Written by: Maulana Muhammad Saeed Palanpuri Teacher at Jamia al-Imam Muhammad Anwar Shah Kashmiri, Deoband Since the demise of my respected father, Hazrat Maulana Mufti Saeed Ahmad Sahab Palanpuri, former Sheikh-ul-Hadith and Head of Faculty at Darul Uloom Deoband, the process of writing articles has been ongoing up to the time of this writing. In these articles, writers are shedding light on various aspects of my respected father's life. One of these aspects was the domestic and family life of my respected father. We brothers were commanded to shed light on the conditions of his domestic life, because the Arabic proverb says: "The people of the house know best what is in it." In compliance with this very command, these few pages are being written. Equality and Equivalence The family of my respected father is quite large; we brothers and sisters ourselves were more than a dozen, then our children altogether are close to four dozen. Despite such a huge family, Father looked at everyone with the same eye and maintained equality and fairness with everyone. When any food item had to be distributed among the grandsons and granddaughters, he would first call everyone to his room by sending a child, and then distribute the item equally among them all. It never happened that he gave more to those children towards whom he had a natural inclination, or called them separately to give only to them. No! This was against his temperament. This practice of equality was seen on other occasions as well. To meet the additional expenses of the house, Father used to grant a substantial amount of money to his children every year when calculating the accounts of the bookstore. Here too, granting did not mean that this money was given only to the children residing and settled in Deoband, or only to the male offspring. No! It was given to all brothers and sisters. Regarding the sisters, it was also seen that they received only half the share compared to the brothers in inheritance, according to their Islamic legal share; but in all other places, Father did not differentiate between the shares of married and unmarried boys and girls, and granted equally to all. Not Just Equality, But Justice Too This practice of equality and fairness was not followed blindly by Father such that he practiced equality everywhere. There were some occasions where he would leave equality, and this leaving of equality was not to oppress any child, but to achieve justice and fairness. One of these occasions was that Father did not distribute the aforementioned amount received on annual grants equally between the married and unmarried. Obviously, the expenses of those living a married life are much higher than those of bachelors and the unmarried. Hazrat Father used to keep this difference in mind; for this reason, this amount received by an unmarried person was somewhat less compared to a married person. Joint Family or Separate This issue remains a subject of discussion among people whether the system of parents keeping their children with them after marriage is more beneficial or the system of separating the children. In other words, whether the joint family system is more useful and effective or the separate house system. Proponents of both systems can be found, and both invite reflection in their favor, presenting arguments, proofs, evidences, and examples. Father found a middle path for us dozen brothers, the religious and worldly benefits of which were felt by all of us: that is, he separated us and yet did not separate us. A relationship of "general-particular from one aspect" (Umum Khusus Min Wajh) was established. He separated us in the sense that Father did not keep all the children tied to his apron strings after marriage. What used to happen was that when the marriage date of a younger brother was fixed, the fixing of this date was an alarm for the elder brother to be separated. The parents kept only the youngest daughter-in-law with them and trained that daughter-in-law until the marriage of the next boy. After a year and a half or two, when the next boy was married, they would call the elder brother separately, speak to him, and urge him to stand on his own feet. They would give money for a few months' rations, a stove, necessary utensils, a wardrobe for clothes and bedding, and a refrigerator as well. Above all, they would give encouragement, saying: "Look, we are only separating you, we are not dying. We are separating you so that you can stand on your own feet. If not today, then tomorrow after our death you have to separate. We want you to learn how a house is run during our lifetime. If any problem or trouble arises in running the house, you can come to us anytime." Due to this encouragement of his and his continuous supervision of future domestic affairs, all of us brothers, by the grace of Allah, were employed and running our own homes during Father's lifetime. After the marriage of all brothers, according to Father's command and wish, formally all matters of his food and drink were carried out from the house of my brother Ahmad Saeed (may he be preserved) and informally from all houses. This was about separating. And not separating was in the sense that the separate houses Father gave to us brothers were not in different neighborhoods or plots; rather, on a large plot, he built a dozen medium-sized houses (neither very large nor very small) in the shape of the English letter 'U' according to the number of brothers, in which everything, including the electricity meter and water pipeline, was separate. Father also kept his own residence in one of these houses. Thus, all of us brothers were internally separate and externally with Father. If Father had to call any of the brothers, he could send any child and call them whenever he wanted. If his health deteriorated even slightly, all the brothers would gather in his room in an instant. It is said that when there are two utensils, they make noise; whereas here there were dozens of utensils, but Father, through his unique system, grounded this possibility of utensils making noise. I pray that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala keeps it grounded. O Allah, do not put us in trial after him and do not