Friday Sermon of
Hazrat Amirul Momeneen
Zafrullah Domun

01 AUGUST 2008

› Interesting faith inspiring events in the life of Hazrat Hakim Molvi Nuruddin (ra)

After reading the Tashahhud, the Ta'uz and the first chapter of the Holy Quran Hazrat Amirul Mo'menine Zafrullah Domun said:

Today I will speak about different aspects of the life of Hazrat Hakim Molvi Nuruddin (ra), the first caliph after Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as). The fact is that in the past eight or so sermons that I have pronounced I started speaking about him in the wake of the death of the Promised Messiah. Hence he was not properly introduced. I will try to fill that gap today incha Allah.

Hazrat Hakim Molvi Nuruddin (ra) was born at Bhera, in the district of Shahpur, Punjab , in 1841. His father's name was Hafiz Ghulam Rasul and his mother's name was Nur Bakht. She came from a village near Bhera. They had nine children, seven boys and two girls. Molvi Nuruddin was the youngest child. He came from a family where the Islamic tradition was well observed. It is said that at least ten of his close male ancestors knew the Holy Quran by heart. He learnt the Holy Quran at first from his mother.

Like all children in the Punjab, he spoke Punjabi. He first heard it spoken by a soldier and he fell in love with it. He developed an interest in the language and started reading of books written by the family of Shah Waliullah of Delhi , a great divine of the eighteenth century. He developed a love of books very early, and began to collect them. That is how, as I have already told you, he had such a great collection of books when he died.

Soon he would learn Persian and Arabic. In 1857, a bookseller from Calcutta came to Bhera and brought along some chapters of the Holy Quran translated in Urdu. When Molvi Nuruddin read them he fell in love with the Holy Quran and this love would last till his death.

By this time he visited Lahore a second time and started studying medicine from Hakim Alah Din of Gumti Bazar, but his stay in Lahore was cut short and the study was postponed. In 1858 he started studying for a diploma in education at the Normal School at Rawalpindi. After four years of study he was so successful that he obtained a job as the headmaster of a school in Pind Dadan Khan, a town a few miles from Bhera, across the river Jhelum. He held that office for four years. While he was at his job he continued taking his Arabic lessons from his brother Molvi Sultan Ahmad. In addition he began to experience some true dreams and his spiritual faculties were being awakened. He also made the acquaintance of a Christian who gave him two books to read. He read them but was not impressed by them.

He resigned his headmastership at the school in a very dramatic manner. He used to describe this incident as follows:

“On one occasion the Inspector of Schools arrived while I was at my meal. I invited him to join me. Instead of accepting my invitation, he retorted: 'I am afraid you have not recognized me. My name is Khud a Bakhsh and I am the Inspector of Schools.'

'Oh, indeed. That is well. You are a man of integrity. You do not partake of food offered by a teacher. How good that is!'

Having said this I continued with my meal, and he, while holding his pony, waited for me to tell some student to go and hold his pony. When he saw that I made no move, he asked me: 'Kindly tell a student to hold my pony.'

I answered: 'Sir, you are so punctilious that you do not partake of food offered by a teacher deeming it to be a bribe. Then how can I ask a student to hold your pony. They come to school to study and not to serve as stable boys. Besides, you might ask for it to be tethered and fed; but how could the pony be fed when you yourself are not willing to accept the hospitality of a teacher?'

The pony was getting impatient, but in the meantime the Inspector's staff arrived and began to look after everything. Presently he signified that he would proceed with the examination of the students; whereupon I put the students in order and myself withdrew and sat apart. The Inspector held the examination, and then said to me: 'I have heard that you are very capable, and hold a distinguished diploma from the Normal School. Perhaps that explains your imperious attitude.'

I replied: 'Sir, I do not regard a few square inches of paper as God.'

Then I sent for the diploma and tore it into pieces before his eyes, and demonstrated that I did not associate anything with God. The Inspector regretted the whole incident and blamed himself for having occasioned the loss of my diploma. But the truth is that the tearing up of the diploma became a turning point in my life and opened wide for me the gates of divine bounty.'" (Molvi Nuruddin by Sir Zafrullah Khan p6)

After this incident he was able to devote himself to the pursuit of knowledge with the blessings of his father. At the age of twenty seven together with a friend of his, they would go to Rampur in search of knowledge. He used to say that a sage once told him that 'Wherever you should take up your residence you should establish friendly relations with the Chief Constable of the town, a good physician, a saintly personage and a leading citizen.'(ibid p 7).

