السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
It’s Wednesday 22nd April / 4 Ẓūl Qā’dah 1447 H
A few precious moments in the company of Mawlānā Dawood Khepi, مدظله العالی
Our pioneer ‘Ulamā are leaving the world one after another. There are very few left who have reached 80 plus. They are the real gems, who made the ultimate sacrifices when they came to the UK back in the 60s & 70s, not for economic reasons, but to serve the Dīn, in the footsteps of the Saḥābah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ.
From this very blessed Jamā’at is Mawlānā Dawood Khepi, the father of my class colleague Mawlānā Yaḥyā, both of whom reside in Bolton. On Sunday 12th April, I requested Mawlānā Yaḥyā if it was convenient to meet his father.
As always, Mawlānā welcomed me to visit and provided top notch hospitality. Upon my arrival, Mawlānā Dawood Ṣāḥib, who is now bedridden and on palliative care, was sleeping. Mawlānā Yaḥyā and I touched upon our memorable Darul Uloom Bury days and also caught up with our latest family updates, etc.
Suffice to say that we ourselves are both grandads and not as young as we may be thinking. Upon waking up, Mawlānā Dawood Ṣāḥib recognised me immediately. Although very poorly, his memory is still very much intact, اَلْحَمْدُلِلّه.
Mawlāna told me that after graduating from Miftāḥul Uloom Jalālabād, he was serving in Sitpon (Bharūch, India) and then came to Varedia, which is my home village. He recalled that Varedia did not have a Deobandī Masjid and it was very difficult for Tabligh Jamā’ahs to come and stay there.
He then got the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia and once during the Ḥajj season met Ḥāfiẓ Patel Ṣāḥib, نور الله مرقده, who invited him to come to the UK and serve as an Imām in Newcastle. Mawlānā Yaḥyā’s mother, who had joined us as well, recollected the days when Mawlānā Dawood left India.
She spent a few years at her parents’ house with three young children. Listening to these sacrifices live from two 80 year olds was amazing. From Newcastle, Mawlānā Dawood Ṣāḥib came to the Walmersley Road Masjid in Bury, known as Masjid-e-Khizra.
This is where around 1975/1976 Mawlānā Dawood met our to be Geography teacher Ḥāji Muḥammad Ibrāhīm and converted him to Islām, سُبْحَانَ الله. By this time Mawlānā Dawood Ṣāḥib was in full form and spoke very fondly regarding the Akābirīn of Deoband and Jalalabad with so much love and admiration.
Mawlāna was very close to Ḥaḍrat Mawlānā Masiḥullāh Khan Ṣāḥib, نور الله مرقده, and also Allāmah Rafīq Ṣāḥib, who was one of the Ḥadīth teachers at Jalalabad. After about 45 minutes, acting upon the principles of Ādāb ul-Mu’āsharah, it was time for me to leave.
May The Almighty ease the circumstances for Mawlānā Dawood Ṣāḥib and accept the khidmāt of his son Mawlānā Yaḥyā, his Brother and the whole family, Āmeen. They are serving Mawlānā with so much care and compassion through his age related illnesses.
جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا
Request for Du’ās
وَالسَّلَامُ Hanif Dudhwala