Volume 1 Letter 94

From: Hazrat Sheikh-ul-Hadith Sahib (May his secret be sanctified)

To: Al-Haj Muhammad Yakub Sahib, Bombay

Date: 26^th Sha’ban 1388/16^th November 1968

Most honourable and gracious Muhammad Yakub Sahib, may your radiance remain far-reaching.

After the sunnah greeting. Presently at Maghrib time, I received your letter. Before this, I have received numerous correspondences and this worthless-one replied directly to each one together with their respective acknowledgements. You toil so hard on my account, may almighty Allah reward you duly.

You penned the departure of the ship as being 14^th November, but according to the reports from Delhi and Iran the ship is due to sail on 11^th November. The day before yesterday I received a letter from dearest Yusuf from Tehran, he too writes that, the ship is scheduled to set sail on 11^th November and that the tickets have already been purchased. Further, he penned to arrive in Bombay within the week. Is it possible the ship of the 11^th is a different one to the one on the 14^th? The uncertainty arose as he wrote of buying tickets for the 11^th.

The reason for my disappointment is that it would have been ideal had he returned to London by air, as his companion did, he arrived back in London on 6^th November. Alternatively, the Pakistani Ambassador in Iran suggested taking the train via Pakistan, which meant he would have arrived in India a week before Ramadhan. I cannot imagine why he refused his counsel.

You penned that you intend to arrive at the harbour with Haji Dost Muhammad sahib and Haji Alauddin sahib and with their respective cars. May almighty Allah grant your friends an excellent recompense, and may he confer upon them a fitting reward in both worlds. Yusuf also informed in his letter that he is set to depart from Khurram.

It was sad to hear that no arrangement was made for Abdul-Qadeer, may almighty Allah facilitate him with his auspices. He previously informed me that he has managed to secure the rent, perhaps I misunderstood. Communicate to him my sunnah greetings.

Dearest In’am, Haroon, and moulana Muhammad Umar sahib arrived yesterday evening. At present, they have set off to attend an Ijtima near Saharanpur and expected to return by tomorrow, namely Monday evening. The day after there is an Ijtima near Thana Bhavan to attend, after that they will return to Delhi on Wednesday evening, inshallah. Further, last night Haji Ahmed Zamzami arrived, there are some Africans accompanying him. I expect they will all return together.

That is all. Salaam

Hazrat Sheikh-ul-Hadith Muhammad Zakariya Sahib

Dictated to Ismail Kacholwi

Evening of 26^th Sha’ban 1388