The Educational Legacy of Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadwi (RA)

Summary: Six Key Lessons

1. Hard Work Over Heritage: Don’t rely on family background alone build yourself through personal effort and continuous learning
2. Complete Submission to Mentors: Find a guide and submit yourself completely to their training and advice
3. Dedicate Life to Service: Choose service to religion over worldly positions and material gains
4. Create a Lasting Legacy: Invest in students and produce work that will benefit generations
5. Make Big Intentions: Determine from today to dedicate your life to Allah’s service
6. Lead with Patience and Moderation: Handle all situations with forbearance, tolerance, and balanced approach

The gathering at Jamia Islamia Bhatkal was unique in its nature. It was not just another memorial program it was a student-led initiative where young scholars presented research papers on different aspects of Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadwi’s life. The students worked hard under the supervision of their teachers, preparing detailed papers that highlighted various dimensions of Maulana’s personality and contributions.

Maulana Abdul Aleem Khateeb Nadwi, speaking at this program, emphasized that the purpose of such gatherings goes beyond mere remembrance. The real objective is to learn from Maulana’s life and apply those lessons to our own lives. How can we benefit from his teachings, his thoughts, his feelings, and his noble character? How can we decorate our lives with the light of his example?

Lesson One: The Power of Hard Work Over Inheritance

Coming from a Distinguished Family

Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadwi belonged to an extremely distinguished family the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Religious and scholarly heritage had been flowing through his family for centuries. He grew up in the shadow of people who were scholars, spiritual guides, thinkers, and authors. His environment was filled with knowledge, wisdom, and deep Islamic learning.

Yet He Did Not Rely on His Family Name

Despite this privileged background, the first and most important achievement of Maulana’s life was that he worked hard to build himself. He did not simply rest on his family’s reputation or inherited status. This is the biggest message we must take from his life.

Even though he grew up surrounded by great scholars, researchers, and thinkers, Maulana made a conscious decision to develop himself through personal effort. For this purpose, he did two things: he worked extremely hard, and he studied extensively.

“Maulvi Mutala’a” – The Reading Scholar

If you study Maulana’s educational life and many research papers presented in the morning session covered this you will find that he worked so hard and read so much that people started calling him “Maulvi Mutala’a” (The Reading Scholar). He would read constantly, study endlessly, and work tirelessly to improve himself.

This teaches us a fundamental truth: greatness comes from hard work, effort, and struggle. Family background, religious environment, and scholarly surroundings alone cannot make someone great. These things are helpful, but they must be combined with personal effort and dedication.

When these two elements come together good environment and personal hard work it becomes “light upon light.” A person can reach heights that an ordinary person would find very difficult to achieve.

Lesson Two: Complete Submission to One’s Mentor

The Key to Success

The second thing Maulana did to build himself was that he completely submitted himself to his elders and mentors. In life, having a successful guide and mentor is the greatest sign of success itself.

Maulana was fortunate that he found such mentors within his own family his maternal uncle, Maulana Abdul Ali (RA), and above all, the great Islamic scholar Maulana Ali Miyan (RA), who became his teacher, guide, spiritual mentor, and everything else.

Erasing Himself Completely

The remarkable thing about Maulana Rabey was how completely he erased his own identity in the presence of his teacher. You cannot even imagine the level of his submission.

Maulana Abdul Aleem Khateeb shared from personal experience: “When we were students at Nadwa, we often saw Maulana Rabey accompanying Maulana Ali Miyan when he visited Bhatkal. At that time, Maulana Rabey already held a very high position he was the Secretary (Muhtamim) of Nadwa, author of several books, General Secretary of Rabita Adab Islami, and had a great reputation in India’s scholarly circles.

Yet when he came with Maulana Ali Miyan, it seemed as if Maulana Rabey had no personal identity at all. He would hide himself so completely that we cannot even imagine it. Even though he was a great scholar in his own right, in the presence of his teacher, he made himself invisible.”

A Two-Way Respect

What’s even more beautiful is that Maulana Ali Miyan, despite being the teacher, guide, and spiritual mentor, would consult his student his nephew, Maulana Rabey on various matters. Even though Maulana Ali Miyan was the head of Jamia Nadwa, whenever administrative responsibilities came up, he would often say to others: “Consult with Maulana Rabey. Take advice from him.”

Even the administrators of the Jamia, despite Maulana Ali Miyan’s presence, would frequently consult Maulana Rabey. Yet Maulana Rabey kept himself so lowered and hidden that his own personality did not appear in any way.

