Allama Khalid Masud, Life, Work, Influence.
[Hassan Ilyas] It must be in your knowledge
that Janab Khalid Masud Sahib
his death anniversary just passed by
Moulana Amina Ahsan Islahi Sahab's
he was counted among one of his best students
A big part your youth and your life as well
has been spent with him
both of you had the honor to seek knowledge from the same Ustad
so tell us about Khalid Masud Sahab
Generally
not a lot of people know about him
about his personality
about his scholarly work
the relationship that he had with Maulana Ahsan Islahi's thought
When did you get acquainted with him?
and what was his own relationship with Maulana's thought?
and what were his contributions and writings?
please throw some light on this
[Javed Ahmed Ghamidi] This is our misfortune that
people do not get acquainted with the scholars very much
I
have said this before as well
that
Maulana Hanif Nadvi
was a scholar of an extraordinary level
he has done a lot of work
I got to meet him as well quite often
but the news of his passing away
reached me after many days
that is, in the corner of a newspaper
that news was hidden
we were unable to know
even our media does not have knowledge about them
artists, singers, actors
become the subject of news immediately
but the scholars of such status never become the subject in that way
Recently we have talked about
about Professor Yasin Mazhar Sidiqqi Sahib
at present however
because of social media
we come to know about a lot of things immediately
Earlier we were not able to know so easily
Khalid Masud Sahib was a great scholar
the time when Maulana Amina Ahsan Islahi
was in Jamat-e-Islahi
so in the last days
in fact after that
He made this effort
that along with some young people
to directly give education in Deen
that they must become scholars of Deen
and they should be such people
who have acquired modern education
so the jamaat that he started
on that occasion
among them the most prominent
if any person was there
then it was Khalid Masud Sahib
I have seen him in that period also
when we used to view from a distance
Maulana Amina Ahsan Islahi and his students
He used to be
in that entire group
of his students
as if he was the chief of the group
everyone used to respect him a lot
and honor him a lot
The first chance when I got to hear him
was at that time
when in the Quran Academy
he was teaching Arabic language
He used to teach Asbaq un nahw
and in that he had a unique style
of teaching his pupils
later I got to know him through his works
If you look, then
Ustaz Imam had
in the beginning
had translated many writings of Imam Farahi
such as ar-rai'hus saheeh man hua zabih
such as aqsam ul Quran
such as the last Surats of Quran-e-Majeed
which have been published by the name of Majmua' Tafseer e Farahi
This work
if someone has
carried this work forward in Pakistan
then it was Khalid Masud Sahib
Many of his writings
you will see
He used to write frequently on Misaaq
where somewhere he is explaining
or somewhere he is completing something
like he worked a lot on Asaaleeb al Quran (”Styles of the Quran”)
The way in which tauziihaati Farahi
was recently published
and there are many other things
which have been written by him
and in this way
as it were `
that work of Iman Farahi
that which is
either in the form of manuscript
or it is so that they are such books
which were not written as books
and people do not gain from them in this manner
He tried to make them easily accessible
and for urdu speaking people
He expressed them in a very good diction
He used to write in simple language
and that language
used to have the power of communication
He has lived his life as a great scholar
whenever I met him
with his piety
with his devoutness
with his sincerity
I was greatly influenced
that is, we people were
very junior to him
He was
among those students of Maulana Amina Ahsan Islahi
that it can be said that
the entire Tadabbur e Quran
used to come to him
and when Maulana used to write
I'm not aware about his time in Lahore
because I was introduced to Maulana Amina Ahsan Islahi
at that time
when he had gone to Rehmanabad
So at the time
two or three times
I myself brought the manuscript from there
in which Maulana had advised that
it must be dellvered to Khalid Masud Sahib
So he used to read the entire manuscript
then after that
he used to even keep his own view before Maulana
if an important research was to be done
and if Maulana did not have the articles
or books there
then usually he used to do it
so in a way
when we were introduced to Maulana Amina Ahsan Islahi
then also we used to get to know that
it was Khalid Masud Sahib
was among one of his greatest students
the entire period that I saw
he always used to sit by the right hand of Maulana
and not only he used to explain Maulana's work to other people
the lessons that used to happen there
where he used to teach
in that too
if you took part
then that lesson was by a great expositor of this thought
that is he used to,
Imam Farahis's works
and of Tadabbur-i Qur'an's author also
not only he used to understand them
but to a large extent
those things had become an experience of his
the kind of relation that he had
He, from the position of a great scholar
who viewed things very critically
he was an exegete of of this thought
whenever we got the chance to listen to him
we have heard his speeches
we have heard his conversations as well
in the same way we have read his works as well
His final big work
is Hayat e Rasul e Ummi
He started this series of work
so at that tiime
I was unable to fathom that he would be able to work on the entire biography
but Allah ta'la gave him the strength
and inspite of the fact that
that in the last stage of his life
he fell sick
but this book was completed
and in his life probably
as far as I remember
it got published as well
This is a big opus of his
among biographical books
this is a very distinguished book
in this there are many important aspects of Seerah
on which you will find
new angles of research
You will find a new style of thinking
Until now
people have
on an actual basis
have neither seen the book
and nor has it been analyzed in this manner
and nor have people been ready to understand it that way
but when they will read it
then they will have the idea
(differences or agreement is a different thing)
