04/16/2024
**Personal Memoirs with My Beloved Teacher, Maulana Muhammad Dhudhat ؒ**
السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ رَحْمَةُ الله وَ بَرَكَاتُهُ
It is with profound sadness that I reflect on the passing of my beloved teacher, Maulana Muhammad Dhudhat ؒ. He taught me Athaarus Sunan, Fawzul Kabeer, and Badul Amaalee. He was the first Shaykhul Hadith at Darul Uloom Zakariyya prior to M***i Ridha Ul Haq and also served as a librarian. His eloquence and mastery of grammar were unparalleled. A few months ago, despite his final illness and pain, he was still correcting my Urdu. He possessed a jovial personality, and even as his memory waned, his ability to recall the Quran remained immaculate. He was incredibly artistic, always found writing profound words of wisdom and poems on the chalkboard. He loved the great poets Sadi and Rumi, often quoting Persian couplets in a heartfelt manner. His straightforward personality was marked by a fearlessness respected by all. He cherished the Akaabir, fondly remembering Hazrat Shaykh ؒ and M***i Mahmood Sahib.
Whenever I visited my spiritual home, I made it a point to meet Maulana Muhammad Dhudhat multiple times. If he was teaching, he would light up with a smile, making comments that left me wondering if he was praising or taunting me—such was his poetic style. I would tell him stories and make comments just to see his smile, which was truly contagious. You felt an aura of peace around him, and you couldn't help but smile as he did. I would ask him about the Akabir, and he would nod his head in longing before speaking of their incredible nature. In his later years, even when too weak to walk, he would take baby steps with the aid of students to the Masjid, attend guest speakers' talks, and participate in graduations and main programs. He was a giant and a diamond that many overlooked, yet he had drawn from the wells of numerous giants.
Two months ago, I met him and spent time with him. Holding his fragile hand, I felt that this might be our last meeting. I told him we would never forget him, as he is our spiritual father. Despite his fading memory, his recollection of the Quran was impeccable, and he recounted stories of Hazrat Shaykh as if he was present with him at that moment. Though weak, the moment I made a grammatical mistake in Urdu, he was revitalized as the natural teacher he was and corrected me with great anguish.
Lastly, I want to share something personal. When I last met him, he did not recognize me initially and mistook me for someone else, reprimanding me. When I explained who I was, he gave me that squinting look only his students know and said it couldn’t be. I pleaded again, and he then said that Wasim Khan always remembered him and spoke words I am not befitting of. My dear colleagues, I mention this to remind ourselves that our teachers may forget our faces, but how we made them feel will remain with them. A teacher who can't remember your name, can’t take your name in dua.
As I told Maulana Shoaib Pandor after the passing of my beloved M***i Allaudeen ؒ, the next 5-10 years will be the toughest for the spiritual children of Darul Uloom Zakariyya.
Take the time you have today and visit your Asaatiza. I promise you won’t regret it. The happiness they get from seeing their students is indescribable. Just as we do Hajj to Makkah, our 'Ilm needs a hajj.
May Allah forgive his sins and grant him a status with Rasul Allah ﷺ. May we, his students, be a source of eternal sadaqah jariyah for him. Please recite Surah Ikhlaas 3 times and perform sadaqah jariyah for him.
The weakest student of my beloved teachers,
MWK
USA
April 16, 2024
