RENAISSANCE MARCH 2021

Biography 41 Monthly Renaissance March 2021 person like Mawl ā n ā Mu ḥ ammad ‘Al ī but there was so much passion of belief and faith and so much empathy that, perhaps, one did not need much to understand it. I remember an incident from that occasion worth mentioning. When the Mawl ā n ā ’s speech was over, we saw that from one end of the crowd an old peasant arose and tearing across the multitude went straight for the stage. Although he came across many obstacles on the way (to the podium) he was so true to his mission that he did not stop till he reached the Mawl ā n ā . Upon reaching he put his hand on the Mawl ā n ā ’s beard and said in his peculiar way: “Muhammad Ali, what you have done, no one else could do.” When he turned after saying that the Mawl ā n ā said : “I have not received such praise from any other than you.” On that occasion another aspect of the Mawl ā n ā ’s greatness came to light through the impressions of my teacher Mawl ā n ā Far ā h ī . After speaking at that meeting Mawl ā n ā Mu ḥ ammad Ali left for A‘ ẓ am Garh where he was to address a public meeting in the evening. With him went the whole audience of the meeting at Madrasah al-I ṣ l āḥ . Even Mawl ā n ā Far ā h ī , who was the head of the Madrasah accompanied him to attend the discourse. Before leaving he instructed us to put in his luggage, some sheets of paper and a few good pencils so that he could note down Mawl ā n ā Mu ḥ ammad ‘Al ī ’s speech in A‘ ẓ am Garh. That was very surprising for me. I was aware that Mawl ā n ā Far ā h ī liked Mawl ā n ā Mu ḥ ammad ‘Al ī and Mawl ā n ā Az ā d, but for him to be so impressed by a speech of one of them to the extent of noting it down himself was beyond my imagination. Mawl ā n ā was neither an emotional nor a political man. He was merely a researcher, philosopher and sage. He hardly ever, as I have mentioned above, attended lecture meetings or sermons be they religious or political. Yet to listen to Mawl ā n ā Mu ḥ ammad ‘Al ī ’s speech he not only agreed to travel but made arrangements to take notes of the address. This gesture of the Mawl ā n ā increased the notion of the greatness of Mawl ā n ā Muhammad Ali in my mind. I gathered that seemingly, Mawl ā n ā Mu ḥ ammad ‘Al ī was not only a great political leader but at the level of intellect and knowledge was such an exalted personality that people like Mawl ā n ā Far ā h ī valued his speeches so highly as to note them down. The day after that incident it became evident to me what it was in Mawl ā n ā Mu ḥ ammad ‘Al ī ’s speech that impressed my teacher