Anecdotes of Imam Ahmad Raza (Radiallahu Anh)

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A’la Hazrat Imam Ahle Sunnat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was a personality of many marvels, the most significant of which was his awe-inspiring knowledge. The knowledge that Allah Ta’ala granted to him was a manifestation and glimpse of the knowledge of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Everything he had received was through the Sadaqah of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), and if we cannot fathom or comprehend the knowledge of A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), who is the slave of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), how will we be able to understand the extent of knowledge of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)?!

Especially when it comes to the matter of Ilm-e-Ghaib (knowledge of the unseen) many corrupt and deviant people object to Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) possessing such knowledge, even though it is clearly stated in the Holy Qur’an. The two anecdotes of A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) below, demonstrate that let alone Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), even his slaves possess knowledge of the unseen, as granted by Allah Ta’ala through the Sadaqah of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).

A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) states, “I can clearly remember an amazing incident when my respected Pirzadah (descendent of his Murshid)  Hazrat Sayyid Mahdi Hasan Sahib (Alaihir Rahmah) sent me a question from Marehra Shareef. It required the answer of health or death of the wife of a very wealthy person. This woman happened to follow the Shia Mazhab. I calculated the answer that read, “Adopt the correct path of Sunnah or else there is no cure.” It is the rule of [the science of] Jafar to give the answer clearly as it had been received. There must be no fear in relaying the correct answer and no changes are to be made to them. I wrote down this answer and sent it to Marehra Shareef. The family was not satisfied so they sent another question via my Pirzadah, which read, “When and where would she die, in Nanital or her home town?” She had gone to Nanital (a Hill Station near the Himalayas) for health reasons. This question came on the 8th of Shawaal Al Mukarram 1328 Hijri. I calculated the answer and it said, “The Month of Muharram.” Where would she die? The answer was, “The first letter of the town, the letter Qaaf, and the decimal 2,” and then I wrote the word ‘Khesh’ (other). 

I sent the above reply and the Masters of Jafar were called in to unfold the puzzling answer. They understood the first letter as the town, the second Qawf as Qila (fort) but could not understand any further. Their assumption was incorrect. The correct understanding of the answer was as follows: the first letter referred to her town, the second letter Qawf meant Qareeb (near) because the numerical value of decimal 2 is Ba, which refers to Bayt (house). Khesh means another place other than her own home. So the clear answer was that she would die in the month of Muharram in her town near her house. She will not die in her own house.

Alhamdulillah! It happened as I had stated. She did die in the month of Muharram and not in Nanital. She died in her own town in a garden near her own home. This prediction spread like wild fire and letters from people started pouring in by Dhul Qadah. Some people wrote baseless things trying to mock and contradict me. They wrote, “Your prediction of her death did not take place as stated.” I said to them, “Dear brothers, if she died before Muharram then my answer was incorrect. I did not predict that she would recover from sickness, that you are objecting to my prediction of death.” These unwarranted misconceptions strengthened my heart. I made a decision that if my answer is wrong, I will put all my efforts to perfect this science so that I may never make a mistake again. Alhamdulillah! My answer was correct and I gave up my pursuit in this field.” {Al Malfooz Shareef}

In 1334 Hijri, the holy month of Ramadaan Al Mubarak fell in mid-summer. In those days A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was ill and due to physical weakness, he was not in a position to observe the fasts during the scorching hot days of Ramadaan. For A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), the upholder of the Shariah, not to keep fasts in the month of Ramadaan was indeed an impossible thing, even if he had a valid medical reason not to do so. 

So A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) decided to move to the hill station of Bhawali near the Himalayas, where the atmosphere is much cooler and rather comfortable so that he could observe the fasts of Ramadaan, even while in this ill and weak condition. Hence he moved there and whilst in Bhawali, on the 3rd of Ramadaan 1334 Hijri the Imam received the sad news of the passing away of his most beloved and close friend, Imam Al Muhadditheen Hazrat Maulana Wasi Ahmad Muhaddith Surti (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). In that sad state A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) with the astonishing knowledge bestowed on him, extracted the year of demise of his beloved friend. He recited the following verse of the Holy Qur’an and said that in it, is the year of the demise of Hazrat Muhaddith Surti (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh): 

يُطَافُ عَلَيْهِم بِآنِيَةٍ مِّن فِضَّةٍ وَأَكْوَابٍ

Rounds of silver cups and silver beakers will be presented upon them. {Surah 76:15}

The numerical value of the above verse when converted by the Abjad Formula is 1334 which is the year of the demise of the Hadith Master. Then the Mujaddid, Imam Ahmad Raza (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) made an astonishing statement. He said; “If you add the letter ‘Waow – و’ to the above verse, a friend will meet a friend.” At that time no one understood, paid attention or bothered to find out what the Imam had meant. Little did the people realize that on the 3rd of Ramadan 1334 Hijri the Imam was foretelling 6 years earlier of his own year of demise. It was only after 6 years that people realized what A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) had  meant when he said, “If you add the letter ‘Waow – و’ to the above verse, a friend will meet a friend.”

The numerical value of the letter ‘Waow – و’ is 6 and if you add 6 to 1334 you get 1340 which is the Hijri year of the demise of Sayyidi A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). Indeed after 6 was added to 1334, a friend did meet a friend. SubhanAllah!!! {Hayaat-e-A’la Hazrat}

The Wahabis reject that the most beloved Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)  did not possess the knowledge of unseen, especially with regard to the Uloom-e-Khamsa (the five special secrets) yet the life of A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) demonstrates that even a slave and representative of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is blessed with such knowledge. 

A’la Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) would always emphasize that whatever he received, was through the blessings of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).

May Allah Ta’ala grant us sincere love for the Awliya Allah, the ability to sincerely follow in their footsteps and steadfastness on Maslak-e-A’la Hazrat (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), Allahumma Ameen. 

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