AL-HUDA
Foundation of NJ, USA
the Message Continues 4/35
Newsletter for June 2004
ARTICLE 1- ARTICLE 2 - ARTICLE 3 - ARTICLE 4 - ARTICLE 5 - ARTICLE 6 - ARTICLE 7 - ARTICLE 8 - ARTICLE 9 - ARTICLE 10 - ARTICLE 11- ARTICLE 12
And
The Message Continues.................
(written in 1999)
By Nasir Shamsi
Haider Shamsi was like a
brother to me. His death took us all by surprise. I was
devastated and despite my knowing that death is imminent and we
are all to go to the final abode, I still have not been able to
reconcile with this colossal tragedy, which deprived our
community of a jewel--the most rare, unique and precious jewel.
I wish to convey to our sister Adiba, the loving and devoted
wife and partner of our dear friend and brother that she is not
alone in her suffering. We all mourn with her the sad and
untimely demise of Haider and pray to Allah that He may, in His
Infinite Mercy, bestow His Choicest
Blessings on the departed soul.
The agony, the anguish and the sense of loss has made it
difficult to reflect on my association with Haider Shamsi and
to' recap the sweet memories of my intellectual and spiritual
bond with that magnificent being who is no more. My
daughter, Saima asked me to pen down my feelings. She
probably thinks it may help me, by way of catharsis.
I had known Haider Bhai for the last 36 years. I
first met him in Lahore in 1963. He was studying medicine
at King Edward Medical College. We were introduced by a
common friend, Dr. Saijad Sheikh. We shared our family tree;
both descendents of the great mystic saint, Shams Tabriz, the
spiritual master of jaial ul Din Rumi. The goal of
education seemed to be very dear to his heart. He told me
how pleased he was to learn from Sajiad that I had been selected
in the Civil Service Competitive Exam. At the first
meeting, we became instant friends.
However, we soon parted ways. I was posted out of
Lahore and he left Pakistan for Africa, later for England to
attain further excellence in his most cherished goal of
education. Born in Narowal near Sialkot in Pakistan,
Haider grew up in Kenya, Africa where his father worked for the
British Railways. His father, late Syed Muhammad Hussain
Shamsi was a man of great piety and virtue. He was highly
respected in the nascent Immigrant Muslims community. He
started a Sunday school for Muslim youth. He was often
assisted by young Haider with his teaching materials.
Haider was frail but hard working. He had beautiful and
skillful hands; his dexterous fingers drew well. Of all
his children, the elder Shamsi wanted Haider to be a Physician.
By careful supervision he steered his gifted son in that
direction. When he breathed his last in the Mayo Hospital,
Lahore, his illustrious son was in attendance as Doctor on his
bedside.
Having achieved the goal set by his father, Dr. Haider
Shamsi was to dedicate the next three decades bringing new lives
to this world. He was a highly respected Ob Gyn Physician;
he taught the same subject in Columbia Presbyterian Hospital
where he breathed his last on April 21, 1999. 1 was in
attendance at a special Memorial Service for him at St.Lukes
Hospital. Haider's previous Director who had also hired
him nearly 19 years gave a eulogy. In a failing voice, Dr.
Robert Neuwirth said, "Dr. Shamsi was a competent
Physician, capable Professor and a man of great integrity.
He did not seek power; he strived for excellence in his
profession. "
Purity of intent, integrity of action and sincerity in
relationship were the cardinal features of Haider's personality.
He not only cherished these virtues but also practiced them.
His life is best described by a line from Allama lqbal's Zarbe
Katim:'Zameere pako-Khayale buland-o-Zauqe Lateef.' Pure
Conscience, Lofty Thought and Fine Aesthetics. He was
sensitive to all that was good. He was I meticulously
particular about details; he picked up the right gift, when
visiting friends or relatives (I dearly cherish his last
present: a cassette of Allama lqbal's Shlkwa & jawabe Shikwa).
Haider Bhai was generous in
complimenting others. He loved to share other peoples'
moment of joy as if it was his own. Seldom have I seen
anybody exhibiting so much enthusiasm ... with supreme
genuineness as he did, on the simple pleasures of others.
I have witnessed those moments of bliss, of pure joy when his
face would radiate with subliminal happiness, a true happiness,
born of only a heart that is touched by Divine Mercy.
Dr.Haider Shamsi was truly a man of God. He was a
very simple person. He was humble and shunned any display
or fanfare. Last year, he wrote an article for a souvenir
to be published on the occasion of Ali Day. The compiler wished
to add a little Bio of each author along with the articles.
