## Jamia Sittaria Faiz-ur-Rahim: A Beacon of Knowledge and SpiritualityIn the lap of the scholarly and spiritual tradition of the Indian subcontinent, there shines a luminous institution that has been serving the Ummah for nearly a century through a beautiful synthesis of knowledge and practice, Shariah and Tariqah, education and character-building. This is Jamia Sittaria Faiz-ur-Rahim, whose foundation was laid on 15 Shawwal 1352 AH, corresponding to 12 February 1933 CE. The construction of this magnificent institution was blessed by the collective efforts of three extraordinary personalities: the inspiration, Qutb-e-Alam Hazrat Maulana Shah Abdul Rahim Sahib Raipuri (may Allah have mercy on him); the driving force, Qutb-e-Alam Hazrat Maulana Shah Abdul Qadir Sahib Raipuri (may Allah have mercy on him); and the founder, Sheikh-e-Tariqat Hazrat Shah Hafiz Abdul Sattar Sahib Nanakvi (may Allah have mercy on him), who was a duly authorized deputy of Hazrat Shah Maulana Abdul Qadir Sahib Raipuri. Hazrat Shah Hafiz Abdul Sattar Nanakvi was a God-fearing saint, a Sufi ascetic, a divine scholar, a spiritual pole of his time, and an undisputed personality of his era. He was one whose prayers were always accepted, and every supplication of his found acceptance in the Divine Court. His spiritual unveilings and miracles were well-known, and through the blessings of his prayers, Allah Almighty guided countless lost souls to the light of guidance. The number of his disciples, devotees, and admirers in this region is beyond counting. People would find spiritual tranquility in his gatherings and considered his company the greatest capital of their lives. Today, Jamia Sittaria stands as a living testament to his intellectual and spiritual legacy. Its patronage is entrusted to the Majlis-e-Shura (Jamia Sittaria Faiz-ur-Rahim Educational Society, Registered), and its supervision is graced by giants of knowledge and virtue, including Hazrat Maulana Mufti Habibur Rahman Sahib, Grand Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband; Hazrat Maulana Syed Muhammad Aqil Sahib, Sheikh-ul-Hadith of Jamia Mazahir-ul-Uloom Saharanpur; Pir Ji Hazrat Hafiz Hussain Ahmad Sahib Burdwavi, member of the Muslim Personal Law Board; and the honorable Hazrat Al-Haj Qari Muhammad Arif Sahib Qasimi of Welcome, Delhi. These are the personalities under whose blessed gaze and guidance the Jamia continues its scholarly and spiritual journey.In terms of its scope and services, Jamia Sittaria presents the vision of a complete religious state. It has 435 sponsored students, 22 teachers, and 12 other employees. The M.I.F. Inter College, managed by the Jamia, has 1,630 students, 31 teachers, and 6 other employees. The total number of students in both institutions is 2,065, which stands as clear evidence of the magnitude and influence of this great scholarly center. Additionally, 116 buildings, rooms, and classrooms bear witness to the grandeur of this institution. This great institution has fifteen departments: the Department of Quranic Memorization with nine grades, the Department of Tajweed, the Department of Arabic and Persian up to the seventh year, the Department of Modern Sciences with Religious Studies, the Department of Publication and Distribution, the Department of Organization and Development, the Department of Kitchen, the Department of Accounts, the Association for the Reform of Expression (for oratory and journalism), the Department of Vocational Training (Electrical and Computer), a Library containing approximately ten thousand curricular and extra-curricular books, the Sittaria Dispensary, the Department of Dawah and Tabligh, the M.I.F. Inter College which, in view of modern requirements, provides a balanced system of modern sciences from class one to intermediate along with religious education under the supervision of the Jamia, and the Qadriyya Sittaria Khanqah, under which spiritual reformation and training sessions are held, benefiting both the elite and the common people. In the current year, the number of graduates from Arabic and Persian is 78, from Quranic memorization is 28, and from M.I.F. High School and Intermediate is 394, which is a bright testament to the institution's scholarly output.The greatness of Jamia Sittaria can also be gauged from the fact that the renowned Islamic thinker, Hazrat Maulana Ali Mian Nadwi (may Allah have mercy on him), personally visited it and penned his praise. He wrote: "I had the honor of visiting Jamia Sittaria Faiz-ur-Rahim in Nanak Gund Yora, which is associated with our master's master, the Knower of Allah, Hazrat Shah Abdul Rahim Sahib. There, some students recited the first lesson of Mizan-us-Sarf, and Arabic education began in the Jamia. I regret that due to busyness and weakness, I could not spend more time here. I only had the honor of visiting, which is a source of dignity and joy. May Allah grant progress to this madrasa, Ameen." Furthermore, on the occasion of the foundation stone laying of Dar-ul-Hadith, prominent scholars including Hazrat Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, Rector of Darul Uloom Deoband; Hazrat Maulana Syed Muhammad Aqil Sahib, Sheikh-ul-Hadith of Jamia Mazahir-ul-Uloom Saharanpur; and Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Saeedi Sahib, Nazim of Jamia Mazahir-ul-Uloom Waqf Saharanpur, recorded their observations. At the Educational Awakening Conference, Hazrat Maulana Khalilur Rahman Sajjad Nomani expressed his views and observations. Additionally, the great religious leaders who graced the Jamia with their presence include Qutb-e-Alam Hazrat Shah Maulana Abdul Qadir Sahib Raipuri, Sheikh-ul-Islam Hazrat Maulana Syed Hussain Ahmad Madani, Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Zakariya Sahib, former Sheikh-ul-Hadith of Jamia Mazahir-ul-Uloom Saharanpur, the Islamic thinker Hazrat Maulana Syed Abul Hasan Ali Mian Nadwi, Hakim-ul-Islam Hazrat Maulana Qari Muhammad Tayyib Sahib, Hazrat Maulana Qari Syed Siddique Ahmad Bandwi, Hazrat Maulana Mufti Mahmood-ul-Hasan Gangohi, Hazrat Maulana Mufti Muzffar Hussain, Hazrat Maulana Syed As'ad Madani, Hazrat Maulana Syed Arshad Madani, Hazrat Maulana Mufti Abdul Qayyum, Khatib-ul-Islam Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Salim, Hazrat Maulana Qari Muhammad Usman Mansoorpuri, Hazrat Maulana Syed Muhammad Salman, Hazrat Maulana Shaukat Ali Bastwi, and Hazrat Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahim Mujaddidi. The arrival of these great personalities is a clear testimony to the scholarly and spiritual significance of this institution.This great institution is a scholarly and spiritual empire whose foundation was laid by a genius like Hazrat Shah Hafiz Abdul Sattar Nanakvi, whose patronage includes luminaries of knowledge and virtue, whose departments encompass every aspect of scholarly and spiritual life, whose scholarly output is enviable, whose leaders of religion have blessed it with their gaze, whose administrators are sincere, and whose financial condition is commendable. Jamia Sittaria Faiz-ur-Rahim continues its founder's mission with the same sincerity, steadfastness, and devotion, and under the supervision of Hazrat Maulana Atiq-ur-Rahman Nanakvi, it continues its scholarly, spiritual, educational, and reformative journey with success. This institution is not merely an educational center but a beacon of thought and action, knowledge and mysticism, and Shariah and Tariqah. Every wall of this institution carries the fragrance of its great founder's prayers, and every student is the custodian of this spiritual grace. Surely, this institution will continue to carry forward the chain of knowledge and guidance, and will remain a source of intellectual and moral guidance for the Muslim Ummah, Insha'Allah.