Edhi: A Hero of Islamic Altruism
The beloved and internationally acclaimed humanitarian called “Maulana Edhi” and “Angel of Mercy”1 by those he cared for returned to the mercy of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) on Friday, July 9th, 20162 at the age of eighty-eight in Karachi, Pakistan. To the orphans, widows, homeless, victims of natural disasters, and those cast away and forgotten by the world in which we live, he was a saint.
Abdul Sattar Edhi, was born in 19283 in Gujrat, India to a family from the respected Memon tribe.4 At a young age, Edhi’s mother was afflicted with paralysis and mental illness. The experience of caring for her: cleaning, bathing, changing her clothes and feeding her, left an indelible impression on the young man and inspired him to pursue his calling and vocation of caring for the needy.5
Edhi, who is often mentioned in the same breath as Mother Theresa,6 dedicated his entire life to the service of others. An emigrant to the nascent and newly formed nation of Pakistan in 1947, Edhi worked for a few years before establishing the Edhi Trust in 1952, which featured the jhoolas project, by which people could leave their unwanted babies to be cared for by the Edhi Foundation.7
Aided by the stewardship of his wife, Bilquis Edhi, Edhi Sahib’s foundation operates ambulance services, nursing homes, orphanages, clinics and women’s shelters, rehabilitation centers and soup kitchens.8 The Edhi Foundation has responded to international humanitarian emergencies in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe and America after Hurricane Katrina. 9
In the Holy Quran, Allah describes the righteous as those who “give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive. [Saying], "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude.” (Al-Quran, 76:8). These verses were the embodiment of Edhi’s ethos. As Edhi Sahib stated: “Huqquq Allah [The rights of Allah] is meaningless without Huqquq-ul-ibaad [The rights of man]. The latter is not possible without compassion and self-help. Islam is not implementable without submission to these two qualities, without them, there can be no practice.”10
Edhi’s ambulances are ubiquitous in a country plagued by frequent tragedies. They frequently arrive on the scene of emergencies before government agencies can respond.11 The unique effectiveness and efficiency of Edhi’s foundation was punctuated by Edhi’s unwavering idealism. As Edhi stated to the BBC, “"It is everyone's responsibility to take care of others, that's what being human means. If more people thought that way, so many problems could be solved.” 12
Shaikh Shibli once said that a “Faqir is one who is rich with nothing but God.” 13 This was Edhi. Neither Edhi nor his wife collected a salary from The Edhi Foundation’s coffers.14 Edhi Sahib had “just two sets of clothes, [and] slept in a windowless room of white tiles adjoining the office of his charitable foundation. Sparsely equipped, it had just one bed, a sink and a hotplate.” 15 As he told NPR in a 2009 interview, “"I saw people lying on the pavement," he recalls. "The flu had spread in Karachi, and there was no one to treat them. So I set up benches and got medical students to volunteer. I was penniless and begged for donations on the street. And people gave. I bought this 8-by-8 room to start my work."16
Edhi’s numerous awards are testament to his legacy of philanthropy. During his life, Edhi Sahib was honored with 11 national awards and numerous international accolades. 17 He was referred to by The Huffington Post as perhaps the “world’s greatest living humanitarian” 18 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times, an award that he was again nominated for in 2016. He was also the subject of an award-winning 2013 documentary entitled “These Birds Walk.” 19 Edhi Sahib did not care much for the spotlight, however.
Edhi’s importance transcended national boundaries. In an age when the message of Islam has been consistently distorted in the media by violence, oppression and terrorism, Edhi provided an alternative, positive narrative. Edhi Sahib represented the best qualities of Islam. Altruism. Humanitarianism. Compassion for the needy and helpless. He was a beacon of hope in a sea of despair; a role-model and hero to many.
Edhi "propagated a concept that Sufi saints had already preached. That preaching was essentially based on a way of life and the alleviation of pain and hunger. The humanitarian traditions of Sufism spread Islam in the Subcontinent, and Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Muslims were equal before God. The inspiration derived from Sufi character was an advantage to our faith, and the tolerant refined image of Islam was the ideal that was accepted." 20
Edhi’s final words were "Meray mulk k ghareebo ka khiyal rakhna" (take care of the poor people).21 To his dua, let us respond: “Ameen.” May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) grant Abdul Sattar Edhi the highest ranks in paradise, and solace to his family. Ameen.
1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/09/pakistan-philanthropist-abdul-sattar-edhi-angel-of-mercy-dies-aged-88
2. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/legendary-pakistani-social-worker-abdul-sattar-edhi-dies/
3. https://edhi.org/index.php/founder
4. In Abdul Sattar Edhi’s autobiography, he writes that the term Memon derivates from the word “Momin”, meaning “true believer.” Edhi: A Mirror To The Blind, p. 23.
5. https://edhi.org/index.php/founder
6. http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/07/08/485279862/abdul-sattar-edhi-known-as-pakistans-mother-teresa-dies-at-88
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilquis_Edhi
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Sattar_Edhi
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Sattar_Edhi.
10. Edhi: A Mirror To The Blind, page 84.
11. http://www.dawn.com/news/1267583
12. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36752208
13. The Kashful Mahjub (Unveiling the Veiled), by Syed Ali bin Uthman al-Hujweri
14. https://edhi.org/index.php/founder
15. http://www.dawn.com/news/1267583
16. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111102319
17. http://edhi.org/index.php/about-us/awards/international-awards
18. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/abdul-sattar-edhi_n_3223839.html
19. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2130282/
20. Edhi: A Mirror To The Blind, page 319.
21. https://twitter.com/EdhiAbdulSattar/status/751488276364664832/photo/1