Edhi---The Richest Poor Man

It’s really very rare to find such a great humanitarian who killed all sort of his luxurious desires and adopted a self-imposed poorest life style just for the happiness of less fortunate. He is rightly entitled to the richest poor man. Without any show off and self-advertisement he showed the world largest ambulance network. He presented a model of selflessness and a dedication of working for continuous 40 years’ service without break. 

One cannot conclude his versatile personality, a mixture of simplicity, sincerity, dedication, selflessness, love, discipline, and hardworking. He demonstrated practically to prove the fact that a person or organization do not require something very special to manage activities at a mass level. Rather purity of heart and righteous mind can achieve with the support and help from unseen hands.

I started even more love towards him when I knew that one of his ideal personalities include the name of great companion of Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW), the great Abuzar Ghaffari (R.A). He was regarded by many, including Ali Shariati, as the first Islamic socialist. It must not be an exaggeration to say that Abuzar Ghaffari was the pioneer in Islamic history who stood for the rights of poor in front of the rulers of his time. As a punishment of this act, he was sent to a Rabathah (a distant desert) where he spent his rest of life until death. This was Abuzar Ghaffar about him, prophet Muhammad (SAWW) is reported to have said, "Neither has the sky shaded one more truthful and honest than Abu Dhar nor has the earth had anyone walk over it like him. (In these matters) he is like Isa bin Maryam." More can be read on Abuzar Ghaffari in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Dhar_al-Ghifari.

He was a real Sufi, a philanthropist, a social worker, a humanitarian, and above all a great loving person. He got more than 70 awards which worth in million dollars and he donated. This sum up something very strange but really great that he donated these awards. People hesitate to give the anything to others they received in the form of gifts from others.

The most strange and inspiring aspect for me to learn from his work is the management and control of a large organization “Edhi Foundation”. I never knew that he arranged something very special to control the activities of the foundation except purity in his heart and mind. It is rightly said that one can attract the nature’s sympathy and people support with only one thing and that is the purification of heart and mind for a good cause. He was having the ability to understand other situations and feelings and Allah put him in our hearts to recognize him with such good words.

Think for a while how it been managed such a huge network of ambulances. As of March 2016, the Edhi Foundation owns over 1,800 private ambulance vehicles stationed in areas across Pakistan. Only in Karachi, have reported up to 6,000 calls a day, with the average response time for each incident falling within 10 minutes. In 1997, the organization has held the Guinness record for world's "largest volunteer ambulance organization".

I must quote here his famous quotes for leaving inspiration on our lives.

“My religion is humanitarianism, which is the basis of every religion in the world.”

“I do not have any formal education. What use is education when we do not become human beings? My school is the welfare of humanity.

 “So, many years later there were many who still complained and questioned, ‘Why must you pick up Christians and Hindus in your ambulance?’ And I was saying, ‘Because the ambulance is more Muslim than you’.”

“Empty words and long praises do not impress God. Show Him your faith by your deeds.”
 “The dead has only one place to go… up. Wherever you bury them, they will go the same way, up.”

“The Holy Book should open in your souls, not on your laps. Open your heart and see God’s people. In their plight you will find HIM.”

“Those who believed in changing the world were either hungry by circumstance or practiced deprivation by choice.”  

More inspiring quotes you can find in http://tribune.com.pk/story/1138171/10-abdul-sattar-edhi-quotes-will-leave-inspired-life/.

Finally, I would love to support the idea of 8^th July should be considered as a “National Charity Day” to commemorate our hero. This is one of the good ways to remember and recognize him in the history. Whenever this day will come, people will be in search when and why it is called “National Charity Day”? They will reach to the details of Abdul Sattar Edhi and his work finding answer to these questions.