No Nightingale did ever chaunt …!

Written on the demise of

Ustaaz Wahiddun Khan (1925-2021)

Darkness has descended! The atmosphere has become bleak and gloomy. A sun that dazzled for almost a century on the horizons of this decadent ummah has set. But what a unique rendezvous with destiny: its radiance will continue to enlighten minds, warm hearts and stir souls.

Wahid Uddin Khan was a man with a mission. He was a prolific author, a prodigious preacher and a voracious reader. He travelled for the sake of learning and penned rare insights. His writings and speeches bear ample testimony to his astonishing commitment to personality development. He was a sincere seeker of the truth. Simplicity was his unique trademark. Humility came naturally to him. Positive thinking was personified in him. He was a paragon of peace and the originator of the famous “Hudaybiyah Principle.”

Yes, he had numerous qualities of head and heart. However, one sterling trait of this sage stands out: his incredible concern for humankind. If anyone wants to see sympathy, compassion and concern in flesh and blood, he just needs to glance through the life of this amazing person.

A voice that beckoned humanity to return to humanity has gone silent. Wordsworth may once again rise up to say:

A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard

In spring-time from the cuckoo bird

Breaking the silence of the seas

Among the furthest Hebrides

Let this lone voice now become a crescendo. Let it strike more chords! Let more strings reverberate and resound with the message of a reformer who has now returned to his creator. Farewell, sire!

No nightingale did ever chaunt

More welcome notes to weary bands!

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