Shaykh Muḥammad Taqī ad-Dīn al-Hilālī (d. 1407 AH/1987 CE) ؒ
My companion and I were transferred to teach in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām in Mecca. Indeed, teaching in the Sacred Mosque of Mecca is a tremendous trial for the teacher. It often occurs that you will find a teacher, well known for his knowledge and virtue, seated teaching in the Grand Mosque with a gathering of no more than ten people. At the same time, you may find another teacher, lesser in renown or knowledge than the first, surrounded by hundreds of listeners attending his lesson. These affairs unfold in accordance with what Allah has decreed for each person.
This is comparable to the situation of shopkeepers: one shop is frequented by many customers and generates trade, while the neighbouring shop, despite offering the same goods or even better merchandise, remains inactive and receives no customers.
As for myself, I was among those upon whom Allah bestowed His favour, and all praise belongs to Allah alone. Hundreds of people would attend my lessons in front of Bāb Ibrāhīm. I do not know the precise reason for this, except that I used to speak in language understood by people from different regions of the Arab world. In contrast, the limited attendance at the lessons of some other teachers was due to their use of a local dialect that was only understood by a specific group of people.
References
Muḥammad Taqī ad-Dīn al-Hilālī, Ad-Daʿwah ilā Allah fī Aqṭār Mukhtalifah, section “Teaching in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām”, electronic text p. 243.
