Sometimes I wonder how so many
qualities could be present in an individual as there were in Khala
Jaan; Amatul Hafeez Khanum sahiba. Let’s think of different traits
an ideal Ahmadi Muslim woman ought to have! Some of these qualities
are as under:
- Love of Allah, His Prophet Muhammad, the Promised Messiah and the blessed Khulafa
- Due respect for the members of the Promised Messiah’s family
- Thirst for religious knowledge
- Passion for tableegh
- Serving jama’at with devotion
- Observance of purdah
- Sincere efforts for tarbiyyat and education of one’s children
- Looking after the comfort of one’s husband and children
- Fulfilling one’s responsibilities towards relatives and others
- Strengthening relationships and not breaking them or creating discords
- Loving all and nurturing rancour and malice towards none
- Humility with dignity
- Kindness towards the poor
- Hospitality
- Looking after one’s own health and moral, intellectual and spiritual growth
- Patience and perseverance
- Facing hard times with dignity and prayers
The list is long and unending. Khala
jaan possessed these qualities and many more. She developed these
traits with vigour and sincerity. She really was embodiment of a true
ideal sincere Ahmadi lady. She provided an excellent role model for
her family and all those who came into contact with her. This is
marvellous.
Nevertheless she could nurture and
promote her interests and develop her personality with active support
and cooperation of her husband (chacha jaan). The two led a
successful married life spread over half a century. They were blessed
with eight children who all turned into true and sincere devoted
ahmadis. Khala jaan spent most part of her life in Quetta. She would
move around in Quetta to pursue Lajna activities. When she was out
for jama’at work, she would properly arrange for food and other
requirements of her husband and children in her absence. But even if
there was some delay or any other problem sometime, the husband would
willingly and smilingly accept any difficulty and would not complain.
She moved to Lahore in early ninetees. In Lahore Khala jaan could go
around for Lajna work and social visits to relatives and
acquaintances with the support and cooperation of her husband who
would always most willingly provide her with ride in his little FX
Suzuki.
Chacha jaan was a decent noble person.
He was soft spoken. He was fond of tableegh. He was also happy in the
company of friends. He visited friends and welcomed guests. This
trait was common in both husband and wife. So they were an ideal
couple.
Khala jaan was one of those fortunate souls whose funeral prayer was led by Hazrat Amirul
Momineen Khalifatul Masih, the Fifth (ayedAllah) after Friday prayers. In his Friday sermon dated 13th
April, 2013 Hazoor comprehensively spoke about her qualities and prayed for
her and her children. Following is the link to the sermon in which Hazoor mentioned her. Her mention starts at 46.55 in the timeline of the video:
For the purposes of dua and to follow
instructions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to fondly remember one’s deceased
dear ones, I write down some reminisces from my personal experience.
While looking back over 36 years of
association as her son-in-law, I see her personality as a combination
of religious knowledge and practices and of fulfilment of essential
worldly obligations and requirements. Nevertheless her preference was
for religion and its needs. She strictly followed the principle laid
down by the Promised Messiah allehisalam that religion has priority
over worldly matters. Her knowledge of religious matters was deep.
She had derived this knowledge from original sources of Quran,
Ahadeeth, writings of the Promised Messiah and speeches and sermons
of blessed khulafa. She did not just acquire knowledge. She practised
what she learnt and she propagated what she thought was the best. She
was the central figure in her close family as well as in the larger
family. She had a large family to look after. It sometimes surprised
me how she could fulfil all her obligations both spiritual and
temporal with equal zeal and fervour.
It was treat to see her worshipping her
Creator. Her regularity and consistency in saying both obligatory and
voluntary prayers was phenomenal. No reason whatsoever would deter
her from offering her prayers on time and with due dedication. Even
when guests were there and it was time for some namaz, she would
just slip and go to some room to say her prayers. She would always
prefer to say prayers with proper ablution and to stand while
praying, even in her old age and during illness. It was her fear of
Allah that compelled her not to adopt easy course on flimsy grounds.
In old age and due to back problem, she could not prostrate, so she
would make proper arrangement over a chair placed in front of her to
offer prayers and do sijda. She would place a pillow and prayer mat
on the chair and would try to prostrate as far as possible. She was
all the time reminding her children to be regular in saying prayers
in time and in congregation. She would love to go to mosque for Jumma
prayers as far as it was possible. While in Quetta there was no
problem in going to mosque for Friday prayers because the mosque (now
long ago sealed by Government under pressure from Mullahs) was just
near her house. But since she moved to Lahore in in early ninetees,
she would go for Jumma prayers whenever someone could take her in
car. A day before her death on April 8, 2013, she went on wheel chair
for Jumma prayers at Baitul Fatuh mosque in London when only a day
earlier she had been discharged from hospital having been admitted
there for a number of days. She was very regular in Tahajjud prayer.