deprive us of his reward. Religious Benefit of Separating All of us felt both the religious and worldly benefits of giving separate houses to the brothers. The worldly benefits are omitted here for the sake of brevity; however, the mention of one major benefit among the religious benefits is not devoid of use. That is, the blessing of memorization (Hifz) achieved by the sisters-in-law—the system of separate houses played a major role in achieving this blessing. Today, by the grace of Allah, having become Hafiza themselves, they have not only made their own children Hafiz and are continuing to do so, but are also making the boys and girls of the neighborhood recite with correct pronunciation (Nazirah) and become Hafiz, becoming a cause of increase in good deeds in the register of deeds of the parents. The wife of this writer also achieved the blessing of memorizing the Holy Quran after marriage and having a child due to the blessing of this very system. After that, without this writer even realizing it, she made my daughter a Hafiza on her own. When my wife's memorization was completed, an informational letter of this joy and blessing was sent to a specific group of friends. Where friends showered congratulations and prayers, they also asked this question: "After all, how is it possible for a housewife to memorize after marriage and having children? Light should be shed on this." I think it appropriate to copy the post written and sent to the group in response here for public benefit, so that if anyone wants to gather the religious benefits of this system introduced by Father, they can do so. Especially for those teachers of Islamic madrasas who live in family quarters provided by the madrasa, this system can be particularly useful and effective because those family quarters and our brothers' houses resemble each other closely. "First of all, it is necessary that a person has their own kitchen stove, completely separate from the family members. One's own stove, one's own burning. One's own hookah, one's own bubbling. Secondly, correct timing is necessary, and in this matter, there is no timing better than the madrasa's timing; it is a very blessed timing, if only it is tested. Accordingly, we follow the periods of Darul Uloom. Studying begins as soon as the sound of the first period comes. Dismissal as soon as the last period rings. Let's start studying. From where should it be started? Let's start after Maghrib. After Maghrib, a new lesson is memorized until Isha. Dismissal at the Adhan, dismissal from studying at the Adhan of Isha, not from household chores. Preparation for dinner has to be made after the Adhan. The curry will not be made fresh at night, nor will the roti be made now, that is to be made at Asr. Yes, simple white rice can certainly be made after the Adhan of Isha, which is already kept for soaking. Prayer is to be held half an hour after the Adhan, and dinner will be eaten after the prayer—it should be clear that if your routine is to eat dinner after Maghrib, you must definitely change it. The time after Maghrib is very blessed and valuable, it cannot be sacrificed for food—after having eaten dinner, walk around here and there for fifteen to twenty minutes to digest the food. After that, go to sleep early so that it is easy to wake up at Fajr. Wake up at Fajr and freshen the lesson. The lesson will be recited after the Fajr prayer. After reciting, engage in the preparation of breakfast. It should be clear that rotis will not be made fresh for breakfast, they will be stale from the night; rather from Asr, breakfast will be with this stale roti. Yes, if you are getting plenty of time after reciting the lesson, fresh rotis can certainly be made. After finishing breakfast, if there are children, prepare them for school and madrasa. After sending the children, engage in reading yourself. From the first period to the fourth period, memorize the old lesson (Amoukhtah). Let the old lesson be in the morning because more time is available in the morning; in the evening, the daily portion (Sabqan Parah). When the old lesson is memorized or almost memorized, cut onions, garlic, vegetables, etc., for the afternoon curry simultaneously while revising it. Clothes can also be spun in the washing machine. Around the fourth period, the old lesson will be recited. After reciting, preparation for lunch. It should be clear that enough curry is to be made in the afternoon so that it lasts for the night too; rather a little bit for breakfast in the morning as well. Lunch must be eaten by twelve o'clock in any case. Then Qailulah (midday nap) until Zuhr prayer. Fifteen minutes after Zuhr prayer, the period of Darul Uloom starts; studying begins as soon as the period starts. Memorize the daily portion; since it is the daily portion, it will be memorized relatively quickly; in such a time, you can also assist in children's 'homework'. Around the Adhan of Asr, the daily portion will be recited. After the Asr prayer, rotis for dinner are to be made, and they are to be made in such quantity that they last for breakfast too. If the burden of rotis is becoming too much, add simple rice along with rotis. Sometimes if health is unfavorable or the time after Asr was spent in conversation with guests or if one does not feel like making rotis, then rotis will now come from the market. Similarly, on the day of a difficult lesson, rotis or the entire meal can come from the market. After Asr came Maghrib, we had started from Maghrib itself, the day is complete. The tasks which are apart from the routine, like sewing, washing the house, going somewhere, inviting someone, such matters will either be performed after Asr, or from after Zuhr on Thursday until Friday, or will be performed during women's specific days." Distribution of Inheritance My respected father, according to his temperament, was reducing his responsibilities by making his children self-sufficient during his lifetime. In this context, he distributed his inheritance during his own lifetime. In the eyes of this writer, this act of distributing inheritance is as important as building separate houses for one's offspring. We observed Father's routine upon the demise of relatives that he would distribute the deceased's inheritance three to four days after the death. The most recent inheritance he distributed was three to four months ago, of our late brother, Hafiz Saeed Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him). Readers would know that after the passing of the elder of the house, the trial from which protection is sought by repeatedly reciting Allahumma la taftinna ba'dahu (O Allah, do not put us in trial after him) and for which prayers for unity, harmony, and brotherhood among the survivors are made—this act of distributing inheritance, if even a little discrepancy remains in it, is alone enough to sabotage this unity and harmony. In inheritance, not only wealth and property, but sometimes hearts also get divided. