THE WORK OF DAWAH IS OUR OWN WORK
Maulana Ilyas had not undertaken the service of
Faith as a “national cause”, the burden of providing the funds for which fell
wholly upon the nation or the community, but as a personal affair and felt no
hesitation in spending all he had on it. He believed that a person should
perform a religious task as his own and expend his time and money freely in its
way.
Once a person presented a purse to him with
the request that he used it, exclusively, for his own needs. The Maulana
replied, “If we do not regard Allah’s work our own, how can we claim to be His
bondmen ?“ With a sigh, he added, “Alas! We are not the just appreciators
of the sacred Prophet. We do not know his true worth.”
This was the Maulana’s rule of life. First of
all, he spent from his own pocket on the religious endeavor he had launched in
Mewat, and, then, alone, would accept help from others.