Parting message to the community worldwide from
Marhum Habibbhai Jafferali Mulji

We are a community – one of many communities in this world. 

Each community is identified by the faith, by the ideals and by the convictions it professes and practices. 

Communities have identities different from each others’ because the values by which they see their faith and the ideals by which they sense their convictions differ and so do their priorities. 

“Values” are like a pair of binoculars through which a community sees things and assesses the truth. 

To understand what “values” mean, let me quote a hadith of Hazrat Amirul Mu’mineen A.S. He says: “he, who looks at this world, gets blinded but he, who looks through this world, gets sight.” 

What I learn from this beautiful hadith is that if a person has eyes full on the glitters of this world only, he or she becomes blinded and loses sense of direction. But one who looks at this world, and then beyond – through it – gets the sight to see where he or she is heading for. 

The values and priorities of those who have become blinded and those who have sight are bound to be different. They use different binoculars! 

But for a community to profess values is meaningless if it does not practice these values. And to preach and practice values, a community needs a good organization and a forum. 

We too are a community that profess a faith, ideals and convictions and possess a sharp sense of priorities. We also need to have and do have our organizations like the World Federation, Africa Federation, NASIMCO and other regional federations and jamaats to preach and practice our faith, to achieve our aspirations and to follow our priorities as a community. 

It is because we see this world and through it that we can sense the next world beyond. So our agenda is not limited to this material world or to individualism for self-gratification. We think as a community. We think for our organizations. This is why we always think what is big and lasting.

Let us seek a further guidance from yet another hadith of Hazrat Amirul Mu’mineen A.S. He says: “Kafaa bil-mauti ‘waa’eza.” “Death is enough as a lesson.” It means the certainty of death is enough as a lesson to need any preaching or warning. 

The lesson is that this life is just a fleeting moment. Death is not only certain but also much sooner than each of us presumes for oneself. While the echo of the Azaan and Ikaamah recited into our ears when we were born is still ringing in our ears and lo! there is immediately another echo in the ears – that of Talqeen: Man Rabbuk? ” 

For us there is no permanency here. Our permanency is in the next life. But we can leave our marks of permanency behind, like establishing our organizations; such organizations as will survive and thrive secured with a collective long term interest for permanency. 

Let us prepare our organizations for their permanency here, as we prepare for permanency of our individual fate there. 

Let us see how we can ensure through wisdom and foresight the survival and continuity of all our organizations much much longer after we are much much long gone. After death a time may come when we are long forgotten but at least we will then have no need to be forgiven by those who succeed us. 

Let continuity of our organizations be seen as a fragrance of perfume that lingers behind long after the wearer of the perfume has passed by. 

All praise is due to Allah (s.w.t.) who has given us the inspiration to establish our various organizations, and all faith is in Him that He will grant us foresight and guidance to do whatever best need be done for our organizations to endure the test of time.

While today I am no longer with you I am confident that the community has able and devoted members who will steer it towards righteousness, stronger religious faith and well coordinated economic advancements. I pray and appeal to the community members at large that in whatever little time that you have left you sincerely endeavour to seek individual, family and community progress. 

May Allah (s.w.t.) bless our wonderful community.