The Edhi philosophy
In 1982, Maulana Abdul Sattar Edhi was invited to be part of the reception at Karachi for Indonesian president Suharto. Waiting in his grey suit and chappals, protocol officers informed him that he would have to leave because he did not follow the dress code. In his autobiography ‘A mirror to the blind’, Edhi recalls that he refused to leave as he represented the common people. Glancing at the lines of affluent people on both sides, he asked “how can I be worthy when these are examples of respect?”
There are many such anecdotes. In 1986, he was awarded the prestigious Magasaysay Award. Staying in the lap of luxury, on beds “that we had never slept in before,” according to his wife a lifetime companion, Bilquis, the Edhis washed their clothes overnight in the bathtub and hung them over the towel rails. When informed of the complimentary laundry service available, Bilquis replied “we originated from a washerman’s village called Dhobi Barrah in Bantva. We are experts at the laundry business and love washing clothes.”
A simple lifestyle and emphasis on saving money, only to spend it on those who were more deserving reminds one of the life of another great man of the sub-continent, M K Gandhi. Both Gujratis by origin, these two men separated by almost half a century went about their mission without losing sight of the bigger picture.
The bigger picture was a welfare state in Pakistan based on Huquq-ul-Ibad. He once said, “I find little difference and many similarities between all religions, socialist thought and capitalist welfare systems. The principles all emphasise humanitarianism. The concept of Huquq-ul-Ibad has not failed.” In his parting speech in 1984 to Pakistan’s Majlis-e-Shura, Edhi told the assembled gathering, which included General Zia, “If you talk of an Islamic system, let me guide you to the West which has adopted it. As Islam instructs discretion in charity, only collective welfare can provide cover as well as maintain public respect.”
Talking about General Zia’s rule at a time when most remained silent, Edhi said: “A rule based on victimisation, selfpreservation and greed is visionless. It is also destructive. The country needs help. Help to recover from its past and now its present. The people have been neglected long enough. One day, they shall rise like mad men and pull down these walls that keep their future captive. Mark my words and heed them before you find yourselves the prey instead of the predator.”
Edhi had little time for politicians as well. He saw them as self-serving and corrupt. He was disappointed with Bhutto, in whom he had earlier seen a reformer. But a bigger game was at play against Edhi in the mid-90s. He panicked and suddenly decided to leave for London. Like many others before and after him, he was being readied for a political leadership role to challenge an elected government.
For a man who had fought from within the system for so many years, his departure suggested the gravity of the threat if he did not comply and his belief not to be part of such conspiracies. Only after assurances were given that Edhi decided to return to his Pakistan – making it clear that he had no political ambitions. Possibly this is what kept him out of trouble for the next two decades.
In the UK, Edhi spent time on a friend’s farm. It was here that he compiled a 200page hand written document in Gujrati on the conspiracy that plagued Pakistan. It was to be made public in the event of his unnatural death. Fortunately Edhi died a natural death. Unfortunately, we will be unable to see that document now.
Today, millions are mourning the death of someone who can be described as the greatest person the country ever produced but few are ready to follow the simple lifestyle of principles that this man adopted. That is the irony.
In death too, he saw opportunity. On the Karachi-Hyderabad highway, stands the Edhi Village. Here, next to the main boundary wall, Edhi selected the last resting place for himself and for Bilquis. When she asked to be buried somewhere quiet, Edhi replied that it would be an opportunity to collect money. A collection box would be placed where people who travel the highway would be forced to give money out of fear of accidents. Even in death, Edhi would continue to help the poor.