Muslim man helps cremate bodies, wins hearts
PRAYAGRAJ : Amid the Covid situation, when people are struggling to find a vehicle to carry bodies of deceased relatives to the cremation ghats, selfless work of a 52-year-old devout Muslim, Faizul Ahmad, is drawing special praise.
He reaches the house or the hospital, helps families in keeping the body in his vehicle. Many times, when four people are not available to carry the body to the funeral pyre site, Faizul even lends his shoulder to the task.
Faizul has been engaged in this work for the past over 15 years. Earlier, he used to carry the bodies on his rickshaw-trolly.
Around 10 years back, he purchased a second-hand vehicle from his savings (donations collected from people) and converted it into a ‘Shav-Vahan’ (vehicle for the dead).
“I don’t charge anything for my service. Contributions by people are utilised towards payment of salary to the driver of the vehicle and the cost of diesel. I don’t keep anything for myself,” says Faizul who lives with his mother in Attarsuiya locality, after he lost his father many years back.
Faizul is not able to keep ‘roza’ during Ramzan because he is helping people 24 hours a day.
He said, “It is not that I don’t pray to Allah, but I apologize to my Allah because doing good for people is nothing less than any prayer. I am unable to keep roza as my duty towards mankind does not allow me to follow the practice.”
Faizul has also not got married yet. “If I got married, I might not be able to do anything for people. My family responsibilities would hinder my social obligations and my work, so I have not married till date,” he added.
“The noble work of Faizul is being recognised more these days when many people are not coming forward to take the bodies of Covid positive kin. Here is this person, who not only takes the bodies to the cremation ghats, but also lends his shoulder to the body till the pyre,” said Dr Santosh Singh, a medico engaged in treating Covid patients at government SRN hospital in Sangam city.