Invisible Service

Those who were students at Nadwa during that time remember that when people would come to serve Maulana Ali Miyan, Maulana Rabey would disappear into the background. If anyone came to do some service, Maulana Rabey would not allow them to serve him. He would completely hide himself.

Similarly, those who saw Maulana during the month of Ramadan remember that he would stay at Nadwa as if he had no status at all just like an ordinary person. He would wait for even the smallest indication from Maulana Ali Miyan. Whatever advice or instruction came, he would simply act upon it. He never did anything according to his own will.

The Secret of His Rise

This was the secret of his progress: he made his life completely subservient to his mentor. He stayed in his teacher’s training in such a way that it was as if he absorbed his teacher’s personality. Internally, he transferred all of his teacher’s inner qualities, feelings, and thoughts into his own heart and soul.

The result? When Maulana Ali Miyan passed away, Maulana Rabey was not the head of Muslim Personal Law Board at that time, nor was he leading any major organization. But gradually, steadily, all the responsibilities that Maulana Ali Miyan carried began to transfer to Maulana Rabey. The qualities transferred, the feelings transferred, the thoughts transferred until it was as if he had become the reflection of his teacher.

This was Maulana’s excellence that he made himself completely subservient to his elders, kept himself under their advice, and surrendered his opinions, feelings, thoughts, and ideas before them.

The Law of Humility

There is a law in nature: the more you press down soil, the higher the plant grows from it. Similarly, the more Maulana lowered his personality, the more he tried to diminish himself, the more Allah elevated his personality after his teacher’s passing.

This is a message for us from Maulana’s life: we should also submit ourselves to someone in matters of knowledge, action, thought, and life. We should make someone our guide and mentor, and try to move forward under their guidance and leadership.

Lesson Three: Dedicating Life to the Service of Religion

Choosing Service Over Status

The third lesson we must take from Maulana’s life is that after completing his education, he dedicated himself to the service of religion, even though he had tremendous potential and capability.

He was a great Arabic language expert and a profound thinker. If he had wanted, he could have occupied prestigious positions. Doors were open for him at major universities. Big institutions in Arab countries had opportunities waiting for him. But he did not accept the material attractions of worldly life.

Staying in India, Serving Knowledge

Instead, he chose to remain in India, at Nadwatul Ulama, even though the salary was not very high at that time. He dedicated himself completely to teaching Islamic knowledge. He devoted himself so thoroughly to teaching that many generations received education from him.

If you look at just Jamia Islamia Bhatkal, you will find that approximately five or six generations have directly benefited from Maulana’s teaching. Our teachers, their teachers, their teachers’ teachers about five to six generations have directly studied under Maulana Rabey.

From this, you can imagine how completely he devoted himself to the cause of knowledge.

Seventy Years of Teaching

For approximately seventy years, Maulana remained connected to teaching. Even after becoming the Secretary (Nazim) of Nadwa, despite holding the highest administrative position and bearing immense responsibilities, the passion for teaching that was inside him, the desire to benefit others he never separated himself from teaching life.

Despite all his administrative duties, when teaching time arrived, he would immediately come to his place and students would gather. The teaching process would begin in such a way that it seemed this was his only occupation.

Personal Experience of His Teaching

Maulana Abdul Aleem shares from his own student days: “Alhamdulillah, I had the opportunity to study under Maulana for three years. In Fazilat-e-Awwal, we studied Seerat Ibn Hisham. In Fazilat-e-Thani, we studied Mukhtasar Sharah al-Arabi and the Qasida of Imru’ al-Qais. Then in Fikr-e-Islami as well, I had the opportunity to study for one year.

We always saw that as soon as his teaching hour began, he would be present at his place whether in the guest house or, if it wasn’t Fazilat time, in the mosque. Students would gather before him, and when he started his lesson, it seemed as if this was his only preoccupation, as if he had just finished studying and researching for this very moment.

There was a passion a desire to transfer this passion to his students as well. To transfer scholarly enthusiasm, scholarly taste to them. For this purpose, according to the capability Allah had given him, he would try to explain to students, try to transfer his taste, his thought, his passion to them.”

Lesson Four: Creating a Lasting Legacy Through Students

The Chain of Great Teachers

If you look carefully, you will notice something remarkable: from the time Maulana started teaching and his reputation began to spread at Nadwa, all the great teachers of Arabic literature who came after him whether at Nadwa itself or at major universities across India were all his students.