She had a long list of prayers. She would pray for jama’at, for
Hazoor and near and dear ones and far relatives and friends and
acquaintances live or dead and anyone who had requested her for
prayers. Apart from obligatory Ramazan fasts she would also often
offer voluntary, nafl fasts. If she alone was fasting in the house,
she would not prepare any extraordinary thing for iftar. But when
others were also fasting, more dishes were prepared for iftari.
Her love for Quran was extraordinary.
She remembered a large part of Quran by heart. She read Quran with
translation and with tafseer. She was also fond of imparting
knowledge about reading and understanding the Holy Book. Charity
begins at home. She would teach Quran to children at home. But she
would also encourage others to come to her to learn Quran. She would
be more than willing to go to houses of others, if so required, so as
to impart knowledge of Quran. In Lajna meetings she would teach Quran
and would be happy to do that. Very many ladies still meet her
daughters and tell them they had learnt Quran from Khala jee. She
also remembered a lot many prayers from Quran and ahadeeth and from
the Promised Messiah. He also remembered over 70 verses from
Qaseedah compliled by Hazrat Masihe Maood allisalam.
I remember well her fondness and
regularity in listening to the Friday sermon of Hazrat Khalifatul
Masih on MTA. She would bring forth her chair at the time of Khutba
and would listen to it and would require of everyone in the house to
listen to khutba.
She remembered a lot of instructions
given by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih, the Second raziAllah anho and would
try to follow them. Two of such instructions are promotion of Urdu in
our homes and regularly reading last two rukus of Bani Israel.
She was fond of reading Quran and
various jama’at books. She would regularly read Quran. I found
that almost always, a book would be under her study. She would keep
it on the side table or under her pillow and would read it whenever
possible during the day. She would regularly read Daily Al-Fazl.
She fervently loved Hazrat Khalifatul
Masih. Hazoor mentioned about this trait specifically in his khutba
and said that he had himself witnessed her enthusiasm and love for
khilafat. Hazoor also said that she had inculcated the same spirit in
her children. May this quality ever grow in her children and
generations.
Whenever in Rabwah, she would make it a
point to visit the noble ladies of the family of the Promised Messiah
allehisalam. This included Hazrat Ummul Momineen raziAllah anha,
Hazrat Nawab Mubaraka Begum Sahiba raziAllah anha, Hazrat Nawab Amtul
Hafeez Begum Sahiba razi Allah anha and the wives and daughters of
Hazrat Muslehe Maood raziAllah anho. She would take her daughters
with her so as to be blessed and would regularly request these
blessed ladies for prayers.
She had passion for tableegh. She gave
message of Ahmadiyyat to whomsoever she could. During her last days,
she was admitted in hospitals in U.K. In her broken English, she
would preach Islamic teachings to nurses and doctors.
She worked for jama’at Lajna work
always. She was eager to impart knowledge to whomsoever she could.
She would give best advice to anyone who came into contact with her.
She was well-wisher of all. She was fond of visiting relatives and
friends and would welcome guests at her home. The guests were served
properly within means. She would offer whatever was available in the
house. She did not believe in much of formalities. Simplicity was her
trait. She was also very particular about purdah and would advise
others too about the same.
She faced sufferings in life. She faced
them with courage, patience and dignity. Her life partner died
after a short illness in 2003. Dr. Mubeenul Haq Khan was his dear
son. He was the eldest and the ablest. He was a gem of a man, darling
of everyone in the family. His love for his parents and brothers and
sisters and all relatives was phenomenal. He was a person who cannot
be forgotten. His death in the year 2006, at the age of 52, was a
great tragedy in the family. Khala jaan was in shock but she faced
the tragedies in her old age with courage and patience. She loved
Allah a lot. These tragedies all the more brought her nearer to Allah
and she would spend most of her time in worshipping the Lord.
She had special love for the poor. Poor
ladies and servants felt comfortable in her company. They would
discuss their problems with her and she would try to redress their
grievances as far as she could.
She carried out her daily household
activities like cooking etc. with vigour. She also looked after her
own health. She would do exercise regularly and would walk in
the nearby park early in the morning.
She was a noble lady. The world would
be a better place if most people were like her. But probably really
sincere and good people are not in abundance.
May her soul rest in eternal peace. May
her status always rise in Paradise. May her children and generations
also tread on her foot-steps. Her ways were not easy. But then life
is not easy. It is with Allah’s fazal alone that one can lead life
like that of ideal people , as was Khala jaan”!
From Allah we have come and to Him we
would return!
