A Reflection from Imam Abdullah, Imam Masjid Umar, Gloucester

“Indeed to Allah we belong and to Him we return”

We just received the sad news of Hazrat Mawlana Moosa Kholwadia Saḥib’s passing on.
*Mawlana Moosa is the father of Hafiz Ibrahim and Shaykh Mohammed Amin Kholwadia, Darul Qasim, Chicago – (May Allah grant him ʿāfiyah and enable us to benefit from him)*

We would like to pay condolences to his family and close ones in this difficult time.

يَذْهَبُ اَلصَّالِحُونَ اَلْأَوَّلُ فَالْأَوَّلُ , وَتَبْقَى حُفَالَةٌ, كَحُفَالَةِ اَلشَّعِيرِ وَالتَّمْرِ, لَا يُبَالِيهِمْ اَللَّه بَالَهُ

“The pious men will depart one after another, the dregs of people, like the sediment of barley and dates will remain; Allah will not care for them (raise them in value and esteem).”

He was an extraordinary man and walī of Allah ﷻ.

May Allah ﷻ elevate his ranks in the ākhirah, make every stage easy for him, reward him for his efforts for Dīn and his ṣabr in illness, and reward his children and their families for all the effort and Khidmah (service) they did for him, amīn.

He was blessed with the most amazing family who we had the privilege to know close-up. They will reap the fruits of this service to their (grand)father in this life and in the hereafter, inshaAllah.

Maulana Moosa (may Allah bestow His mercy upon him) was one of the final students of the great Shaykh, leader, and teacher of Arabs and non-Arabs in Masjid Nabwi: Mawlana Husain Ahmed Madani (may Allah bestow His mercy upon him), and from a select few who lived so long. He had been serving the Gloucester Muslim community for over six decades since his arrival from India in the 1940’s.

Whenever I visit him with my father, Mawlana Moosa thanked us for visiting him, is generous with his duʿā’s and then asks me to recite a few Aḥādīth (statements of Rasūl Allah ﷺ) to him and the tears are clearly visible in his eyes, it is such a beautiful sight, the love for the words of Rasoolullah ﷺ. If only we had an ounce of that love.

He had reached his 90’s and was dependent on others for assistance, for even (what we consider) the most trivial of actions, like standing and walking, etc. Yet whenever asked about how he felt and how his health was, his reply would be: “Alhamdulillah! Allah has still allowed me to use my tongue for his remembrance.” I would think to myself: WOW! What a man. What a reply!

He had surely reached the highest position a Muslim can have in this world, especially when in the type of condition he was in: Raḍā bi al-Qaḍā (contentment and happiness with the decision of Allah). May Allah ﷻ also grant us the same contentment with Allah ﷻ and his decree. Not a word of complaint to anybody. True patience.

His memory served him well until his old age. Just the day before his major stroke, my father visited him and asked to recite all the Kalimas (testifications) and small surahs, which he did with ease. Every time we visit, we would test him, and he would ask us to recite Aḥādīth to him. This level of retention shows the importance of memorization in a person’s youth and the fruits of being a Hafiz of the Qur’an.

I recall a Hadith he used to love for us to recite to him:

من أحب لقاء الله أحب الله لقائ

“Whoever desires to meet Allah, Allah also desires to meet him.”

At the mention of this Hadith, he would break down in tears, visibly shaken, trembling with the reality of these words. I have seen very few people, ʿUlamāʾ, Shuyūkh or not, with so much love for the words of Rasūlullah ﷺ.

This was an elderly man who had surpassed 90, with so much desire and love to learn the words of our beloved Messenger ﷺ. I was dumbfounded at his love, really. What excuse do we have for being so lazy? For not wanting to learn Dīn, not wanting to make sacrifices to better ourselves.

He would often visit Dewsbury Markaz upon the instruction of Marḥūm Hafiz Patel saḥāb (Allah bestow His mercy upon him), and would also spend time at IDA, Leicester at the request of Mawlana Saleem Dhorat saḥāb (dāmat barakatuhū). He was loved by both layman and ‘Ulāmaʾ; a true people’s person.

May Allah reward all his children and grandchildren, who I know spent a considerable amount of time at his service, knowing this service and assistance of theirs will be their salvation in the hereafter. Amīn.

Also make dua for the other ill persons, and the pious saints of Gloucester, especially the likes of Mawlana Ebrahim Qazi sāḥib, Amīr sāḥib Ismail Bham and Hafiz Norat sāḥib, amongst others. It is their presence and their piety which attracts Allah’s mercy and why he doesn’t yet punish us for our misdeeds.

*I would recommend every person who reads this to attend the janaza salah of this pious saint, maybe Allah will shower some mercy on us just for attending his funeral.*

Janazah Salah details:
*Monday 31st October*
*1:45pm*
*Coney Hill Cemetery*
InshaAllah

May Allah have mercy on all of our Shuyūkh who have passed and grant them the loftiest of places on Jannah. Those who are still with us, may he protect them, grant them ʿāfiyah, lengthen their shadows over us and enable us to make the most of them in their lives. Amīn.

Abdullah, Imam Masjid Umar, Gloucester
October 30, 2016