Shaykh Sayyid Hussain Ahmad Madani رحمه اللّٰه was a descendant of Nabi ﷺ and an eminent Islamic scholar from Darul Uloom Deoband, India. The night before his demise, his student had a dream. He was standing outside Shaykh’s house, watching a person clear the path. Shortly after, Nabi ﷺ came riding on a horse. Besides Nabi ﷺ was another horse without a rider. The student asked someone about this horse. He was informed that Nabi ﷺ came to take Shaykh away, and the horse was for him. By morning, the Shaykh had passed away. This dream was a glad tiding from Allah. To understand how he died a noble death, we must first look at how he lived a noble life. This inspiring dream was a reflection of his inspiring character, from which we can draw many lessons.
His childhood sacrifices
When he was a child, his whole family moved to Madinah Munawwarah. This was the desire of his father, who wanted to live there and pass away there. They endured great hardships. At times, they barely had enough food to feed the whole family, but they bore the struggle to stay in the city of Nabi ﷺ. His mother had fallen ill and his father was working to support the family. Shaykh Hussain رحمه اللّٰه would do the household chores and prepare food for the family. They had such little food and to ensure that everyone receives a portion, he would divide all the food equally between his siblings, leaving some behind for his parents.
His youngest brother Mahmood soon realised that there were no seconds to share – each child would receive only one small portion. As he was just a child, he would receive his portion first. Mahmood would quickly consume his food and before Shaykh could eat he would ask for more, but there was no more to share. Therefore, he would give him his own portion. To ward off hunger, he would then tie a stone to his stomach. Shaykh Hussain رحمه اللّٰه was only a young boy himself at the time but he had been endowed with these qualities of selflessness and sacrifice. This act was in accordance to the Sunnah, as Nabi ﷺ would also tie a stone to his stomach for the same reason.
— Shaykh Dawood Seedat حفظه اللّٰه
Above is an extract from Shaykh’s talk on 8/7/19 in Masjid-ut-Taqwa, Pietermaritzburg. To listen to the full talk, please click here.