Haider Bhai did not agree because it might take away the purity
of purpose. The organizers contacted me. When I
hesitantly called him to discuss it, he reiterated the same
argument. When I asked him to oblige them, he said, "Nasir
Bhai, if they insist, you may give them a small note
yourself."
Dr. Haider Hussain Shamsi was a great visionary. In a fast
changing world, there are unique challenges confronting the
Muslims living in the West. He often shared with me his
concerns regarding lack of preparedness in the immigrant Muslims
to meet these challenges. We often talked about the
unwillingness of our people to come out of their cocoon and to
reach out and communicate with the people of other faiths.
Unfortunately among some Muslims, there is a sheer apathy and
indifference to the undeniable need for change.
Allah (swt) has laid down certain clear limits, or 'hudood'.
Acting within the frame work of these Limits or the Divine
Guidelines , we are permitted to adapt and evolve in response to
the new needs and challenges, and, as Dr. Scott Peck says in his
book, The Road Less Traveled, "to conform to the reality of
the cosmos and our role in it, as best as we can know that
reality--we must constantly revise and extend our understanding
to include new knowledge of the larger world. We must constantly
enlarge our frame of reference."
History bears eloquent testimony to the fact that the
nations which did not change, perished. The Greeks and the
Romans, these great empires are no more. Allama lqbal,
emphasizing this need to change among the Muslims, reiterated a
verse of the Qur'an in his poetry, as follows:
"Khuda ne aai tak oos qaum ki halat nahin bedli /
naho jisko khayal khood aapni halat ke badlne ka" God does
not change the condition of people until they themselves wish to
change their condition.
The problem, Dr. Shamsi often surmised, was that many
Muslims were prone to defining religion too narrowly. Therefore,
they had failed to evolve a macrocosmic view of religion, with a
proper response to the changes brought in by socioeconomic and
scientific developments. Dr. Haider Shamsi was a devoted
Shia Muslim. He believed that Shia Islam had much to offer
to the world because this school had continued reinterpreting
jurisprudence in the light of changing circumstances, through.
ijtehad'. In contrast, the other schools of fiqh had
unfortunately forsaken acceptance of change, assuming, 'the
doors of ijtehad had been closed' nearly eight centuries ago.
Haider Shamsi sincerely believed we had a lot to share
with other communities. He stressed it was time to forge
unity between Muslims living in the West; we must build bridges
and learn to cooperate with one another. Muslims have
an obligation to share the Divine Message with others. We must
particularly develop a dialogue with the Christians and the
Jews, the followers of the Monotheistic Faiths-- who share with
us belief in one God. He wrote a Paper on the subject when
he was invited to address an assembly of Christians in his
neighborhood Church. It had been his most ardent desire to
establish an Interfaith Library. During his tenure as
President of the Muslim Foundation, New Jersey, he wanted to
achieve this goal. He even purchased a building, at his
own expense, to house the Islamic Central Directorate and the
Library. The community was apparently not yet ready to
embark on this ambitious program; the idea did not fly and
eventually fell through, to his great dismay.
Haider Shamsi had profound ideas about the education of
Muslim children. He was very concerned about the peer
pressure they were faced with, at schools and elsewhere.
He was always eager and willing to work on plans to help
children. He was conscious that parents' priorities were
somewhere else. They were too involved in the rituals.
Unless we addressed this problem, he said, we could lose the
next generation. So he embarked on his own to organize
last year a Muslim Youth Forum in North New Jersey so that the
young could share ideas and work together to find solutions to
their social and psychological problems. He devoted a lot
of his time to writing on the subject and in preparing reading
materials for the youth.
He had devoted his weekends to the Sunday school for the
last 15 years. He would not miss a class. I remember
that morning. I was teaching Islamic Ethics in Mehfle
Shahe Khorasan Sunday School in Englewood. Haider Shamsi
lived
in the same town then. One morning he came to observe the
class. He looked great in his pin-stripe shirt and gray
sweater. My lesson that day was, "How to say, NO '
" The boys and girls were excited; the subject was close to
their heart and they loved it. Haider Bhai was visibly
moved by an active and enthusiastic participation of children in
the lively discussion that ensued. At he end of the class, he
expressed great exuberance and asked me if he too could teach a
class. I gave him my personal copy of Safdar Hussain's
Early History Of Islam and the following week, he started
teaching Islamic History to the class. To everyone's
delight, he proved to be an excellent teacher. He used
firsthand materials, maps and charts to make his lectures more
productive and understandable. Because of his unique
method and style of teaching, he was very popular with his
students, who looked forward to attending his lecture.
