KARACHI:
The passing month of Ramazan reminded us of the importance of charity; and the towering personality who dedicated his entire life towards this cause is Abdul Sattar Edhi. He was born on 28 February in a middle-class Memon family and migrated from Kathiawar in Gujarat (India) to Karachi. In fact, Edhi was a village where he spent his childhood. He grew up playing in the streets of his village with no interest in formal education. His mother, Gurba, was averse to keeping anything and distributed amongst the needy. This very habit of hers carved Edhi’s life in such a way that he kept nothing to himself.
From his early age he wanted to be independent and not rely on his father’s income. Therefore, he began working as a street hawker selling pencils and match boxes. Even from that small income he used to save a few coins. In 1951, Edhi opened a dispensary in Mithadar neighbourhood of Karachi and gradually, donations started pouring in which enabled him to expand.
A turning point came in his life when he had to take his mother to the hospital in a rikshaw. At that time, Karachi only had one ambulance which belonged to the Red Crescent organisation. He vowed to provide an ambulance service to the people of Karachi and started with only one ambulance. Today It is the largest volunteer ambulance service network in the world. Edhi was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on several occasions.
One lone person, sincere to his cause, managed multiple humanitarian activities with his team of volunteers. He firmly believed in huqooq-ul-ibad being the sixth pillars of Islam, and that the preceding five are meaningless without his duty towards mankind. Abdul Sattar Edhi’s life restored our faith in humanity and became a source of inspiration. He passed away peacefully on July 8, 2016. May his soul rest in peace!
Haris Aqil
Islamabad
