4.8 Exquisite Nature

Haq Ta’ala bestowed him with such an exquisite nature that in childhood he could not bear to look at the exposed stomach of anyone. Looking at the exposed stomach of anyone would immediately induce him to vomit.

The neighbourhood boys came to know of this. To trouble him they would open their stomachs and reveal it to him. He would vomit and become nauseous.

This was the amazing arrangement of the All-Powerful, that He made this exquisite nature a means of him not associating with local boys. In this manner he was made a homely boy and saved from bad company.

System and order were instilled in his nature. He himself would say:
“From childhood my mind is unaccustomed to comprehending anything explained unsystematically, even though it may be something minor. Neither do I speak confusingly nor do I understand anyone else’s confusing talk because since childhood my mind is accustomed to a set pattern.”

It was the effect of this exquisite nature that if someone spoke something confusing to him or did something haphazardly in some work pertaining to him then at once he would become feverish and get a headache. Whereas his mind was so strong that he would work tirelessly the entire day and even during sleeping time. He would not become tired at all.

4.9 The Shadow of the Cloud of Mercy

It is popularly believed that:

در جوانی توبہ کردن شيوۂ  پيغمبری

To make Taubah in youth is the nature of a Prophet

However, it was not something major for the Being through Whose special grace Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi passed his childhood and youth with good character and taqwa, to make the means for his comfort and ease in accordance to the promise:

اِنَّ الْمُتَّقِيْنَ فِىْ مَقَامٍ اَمِيْنٍ

Verily the pious are in a safe abode.

By the virtue of this, at times His special mercy would even appear in the form of the shadow of a cloud. The author of Ashrafus Sawaanih elucidated this with these words:
“Another sign of piety worth mentioning is that which Hazrat Wala’s paternal aunt by whom Hazrat stayed in his childhood, mentioned to Hazrat Wala himself. She said that when he was young, often it was noticed that if he had to incidentally travel clouds would invariably appear and the journey would be covered in comfort. Hazrat would say: ‘I also remember this to have occurred on several occasions.”

[This would happen to Rasool-e-Akram (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) as we find in the life-story of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam). In conclusion, even the childhood of Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi resembled the noble childhood of the Nabi of Allah Ta’ala. And that is grace from Allah Ta’ala. He grants it to whomever He wishes.]