more than 18000 inspiring speeches, a world record so far. His memory isunforgettable. Our benefactor and spiritual guide, Maulana Okarvi, left this mortalworld for his heavenly abode on the morning of the 24th of April, 1984, whileengaged in sending
Durood
and
Salaam
to his beloved Hazrat MuhammadMustafa
(Sallal Laahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam). In-naa Lil-Laahi Wa ln-naa llaihi Raaji'oon
(To Al-Laah we belong and to Him we return).The news of his sudden departure brought tears to the eyes of an unaccountablyvast number of people and the Sunni Musalmaans of South Africa were stunned.The passing away of this commander of the caravan of the Ahle Sunnat was noordinary tragedy. He was the greatest asset of the Ahle Sunnat Wa Jamna’at; hewas an honour to the world of Ahle Sunnat.Even his opponents were forced to accept his greatness and his steadfastness.His very name used to send tremors through the chambers of falsehood.Ghulaam Khan, a Wahaabi
aalim
of Rawalpindi (Pakistan). Openly admitted,"had a great personality like Maulana Okarvi been present in the fold of Deoband. All Pakistanis would have embraced the creed", and the saying of Allamah Sayyid Ahmad Sa'eed Kaazimi, an Imaam of the Ahle Sunnat, thatbecause of his special traits, "Maulana Okarvi was envied by all the world," is atrue testimony to his greatness.After him, other
'Ulama
from Pakistan and India began to come to South Africabut none of them was able to leave the imprint of his footsteps like he had done.The magic of the attractive style, the bewitching sonorousness, the mode of address which went right to the heart, and the sweetness of tone, the awesomeof personality, the simplicity, the softness and the vastness and the depth of hisspeech; all were exclusive to Maulana Okarvi. Whatever problem it was that hehad not unraveled and whatever aspect it was that went unexplained by him! Hewas, undoubtedly, a model to be followed.Eyes were searching for some one like him to reopen the chapter left unfinishedby him. Ears were thirsting to hear somebody with his-traits, with a glimpse of him. Nobody can be a replacement of somebody else, and Maulana Okarvi was,even otherwise, an incomparable saint.Haaji Yoosuf Husain Mansoor, a resident of South African city of Piet Retief, wasvery near to, and a great admirer of, my revered Hazrat Maulana Okarvi. His son,Haashim Mansoor, was madly in love with him. He had heard Hazrat MaulanaOkarvi repeating this sentence: "You have seen me. You should see and hear Kaukab."Everybody knew that "Kaukab" was the eldest son of Hazrat MaulanaMuhammad Shafee' Okarvi
('Alaihir-Rahmatu war-Ridwaan),
Yet nobody had asyet seen him and everybody wanted to invite him to South Africa. Who knew thathe would come here when our revered Hazrat would be no more in this world?
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