Later, he continued teaching Islamic History at Masoomeen School
in New York. He drove 50 miles to commute to the School
and took great pains in preparing for the class. The Masoomeen
children loved Dr. Shams! for his exemplary dedication.
He recognized there was need for teaching literature in
English. This led to his writing two important books in
English, The Prophets of Islam and ... And The Message
Continues. The latter consists of the biographies of the
Twelve Imams. Since I had edited the two books, I am aware
how much time and effort he had contributed to complete the two
books. Ironically, his second and last book, ... And The
Message Continues was in the Press when he passed away.
Initially, the book had a different title. One morning,
Haider called me to relate that he was thinking, and it had just
occurred to him, that it would be
better to rename the book as it is now. He wanted my
opinion. "It is very good," I said. He was
very pleased to hear that. Now when I think of it in
retrospect, I am amazed at his selection of this name for his
last book. And I wistfully but assuredly whisper,
"You are gone, my brother ... but the message
continues."
Haider was a visionary. Often we would speak, on the
weekends or at the end of the day; we were sort of Mentor to
each other; he held up a mirror to me and I to him, often
checking on things and points of view about our favorite
subjects. We would talk of the current and future shape of
things. Haider had great plans. He was a dreamer
(only dreams give birth to change). He talked about the
youth, about the need to have a learning center for them where
they could sit more comfortably as they do in other American
schools; the need to have an Inter-faith Library and to publish
a series of books to disseminate the Message; taking steps to
foster unity among Muslims; adopting measures to promote
understanding of Islam among the Christians and the Jews and to
replace the stereotypes by a crystal clear understanding of our
beliefs and practices.
Haider Shamsi did not only envision things, he wanted to
implement them right away. He did not procrastinate. Truly
a pragmatist, he pursued things that he believed in, with great
passion. In 1993, he and his wife, Adiba Shamsi registered
a Private Charitable Foundation called Al-Huda Foundation to
help carry out some good work. Since then, the Foundation
has helped publish thousands of copies of the translation of
Qur'an in English and Spanish, among other acts of charity.
Haider used to share with me his inner thoughts; there was
always a certain sublimity, sincerity, genuineness and purity in
his soft-spoken words. Concerning an idea we had been
discussing for a while, he thought its time had come. Just a
month before his sad demise, Haider told me it was time to
implement our idea of developing a Retirement Residential
Community where all of us could live close to one another when
we retire. This facility will have a common area
consisting of a small mosque, library and conference room, by
the lake. We can sell our properties and move in there
right away. "Will you?" he asked me.
"Surely", I replied. And he was dearly pleased.
So let us do it, he said. Haider was a charismatic but a
very low profile person. He did a lot of good things, but
without fan-fare or display. He would have started the
first Retirement Community for Muslims in America, had he not
been recalled to his eternal abode where he now rests in peace,
in Allah's Protection.
Just as hard work pays off in this world, those who strive
in the way of Allah are richly rewarded in the next world.
The recipients of Allah's Bounty, according to Qur'an, "are
they who are steadfast in prayer, who set aside a due portion of
their wealth for the needy and the deprived; who truly believe
in the Day of Reckoning, and dread the punishment of their.
Lord; who restrain their carnal desires; who keep their trusts
and promises and bear true witness; and who keep a guard on
their prayers. These are the people who shall be in the
gardens, honored (jannatin mukraimoon)." [Ma'arij: 33]
Allah (swt) calls these peoples, "the servants of
Allah, the purified ones (ibadillah hil mukhlaseen). For
them is a known sustenance, and they shall be honored, in
gardens of pleasure (jannatin naeem)." (Saffat: 4043]
"Allah has promised to the believing men and the
believing women gardens, beneath which rivers flow, to abide in
them, and goodly dwellings in gardens of perpetual abode; and
best of Allah's good pleasure--that is the great achievement (fauzul
azeem)." [Baraat: 72]
May Allah (swt) the Master of the Universe, who alone we
worship and who alone we ask for help, grant eternal peace to
the departed soul, enlighten him with His own Light and may He
give his wife, Adiba Shamsi, adequate strength to accept His
Will and to continue the mission they had undertaken together,
so that the message continues.
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