Mufti Mahmood Ashraf Usmani Sahib
(May Allah have Mercy on Him)

Mufti Mahmood Ashraf Usmani Sahib (May Allah Have Mercy on Him)

For the past week, I have been feeling very unwell and upset because of the passing away of one of the greatest personalities in the world. It is like a mountain of grief has been broken on me. I do not dare to write anything after suffering this irreparable loss of life. Also, the greatness of this great personality is so high that I do not even consider me worthy of saying something about such a great person.

I have hardly left out any topic of everyday life related to my field on which there is nothing written by me, including but not restricted to global agendas, colonial tactics, national politics, research on religious and worldly topics, current affairs, economy, defense, judiciary, beliefs, worship, financials, ethics, human nature, types of people, local news, domestic matters, personal troubles, education, sports, fictional event narrative style, molding the same subject into a variety of narrative templates and shaping all sorts of writing styles, is nothing difficult for me.

Today, for the first time, I am discussing a person and a personality, but the strange thing is that the words are not with me, the tongue is silent, the heart does not want to speak, the mind is clouded with anxiety, the pen is waiting for thoughts, and thoughts are wandering in the valleys of disturbing ideas, scattered and disconnected meanings are getting in the way finding no words to express them. But what can I do? If today I cannot even put the memories of this great person in a written form, then what right can I give them and what justice can I do?

Those familiar with the situation may have understood that I am talking about the tragedy of the demise of a great religious scholar, Mufti Mahmood Ashraf Usmani Sahib, may Almighty Allah have mercy on him. He passed away last week. This is not only a loss to some family members, relatives, institutions, or some acquaintances, rather it is an irreparable loss to the entire Islamic Ummah today.

Mufti Sahib's rank and status of knowledge, piety, sincerity, impartiality, justice, hard work, dedication, running away from fame and publicity, cleanliness of affairs, acting before advising others, high character, dignity, seriousness, forbearance, discernment, cognizance, foresight, the blessing in his time, compassion for people, broad vision, are just some of the personality traits that any insightful person who met him could feel at first sight, perhaps even at first glance. The highest ranks of knowledge and piety which he possessed, there would probably be only a very few people of this status and rank in the world who could be counted on the fingers. Today, our entire trust and our reliance on Allah Almighty alone to fill this irreplaceable gap.

I have no hesitation in describing my condition at the time. Before this tragedy, I always considered myself very strong, but today I certainly feel myself very weak and helpless. After researching on religious matters, I was always hopeful and satisfied that if there was a mistake in my preliminary findings, research, arguments, or any other category, there is a reliable, authentic, and blessed source to correct it. I never considered myself worthy of it that I should consider my opinion as to the last and final word and my understanding as to the ultimate wisdom. Today, when this mountain of knowledge has passed away, this means of verification has also disappeared for me.

When a person spends a lot of time in a place, all kinds of situations occur. The same is the case with me. Sometimes there were situations and circumstances where I even thought of leaving the institution. But if there was any person who came to my mind, it was the person I am talking about. I would give up my intention to leave just by thinking about what I would answer him. Although there were many opportunities to gain economic benefits from other institutions, the opportunity to learn from such an unparalleled scholarly personality could not be found anywhere else in the world. Of course, even greater economic prosperity is inferior to profound religious knowledge. Many people have asked me many times what I have been doing here for a long time, while others have joined many other places? I always used to smile in response and become silent. Today these lines are also the answer to their question that I have been there to learn from this great person, and that was one of the biggest reasons I stayed there. Thanks to Almighty Allah that I was able to get as much as I could from this treasure of knowledge, I left no stone unturned in it. May Allah Almighty forgive for the shortcomings.

Another strange thing which I faced after this incident. For the first time in my life, I have been forced to change my way due to discouragement while walking on a path. I often pass on my way by the cemetery graveyard, the last resting place of the teachers. I have never had such a painful feeling of someone passing by as is happening nowadays. When I started passing by the graveyard yesterday, due to the intensity of grief and sorrow, instead of passing through the graveyard, I had to change my route and cross the road outside the graveyard.

The uncertainty is going on till today, even a week later, it is unbelievable that he has passed away. His room, the seat, the books, all the stuff is there, but the person with whom I have been in the path of Allah for almost two decades, that is, for almost twenty years, he is no more with us. After his demise, many times I could not control myself crying, even now, while embellishing these lines, I am unable to hold myself and tears are flowing from my eyes. Due to this, the writing process had to be interrupted again and again. At the moment I want to write a lot, but I cannot write more than that. It was just the voice of my heart, which I molded into the words to be immortalized in history.

This is not only my condition. All those related to him are more or less suffering from the same grief and sorrow. But in any case, there is no choice but to be patient and be content with the pleasure of Almighty Allah.

May Allah Almighty grant him a place in the highest status and ranks of Paradise, grant us the ability to be patient, make us a continuous source of reward for him, and grant us the correct understanding of Islam like him. Aameen.

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