After making mention of Hadrat [Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi]’s (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) written works, which number almost a thousand, a person asked him, ‘‘you have authored these many works; you’ve probably studied thousands of books?’’ Mawlana replied, ‘‘Yes, I have read a few books, the names of which are:

  • Haji Imdad Allah (may Allah shower His mercy upon him)
  • Hadrat Mawlana Ya‘qub Nanautwi (may Allah shower His mercy upon him)
  • Hadrat Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (may Allah shower His mercy upon him)

These books have made me independent of all other books.’’

Majalis-e-Hakim al-Ummat, pp. 103-104 (Karachi: Darul Isha‘at) compiled by Mawlana Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ Usmani