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala raise the ranks of Father that he beautifully accomplished this difficult stage of dividing hearts during his lifetime. A year and a half or two before his demise, he called all his children to Deoband during the Eid-ul-Adha holidays. Then one night, he gathered everyone in his room and, withholding some wealth for meeting personal expenses, distributed the entire remaining asset among the sons and daughters according to their Islamic legal shares. Where the division could be done straightforwardly, he did it straightforwardly; where there was no ground for preference, the shares were distributed through drawing lots. Thus, this difficult stage was accomplished beautifully, and no voice was raised against this distribution from any side. It was due to the blessing of this advance distribution of inheritance that during the last week before his demise, Father did not speak about the children, home, or business left behind in Deoband. In the last week, he was concerned about only two things: first, who should be the new rector (Mohtamim) and educational head of the Gathamun madrasa. In this very illness of death, he called an old teacher and head faculty of the madrasa, Maulana Muhammad Yusuf Sahab (may his shadow be lengthened), at 2:30 AM, determined the new rector, and gave the future course of action. The second thing was prayer (Namaz). Due to being in the Intensive Care Unit, a few of his prayers were missed during the last week. Whenever he was in a state to speak, he would not only inquire from the attendants about the number of missed prayers, but would also insist on being bathed and dressed in his regular clothes instead of the hospital dress so that he could perform the prayers that were missed. If he sent any message regarding those left behind in Deoband, it was only this: "Give Salam to Brother (my respected uncle Hazrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Amin Sahab, may his blessings endure)!" Education and Training Hazrat Father had many children. Despite his immense preoccupation with teaching and compiling important and weighty books like Tirmidhi, Bukhari, and Hujjatullah al-Balighah at Darul Uloom Deoband, he performed the responsibility of the education and training of all children based on personal interest. This responsibility of education and training, which he began performing from the start of his practical life, he continued to perform until the end of his life for the third generation. At the beginning of his practical life, he performed the duty of the education and training of our uncles. There is no need for detail in this regard as my respected uncle Hazrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Amin Palanpuri Sahab (may his blessings endure), compiler of Fatawa and teacher of Hadith at Darul Uloom Deoband, has already shed light on this in detail. After the uncles, when the turn of the children came, along with making our eldest brother, Mufti Rashid Ahmad Palanpuri (may Allah have mercy on him), memorize, he also made our respected mother (may Allah have mercy on her) memorize. Making our respected mother memorize remained a very useful and commendable decision of his. An assistant was found in the form of our mother, such that Father's labor in making the remaining children memorize was reduced. After that, Father would start the child with Bismillah, the remaining work belonged to our respected mother. When the fluent reading (Nazirah) of the Holy Quran was finished, memorization (Hifz) was started. Immediately after the Fajr prayer, Father would listen to the new lesson, then the mother would make them memorize the old lesson and the daily portions and would listen to them. It is said that the five fingers of a hand are not equal; in such a situation, how is it possible that a dozen children be equal in terms of mental faculties? Variations were natural, and it happened so. There were some among us who, with their specific mental faculties, would not have been able to memorize with Father. The patience, endurance, and restraint required in the matter of memorization are endowed more in women compared to men; then, if that woman also happens to be the mother of those children, the level of her patience and endurance increases even more. This is the reason why, despite differences in mental faculties, our respected mother succeeded in making everyone memorize. When our Quran was completely ready, it was sent to Father for revision (Daur). Father would listen to the revision with great attention. If the child recited the revision according to his set standard, then he would begin teaching them Urdu, then Persian, and teach them to write on a slate. From here, Father's work began. He personally taught Urdu, Persian, and Arabic books according to the curriculum. If any easy book did not meet his standard, he would compile a book; Aasan Sarf, Aasan Nahw, and Aasan Persian Grammar are links in this chain. Alongside personal teaching, he also took the assistance of helpers. Hazrat al-Ustad Maulana Mufti Khurshid Anwar Giyawi Sahab (may his blessings endure), Director of Education at Darul Uloom Deoband, Hazrat Maulana Qari Shafiqur Rahman Sahab (may his blessings endure), teacher at Darul Uloom Deoband, and Hazrat Maulana Dr. Ishtiaque Ahmad Qasmi, teacher at Darul Uloom Deoband (may his shadow be lengthened), are the brilliant and luminous links of this very golden chain of assistance and