When his teacher was unfairly arrested by the British, he went to the police station and surrendered himself. They were puzzled, as they had not sent an arrest warrant for him. He explained that he wanted to opt for voluntary imprisonment with his Shaykh, who was old and needed assistance. He desired to assist him, for his shaykh was none other than Shaykhul Hind, Mahmud Al-Hasan رحمه اللّٰه. To be imprisoned with such a sage could only be described as an imprisonment of the body but a complete liberation of the soul.
Despite the confinement he knew the great extent to which he could learn, benefit and serve. He gave preference to this over freedom, a choice many of us would struggle to comprehend, as we have become accustomed to giving preference to worldly benefits over the hereafter. It is no wonder that though our bodies are free, our hearts remain imprisoned in distress. It is only in struggle, sacrifice and striving for Allah that hearts can be freed, which Shaykh displayed throughout his life. We cannot follow suit but we can become inspired to do the little we are capable of. The British accepted his request and both Shuyookh were sent together to Malta for imprisonment.
They were detained under severe conditions. The taps were filled with only cold water, they were deprived of the simple luxury of hot water. Shaykh would wake up early in the night and fill a leather bag with water. He would place the bag on his thighs and then crouch over it, until the bag was nestled between his stomach and thighs. Of course, that didn’t heat the water but it did make it slightly less cold. He remained in this posture the entire night until his Shaykh woke up for Tahajjud Salah. His Shaykh would then use this water for whudu. This was just one way, from the many ways that he served his Shaykh. Eventually, when they were released from prison, Shaykhul Hind mentioned that Shaykh Hussain رحمه اللّٰه served me more than a son could serve his own father. Upon his release, he became involved in every work of Deen, especially politics. He received criticism and insults for working so diversely but this never deterred him. He never retaliated. This too was Sunnah, for Nabi ﷺ never responded to verbal abuse nor did Nabi ﷺ retaliate.
— 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.
