this was, one which we got every night of Ashara that year. I look back today and do shukr and simultaneously realize that I received this sharaf because of these three sahibo and their continuous kindness, encouragement, and leadership. They let me and all talabato feel that they were a part of something – and that something was the saya mubaraka of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA.

Recently, there is a lot of talk going around from disgruntled and angry defectors of Dawat about hate being preached and taught to those who became close to Moula Burhanuddin RA through Moulana Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS and his family. I can only personally say that in my experience this is simply not true and it is irresponsible and juvenile on their part. The only hate I see is in their words and eyes.  My experience is that I was only implanted with seeds of love during my time in Jamea and experience with Moulana Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS – and that was love for Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA. I cannot solely give this credit only to Mufaddal Moula’s TUS family – in fact, the message of all of Burhanuddin Moula’s RA Shehzadas and grandchildren was united  – the khidmat of Moula al-Hayy al-Muqaddas. However, I can say that these three sahibo, continued to inspire me and to raise the standards of my goals to achieve. They taught me to do my best in what Aqa Moula Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA wanted. My love for Burhanuddin Moula RA and Mufaddal Moula TUS is pure and strong as is each Mumin’s when they look inside their own heart. Such a love is brewed from honest truth and pure ikhlaas and not from hate and envy. I truly feel sorry for those who try and define our devotion as sprouting from seeds of hate. That could never be the case – because it simply wouldn’t work. Burhanuddin Moula’s RA followers never used hate as their motivating factor, everyone knows this. It was always love, devotion, and true example – something that these three sahibo embedded in me so long ago. Khuda Taala ye sagla ne afzalul jazaa apjo, ane aa Mufaddal Saifuddin Moula TUS ne Qiyamat na Din Lag Baqi Rakhjo!

The Words of A Forever Talib Ilm of Jamea

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Standing Next to My Moula’s Qabr

Last night I was blessed. A young bhaisaheb gestured towards me as I stood in Raudat Tahera to assist with ushering the throngs of mumineen who had spent hours queuing just so that they could do ziyarat. I walked towards the qabr mubarak and stood next to the qadam mubarak of Moulana Mohammed Burhanuddin. I stood there, one hand on the qabr and with the other, ushering one by one the mumineen who passed.

Where was I? What providence had smiled upon me that I had ended up here? On what hallowed ground was I standing? Beneath the tombstone and the mound of earth, lay my Moula and the Moula of hundreds and thousands. This was that sanctified spot which my Maula had chosen for his final resting place. Herein lay that Moula who sought salvation and freedom for those imprisoned in the mortal coils of their being; the Moula who released us from our earthly existence to roam liberally in the ether above. This was where the sun, for whoseshaan a billion stars shone, had set for the last time.

As all these thoughts swirled in my head, the ground seem to sway beneath me and my legs felt as if they would give way any moment. How could I – an insignificant, unworthy, undeserving mortal – remain in such a sacred place? I steadied myself by the one thing which had been my rock in my life – I clung to the qabr mubarak firmly, as I braced myself against the torrent of emotions that swept over me.

Although one would imagine that having standing for more than a few seconds near the qabr mubarak was an immense privilege, it was no easy task. Who was I to usher these devoted mumineen, their faces awash with tears, who had travelled from far and wide to pay their final respects? It was my duty, but the words “Chalo bhai….” just remained stuck in my throat. I did not have the heart to say it, for who was I to bar these orphaned children in embracing their departed father?

As each one came, I would place my hand on their shoulders, silently urging them on. As I did, their broken sobs of anguish surfaced like tremors as my palm made contact and the shakes struck me to my very core. I could feel the deep deep despair that ebbed from every fibre of their souls and my heart just sank. Their cries were wordless, but they spoke volumes of the immutable love and mohabbat for their Aqa.

As the minute hand struck 1am, the line of mumineen never seemed to get shorter. Young and old alike from all wakes of life, were united in the loss of their Moula. They ceased to be anything that distinguished one from another – so profound was their gham. I could see the telltale signs of a weary journey on their soiled sleeves and sunken eyes. I could pick out those who had spent their entire savings just so that they could do ziyarat of their Moula. They would say, “Saab, hamne rehwa do……hame ghana door si aaya che”, and I would have to turn away, lest they saw the tears fall from my eyes. I saw in them that same yearning, that same determination against unconquerable odds that set apart that ‘ajooza’ bairo, who sacrificed everything just so she could the ziyarat of Imam Hussain. Was it surprising that centuries later, that journey would be emulated by the ghulaamo of Imam Hussain’s true aashiq?

As the men passed by, every few moments a child, sometimes aged nine or ten but sometimes a much younger one would appear, one who could barely reach the qabr, yet his eyes would be glistening with tears. As they reached out with their tiny hands to take a petal or two from the top, they would fall short by a few inches. Instinctively, I would take some flowers and hand them over to them, wanting to kiss the foreheads of these children who were born from the very duas of Moula. They had been nourished and nurtured by the love of their Moula and his nazaraat. They had come tonight, knowing that this Bawasaheb, had not forsaken them, but continued to provide them sustenance. For that reason, every petal was more precious than manna from heaven.

The longer I stood there, I began to see the same faces appearing again. It reminded me of when every time Moula would pass, his mumineen, especially the younger ones would keep returning for deedar, their thirst for a nazar insatiable and unquenchable. That thirst remained and those few moments with their foreheads on Moula’s qabr, at his feet, would never be enough. They would keep on coming till their last breath.

They came in their droves, unfettered and unhampered by whatever lay in their paths. For what? Just a brief moment at their Moula’s side. My chest heaved as I was dutifully forced to urge them on, for behind them many more were waiting. But I realised that herein lay a Moula with whom just a single moment would sustain them for their entire lives and beyond. What he wanted to give, transcended the confines of time and space and there was nothing to stop him from transforming the destiny of each mumin that came.

If ever anyone doubted what Moulana Mohammed Burhanuddin meant to his flock of mumineen, I have just one suggestion; stand near this qabr, in the saya of Raudat Tahera for just a moment. And you will see.

Abde Syedna TUS

Adnan Sh Shabbir Abidali