While he was at Rampur, Shah ‘Abdur Razzaq was a godly personage whom Molvi Nur-ud-Din (ra) visited frequently. On one occasion he let a somewhat lengthy interval pass between two visits. On his calling next time, he was asked: "Nur-ud-Din, what kept you away for so long?"

He replied: "Sir, I have been busy with my studies, and perhaps I have also been a trifle forgetful."

"Have you ever happened to pass a butcher's shop?"

"Oh, yes, indeed. On several occasions."

"Then, you may have noticed that while carving a carcass, when his knives are blunted by the fat of the animal, he rubs the knives together to remove the fat and sharpen them."

"Yes, Sir: but I fail to follow your meaning."

"Well, it is only this that absence makes both of us a little forgetful, and a meeting sharpens us both."(ibid page 10)

Molvi Nur-ud-Din often observed that he had derived great benefit from this admonition of Shah Abdur Razzaq. The company of the righteous stimulates spiritual alertness.

This is a very simple advice. We should all strive to get a maximum of benefits from it.

Eventually he would continue seeking knowledge. En route he would learn medicine from one of the masters of the time. He was already being known as a wise person and wherever he went he was quite well respected. His journeys would take him to Bombay and from there he boarded a ship and went to Jeddah. From Jeddah he travelled on camel back to Mecca. He later said that he had heard that a supplication made on first sighting the House of Allah was always granted; so when he beheld the Kaaba from a rise when approaching Mecca, he supplicated: "Lord I am ever in need of Thy succour. I beseech Thee, therefore, that whenever I supplicate Thee, of Thy mercy grant my supplication." He was not quite sure of any authority for the common belief in the acceptance of every supplication made on obtaining the first glimpse of the Kaaba, but his subsequent experience convinced him that his supplication made on that occasion had been granted. There he studied the books of hadith Muslim, Abu Daud and Mu'atta of Imam Malik from three outstanding scholars of their time. He spent some time there and then came back with plenty of boxes of books.

When he returned to Bhera, his birth place, he opened a clinic and began to practice medicine. He married and settled down. However he did not claim any fees for his work; he made do with whatever he was given. By Allah's Grace he prospered. Eventually he was given a job as Deputy Physician to the Maharajah of Kashmir. When the Chief Physician retired, he was made the chief Physician. At that time he was 36 years old. He held that job for fifteen years. It was during this period that once when he was sick on a journey he committed half of the Holy Quran to memory. Later on he completed the other half.

One may imagine how many interesting incidents would have taken place during this period of his life, and it is difficult for me to choose which one to relate to you. It so happenned that one of the sons of his sister died of dysentery while Molvi Nuruddin was at Bhera. He came to Bhera after his nephew's death and his sister said to him: “had you been here you could have treated him!” He replied: “you should never utter such words. You will have another son; he will be afflicted with dysentery; I will try to cure him but he will die”. Eventually she had another son and he was afflicted with dysentery. His sister asked him to pray. He prayed but the child died. He then told her that she would get another son who would live long. So it happened.

There are many incidents in his life which shows his compassion for the poor and how Allah made provisions for him. Sir Zafrullah Khan says in his book :

