Hazrat took the three of us and walked about four paces from the courtyard of the Masjid where he sat down beneath the shelter which is in front of the sehdari [the veranda having three arches]. It is his practice to read his Sunnats here.
Now he turned to each one of us with exemplary character and with due consideration. Where do I now remember the finer points of his compassion and grace?! I remember just this much that he would repeatedly say: “Sit nicely; sit comfortably.”
I was choked with awe from the beginning. Every statement of grace and kindness moderated the excess in that condition of mine. Where did I have the courage to speak out of my own accord and say anything? It was a boon just to be able to respond to any question.
My lips were parched and tongue slightly stammering. I can only recall being in such awe and trepidation twice in my life. This was the first occasion whilst the second was the next year when I was in front of Mujaahid-A’zam, Shaikh Ahmad Sanoosi in Makkah Mu’azzamah.
[Shaikh Ahmad Sanoosi waged Jihaad against the French, Italian and British colonialists in North Africa. It is alleged that before abolishing the Khilaafat Kamal Ataturk offered him the Khilaafat which he declined, and he reiterated his support for Sultan Abdul Majeed.]
I came across this Awe for the Haq in the Mathnawi in regard to a poem about Hazrat Umar Faarooq (Radhiyallahu anhu):
ہیبتِ حق ست ایں از خلق نیست
ہیبتِ ایں مرد صاحبِ دَلق نیست
This is awe for the Haq, not for creation
It is not awe for this man with patched clothing
On these two occasions I understood somewhat the meaning of “Haibat-e-Haq”.
