Siddiqui-Hafiz Family Grieved
Inna Lillah Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'oun (Al-Baqara - 2:156) (Truly we belong to God and truly to Him shall we return). Our mother and family matriarch Mrs Noor Fatima (Siddiqui) passed away peacefully on 12/30/2020 and was buried on New Year's Eve at the Greater Sacramento Muslim Cemetery in California. Due to COVID restrictions it was kept a low-key affair and we could not inform or invite the whole community to the funeral. Our most senior family member lived a life of service to others. Her loss will be felt deeply by the extended Siddiqui clan (including the Qamar and Ansari families) in America, Canada, Pakistan and India for many years to come.
Mrs Noor Fatima (also known as Mrs Abdul Hafiz Siddiqui) was born in Bijnor, UP in British India in the mid-1920’s. The family roots originate in the towns (now cities) of Bijnor and Nagina located in India where our great grandfather Maulvi Abdul Hai and his brothers were settled. They were spiritually tied to the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary. Subsequent generations experienced the impact of partition as the family was divided between members of the Indian National Congress and supporters of the Muslim League. Mrs Noor Fatima’s husband Mr Abdul Hafiz Siddiqui was the first family member to graduate in engineering from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He opted for Pakistan in 1947 and arrived there soon after to be joined by her. Her husband joined Pakistan PWD as an engineer and was employed there for several decades in Karachi, Rawalpindi/Islamabad and Dacca. He retired in Karachi and passed away in the late 1980’s.
Mrs Noor lived a life in service of others. At times this was a cause of friction between her and her son because he kept trying to remind her that she should take care of herself first. But had she listened she would not have left such a loving legacy behind. She lived for long periods of time in three countries and made America her final home. We still remember how proud she was when she passed the American Citizenship Test/Interview in English all by herself. Except for the year 2020 she made an extra effort to vote in every American election and favored the Democratic Party. But she never gave up on Pakistan and was a fan of its Cricket team till the very end of her life.
She loved, respected, and admired people of all faiths while being a devout Muslim herself. Her faith, hard work, determination and a positive attitude carried her forward despite the tragedy of losing her husband, her first grandchild and her younger sister (Mrs Qamaruddin Siddiqui) whom she dearly loved.
She leaves behind one sister and two sons (Ras Hafiz Siddiqui and Saad Hafiz) and a large extended family now settled worldwide. The family would like to thank all the people who sent prayers and messages of condolence and we wish that we could answer each one individually. Our family would also like to express our gratitude to all friends for sharing our grief.
Her name was Noor which means light. Her light is now gone but those that benefitted from her life are truly appreciative. Thank you. (Readers can send their condolence messages to rsiddiqui@surewest.net )
- Ras Hafiz Siddiqui
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