Professor Sanaullah Khan of Aligarh University

Abu Said ibni Abu Fadalah Ansari radiyalaahu anhu narrates: I heard  Rasulullah sallalaahu alayhi wassallam saying: When Allah will assemble men in the Day of Reckoning, a day about which there is no doubt, a crier will call out: If anyone did a deed for Allah's sake and then associated someone else in that deed, he can seek his reward from him whom he partnered with Allah, for Allah is the One who is Self-Sufficing and has no need of partners. (Tirmidhi)

This writing is reproduced from an article by Ittehad Ummat with some additions and amendments. 

When Professor Sanaullah Khan was  a student, he used to spend his time in jamaat doing the effort of dakwah and tabligh. In those days, his parents were angry with him, thinking as a concerned parents usually do, that their son was neglecting his studies by spending his time with jamaat of dakwah and tabligh. Thus, they decided to send him to France for further studies.

When indeed he was sent to France, he could hardly find any masjid there. He then tried to find any Muslim but he could hardly find anyone recognisable since nobody from among the Muslims there followed the sunnah as their way of life. But a true dai'e would never step back even in the adverse circumstances and in the middle of the ocean of non-believers. He finally found some Muslims but he was astonished to hear that they prayed Jumaat (Friday) solaah on Sundays on the excuse or pretext that Sunday was a holiday and everyone could attend it.

He then began to deliver the true messages of Islam in France and was able to bring back many namesake Muslims back to the way of life taught by Islam and also many non-believers to the fold of Islam. Many Muslims there, including even the Arab Muslims were found to have abandoned the path of Islam and were inter-religiously married to non-Muslims. A Muslim husband who is married to a Christian wife ended up living in the same way as his Christian wife in a godless environment.

Alhamdulillah, now France is the land where even jamaats of 1 year travelled there from to other countries for dakwah and tabligh effort and there are more than 1,000 masjids now in the country known as modern "haute couture" of fashion. Once a 4-months French jamaat came to a masjid nearby my house and a new Muslim revert was among them. He asked me whether I know Arabic, to which  I answered in the negative. Then he asked me how would I be able to understand the Quran if I do not know any Arabic. I told  him that I read the meanings through a translated Quran in English. He told me that I would understand Quran better only in Arabic. He then told me that as soon as he became a Muslim, he first learnt Arabic. Subhanallah! May Allah bless him and give me taufiq to learn Arabic. Since then, I have started some Arabic lessons.

The amir of France, Sheikh Yunus, always mentioned in his many discourses and bayan, the story of how he had been introduced to the effort of dakwah and tabligh by Professor Sanaullah Khan then.

May Allah grants a long lasting lives to these dai'e of Allah for the service to Islam and for much more great benefits to the Ummah.

Aamin.

End of article

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When I was travelling in 4-months khuruuj in the path of Allah to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in 2000, I was very excited to meet two brothers from among the French jamaats in Raiwind Markaz. Being an ardent fan of French football, I foolishly diverted them to the topic of football though visibly they wisely looked like they care nothing about football. Anyway, I lured them to talk about the past French football greats like Platini, Tigana and Girese during our brief conversation. One of them asked me if I had heard of Nicholas Anelka. Indeed, I heard of Anelka. He told me back then that Nicholas Anelka had embraced Islam and had been attending dakwah and tabligh gatherings at the markaz in France. It was a delightful news to hear. A few years later news came about scores of other French footballers who came into the fold of Islam - Frank Ribery, Eric Abidal and so on.

As I briefly mentioned earlier, I had an opportunity to meet and hear a fiery  discourse or bayaan delivered in person by Sheikh Yunus, the amir of France, when I traveled to Germany for 4 months khuruuj in the path of Allah. He looked very young and energetic for a person of his age. There was hardly any grey hair on his slightly long hair and heavy beard. It was obvious that  our brothers in Europe, particularly in Germany, have a high respect of him and held him dearly.


The story of Sayyidina Tufayl bin Amr Ad-Dausi radiyalaahu anhu came to mind. He met Rasulullah sallalaahu alayhi wassalam and embraced Islam in Makkah in the fourth year that Rasulullah sallalaahu alayhi wassalam was granted nubuwwah (prophethood) by Allah Ta'ala. He then returned to his people, the Daus tribe, to make the effort of dakwah. The effort of dakwah that he made towards his people demanded great patience and perseverance on his part as for a long time, only a handful of his people accepted his call. It had taken him about 16 years of hardwork as it was not until the 7th Hijri that he arrived in Madinah in migration together with 70-80 families from the Daus tribe. And among them was Sayiddina Abu Hurayrah radiyalaahu anhu, the father of hadith, who had given and will continue to give tremendous benefits to the Muslims until the Day of Judgement. Most Muslims know Sayidinna Abu Hurayrah radiyalaahu anhu by name, but very few Muslims had ever heard of Sayyidina Tufayl bin Amr Ad-Dausi radiyalaahu anhu.


Today we hear great many recent stories and news that Islam is now busy establishing itself in the West; indeed, it is the fastest-growing religion in the West, and certainly in France. But only a handful of people ever heard of Professor Sanaullah Khan. Truly, Allah Ta'ala is the doer, He safeguard and establish His Deen in accordance to and to what extent the effort of dakwah and tabligh is being carried out with patience and perseverance by the adherents of His beloved Rasul sallalaahu alayhi wassalam . May Allah Ta'ala chooses and accepts us all to be a part of the blessed effort.