Amroha is a land which has been associated with the spiritual personalities even before the advent of Syed Husain Sharafuddin Shahvilayat (RA) who came to this city on 30th June 1272. It is said that Amroha is a town which has mystic souls resting on all the corners of it rather safeguarding the inhabitants of this small place. This town has given towering personalities to every walk of life be it literature, poetry, entertainment, and above all the spiritually elevated personality.
It was on 2nd of Zilhija 1347 hijri (12th May 1929 AD) when a child was born in the house of Syed Ahmed sahib, in Mohalla Shafatpota of Amroha city. This child was having extreme thirst for knowledge and this made him to travel to Lucknow in the year 1945 as a student in Jamia Nazamia. He was a studious student who has been the one liked by all the student and the teacher alike. This was the reason that this student of Jamia Nazamia was offered to be a teacher in the same institution where he was taking education just in the 6th year of his taking admission in this institution. This is all about the introduction to the towering and spirituality elevated personality of Allama Syed Mohammad Shakir Naqvi Amrohvi (RA) popularly known as Maulana Shakir. He continued to be the student of Jamia Nazamia and also took classes which he was made responsible for.
Allama Syed Mohammad Shakir Naqvi Amrohvi (RA) wrote his first article on veil (parda), which was duly printed in the July month of 1955 in the then popular magazine Payame Islam, which was appreciated far and wide. There was no turning back in his life since the publication of his first article. He never capped his pen and remained a seldom writer for the publications like Alwaiz, Islah, Sarfaraz, etc as he used to say that he is writing for knowledge not for fame or money. It was not only articles which have shown his might with the pen, but he has numerous books which have been authentic proof of his strength to use the ink of his pen as the blood of his heart. A book which is a testimony of his writing skills and ability which was a reply to the book authored by Mulla Sadaruddin Shirazi—Al-Zafarut Ali Al-Tafarut. This book is an argumentation with Mulla Shirazi which he had presented in his book, through logical and authentic proves which Maulana Shakir has written with his divine knowledge.
He was not a regular poet but he has written many couplets which are the telltale of his par excellence ability to write poetry. In a couplet he has written:
DAMAN BACHA BACHA KE, GUZARI HAI ZINDAGI,
KATON KO MERI BAAT YEHI NAGAWAR HAI.
This couplet is an evidence that Maulana Shakir was not only a teacher who was teaching theology or a writer penning books and other material but he was a philosopher who has understood the life within the depth and has experienced all which a person should in his lifetime to finally understand what really life is all about. People with the abilities much less to him would have been taking to the highest position in this materialist world to which he rejected always. He was offered the Principle ship of Jamia Nazamia which he rejected saying that he was not capable for that post, as he was still in the process of learning. His personality and his way of life was entirely different to that off a person of today, who have nothing within themselves but wants other people should respect them. Maulana Shakir had a decent lifestyle which can be resulted from this gesture of his to be noble and down to earth. He had respect for all and had never been seen to wait for others to pay salutation to him, he would be the first person to pay his salutation on to others be it his younger or elder. This gesture of his marks his immense love and respect for the people who came into his contact.
Maulana Shakir was master of not only Urdu or Arabic language but he was proficient in English language also. It was in the year 1974 when Mr. (Late) Ali Sadiq Naqvi went to Lucknow and one day happened to visit Maulana Shakir. When the two met Maulana Shakir knowing the reading abilities of Ali Sadiq saheb referred a book which had been written by D. F. Karaka. This book–Then Came Hazrat Ali–is autobiography of D. F. Karaka who was editor of Blitz newspaper which was published from Bombay. While discussing on the book Maulana Firoz Haider saheb also came in and disclosed his miracle which happened with him after he had read the extracts from the book which was guided by Maulana Shakir to him. Learning was the slave to this quiet and humble person who was never seen talking in pitched vocal speech.
He was a decent orator who had been regularly visiting different places on the eve of Muharram for reciting majalis. He is treated beyond the limits of Allama in many places. I was surprised to come in contact to the people of Aurangabad while having tea in a hotel. While discussing on a religious topic I was asked to disclose my hometown to which I replied as Amroha. The other person said that they respect a Maulana who has been reciting majalis in their hometown for more than 20 years and regard him to be the most learned spiritual personality in the whole world and if all permit then they may proclaim him to be the living Aalim.
His simplicity was his jewel which will keep on shining in the hearts of the people who have come in contact to his spirituality elevated personality even once in his lifetime. Here I would like to quote an incident, once at late night Maulana Shakir was walking home in Amroha. He was seen be a young boy who tried to fetch a rickshaw for him. Being the wee hours of night none was to be seen, but a motorcycle approached in the mean time. This young boy asked the driver to help Maulana in getting to his home to which Maulana refused saying to the driver, “I cannot repay your kind help to me ever, and thus I would walk home on my own”. This was the respect which he carried for his younger generations.
‘All the living thing will have to taste the bitterness of Death’, Holy Quran, a statement which is the truth beyond anything, snatched the kind and noble personality of Maulana Shakir from amongst us on 13th Shabaan 1433 hijri 4th July 2012. His soul has been transported from this mortal world to that immortal world but he will be living in the books which he has penned, in his students who are on responsible posts around the globe, in the hearts of the people who have interacted with him and in his grave which is in the Imambara of Mohalla Shafatpota, Amroha.
By: Nadeem Naqvi