The great professors and teachers of Arabic in India’s various universities, the distinguished teachers in Nadwa’s branches they were all students of Maulana. He not only gave time to himself but also prepared a great team behind him, a legacy that continues to this day.

Today, whether it is Nadwa’s leadership or the leadership of other institutions, they are all in the hands of his students. This is the secret of Maulana’s success.

Books That Continue to Teach

Alongside teaching, Maulana also continued writing. How many books he authored! Whether it’s Mansoorat, Mu’allim al-Insha, Al-Adab al-Arabi, or Jazeeratul Arab these books are included in curricula. Thousands of students have already benefited from them, thousands continue to benefit today, and hopefully until the Day of Judgment, this chain of benefit will continue.

This is the nature of sincere work for Allah: when someone works with sincerity, when someone works trusting in Allah, Allah keeps their work alive. Allah gives blessing to their life and to their work, and Allah makes their good deeds continue forever.

Writing Until the Last Days

Similarly, through his articles in Arayed Taameer-e-Hayat and other magazines, Maulana remained consistently connected. Even in his last years—when he had crossed ninety years of age, when several illnesses had attacked him—Maulana continued writing, continued teaching, continued studying.

Even in his very last days, whenever he got an opportunity, he would not remain idle. Either he would be studying something, or writing articles himself, or dictating to others, or reviewing proofs, or listening to something from someone. In short, he kept himself immersed in knowledge.

Concern for Students Until the End

Even when his health was not cooperating, when students were present in his gathering, he wanted them to benefit somehow. He would speak to students about some scholarly matter or some practical matter.

He would especially tell students who were about to graduate those in their final years: “Dedicate four to five years after your graduation specifically to knowledge. This is what will serve you throughout your life.”

He would share from his own experience: “After graduating, I spent five years in such a dedicated way, completely devoted to knowledge, that those years continued to serve me until the very end.”

He would frequently tell students: “After graduation, don’t distance yourself from reading. Stay connected with teaching and read extensively. The capability you build in these few years, the maturity you gain its effects remain until the end of your life.”

This was Maulana’s common advice to students.

Lesson Five: Making Big Intentions for Service

Allah’s Door Is Always Open

We should also be concerned about this that we keep ourselves connected to study, connected to scholarly work. And we should make the intention from today that just as Maulana dedicated himself to religion, dedicated himself to serving students of religious knowledge, and applied his life to serving religion through various means we should learn this lesson from Maulana’s life and dedicate our lives to religion, insha’Allah.

If we make this intention from today and start praying to Allah for it, Allah will open paths for us. The services that Allah took from him, Allah will take similar services from us as well.

Allah’s door is never closed. The deficiency is in those who ask. The deficiency is in those who step forward. Even today, if someone steps forward, Allah is ready to accept them. Allah is ready to advance them. Allah is ready to take from them the work that is taken from revivers of faith and reformers.

The Message of This Gathering

We must make big intentions and big determinations. This is the very message of today’s gathering. This is the message of today’s efforts and struggles that we should try to color ourselves in Maulana’s color.

Lesson Six: Leadership Through Patience and Moderation

An Extraordinary Leader

Allah gave Maulana an extraordinary ability for leadership. He led institutions like Nadwatul Ulama and Muslim Personal Law Board. We cannot even imagine how Allah gave him such amazing forbearance, patience, and tolerance.

Because of these qualities, Allah gave him the opportunity to work with people of contradictory characteristics and contradictory ideas. During his time, various situations arose at Nadwa and at the Personal Law Board. But without becoming emotional, with his patience and forbearance, without letting feelings and ego dominate, he dealt with everything.

The result? All those conspiracies were defeated, and those institutions remained on their path of progress.

The Quality of Balance

This was Maulana’s distinctive quality: at every turn, he acted with tolerance and patience, and with moderation. There was moderation in his speech, moderation in his writing, moderation in his thought even in his relationships, there was moderation.

These were the very things that made Allah accept Maulana among all classes of people and through Maulana, Allah took great leadership.

Conclusion: Learning and Acting

Maulana Abdul Aleem concluded his speech with a heartfelt prayer: “Perhaps the time has become long. I pray to Allah that whatever opportunity He has given us to speak, may He give us the ability to act upon it. May He give you also the ability to act upon it.

And the program that is running today, may Allah not only make its good effects reach this region but spread throughout the entire world. Ameen.”

May Allah grant Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadwi the highest ranks in Paradise and enable us to follow his beautiful example. May the students of Jamia Islamia Bhatkal continue this noble tradition of learning, service, and dedication. Ameen.