Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) told us,

“Once I was visiting the blessed city of Makkah. It was a very brief and private trip. No one was informed that I was here. It was the day of ‘ashura (10th Moharram)  and after dhur salah as I was leaving the haram shareef a person approached me and said that his Shaykh (a famous hadith scholar originally from Jawa, Indonesia, who had settled in haram) had sent him to bring me along to his residence. Being surprised at this unusual call I accompanied him to the Shaykh’s house. I already knew him and had recieved the permission (ijaza) to narrate hadith from him previously.

Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) greeted me with his usual affection and humbleness. After the introductory salutations I inquired that how did he come to know that I was visiting Makkah. He similed and told me that it was unnecessary to know this, however, more important was the reason he had called me.  He wanted to give me ijaza of a specific hadith, musalsal bil-‘ashura. A hadith whose permission is traditionally given by the scholars to their students on the day of the ‘ashura, as our master Prophet of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) told his companion this thing on the day of ‘ashura.

I was overjoyed to recieve this precious gift.”