On 13 April a devoted servant of the Jamaat, the revered Usman Chou Sahib passed away. Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Raji‘un (To Allah we belong, and to Him shall we return).
Where Huzoor’s Friday Sermons are a means to make amends in our spiritual and moral dealings, they also provide insight to how pure submission to God and perfect obedience to Khilafat should be demonstrated.
The previous Friday Sermon (27 April) was again another means for Ahmadis to assess themselves and adopt qualities that brings one closer to God.
At the onset, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said, “I will present before you certain aspects of the life of this selfless, unworldly and venerable Waqif-e-Zindagi [life-devotee], Ahmadi missionary, scholar – who practiced what he preached – and Waliullah [Godly saint]. These are all characteristics that should be adopted by all Waqifeen-e-Zindagi, missionaries and generally all Ahmadis.”
Usman Chou Sahib was fortunate that Allah enabled him to travel to Pakistan from a far-off place in China and accept Ahmadiyyat. Huzoor said that Usman Sahib had written about his life and how Allah blessed him at every step, enabled him to increase his knowledge, accept Ahmadiyyat and then devote his life for the cause of the Jamaat.
Huzooraa said that a book could be written on his life and that Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Pakistan had the potential to achieve this task.
While narrating his exemplary role as a father, Huzoor quoted Usman Sahib’s children who said that he inculcated a sense of responsibility for prayers and would always remind them that there was nothing more important than offering the five daily prayers on time. As children, he would wake them up by sprinkling water on them and encourage them to offer Fajr on time.
Usman Sahib, had adopted a unique way of learning through enjoyment where he would hold competitions among his children asking religious questions and rewarding them afterwards, thus entertaining the children and at the same time reminding them of their actual purpose.
Huzooraa said that a couple of months ago, Usman Sahib had come to meet him but due to not being able to speak, he wrote down three things he wanted to communicate to Huzooraa for his son-in-law to say. The first was an apology for not being able to stand from his wheelchair due to being frail; the second was a request for prayers for him to serve the Jamaat till the last breath and thirdly, a request to work from home as he could not physically attend his office.
It was in such circumstances that Usman Chou Sahib would regularly walk to the mosque to offer prayers. When the time between two prayers was extremely short, even then he would never think of combining and missing a prayer in congregation.
He would walk to the mosque at an extremely slow pace. One day, after prayer he was asked as to why he wouldn’t just combine his prayers. He replied that the benefit of walking to the mosque was twofold: firstly that it was a subtle exercise and secondly, every step he took towards the mosque was an act of righteousness.
Huzooraa narrated his personal recollection of Usman Chou Sahib – otherwise affectionately known as Chini Sahib – when he was young. He said, “I recall when he would pray for forty days at Kallar Kahar during the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra. I also visited him there when I was young and saw him seated in a small room with the Quran in hand. He would pray there, so we – the children and adults – also requested him to pray for us. He would respond with a smile on his face and in a loving manner.”
In conclusion Huzooraa prayed for him and the family he leaves behind, “May Allah continue to elevate Usman Chini Sahib’s status. May He give comfort and strength to his wife and watch over his family. May Allah enable his children to inherit his righteous deeds, be the recipients of his prayers and follow in his footsteps.”