Biography of Amir Ahl al-Sunnah دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ

The Literary Efforts of the Leader of Ahl al-Sunnah

Mawlana Safdar Ali Attari Madani

The renowned spiritual guide and leader of Ahl al-Sunnah, Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Attar al-Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ is a world renowned and acclaimed personality when it comes to the propagation of Islam and rectification of Muslims. Just as he دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ established Dawat-e-Islami for the rectification of beliefs and practices, expanded it and spread it to every corner of the world, he also penned many books and booklets, thereby rectifying and preserving the faith, beliefs and practices of countless people. He دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ has more than 142 books and booklets to his name.

To learn about his passion for writing, let us listen to some questions posed to him, and their answers:

Where did you learn to write?

Q: Where did you learn how to write and what was the first book you wrote?

A: I did not formally learn how to write. I had great love for Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه and intended to release a book on 25 Ṣafar on the occasion of his Ꜥurs (death-day anniversary). I had already started preparations for this. In the end, I took material from various books and wrote a simple book and named it Tazkirah-e-Ahmad Raza ba Silsilah Yawm-e-Raza.[1]

Q: Did you learn the art of Urdu writing in school?

A: No, school or college education does not help in this. The first reason is that there is some difference between the Urdu taught in schools and colleges, and the Urdu found in Islamic books. Additionally, there are many technical terms which college graduates cannot understand without asking the scholars of Islam. As for the matter of writing in Urdu, then this is from the bestowals of Allah Almighty and the blessings of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān’s books. If required, I sometimes refer to dictionaries. In the final stages, when the book is sent to the Mufti Sahab for review, he gives beneficial advice, and then the book is completed in this manner.[2]

One cannot learn how to write only through reading

Q: Can a person acquire the skill of writing by reading many books?

A: One cannot learn how to write simply by reading, rather a person must practice writing alongside this, leading to a person eventually learning the skill of writing. Initially, write however you can, then you will develop a taste for it over time, and your skills will improve naturally. Also, one will acquire a vocabulary of many words. Another thing that has benefitted me is my interest in poetry, and the one who has an interest in poetry usually knows a large number of words.[3]

Writing commitments and solitude

Q: You write in solitude; does this not lead to boredom?

A: We do feel bored, but real writing work only occurs in solitude. If you are working in a place where people are constantly coming and going, your work will not be of a high standard. If there are several people working on a single project, there is no harm in working in the presence of others. For example, Dawat-e-Islami’s al-Madinah al-Ilmiyyah department works on books, and they sometimes work in groups.[4]

Patience upon boredom and loneliness

Q: How do you deal with the boredom and loneliness that occurs during writing?

A: I show patience, because this work must be done. I am usually alone anyway, even though I spent a large portion of my life among the public, there are security concerns now.[5]

Mental fatigue and sleepiness

Q: If you feel mentally fatigued while writing, what do you do to deal with it?

A: I do not feel tired often but sometimes I feel sleepy, which is why I must have a full night’s sleep. Despite this, I still feel sleepy at times, especially in the evenings during the summer, as my blood pressure drops very low. Sometimes, I am overcome with sleep to the extent of dropping. When I was working on the book Etiquettes of Eating, I reduced my sleep from 7 hours to 6 hours and then 5 hours and 45 minutes, but due to feeling weak and not having enough sleep, I started to face difficulty in doing any work, so I gradually increased it again to 7 hours.

Now I sometimes sleep for 7 hours, 7 hours and 15 minutes and even 7 hours and a half, but on average around 7 hours. I usually sleep in 2 or 3 blocks. I generally sleep for around 2 hours at a time, and sometimes for 1 hour and 50 minutes or 2 hours and 20 minutes. My habit changes depending on whether it is summer or winter. When writing, I have even worked after sleeping for only 30 minutes.[6]

Why do you carry out writing work overseas?

Q: You sometimes spend many months overseas to do writing work, and alongside the fatigue of travelling, there is also the distance from one’s family. You could sit and carry out this work here as well?

