When he left India, his teachers instructed him to continue teaching. He was a senior muhadith blessed with both profound knowledge and piety. In that era, there were many classes and circles of knowledge in Masjid Nabawi. Shaykh joined them and began teaching. He was the only non-Arab teacher from India, teaching Arabs ahaadith written in Arabic. Nonetheless, his class quickly became the most popular class in Masjid Nabawi. Other senior teachers of Madina Munawwarah also flocked to his class, leaving their own classes behind. He would never accept a salary for teaching.
His father was building their house but sometimes the labourers would not come to work. At times, his father would then send one of his brothers to him, asking him to come home and assist in carrying bricks and making cement. Immediately, he would leave his lesson and see to his father’s request. He never considered it below him to switch from the muhadith of his era, to a labourer. This remarkable quality of humility is from the Sunnah. Nabi ﷺ also carried bricks and dug the trench with the Sahaaba رضي اللّٰه عنهم. Despite being the greatest Prophet to grace this earth, Nabi ﷺ never considered it below himself to be a labourer. Unfortunate is the case for anyone who, in this day and age, shies away from mundane activities out of pride and arrogance.
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.
