July 1928
It was this same month of July. (Hazrat Thanwi passed away in July 1943 AD.) Ohh! This same month, which fifteen years later rent asunder the heart and mind! It was the beginning of the month; a date right at the beginning. Perhaps it was even the night of the 30th of June. A small caravan of three musaafirs travelling from Saharanpur on the Shahdarah train, disembarked at ten ‘o clock at the old station of Thanabawan.
The leader of the caravan was the Shaikhul Hadeeth of Deoband, Moulana Husain Ahmad Saheb [Madani], whilst the remaining two consisted of Moulana Abdul Baari Nadwi (Ustaad of Jaami’ah Uthmaaniyah Hyderabad, Deccan) and this one, blacklisted in his Book of Deeds; editor of Sach, director of Hamdard Delhi and president of the Khilaafat Committee of Owdh State.
Before proceeding to unravel the story of the long and meandering stages of this journey, it is appropriate to cast a glance at the background of this safar, and furthermore, register in the mind the reasons for this caravan disembarking [at Thanabawan]. This may take up some time, but the time will not go wasted Insha Allah.
