KHALA JAAN ---- FIRST DEATH ANNIVERSARY---- APRIL 8, 2013

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 13^th 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!