Hajee Mahboob Kassim's parents were married in 1915 A.D. at Calcutta. For four years they had no children. His mother vowed to His Holiness Khwaja Syedna Moinuddin Hasan Chishti (R.A.) of Ajmer (d 633 A.H. / 1234 A.D.), the Patron Saint of the Indian subcontinent, "If you will pray to Allah Ta'ala and get for me atleast two sons and one daughter, then I shall hand over my eldest son to you." As a consequence of this prayer she was blessed with her first son Mahboob Kassim on Friday 26th March 1920 (5th Rajjab 1338 A.H.). This date fell during the annual Urs or Remembrance Days of this Saint. Thereafter she had three more sons and three daughters.
She did not hand over her first son according to her vow to the descendants of the Saint for training in Islamic Sufi spiritual life. His family were modern Muslims with English as their mother tongue. He was educated in English and Latin at St. Xavier's Collegiate School in Calcutta under Jesuit Priests and as a Boy Scout under the Church of Scotland.
He was not given any formal Islamic education. However, because of his mother's vow, from his very childhood he was always under the spiritual influence of this great Saint. The very mention of the name of this Saint immediately had very great effect upon him. As such he always had a very great leaning towards spiritualism and love for the distressed mankind. From the age of seven he kept all the Ramadan fasts and loved to perform the five times daily prayers.
Professionally, he was a shipping expert. He joined his father's business in 1937. He was the first Indian to be made Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, London; Fellow of the Royal Institute of Arbitrators, London; Commissioner for the Port of Calcutta; Member-Secretary, Transport, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI); founder of the Haldia Anchorage Subsidiary Port Scheme; representative of major maritime companies in worldwide arbitration; and Lecturer on Shipping Law and Practice at Narottam Morarjee Institute of Shipping at Calcutta for many years. He ran his own Shipping & Chartering business in Calcutta.
At the age of about 40 years by the Islamic calendar, he accidentally met a Chishti Saint, Khwaja Hajee Syed Musharafali Chishti, at Cuttack. He accepted him as his spiritual guide in March 1958. Six weeks later, Khwaja Musharafali introduced him to his spiritual guide, His Holiness Khwaja Diwan Syed Enayat Hussain Ali Khan Moini Chishti Tausi, a descendant of the Saint of Ajmer, who ordained Mahboob Kassim in 1958 as the Khalifa or "Spiritual Master" of the following Sufi schools:
- Chishti Nizami Tausi
- Qadri Razaki Barkati
- Chishti Sabari Mujaddadi
- Saharwardi
- Naqshbandi
Upon his ordination he was ordered to compile researches that would be beneficial for mankind. Some of the researches are:
- Destruction or Peace (1971)
- God Said : Let There Be Light - Oh Light ! Guide Us (1985)
- Musharaf-ul-Mahboobin (1985 in Urdu)
- Muhammad in World Scriptures (1989 in English & Urdu)
- "Talaq", "Talaq", "Talaq" In the light of the Quran & Hadis (1992 in Urdu)
He was a great philanthropist and a reputed leader of the Islamic world. He was Founder-member and President of several not-for-profit trusts and social welfare organizations, prominent among them being the Kalanga Bazar Educational Trust and the Karra Society for Rural Action.
Last but not least, he was a perfect family man. He was married in 1939 to a wondefully loving and highly spiritual lady, and had seven children and several grandchildren. He took great care of his six younger brothers and sisters and their families. He was a wonderful son, a devoted husband, a perfect father and a very loving grandfather.
Step by step, comma by comma, he followed in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and established perfect observance of all the Sunnah and Shariah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). His humility, his innate joyfulness and his dedication to prayer, to the needy, and to his family, endeared him to everyone who had the good fortune of meeting him.
Hajee Mahboob Kassim passed away on 9th December 2000 (12th Ramadan 1422 AH).
This website is a humble tribute to Hajee Mahboob Kassim and to the mission of his life - to serve the Creator through worship, and to serve His creation through spreading knowledge of Islam and doing good deeds. It is a small attempt to record for posterity the teachings of this great friend and servant of Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'ala.
In the words of Hajee Mahboob Kassim:
"The Good God, Almighty and Kind
Make this a blessing for mankind."
Insha'Allah, Ameen Thumma Ameen.
No comments:
Post a Comment