so in that he has
on some very important aspects
he has given his opinion
and he has explained them
if you say this
that
after Ustaz Imam
who has the right to be his succesor
then it is only deserved by him
that is, he was on a real basis
our elder
and we
after Maulana
we used to look up to him
and I am from among those
many students sitting in Maulana's majalis
I am among those sitting in the last rows
and for me the way in which
the kind of position that Ustaz Imam had
in the same way for Khalid Masud Sahib as well
he was our elder
older than us
He had a very special relationship with Maulana
He in a way
held the position of the representative of Maulana
and with this position only
with this trust
he passed away from this world
and whatever are his writings
they are a very valuable treasure
In our society, the students should read this
his life should be studied
the kind of stagee that he went through
the kind of life that he lived
that too is a great model for people
I have seen him in the last stage of his sickness
He was an excellent role model of patience and gratitude
and if you had any conversation with him
even if there is a matter of difference or agreements
so in that too
the patience and wisdom
with which he used to talk
it is for all those people
it is a lesson
that those who not only acquire knowledge
but along with that
also how that knowledge should manifest in biography and character
That is also to be kept in view
Many such occasions also came up
in which there were diagreements
and conversations also took place on it
but on every occasion
I saw him as an extremely good-natured person
of Maulana himself
about one of the sections
his opinion on the arrangement of Surahs
in which he has not viewed Surah e Kaaf
in that manner in which Khalid Masud Sahib has stated it
so he wrote that
and he also came to me
and we had a lot of discussion on it as well
my point of view was different from the Maulana as well as him
but in spite of all these things
we realized that
all of us
while respecting each other
and while keeping each other's honor intact
we agree
as well as disagree
So he lived the life of a noble man
He was a great role model for us
He was a big scholar
and the respect that I have for him in my heart
is something only I know
[Hassan] One more thing, Ghamidi Saab
that I want you to talk about
We see that usually
different people who are intelligent and skilled
they are inspired by some big personalities
by some big ideas
and after that inspiration
it has been generally seen that
that because they possess extraordinary capabilities
so they
in their being
they rather than joining one focused mission
or by keeping a focused purpose before them
instead of that
their is an all encompassing style
they are researching in different things as well
What I want to ask you is that
while keeping Khalid Masud Sahib's example before him
in our society
even today there will be many people
who with different ideas
with devoutness
consider some things to be correct rationally
and they want to work in the society
then with respect to doing work
what is that guidance
that we find in Khalid Masud Sahib's life?
[Ghamidi] I will draw attention toward two things
one is that
his extraordinary single-mindedness
that is, I saw in him that
whatever his relationship would be established
I'm not a witness of that time
when he used to study from Maulana Amina Ahsan Islahi in the start
That time also had some other elders
for instance, there was Majid Khawar Sahib
He has also made great contributions
He created Faaraan Foundation
and Maulana Amina Ahsan Islahi's writings
he prepared them for publication
You can see that
in Tadabbur i Qur'an's prefaces
he has been mentioned at many places
In the same way there was Abdullah Sahib
There was Subhani Sahib
in the same way there Saeed Sahib
so there were many people
who benefited from him
and in fact among them
there was a big name
of Qiani Sahib
who have translated the first two volumes of Tadabbur i Qur'an
into English
so in this entire group
if you look then
he used to hold the rank of a guide
but
he also continued his service
for a long time he did his job
He has also written on some scientific things as well
He has some writings on it
so in a different field of knowledge as well
he has given both educational and intellectual services
however
with this invitation
with this school of thought
and with Ustad Imam himself
the kind of relation of single-mindedness
the relation of sincerity that he had
It is a very big model
so this devoutness which
this is not any comparison
Allah ta'la has
see,
what a compliment he has bestowed on
Syedna Ibrahim (A,S.)
that he was Muslim e Hanif
there was not even a deviation
so whatever I have
witnessed of his life as well
and it is obvious
that in the last stage of his life
I got the chance to visit and sit with him
I also got the chance to listen to him
and there have been stages of disagreements and agreements
but I never saw this
that in him
not even of a small degree
there was never any lack in this devoutness
that is, whatever was his mission
the thing which he understood to be right
the person he got acquainted to
It wasn't that he did not used to disagree
that is, he has upon many occasions
disagreed with some of the interpretations of Maulana Amina Ahsan Islahi
but
it is obvious that
in a manner that a student
disagrees with his illustrious teacher
in a respectful way
in a honorable way
in a scholarly way
so his devoutness
and second thing is this
that in the matter of knowledge
a sincerity and love of truth of an extreme level
this is not an easy thing
that if you look closely
if you study his very own Hayat e Rasul e Ummi
then you will at many places
you will find some researches
if you read with a critical eye
that in which, if he has reached to a conclusion
then he did not see this
that in this what is the opinion of Ustaz Imam or of others
so he was
by all means
a scholarly person
the way a scholar should be
and I believe that
for all of us who are students
in this respect
he was also a role model
that a man
when he gets acquainted with a Dawah
or when he adopts a special subject of knowledge
if he specializes in it
then what kind of devoutness he must possess
and how sincere he should be
for that work!