The episode pertaining to his birth is also a lesson to learn about this material world which seeks to change the natural order of creation by interfering with it through its science and intelligence. His honourable father became afflicted with scabies. No medication seemed to be of any help. In fact, the malady deteriorated the more it was treated. This made him very worried. In fact, he became despondent.
His condition led a certain doctor to prescribe for him an alchemic medication that rendered the user infertile. He gave preference to preservation of the individual to preservation of the kind and consumed the medication. “Forget progeny, at least one is cured.” Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi himself mentioned this incident in the preface to Humaam-e-Ibrat.
When his honourable mother learnt of this incident she became very much disturbed because prior to this too, none of her male offspring would remain alive. Slowly the news reached his maternal grandmother. Coincidentally, during that period the most virtuous of the Majzoobs, Hafiz Ghulaam Murtaza Panipati came to visit his mother’s family according to his former association. His grandmother complained to Hafiz Ghulaam Murtaza Saheb about what transpired.
3.3 Glad Tidings of Birth
It is the timeless way of Allah Ta’ala that when He selects someone for righteousness and guidance then even before sending the righteous guide He gives glad tidings of the coming via His accepted servants. When Hafiz Saheb heard the complaint he made du’aa and said: “They die in the tug-o-war of Umar and Ali. The next time hand it over to Ali. It will stay alive.”
No one could comprehend this Majzoobi puzzle. However his mother, who possessed unusual understanding and insight, understood at once and said: “Hafiz Saheb means that the boys’ father is Farooqi and mother Alawi. Previously the names that were kept, viz. Fazl-e-Haq, etc. were after the father’s name. The next occasion when there is a boy his name should be kept after the names on the mother’s side. The ending should be Ali.”
[Majzoobs are a class of Awliya whose actions and statements are at times incomprehensible to even Ulama, let alone the masses. Famous Majzoobs include Hazrat Bahlool (Rahmatullahi alaih) who lived during the time of Imaam Abu Haneefah (Rahmatullahi alaih), Hazrat Sha’baan the shepherd who lived during the time of Hazrat Imaam Shaafi’ and Imaam Ahmad Bin Hambal (Rahmatullahi alaihim).
Hazrat Haafiz Ghulaam Murtaza who said the cryptic words above simply gave glad tidings of the coming birth of two sons and he furthermore advised on what their names should be. He did not say that Umar and Ali are gods and that they are enemies of each other fighting over the names of the offspring of Hazrat Thanwi’s father. Such an averment is fallacious and is the product of a warped or bigoted mind. This is the simple interpretation of the above statement. There is neither myth nor superstition associated with the above episode, contrary to what one writer has stupidly and laboriously endeavoured to portray. By way of kashf Hafiz Saheb was informed of the birth of two sons; one destined to be a guide for the Ummah and the other a layman. A denier of kashf is a jaahil and mubtadi’. The kashf of the Awliya literally run into the millions.]
