(Mother of Moulana Muhammad ‘Umar Paalanpuri [rahimahumullah] – Part Four)

It had always been the aspiration and desire of the mother of Moulana Muhammad ‘Umar Paalanpuri (rahimahullah) that her son become an ‘Aalim of Deen, and Allah Ta‘ala made this dream of hers a reality.

Maryam Khaalah had once narrated the hadeeth to her which mentions that the parents of the haafiz of the Quraan Majeed will be honoured by being made to wear crowns of noor on the Day of Qiyaamah. Hearing this hadeeth, his mother began to weep and said to her son, “My son! I want you to learn the Quraan Majeed, and you must learn Saheeh Bukhaari as well!” Moulana (rahimahullah) asked, “What will happen to my school education?” His mother replied, “That is not my concern – my only concern is that you acquire the knowledge of Deen!”

At the age of seven, Moulana (rahimahullah) enrolled into a school in Bombay. It was the following year, when he was eight years old, that his father passed away. Moulana (rahimahullah) remained in school for five years, until the year 1942, when he returned with his mother to spend the holiday in his hometown. While he was at home during the holiday, his mother began sending him to the local madrasah in which a very pious ‘Aalim, Moulana ‘Abdul Hafeez Jalaalpuri (rahimahullah), was teaching. Moulana ‘Abdul Hafeez (rahimahullah) showed him special attention, and under his tutelage, Moulana progressed tremendously, studying no less than fifty kitaabs in one year.

During the course of this year, Moulana ‘Abdul Hafeez (rahimahullah) needed to return to his hometown in the province of U.P., over a thousand kilometers away. He sent a message to Moulana’s (rahimahullah) mother saying, “I want to take your son with me to my hometown so that his studies will not suffer (and I can continue to teach him).” Moulana’s (rahimahullah) mother was determined to make her son an ‘Aalim, so she acquired a loan of fifty rupees due to her financial contraints, and sent him to study Deen.

When Moulana’s (rahimahullah) mother initially took the decision to send him to madrasah to become an ‘Aalim, her relatives from Bombay came to her and attempted to convince her to keep him in school, especially as he was excelling and had achieved remarkable grades. They even said to her, “What will become of him when he is a Moulana? If you do not give him school education, how will he earn a livelihood? He will even be dependent on people for his roti!” To this, his mother replied, “If he studies Deen correctly, then Allah Ta‘ala will cause the world to fall at his feet.”

Moulana (rahimahullah) was once reading to his mother from a certain book when she spontaneously said, “O my son! Today, you are reading to me and only I am listening to you! Allah Ta‘ala will bring the day when hundreds of thousands of people will listen to you! I have no doubt regarding this!”

(Sawaanih Moulana Muhammad ‘Umar Paalanpuri (rahimahullah) pgs. 59-63 and Mithaali Khawaateen pgs. 271-273)

Lessons:

1. Every parent has aspirations and dreams for their child, and they are prepared to make any sacrifice for their child’s sake. Moulana’s (rahimahullah) mother was no different – however her dream was for her son to become an ‘Aalim of Deen, serving Islam and spreading the message of Allah Ta‘ala. For this purpose, she was even prepared to send her young son over a thousand kilometres away with his ustaaz, and even took a loan to fund his studies.

2. When faced with the opposition of her family, Moulana’s (rahimahullah) mother stood firm. She explained that if her son studied Deen correctly (i.e. he works with dedication and studies solely for the sake of pleasing Allah Ta‘ala – not for any other motive), then Allah Ta‘ala will most certainly look after him. In fact, the words that she used were ‘the world will fall at his feet’ – and this became a reality.

3. Moulana’s (rahimahullah) mother wanted him to become an ‘Aalim so that he would become her investment in the Hereafter, and so that he could help her to improve her Deen. Hence, although he was the son and she was the mother, she would ask him to teach her and educate her regarding different aspects of Deen. This clearly highlights the level of her sincerity and her zeal for Deen.