A: Here, the nature of my commitments change. I have tried to write here many times, but there are requests for meetings, collective consultations, then people becoming upset if I cannot meet them and ill people arriving and their relatives forming a bad opinion if I do not meet the patient. Some people arrive without giving prior notice and demand time, various personalities turn up as well, etc. All of these things become an obstacle for me and I do not find myself able to give full attention to this work.[7]

The purpose of writing

Q: You wrote many books after Blessings of Sunnah, but what inspired you to start writing? (Question posed by a student of Jamia-tul-Madinah, Jhelum)

A: After writing Blessings of Sunnah, I had developed a habit of writing and it continues today, and may Allah Almighty allow it to continue until my final breath. I developed a mindset to start writing because just as the holy Quran was initially memorised but after losing around 700 memorisers in a battle, the holy Quran was compiled in one volume and is before us today. Likewise, the Hadith literature was also codified later on. For example, Imam al-Bukhārī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was neither a Companion nor a TābiꜤī nor a TabaꜤ TābiꜤī, and his book was compiled in the 3^rd century of Hijrah.

There are many other books of Hadith that were compiled, and what would we do without them? Imām Abū Ḥanīfa’s school was recorded and documented by his student Imam Muhammad رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, which is why he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه is known as the compiler of Imām Abū Ḥanīfa’s school. What would we do if he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه did not document this? In the not-so-distant past, Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه gave us a masterpiece in the form of 30 volumes known as Al-Fatāwā al-Riḍawiyyah, as well as the reliable Quran translation entitled Kanz al-Īmān.

Likewise, we can call Bahār-e-SharīꜤat an encyclopaedia of Islamic jurisprudence in Urdu. I have not seen another voluminous book of Hanafi fiqh like it in the Urdu language. These individuals wrote books and left, yet they continue to receive reward today. I also have a desire that these books become a means of continuous reward for me after death. This does not mean that every person should start writing books now; knowledge is required for this. I have my books reviewed by scholars and try my utmost to ensure no mistakes remain in them. However, many people have errors in their books but they continue writing and have no concern. It is regarding such people that Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه said, “They learned how to hold a pen so they became authors.”[8]

Method of writing, and stages of writing

Q: Your books and booklets take a long time to be published. What is the reason for this? (A summary of a question asked by the Head of the Central Executive Committee)

A: One reason for a delay in books being published is that I have other commitments besides writing, and you know that writing requires solitude, and social media has put an end to my solitude. Also, I check my written work many times, reading it over. Then my written work is reviewed by al-Madinah al-Ilmiyyah and a Mufti Sahab, and sometimes, the Mufti Sahab and al-Madinah al-Ilmiyyah give me some work to do, which must be done.

Then, the work done at the request of the Mufti Sahab is checked again by al-Madinah al-Ilmiyyah, in terms of how to make corrections and where to insert references, etc. It is after going through various stages like this that the book or booklet is published.[9]

Firm resolve to continue writing all his life

Q: You write on various topics. What is your target in terms of writing? Also, what is your preferred book for acquiring Islamic knowledge? (Uthman, Lahore)

A: I intend to continue writing for as long as I am alive. I have the strength to hold a pen, and if Allah Almighty wills, this will remain. May Allah Almighty allow my soundness of mind to remain and not allow me to reach a stage where a person becomes bedbound and is unable to do anything. May Allah Almighty protect me from such a state. Writing is a part of my routine, so I am always writing something.

There is not just one book for acquiring Islamic knowledge, rather there are countless books. We should try to take benefit from the books of all scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah, such as the reviver of Islam, the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Aḥmad Razā Khan’s translation of the noble Quran Kanz al-Īmān, Tafsīr Ṣirāṭ al-Jinān, and the commentaries of Hadith books, like Mirˈāt Sharḥ Mishkāt, as well as Fatāwā Razawiyyah and Bahār-e-SharīꜤat, as they contain many rulings of Islamic jurisprudence. There are also many books of Maktaba-tul-Madinah that should be read. Life will probably come to an end, but books will not. Even if you read all of them, new ones will be published.[10]