cooperation. Education was given up to the second grade of Arabic or sometimes up to the third grade of Arabic. After that, they were made to appear in the admission exam of Darul Uloom. After admission was secured, he kept supervising the educational affairs of the child. He kept an eye on classroom attendance and the marks and percentages obtained in the half-yearly and annual exams. Side by side with the curriculum prevalent in madrasas, he also taught Hindi, English, and essential subjects and basic books of mathematics. Then, after graduation, he personally established the child in a livelihood. Those who were of the madrasa line, he placed them in madrasas; while others he settled in business and trade. Since Father was both a teacher and a merchant, and he was seasoned in the heat and cold of both fields, he taught both groups among his children the action plan and method of their practical life from both perspectives, and kept benefiting and imparting wisdom in the light of the bitter and sweet experiences of his life. Greatness and Genius Today, when we ourselves have become parents, and the educational responsibilities of two or four children have fallen upon our heads, the measure of Hazrat Father's (may Allah have mercy on him) self-sacrificing efforts and life-consuming struggles in the matter of education and training is realized. If someone does nothing else in their life except gracefully perform the duty of the education and training of a dozen children and make them self-sufficient by establishing them in a livelihood to the extent that after the passing of the father and mentor, those offspring do not remain dependent on or in need of anyone, then this one thing alone is sufficient for his perfection and distinction. If someone does nothing else in their life, but crosses the long, intricate, curved, and extremely difficult path of the valley of teaching in such a manner that it becomes an object of envy even for the elders, then this one thing alone is sufficient for his uniqueness and individuality. If someone does nothing else in their life, but alongside prominent feats and scholarly and research achievements and services in the field of compilation and authorship, does so much work that in terms of abundance of writing, he begins to be counted among the chosen fortunate few of his group—if someone, in the context of abundance of compilation, calls him the "scribing animal" (Haywan-e-Katib) of his era, and the charge of exaggeration and coloring is not leveled against this speaker at all, then this one thing alone is sufficient for him to be distinguished and prominent. But if all the aforementioned attributes combine in one person, then his greatness and genius can only be imagined; it cannot be captured in words, it cannot be expressed through any verbal description. It is true that the Eternal Distributor had combined the aforementioned elements of greatness, genius, perfection, and distinction along with many other such elements in my respected father. That is the grace of Allah; He gives it to whom He wills. Training In the context of my respected father's personality, this chapter is multi-dimensional and many-branched, which cannot be contained in a single article. To estimate how concerned he was regarding the training of his offspring, this fact alone is enough: that even for the text-reading (Ibarat Khwani—which is generally considered a casual thing) in the Hadith class of Sunan at-Tirmidhi and Sahih al-Bukhari, Father used to train the students. Not just anyone and everyone achieved the honor of text-reading in his period. First, the method of text-reading, from correctness of vowels and speed to the style, was taught. In its light, the desiring students would get their names written down. Then he would take a test of these students in his sitting room. Those who were not capable, their names were cut off right there. Those who were capable, if he saw some flaws in them, he would point them out and urge them to rectify them. The names of the students who passed this test were written on a paper, then this list was handed over to the announcer. Being handed over did not mean that the name of these students could not be removed from this list now. No! He supervised these students throughout the year. In the event of grammatical, morphological, or orthoepic (Tajweed) errors during text-reading, or in case of deviating here and there from the set standard, the name could be removed from this list anytime. From this, it can be estimated that a person who took so much care of training in a thing considered as unimportant as text-reading, how concerned he must have been in the important task like the training of his offspring! This was the reason why he remained striving until life lasted in the training of his subordinates from both religious and worldly perspectives, and he left no stone unturned in his self-sacrificing efforts and life-consuming struggles regarding this education and training. Many incidents of his will be found in this regard; many have written them in condolence articles appearing on social media after his demise. Hear one or two from me as well! My Exam During the Time of Teaching It was some gathering after Asr; this writer was also present in it. There was no questioner in the gathering; a silence like that of a graveyard. This type of silence brought great trials and moments of examination for the likes of us, because generally after this, a question would come from Father's side, which used to be particularly difficult. He asked: "Which books do you teach?" I told the names of the books, in which one name was also of Sharh Aqaid-uf-Nasfiah. He asked: "How much of Sharh Aqaid has been done?" I submitted: "This many pages!" He remained silent for a few seconds. After that, he recited some text from memory from those pages of Sharh Aqaid which had already been taught, and asked: "What is the meaning of this text?" Allah-o-Akbar-ul-Kabir. While writing these lines, my hair still stands on end. His awe used to be so great that if he asked a question about a text from the lesson taught today, the tongue would cleave to the roof of the mouth, let alone a lesson taught weeks and months ago...