The Lofty Spirit, Beautiful Social Conduct and Sublime Culture of Hazrat Thanwi (Rahmatullahi Alaih)

The Lofty Spirit, Beautiful Social Conduct and Sublime Culture of Hazrat Thanwi (Rahmatullahi Alaih)

It this regard there is an incident of Hazrat Thanwi (Rahmatullahi alaih). He was in marazul maut [the final illness preceding death]. He had diarrhoea and had become extremely weak; bedridden. It was nighttime and everyone at home was sleeping when he suddenly had an urge to go to the toilet.

He did not wake up anyone. He did not tolerate disturbing anyone’s sleep at all, whereas he was so much loved, and furthermore, in such a case of extreme weakness and severe sickness it is obvious that no one would have been burdened and taken umbrage over being woken up.

Nevertheless, he went to the length of avoiding even an outer façade of causing difficulty and troubling others on his part bymustering up courage and going to the toilet with much difficulty.

On his return, his weakness became aggravated, and taking a few steps, he became dizzy and collapsed in the courtyard. He fell unconscious. After a short while he regained consciousness, got up and returned to his bed where he laid down.

His weakness had reached its limit. His body had become numb. Just then he remembered that he had a lota [water jug] in his hand when he fell unconscious in the courtyard. “The lota must have fallen out of my hand. If anyone at home required to go to toilet at night and did not find the lota in its fixed place, then they would be unsettled and the trouble and difficulty of searching [for the lota] would afflict them.” This thought made him restless. He therefore took up courage and got up. Without regard for his pain and weakness he went and searched for the lota in the dark courtyard.

Having found it, he returned it to its original place. Then the agitation within him subsided and he became restful and at ease.

Allahu Akbar! Even in such a state of illness, exceptional weakness and numbness the thought of providing comfort to others and saving them from anxiety so overwhelmed him that he became restless until he found the lota and returned it to its place.

Look at the degree of consideration for creation and the degree of abnegation and magnanimity! What lofty culture and sublime character! He consented to much difficulty and hardship upon himself, but not even a semblance of trouble and pain, and the slightest hardship should befall them. This was purely the effectof Deen. Can secularists, modernists and western culturalists present a case like this? Never! This is not in the capacity of those who claim to represent sophisticated modern culture.