(Wife of Moulana ‘Uzair Gul [rahimahullah] – Part Four)

After her marriage, she left Manglaur and proceeded to stay in a small house in Roorkee, only taking her large collection of books with her. She had even gifted her mansion and garden to her adopted son, Muhammad ‘Ali, whom she had treated like her very own child. Moreover, her ex-husband discontinued the monthly allowance which he was giving her. Hence, she now had to live off the meagre income that Moulana ‘Uzair Gul (rahimahullah) would receive. Despite these difficulties, not once did she ever complain. She also treated his children like her very own and took great care of them.

They remained in Roorkee from the beginning of their marriage (November 1936) until March 1945. However, their expenses increased and Moulana’s (rahimahullah) salary was insufficient to the run the home. In the interim, World War 2 had had also taken place, which resulted in the drastic increase of the prices of necessities. This made things even more difficult. Moulana (rahimahullah) had even started a business of selling firewood. However, he did not gain much out of this venture.

Finally, with her suggestion, they moved to Sakhakot (currently in northern Pakistan) and built a home in his ancestral land. From then onwards, she spent the remainder of her life in this small town till her demise in October 1966. During these thirty years of marriage, she lowered her standard of living in order to live within the minimal income of Moulana (rahimahullah). However, she did this in such a manner and style that she did not even display it to anyone.

She was a very kind and compassionate woman. Many women of the village would come to her when they were ill and she would treat them free of charge using homeopathic treatment. Moreover, she would try and help the poor villagers in whichever way she could. She was also very humble and thus never displayed herself to be an elite person among them. Islam had created a complete revolution in her life and her qualities.

She had now become a woman who was permanently engaged in ‘ibaadah and the service of others. On one occasion, Moulana ‘Uzair (rahimahullah) described her saying, “When she stands for salaah, her face becomes pale and her tears flow most of the time.”

Moreover, she became a personification of modesty and bashfulness. The very woman who grew up in an environment of total freedom, and completely devoid of modesty, had now reached such a level of modesty and purdah that is hard to find in even Deeni homes.

As explained earlier, she was very academically inclined. After accepting Islam, she would spend bulk of her time in studying the Quraan Majeed. In pursuit of understanding the meanings of the Quraan Majeed, she learnt a lot from Moulana Husain Ahmad Madani (rahimahullah) and her husband. She had thus written a well-researched translation of the Quraan Majeed in English under the guidance of her husband which also comprised of explanatory notes. However, this translation was unfortunately not published. She also wrote a book on Islam and Christianity titled, “Siraat Mustaqeem”, which has been published.

After a severe lengthy illness of three to four years, she passed away in October 1966. During this entire period of illness, she displayed such patience and reliance on Allah Ta‘ala which is even hard to find in people who are Muslims from birth.

(Al-Furqaan Monthly – January 1979 pgs. 34 to 38)

Lessons:

1. The result of the sweetness of imaan settling in a person’s heart is that it brings about a complete revolution in his life. It then becomes extremely easy, and in fact enjoyable, for him to give up his past life and adopt the pure teachings and values of Islam. Hence, this English woman gave up her ‘freedom’ of the past, as well as her comforts and luxuries, and happily embraced the ‘slavery’ of Allah Ta‘ala and the simple lifestyle of a friend of Allah Ta‘ala.

2. Despite being accustomed to a life void of hayaa and hijaab, this great woman adopted it completely and perfectly. This should serve as an inspiration for every Muslimah, especially in this modern age, that if a woman who hailed from a Royal English background, and spent half a century in that environment, could adopt hijaab in its fullest form, what excuse do we have?

3. When a woman marries, she has to be prepared to lower her standard of living, if necessary, and adapt to the financial situation of her husband. Failure to do so results in tension between the spouses and pressure on the marriage, which may even lead to divorce. Parents need to be conscious of this reality and bring up their daughters accordingly.