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The following incident between Hadhrat Moulana Maseehullah Khan Rahmatullahi Alaihi and Hakeemul Ummah Moulana Ashraf Ali Thaanwi Rahmatullahi Alaihi is mentioned in ” For Friends”, the selected discourses of Hadhrat Moulana Muhammed Maseehullah Khan رحمة الله عليه
Hadhratwálá Rahimahullah (Moulana Ashraf Ali Thaanwi), used to say: “Do not place any faith in any person’s devotion to you; and do not feel offended at any person’s censure. In this age, praise and censure should be equal in your eyes.”
This was said in an age when there was still some degree of sincerity in people. What type of buzurg is he who gets elated when he is praised and feels now he is somebody? And when he is censured, he is offended. He stops speaking with the one who has criticised him and avoids meeting him.
What type of pious person is he? What type of buzurg is he? What type of Tahajjud-guzár is he? When he is praised, he becomes conceited and when he is censured, he nurtures hatred and malice in his heart! In this day and age, a person will praise you to the skies as long as he can make use of you.
The day he finds he cannot manipulate you, he starts castigating you, speaking ill of you.Now, tell me: what value would you set on such praise or such criticism? The following comments of Hadhratwálá appear very appropriate.At the time I was alone with Hadhratwálá On many such occasions, with nobody else present, Hadhratwáláa would come forth with breathtaking pearls of wisdom. “I wish to say something,” Hadhratwála said. “Yes, Hadhrat.” “See here: In this day and age no person is loyal and faithful (mu’taqid) to anyone else, except a few, má-sha-Allah.” Hadhratwala’s tone and expression was something special.”Each person is a devotee of his own self. As long as you pander to others, agreeing with their whims, talking softly and sweetly, people will express their devotion to you. The moment you say: ‘No. No, and people cannot make use of you, both affection and devotion vanish-muhabbat is gone and so is i’tiqad.” And this has been borne out by experience!
Hadhratwälä, then continued: “The thought that people will not speak ill of one is a delusion. Dear brother, if people spoke ill of a nabi, why would people not speak ill of a wall! And if there is nobody speaking ill of that person, then he is not a wali. It is impossible that a nabi should have people speaking ill of him, but a wali should have none to speak ill of him.”
