Author: Obaidullah Nimruzi
Allama Syed Abulhasan Nadwi, “May Allah have Mercy on Him” (Part 10)
In the Historic City of Damascus
One of the most beloved and interesting cities that Allama Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi visited was the historic city of Damascus. This city, in addition to its beautiful landscapes, gardens, orchards, and flowing streams, is blessed with a very pleasant environment. It is a city where many of the Companions, Followers, prominent scholars, thinkers, and researchers are buried. Ultimately, it is a city of knowledge and learning that has produced great men.
Allama Nadwi was deeply attached to this city and had some of the best memories of his life there. He traveled to Damascus in 1951 and said, “No city, after the two sacred cities (Mecca and Medina), has captured my heart like Damascus. I grew close to this city, and I got to know many of its villages, roads, neighborhoods, orchards, and landscapes. I had the best of friends in this city, with whom my soul harmonized, and my thoughts were aligned with theirs. Every time I visited, my stay was pleasant, and my days and nights passed perfectly.”
Allama Nadwi stayed in Syria for forty-eight days, twenty-four of which were spent in Damascus. During the rest of his stay, he visited the cities of Homs, Hama al-Numan, Harim, and Aleppo. This journey can also be seen as a call to the people towards Allah and preaching religion. He spoke about the pure faith and awakened spirit of the early Muslims wherever he went, urging the people of those lands to be aware of foreign cultures and to remain vigilant.
He met with various Islamic groups in Syria and, as a preacher, engaged in discussions and meetings with them. He also visited religious centers, libraries, and attended one of the sessions of the country’s parliament. Allama Nadwi met with scholars and intellectuals, benefiting from their gatherings while always discussing the issues of the Islamic world. He avoided artificial formalities, which allowed him to gain immense popularity and meet many scholars and thinkers. Some of the notable figures he met included Allama Bahjat al-Bitar, Sheikh Mustafa al-Zarqa, Sheikh Abdul Wahhab Salahi, Sheikh Ahmad Daqr, Sheikh Abu al-Khayr Maydani, Sheikh Maki Katani, Dr. Mustafa Sibai, Professor Muhammad Mubarak, Professor Muhammad Ahmad Dahman, Sheikh Abu al-Yusr Abidin (the grandson of Allama Shami and the Mufti of Syria), Sheikh Ahmad Kaftaru, Sheikh Muhammad Said Burhani, Sheikh Muhammad Ali Humani, Professor Muhammad Kurd Ali, Professor Muhammad Khalil Mardam Bey, and Sheikh Abdul Qadir Maghribi. He spent the last few days of Ramadan there.
In his various speeches in Damascus, Allama Nadwi expressed his reformist ideas and emphasized to the scholars that it is crucial to establish close, direct relationships with the people and to actively engage in preaching and inviting them to Islam. He spoke about the importance of carrying out religious outreach work in schools and universities and warned of the dangers that could arise if scholars became disconnected from the general public and failed to call them to Islam.
In one of his speeches in Damascus, he said: “The class of people who hold power in the countries have not truly understood or internalized Islam. Islam has not yet descended into their hearts; it has not gone beyond their throats. They do not accept Islam as a complete way of life, as they believe in the civilization and culture of the West and its benefits. Thus, most of the inhabitants of Arab countries are, in terms of political awareness and social awakening, still in the infancy stage. As long as they remain in this state of heedlessness, no hope can be placed in them.”
Five years after this memorable journey, due to his exceptional abilities, profound spirituality, and steadfast faith, Dr. Mustafa Sibai sent him an invitation in 1955 to join the University of Syria (Damascus) as a lecturer. Although Allama Nadwi did not fully accept this invitation, he also did not reject it entirely. He attended for an extended period as a guest and shared the immense knowledge, history, and reformative insights he possessed with the people there. In these gatherings, eagerly attended by students and esteemed professors, Allama Nadwi shared the essence of his studies on history and practical methods for reform and preaching, filling the university hall with scholars and students during his lectures. He wrote about these lectures, stating, “The number of attendees grew day by day, and the hall became more crowded. It was amazing to see esteemed professors such as Professor Mustafa Zarqa, Professor Muhammad Mubarak, Dr. Ma’ruf al-Dawalibi, Allama Muhammad Bahjat al-Bitar, and Sheikh Ahmad Kaftaru attending these speeches with complete dedication.” Additionally, at a banquet hosted by Dr. Ahmad Salman, Vice President of the university, at the “Nadi al-Sharq” hotel, prominent professors and well-known personalities were also invited. During this trip, Allama Nadwi met with Sheikh Muhammad Bashir al-Ibrahimi, a noble leader and Mujahid of Algeria, who was residing in Damascus at the time.
One of the greatest works of Allama Nadwi during this trip was his treatise titled “Listen, O Syria” (Isma’i Ya Suria), in which he discussed the status of this country, the city of Damascus, and the lost dignity of this land. In this article, Allama Nadwi first recalls his early connection with the land of Sham and his religious, spiritual, and emotional ties to this country, which dated back to his childhood. He mentions the prominent personalities of Sham and talks about the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who are buried there, as well as the great men of Islamic history who lie beneath the pure soil of Sham, turning it into a treasure of Islamic greatness and a center of honor and dignity. He explains how the Islamic world remembers this beloved land and the occasions that keep the memory of Sham alive, expressing their desire for the return of that history and era.
Allama Nadwi explains the secret of past dignity, which encompassed a large part of the world with its kindness and mercy, and how Sham can regain such love, honor, and dignity. Furthermore, he points out that Sham, with its unique mission and noble goals of serving humanity selflessly, could once again reach such a rank. He emphasizes that the salvation of the present world depends on the cooperation and collaboration between East and West—East with its faith and spirit, and West with its modern technology and science— and that Sham could play a significant role in this historical and impactful effort.
Continues…
By admin2