Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistan's 'Father Teresa' who 'adopted' 20,000 children
Who was Abdul Sattar Edhi?
Abdul Sattar Edhi was an award-winning philanthropist and humanitarian. Known in Pakistan as "Angel of Mercy" and "Pakistan's Father Teresa" for his social work that also won international acclaim, Edhi established a welfare foundation almost six decades ago that he oversaw together with his wife, Bilquis Edhi.
Edhi, was born on February 28th 1928 in a small village of Bantva near Joona Garh in the Gujarat district of then British-ruled India but moved to Karachi shortly after Pakistan was formed.
Edhi was deeply affected by the death of his mother when he was 19. He never finished school but later said that the world of suffering became his tutor.
He noticed that many Pakistanis lacked medicine, education, and other essentials, and he made it his life's mission to help others. In 1951, he established the Edhi Foundation, which is funded solely by private donations.
By the time of his death on July 8th 2016, Edhi was registered as a parent or guardian of nearly 20,000 children.
It was announced that the State Bank of Pakistan would issue a commemorative coin of 50 rupee (38p) in memory of Edhi as a small token of appreciation for his selfless services for the country.
What is the Edhi Foundation?
The Edhi Foundation is currently the largest welfare organisation in Pakistan. Since its inception, it has rescued more than 20,000 abandoned babies, rehabilitated some 50,000 orphans and has trained more than 40,000 nurses.
It also runs the world’s largest ambulance service (operating 1,500 vehicles) and Edhi ambulances are welcomed as friendly neighbours throughout Pakistan.
In 2005 the Foundation donated $100,000 to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the United States.
Despite the vast sums of money that passed through his foundation, Edhi lived modestly with his family in a two-room apartment adjacent to the headquarters of his foundation.
His work earned him numerous awards at home and abroad, including the Gandhi Peace Award, the 2007 Unesco Madanjeet Singh Prize, the 2011 London Peace Award, the 2008 Seoul Peace Award and the Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Service.
The day I met Abdul Sattar Edhi, a living saint
Known in public as Maulana Edhi - a respectful title for a religious scholar, usually an elderly person with a beard - he supported and promoted working opportunities for women. Out of the 2,000 paid workers of his Edhi Foundation, around 500 are women.
A Muslim by birth, Edhi said in 2009 that he had “never been a very religious person”. When asked why he helped people of all creeds, casts and religions he replied: “Because my ambulance is more Muslim than you.”
Criticism of Edhi's works
Edhi saw charity as a central tenet of Islam and lived humbly with his wife, Bilquis, in the same building as his organisation's offices.
But unlike Mother Teresa who he was often compared to, Edhi had to surmount many obstacles including regular death threats.
His ambulances were attacked as were volunteers who worked for his foundation.
In October 2013, Islamists occupied one of his Karachi facilities and stole £400,000 (it was quickly replaced with a flood of donations), and the baby cradles he and Bilquis set up to accept unwanted babies were criticised as encouraging out-of-wedlock births.
"They call him an infidel, saying that he does not say his prayers," Bilquis told the Guardian.
"What we are doing should be done by the government and should be appreciated, but instead we are blamed."
10 inspiring quotes from Abdul Sattar Edhi, the 'richest poor man'
“My religion is humanitarianism, which is the basis of every religion in the world.”
“Appearance is a distraction, surrendering it develops truth and humility in abundance.”
“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.”
"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.”
“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.”
“Never take anyone’s death to heart... Remember God by the equality with which He implements it. Nobody is different, the richest to the poorest, from here to the end of the globe face it equally. What an example of equality.”
“Those who believed in changing the world were either hungry by circumstance or practiced deprivation by choice.”
“Chasing after desires creates inner turmoil. When the devil becomes a guide, dacoits (armed robbers) and gangsters are manufactured. He makes men fight against their souls to survive expensive items and most lose everything in the face of his strength. The internal enemy can only be overcome by a personal revolution.”
Google honours Edhi on his 89th birthday
Although there is some confusion over his actual birth date (Edhi himself was unsure and believed he was born between 1926 and 1928), Google has chosen to honour him with a doodle on February 28th.
The Google Doodle will appear in the UK and some other European countries, as well as Pakistan, the US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Happy 89th birthday #Edhi sb. Great gesture by @Google as it pays tribute to one of the greatest humanitarian. #Pakistan misses you Edhi sb! pic.twitter.com/TZxwJemaZr
— Imran Ghazali (@ImranGhazaliPK) February 27, 2017
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