(Source: As narrated by Shaikh Abdul Azeez Al-Uwayyid, a historian from Kuwait, in a YouTube video, and translated by Ustadh Sajid bin Shareef Al-Malibari. Only the most important portion in the video has been translated.)
Muhammad Yousuf Seedhi, was a Sikh who accepted Islam, and his family abandoned him for that.
He was a rich businessman, and he planned to start a center for studying and teaching The Quran.
In 1380 H, he travelled to Makkah, to get teachers. His travel coincided with Ramadan and on one night of Ramadan, the Imam of Masjid ul Haram, Shaikh Abduz Zahir Abu Samah, was on leave for Isha and Taraveeh prayers, due to some illness.
So the Imam of the silent prayers (Dhuhr and Asr) lead the Salah and he made many mistakes in his recitation, perhaps due to stage fear or some reasons, and Allah knows the best.
So Muhammad Yousuf Seedhi, thought that it was more necessary to start a Center for Quran in Makkah, he discussed with the Ulama and the businessesmen of Makkah and they agreed to his plan.
He returned to India and went to Kashmir, to meet some Ulama and students of knowledge. One of them was Shaikh Hafidh Khaleel-ur-Rehman Al-Qari who was only 23 then and was an excellent Qari.
The Shaikh Khaleel rejected initially as he wanted to continue his Talab-ul-Ilm and planned to go to Al-Azhar to seek knowledge. And he was nervous to teach in Makkah. So Muhammad Yousuf Seedhi spoke to him, and persuaded him, from Asr Salah that day to Fajr on the next day. And the Shaikh agreed at last and he travelled to Makkah and he established a Markaz with Muhammad Yousuf Seedhi and the assistance of the famous businessman Muhammad bin Laden.
Later, this Markaz was shifted to Madinah. The branches of this Markaz, Jamiyyat Al-Khairiyyat Li-Tahaffuz Al-Quran, spread throughout The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Shaikh Khaleel was born in Kashmir in 1940 CE, and he learnt from the Ulama of Kashmir, Quran and other Islamic Sciences.
When he met Shaikh ibn Baaz Rahimahullah, he asked his name, and he replied ‘Khaleel-ur-Rehman bin Abdur Rahman’, so the Shaikh said (correcting him),”No you are Khaleel bin Abdur Rahman”.
[ Shaikh Ibn Baaz perhaps didn’t like the name Khaleel-ur-Rehman(close friend of Ar-Rahman) and considered such a name self praise, hence he named him only ‘Khaleel'(friend)]
And in the span of time, Shaikh Khaleel, started many institutions in Saudi Arabia,and other countries. He spent 53 years teaching the quran in Masjid An-Nabawi.
And Allah blessed him to witness, before his death,that many of his students became Imams at the Haramain (Makkah and Madinah). Some of them were, Muhammad Subayyil, Ali Jabir, Muhammad Ayyub and his own sons Ahmad Al-Qari and Muhammad Khaleel.And a lot of Imams of other Masaajid and other centers around the world.
Shaikh Muhammad Ayyub, was with Shaikh Khaleel since he was 12 years old and Shaikh Khaleel raised him and brought him up till he became the Imam of Masjid An-Nabawi in 1401.
Whenever Shaikh Khaleel, travelled abroad he would listen to the recitations of Muhammad Ayyub or any of his other students and correct them and pray for their good by calling them.
Once an interview was conducted by Muhammad Ayyub and he was asked about the beginning of his relationship with The Quran. So he said that,”I memorized the Quran in the Masjid bin Laden in Makkah at the hands of Shaikh Khaleel”. Seeing this interview, the wealthy bin Laden family contacted Shaikh Khaleel to give him whatever he asked for. Shaikh Khaleel refused the offer by saying ‘Alhamdulillah whatever Allah gave me is sufficient for me’. Upon their persuasion Shaikh Khaleel took the help of that family to establish another institute of the Quran.
Once the former president of Pakistan, General Zia-ul-Haq, did Umrah and prayed behind Shaikh Ali Jabir in Masjid ul Haram in Makkah. After the Salah he greeted the Imam and asked him about his teachers,’Who taught you the Quran?’. He said ‘Shaikh Khaleel Al-Qari’.
Then Zia-ul-Haq went to Madina and met Shaikh Khaleel and requested him to supervise a Madrasa of Quran in Pakistan.The Shaikh Khaleel agreed to that and the President brought a vast land in Islamabad (the capital of Pakistan) close to the Jamiah Malik Faisal Mosque and the center was established.
Shaikh Umar Fullata, an Aalim in Madinah, met Shaikh Khaleel and said that many a times many of our students in Jamiyyah Islamia Madinah recite the Quran nicely in the exams,so we’d ask them where did you learn the Quran, and all of them would answer ‘Shaikh Khaleel’.
Once an Ameer(Prince) called Saud bin Muhammad bin Abdul Azeez met Shaikh Khaleel, and requested him to be an Imam in the palace of Malik Khalid Rahimahullah, who was the ruler of Saudi Arabia at that time. But Shaikh Khaleel refused and he said that, he would send one of his students Ali Jabir, who later on became the Imam of Masjid ul Haram in Makkah.
Shaikh Hassan bin Abdullah Aalus-Shaikh was the education minister in Saudi Arabia, he was very fond of Shaikh Khaleel, and he once said that, ” Shaikh Khaleel you have filled our country with light, with your projects of The Quran (establishing Quran centers)”, whatever project you want to start I am ready to fund you.
Shaikh Khaleel Al-Qari said that the best and one of the most virtuous thing that the education minister,Hassan bin Abdullah, did was that, he made it a rule that whenever there were two(or more) candidates competing for a particular post, the one who had memorized more Quran and would recite it better would be given a preference(and be selected). Ans this is from honouring the Quran.
Shaikh Khaleel passed away on the 23rd of Dhul Hijjah 1439.
We ask Allah to expand his grave and forgive him and grant him and his students Jannat-ul-Firdaws, and we also ask Allah to grant Jannah to all those who assisted him in his endeavours towards memorization and preservation of the Quran.
(Everyting except for the last paragraph is from the video referenced above).
-Shaikh Abdul Azeez Al-Uwaiyyid.
Saheehus-Seerah 