The Importance of Congregational Prayer and the Humility of Mufti Muhammad Shafi
I remember when my age in Deoband was about ten or twelve years, one day at the time of Fajr prayer, due to a severe storm, torrential rain, and thunder, my father (Mufti Muhammad Shafi Sahib) could not go to the mosque and offered the prayer at home. On the other hand, grandfather (Dada abba), who was a lover of the mosque and passionate about congregational prayer, rolled up his trousers and set off for the mosque in that very condition. My respected father did not come to know of his departure because of the rain. When grandfather reached the mosque, he saw that there was no one present except the Muezzin. Well, a congregation of two men took place with the Muezzin. After the prayer, when grandfather was returning home, he woke up all the neighborhood people from their homes, took them along, and reached home in extreme anger. He called my father and scolded him in front of everyone to such an extent that my father and all the neighborhood people were left stunned. He said, "It is a matter of regret that I had to see such a day in my life, which I never expected from you! Today, if I hadn't reached, the mosque would have become deserted and there would have been no congregation. After me, you will leave this mosque completely deserted! I am sorry for everyone, but most of all for this son of mine..." and he said who knows what else. Grandfather loved no one in the world more than my father, yet he took him to task so severely over missing the congregation, that too in front of all the neighbors and the young children. Even then, it was the extreme dutifulness and nobility of my respected father that he did not express the slightest displeasure; rather, expressing regret and embarrassment, he begged for forgiveness in front of everyone. Later, he used to say that if he hadn't received such a scolding that day, he would never have realized throughout his life that a mistake had been committed by us. (Al-Balagh Mufti-e-Azam Number, Vol. 2, p. 1069) ___________📝📝___________ Narrated. Selection: Islamic Tube Pro App
