We are saddened by your departure: The passing of the honourable scholar, Muhammad al-Rabey Hasani Nadwi.

We are saddened by your departure: The passing of the honourable scholar, Muhammad al-Rabey Hasani Nadwi.

By: Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi

Translated by Imran Naved

Today, on the afternoon of Thursday the 22nd of Ramadan in the year 1444H, our honourable scholar, the erudite, and inheritor of the Prophet’s household, the Imam, the noble, the luminary, the Hashemite, the chancellor of Nadwa, and the deputy of Abul Hasan Nadwi; Shaykh Mohammad Rabey Nadwi, passed away. We were told that this is certain news of his departure, and we seek refuge in tears, with hearts and souls grieving. We belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return, with gratitude and dependence on Him, seeking His forgiveness and mercy.

Those who mourned him said that the earth shook, the pillars fell, the sky wept, and the stars collapsed. They mourned for his knowledge, forbearance, manners, character, purity of heart, asceticism, chastity, righteousness, and piety. With his passing, Nadwatul Ulama is bereaved of a loved one, and the Muslim community in India are orphaned.

O, the one with a handsome face and pure heart! You lived a righteous life and left us as a righteous soul. You lived next to the mosque in your hometown and preferred a simple life away from fame and showiness. You were an excellent example for the elders and scholars.

O Ja’far! O Bilal! O Khalil, Ameen, and Sa’eed! O family of the blessed household! If you weep, you are justified; and if you show patience, you will be following the path of your predecessors, the pure and noble forefathers.

O Nadwi people! Your shaykh has left, your house is filled with sadness, and there is a great loss to bear. You have been left alone and have no strength. You have become like the moon covered by darkness. How strongly do you adhere to moderation and inclusivity? How steadfast are you on the path of Shibli, Sulaiman, and Abul Hasan? How far you are from extremism and neglect? And how much do you despise blind fanaticism, narrow-mindedness, and despicable rigidity?

O followers of Islamic literature! You have lost your prince and bade farewell to that sharp pen and rational mind. O, Indian Muslims! Your leader has passed away, while your relatives and distant ones have shunned you. Your sermons have become arduous, your troubles have increased, and the disliked has become great and repulsive. You stood firm, but the terrifying confusion did not settle, and the frightening opinions did not become clear. O people of Islam in the east and the west, why don’t your eyes shed tears in torrents, when fate has turned and become fickle?

O esteemed Imam, both humans and jinn weep for you. May Allah’s peace be upon you, O mount of forbearance, when the ignorant were ignorant and the foolish were foolish; you bore forbearance like a saint, determination like a righteous soul, and achieved a rank that cannot be equalled. Glory be upon you, O one who lived to build glory for ninety-five years and remained steadfast in doing good deeds throughout your life.

O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, and reward him for his deeds in Islam and for the Muslims. Grant him the highest level of Paradise. Place him in the lofty abode of al-Firdaus near to You, O Lord of the Worlds.