TAQWA
ELEMENT OF TAQWA IN CHARITY
Allah Almighty, the Most Generous and the Most Magnanimous, has liberally distributed numerous resources and wealth of all kinds, out of His extremely vast and numerous treasures, to many. To some a little less and to a great majority very limited or nothing at all.This temporal world, where-in we all live for a specific given period, Allah Almighty has made it a test case to record, judge and reward mankind accordingly such as the following:
- Do the ones blessed with abundant resources, show their gratitude and thankfulness to Allah Almighty for the immense bounties, wealth and resources! Gratitude and thankfulness imply sharing (giving in charity) some of your resources with the needy, poor and the deprived for their uplift, betterment, and sustenance!
- Many are blessed with (comparatively) lesser resources and wealth. Do they show their gratitude and thankfulness to Allah Almighty by sharing, whatever possible, with those blessed with even lesser bounties! Why such people should be expected to share (giving in charity) their resources with the less fortunate? Reason: Though blessed with less resources, they are still leading a comfortable and sustainable life!
- Large number of people are blessed with limited resources. Do they still engage in ibadaat to show their thankfulness and gratitude to Allah Almighty to have blessed them with a life and family to live with? While at the same time, do they exercise Tawakkul in Allah Almighty’s mercy, benevolence and kindness knowing fully well that He will take care of all their requirements of sustenance and nourishment?
Taqwa implies freely giving and sharing, some of the worldly possessions, blessed by Allah Almighty, with the needy. All Muslims, especially the committed ones (Muttaqeen) strive to do so. Momineen and Mominaat always endeavor to remain generous toward the poor with the bounties and provisions that Allah Almighty has blessed them with.
Taqwa is an act of piety to freely give to the poor and the needy for the sake and pleasure of Allah Almighty alone. Those granted with this passion and desire to please Allah Almighty are blessed people. We all must strive to be amongst such a group of chosen and guided Muslims.
(LATE) CHAUDHARY ALI AKBAR KHAN
Chaudhary Ali Akbar Khan was born on 28 September 1910 in Village Kolian, Muslim Rajputan, located on the eastern bank of Beas River, approximately five miles west of Mukerian, in Hoshiarpur District, East Punjab.
He migrated along with his family from British-India to Pakistan during partition in 1947; initially settled at Lahore and subsequently moved to Faisalabad (erstwhile Lyallpur) in 1949.
Chaudhary Ali Akbar Khan graduated from Government College, Lahore in 1931 and obtained the law degree from Punjab University in 1935. While still studying law, he organized the Zamindara Youngmen’s Muslim League at Lahore in 1934.He started his law practice in Dasuya and later shifted to Hoshiarpur. He joined the All India Muslim League in 1937 and remained President of Hoshiarpur District Muslim League from 1944 to 1947. He was nominated member of the Provincial Muslim League Working Committee in 1944. He contested the general elections in November 1946 and was elected Member Punjab Legislative Assembly from Kangra, constituency of Hoshiarpur District.
Chaudhary Ali Akbar Khan was part of the three members team chosen by Quaid-eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to assist Sir Zafarullah Khan. This team was to present the Muslims’ case in the Radcliffe Award Commission (established to demarcate the new boundaries of the two emerging states; Pakistan and India). The other two
members of the team were Justice Sheikh Din Muhammad and Barrister Khawaja Abdul Rahim.
The establishment of Muslim High School at Dasuya and Muslim High School at Mukerian was a great service of Chaudhary Sahib. Muslim High School, Dasuya was shifted to Multan on partition in 1947. Akbar Science Block, was named in his memory in this School.
After creation of Pakistan, Chaudhary Sahib was nominated to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in 1948-49. In this capacity, he attended in 1949 the Inter Parliamentary Union Session held at Istanbul, Turkey. He also served on the Provincial Muslim League Parliamentary Board and was elected its Secretary General. He contested elections held in 1951 and was elected to the Punjab Assembly from Thikriwala, Lyallpur (now Faisalabad). On 03 April 1953, he was inducted in the Punjab Cabinet of Malik Feroz Khan Noon and given the portfolios of Education, Jails, Information, Law, Public Relations and Village-Aid. He remained on that post
till 1955.
As the Punjab Education Minister, he was instrumental in selecting the site for Cadet College at Hassan Abdal (CCH). He also ensured timely support and allocation of funds during the early stages of development and construction of CCH.
CCH is the proud alma mater of many students who later distinguished themselves and excelled to play pivotal and leading roles in almost all walks of life. Many exstudents were awarded gallantry awards for displaying valour and courage during the India-Pakistan Wars of 1965 and 1971. It is now considered one of the top most education institution in the country.
Chaudhary Ali Akbar Khan had rendered very useful services towards promotion of education during his tenure as the Punjab Education Minister from 1953 to 1955. Akbar Science Block at the Government College, Faisalabad (now Government College University), was established in his memory. Islamia College on Sargodha Road, Faisalabad was established through his efforts by Anjuman-e-Islamia. Its main block was named, Ali Akbar Main Block.
In 1953, he represented the Government of Pakistan at the Coronation Ceremony of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London, United Kingdom.
Chaudhary Sahib served as the first Ambassador of Pakistan to Sudan in 1957-58. While in Khartoum, he was concurrently accredited to the Kingdom of Ethiopia.
After Sudan, he served as Ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia from 1958 to 1962. While in Saudi Arabia he was concurrently accredited to Yemen and Somalia.
During his tenure as Ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, he established the Pakistan Embassy School at Jeddah in 1959. This School has now become a renowned education institution and is the proud alma-mater of thousands of people around the world. He also organized the Anjuman-e-Khuddam-ul-Hujjaj in 1959. This organization, comprising Pakistani nationals working/living in Saudi Arabia, was established to look after Pakistanis visiting Baitullah Shareef to perform Hajj.
Anjuman-e-Khuddam-ul-Hujjaj was conferred with Haqa-e-Saqiah by King Saud bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (King of Saudi Arabia) for its services rendered towards the Hajjis from Pakistan. By virtue of Haqa-e-Saqiah conferred on Anjuman-e-Khuddam-ul-Hujjaj, it could officially distribute water to the Hajjis; an honour which is not allowed to any organization unless specifically conferred and allowed by the Saudi Government.
He contested and won the general elections for the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1964 from Samundri, Faisalabad District. He was inducted by Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in his Federal Cabinet as Minister of Home & Kashmir Affairs. He remained as the Federal Minister from 1965 to 1966, which included the period of the 1965 India-Pakistan War.
During the India-Pakistan War of September 1965, he toured Azad Kashmir extensively visiting a large number of Mujahideen training camps to assure them of the firm moral and material support of the Government of Pakistan. During these visits to Azad Kashmir, he also visited the Combined Military Hospitals (CMH) at Murree and Muzaffarabad, and other makeshift hospitals in the forward areas to enquire about the well-being and health of wounded Mujahideen and the Pakistan Army officers and men after ex-filtration from Occupied Kashmir.
He left this temporal world on 08 October 1967, while living in his hometown, Faisalabad (then Lyallpur). During his illustrious career in politics, Chaudhary Ali Akbar Khan served people with dedication, commitment, singular devotion and honesty of purpose. He devoted special attention to alleviate the plight of the poor. People from erstwhile East Punjab of British-India (who had settled in various parts of Pakistan after partition in 1947) and many others who met Chaudhary Sahi in their lifetime in any capacity still remember him with very fond and cherished memories. Whenever old acquaintances remembered him, they did so with wet eyes fondly narrating pleasant memories and expressing warm affections for Chaudhary Ali Akbar Khan.