“The Maharaja was very appreciative of Hakim Nur-ud-Din's (ra) talent and high moral and spiritual qualities, and often gave expression to his regard for him. One evening he received an urgent summons to attend upon the Maharaja. As he was about to set out, the wife of a sweeper came up to him in great agitation and begged him to go and examine her husband who was in agony. He told the Maharaja's emissary to go and assure the Maharaja that he would wait upon him in a short while. The emissary was much chagrined and exclaimed: "A sweeper to have precedence over the Maharaja!" The physician had no doubt the emissary would carry the tale of what he considered an enormity to the Maharaja, but his humanity would not permit him to ignore the suffering of the humble sweeper. He diagnosed his trouble as severe congestion of the bowels and administered an enema which gave him instant relief. He breathed a deep sigh and gave expression to his gratitude in the words: "May God bless thee abundantly and also him who has made thee available to us here." This was said so fervently that the physician was convinced that the Maharaja, who was included in the benediction, must also have been relieved of his trouble, whatever it might have been. When he arrived at the palace he found that such was indeed the case, and that the Maharaja was in no need of his ministrations. He was asked what had delayed him. He told the Maharaja what had happened and also that he was sure the humble sweeper's benediction had removed the cause of his trouble. The Maharaja commended his conduct as worthy of a true physician and presented him two heavy gold bangles. Before leaving the palace he called the emissary and gave him one of the bangles. He was greatly surprised and wanted to know what had prompted the largesse. The reply was: "Had you not complained against me to the Maharaja, I would not have been bestowed the bangles; so you are entitled to share in the bounty."(Molvi Nuruddin p 64)

You may remember that in one of my earlier sermons I said that Molvi Nuruddin was saying that there has not been any change in his dress. He said he dressed simply as he used to even when he was at court with the Maharajah of Kashmir. Again we read about this incident in the book of Sir Zafrullah Khan as follows:

“At one time the Maharaja ordained that all high officials should wear a formal dress the cost of which should not be less than a month's salary. Every one complied, but the Chief Physician made no change in his simple unostentatious dress. Someone mentioned this to the Maharaja who observed: "He is right. A formal dress would be a handicap in the performance of his duties. Besides he has often to go inside the palace among the ladies, and a simple dress is most fitting for such a person."( ibid page 64)

For today I will end by telling you how Molvi Nurudddin received guidance from Allah in matters in which he was not very sure. In Sir Zafrullah Khan's book the incident is related as follows:

“He came to know of a widow whose circumstances were such that he felt she would prove a good match for him. He approached her with the proposal and she signified her own willingness, but was apprehensive that, as remarriage of widows was not generally looked upon with favour, her guardian would not approve of it for her and would withhold his consent. She suggested, however, that the formal ceremony might be performed which might persuade the guardian to give his consent. He considered that opposition to a widow's re-marriage betrayed an un- Islamic attitude and could be disregarded.

So the formal ceremony took place, pending a favorable change in the attitude of the guardian. In that situation Molvi Nur-ud-Din (ra) saw the Holy Prophet (saw) in a dream and observed that he was clean shaven and looked pale. He interpreted this as an indication that the formal ceremony was contrary to the practice of the Holy Prophet(saw). But to make sure, he wrote to Miyan Nadhir Husain of Delhi and Maulawi Muhammad Husain of Batala, setting out the facts and seeking their advice. He heard from only one of them in reply to the effect that in such case a widow could disregard her guardian and marry without his consent, and added that, in any case, the Hadith: A woman cannot marry without the consent of her guardian; was of doubtful authority. This was in accord with his wishes and he made preparations to bring his bride home. He set out with this design and at the gate of his house encountered someone who held a compilation of Hadith in his hand and asked him to expound the meaning of the Hadith: That which troubles the mind is sinful, even though it is pronounced lawful by the jurists. He was stunned, and put off the enquirer. He was convinced that God had chosen this method of warning him not to attach any weight to the opinion of the jurists. He closed the gate and retreated to his room pondering the situation, reflecting that the Hadith was of doubtful authority and was not supported by the jurists. He felt sleepy, lay down and fell into a slumber. He again saw the Holy Prophet (saw) who appeared about twenty-five years of age, his beard cropped on the left side and thick and full on the right. The thought crossed his mind: How handsome would he look if his beard matched. He felt that the condition of the Holy Prophet's (saw) beard was a reflection of his doubt about the authority of the Hadith; and he instantly made a mental affirmation that even if everyone else were doubtful about it he would accept it as genuine. Simultaneously the Holy Prophet (saw) beard matched on both sides, and he laughed and asked: "Would you like to see Kashmir ?" He answered: "Indeed, Messenger of Allah;" and they set out for Kashmir, by way of Banihal. This was an indication that he would leave Bhera and go to Kashmir .

There are many lessons that can be taken out of this incident. Reflect upon it and do not take the sunnat of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) lightly.

May Allah help each one of us to become the true followers of Hazrat Mohammad (saw), the beloved of Allah.