It was time for Namaaz. Hazrat himself performed the Namaaz. It was his practice to be the Imaam. He used to say: “By the Imaam changing over and over again the orderliness of the Jamaat is disrupted.”
His habit was to read slightly long Qiraat during Fajr, for example Surah Dahr and Surah Munaafiqoon.
I had just had the pleasure of experiencing his captivating looks. Now I gauged his captivating voice, and a cry was sounded from Ghaalib’s anthology:
وہ جنتِ نگاہ یہ فردوسِ گوش ہے!
That is heaven for the eyes; this is paradise for the ears!
Tajweed is an independent subject. To express the standard in this subject is the prerogative of the experts in this science. Here, I am only mentioning the captivating and gripping tone.
This lay person had the opportunity in his life to listen to excellent Qaaris of Hindustan, Arabia and Egypt. I openly congratulated some famous and less famous experts in this field. I was deeply touched by some as well. But such a gripping tone and such a beautiful voice, I never heard before!
It appeared that every word was emanating from a state-of-the-art apparatus. In spite of that, the tune was simple and without difficulty. One did not get the impression that he was pushing his Qiraat according to the rules of the art. It clearly appeared that it was a natural tone and an instinctive tune.
I am very weak and listless when it comes to standing long in Salaah. It was the miracle of this Qiraat of Ashraf that I did not get tired. In fact, my heart desired to listen to more. The Qiraat was complete, and I sighed for more.
