Guardian Angels
in Shahida’s World
By C. Naseer Ahmad
Washington, DC
Shahida
and her guardian angels |
Countless times
during the day believers recite: “All Praise
belongs to Allah, Lord of the Worlds - (The Opening
1:2)” Shahida’s world was a wonderful
world that existed not long ago.
This story is not just about the person of Shahida
Aziz but all those people who have proved to be
living and breathing angels existing in human form
on this planet we call the Earth. Shahida Aziz was
a name given to herself by a girl born 51 years
ago as Amtul Basir Aziz. She existed in a body deformed
by polio very early in her childhood that left her
paralyzed. She learned how to walk again and was
then stricken by scoliosis. One of these diseases
also took away her lung and a better half of the
other lung. As she got better and learned how to
drive and traveled overseas, an operation to correct
the spinal curvature left her paralyzed again and
confined to a wheel chair for twenty years. Ironically,
she died on Veterans (or Armistice) Day November
11, 2005 on a Friday just as the Jumma prayers were
to start.
“If I had been paralyzed for so long, I would
have committed suicide,” said Col Mohammad
Miskeen, one of her guardian angels – who
visited her every Friday to ensure that no one bothered
her. But even if Col Miskeen would not appear on
the scene Shahida could hold her own with a commanding
demeanor and artful use of the telephone. Though
her body finally succumbed to the constant battles
with disease, nothing could quench her feisty spirit.
In his condolence message to Shahida’s family,
Mr. Mowahid Hussain Shah, advisor to Punjab Chief
minister noted her “remarkable courage in
the face of adversity.”
Shahida Aziz saving
her meal for the birds |
Some would see
her physically challenged and agonized life as retribution
from God for her sins or those of her parents or
ancestors. But, those would be the unfortunate ones
paralyzed by their own human shortcomings such as
ignorance, hate and prejudice. Or it could be they
worship an angry and a petulant God.
In “As you Like It”, William Shakespeare
wrote, “All the world’s a stage, And
all the men and women merely players: They have
their exits and their entrances”. Nobody could
have scripted Shahida’s final acts and exit
better that the Maker who created Shakespeare himself.
A few days before her exit, Shahida gave away most
of her medical supplies to Dr. Mohammad Nazir, Assistant
Professor King Edward Medical College, Lahore, to
be donated to indigent patients. Dr. Nazir, like
many other doctors, made house calls for Shahida
and was reluctant to accept these supplies. Some
time in the recent past, she also gave away all
the cash she had to her friend Dr. Kauser –
to feed the needy, after her departure.
Her phonebook showed a busy life with a lot of names
and numbers. Pages 17 and 19, like other pages had
names of friends and relatives but on Page 18 of
her phonebook there was only the following unusual
entry: “My sweet Lord, I want to be withu.
Please let it b.” It appeared to be written
by a soul at peace for there was neither a complaint
nor a note of despair. And, for such souls it has
been said: “O, thou Soul at peace! Return
to thy Lord, thou well pleased with Him and He well
pleased with thee. So enter thou among My chosen
servants. And enter thee my Garden - (The Dawn:
27-30). ”
Here on earth her garden was full of beautiful flowers
and about 35 species of birds – which she
recently recorded in one of her emails. She saved
a part of her every meal to feed the birds.
“Now who will tell me about that flower? Maybe
that flower is also sad today, as there is no one
to praise it. But I am sure, you will let all those
beautiful flowers in her garden to express how much
they loved her, how they cherished her, how they
represented her colors of life,” wrote Najam
Sehar – one of Shahida’s email pals
and guardian angels from Australia.
The emails and Internet chats with her friends and
relatives spread in many continents across the globe
were about love and best wishes for each person
that communicated with this woman, with barely 4th
grade education. Her economy and abbreviations of
words enabled her to communicate effectively with
people of diverse backgrounds and ages. Her zest
for life enabled her to get several heads of states
to sign her book at the Organization of Islamic
States Conference in 1974 in Lahore. It was also
evident from her artwork, her interest in music,
drama and lively conversations.
How could a woman with so many physical problems
survive for so long in Pakistan, where her parents
and her - pillar of support – sister died
and none of her siblings lived? It was the guardian
angels in human form that made Shahida’s world
go around. It was her uncle Haleem-ud-din, who left
everything and attended her needs day and night.
It was her father’s cousin Group Captain Rashid
Chaudhry, a widower, who altered his daily routine
by first checking on how Shahida was doing. It was
her neighbor Mrs. Baig, who would bring her something
from the kitchen almost every day. It was her friend
Shireen, who would keep her secrets and vice versa.
It was Dr. Saadia, Abida - her nurse and Shazia
– her companion and family friend from Sindh.
It was Chacha Aslam – her driving instructor
and Walter Nathaniel – her father’s
colleague. And, so on.
It is human to ask, why do tragedies happen to good
people? But, if one dwells on that thought too long,
one can easily get lost. But, when you witness all
the care for a disabled person, you are witnessing
the best of humanity. To see Dr. Sajjad Husain,
Principal of the Post Medical Graduate Institute,
along with his wife, make a house call and visit
a disabled person, reflect the angels in the couple.
To hear from Dr. Kaukab, a mother of two children
and a wife of a busy executive engineer, “I
wish we could have been better neighbors”,
who once made two house calls in one night is very
humbling and awesome.
As it has been said in Ecclesiastes: “For
everything there is a season, and a time for every
matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time
to die.” So Shahida’s passing away should
not be a reason for mourning but to thank the Lord
for the time shared in her extraordinary world.
Believers know that “He is Allah, the Creator.
The Maker, the Fashioner. His are the most beautiful
names (Exile: 59:24). Among those names is “Basir
- the One who sees well everything revealed or concealed.”
He alone could have created Amtul Basir –
otherwise known as Shahida – and all the good
angels in her wonderful world. And, as believers,
to Him we belong and to Him we shall return –
“Inna lillahe wa inna elahey rajeoon!”
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