Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 145
Khilafat Centenary and had instructed him to write down the mileage in case the car was used by a member of his family. He would then pay the government according to the mileage. He often said, "Wrongdoing is not an option. What one has to guard against is the appearance of wrongdoing. " An Administrator of International Proportions It is often said that he was an economic expert of international level. Whereas he did understand and had mastered the world of economics, his gift was the art of governance. He had the ability to delineate a vision and then lead his followers to achieve that vision. He displayed this ability in all three different careers that he had. In Pakistan, his biggest gifts to the country were the achievement of the Indu s Basin Treaty and the sanctions of Mangla and Tarbaila dams. He later worked diligently to reschedule the funding at the World Bank. His second major contribution to Pakistan was the role he played in establishing the Industrial Development Banks in Pakistan. Therefore, it is safe to say that he played a major role both in the field of agriculture and industrialization of Pakistan. As the Amir of the USAJama'at, he organized and consolidated thejama'at while working towards moral and spiritual training of the members. He was able to achieve significant financial progress. At the time he took over the US Jama' at, , the budget was $1. 35 million. Within a short period of time, it soared to $8. 7 million. Hadhrat Mian Sahib practiced the very concept modern experts on management sciences are peddling today. That is the concept of Principled Centered Leadership. At the very core of this concept lie both personal and professional integrity. A Perfect Son, a Perfect Father I was always impressed by the level of respect and love Mian Sahib had for his parents. He often talked about them and narrated incidents about them. I know that until his mother passed away in February of 1970, he took care of all her needs and also use to send her "pocket money" on a monthly basis. He always reminded us of the hadith that states: "Paradise lies underneath yo ur mother's feet". He was also very aware of his fathers needs. One of his cousins, Nawab Mahmood Ahmad (Oudie Bhai) who had the blessing of spending a great deal of time with Hadhrat Sahibzada Mirza Bashir Ahmadra , told me that one da y while Hadhrat Sahibzada Mirza Bashir Ahrnadra was pacing in the front of the house, Al- Bushra, a package arrived. He ask my Oudie Bhai to open it. Once opened , he shook his head and became emotional while saying, "This son of mine is incredible. Whenever I mention any interest in anything, he sends it to me". As for a father, I am a witness to a perfect one. He treated me with love, respect and tender care. He attended to my every wish and balanced it with teaching me the purpose of life. He told me to strive for a life that is filled with Taqwa, told me to alwa ys remain true to the message and messengers of Allah. He told me to love and respect all. He told me to sacrifice from what Allah has provided for me, to learn to enjoy life and all that Allah has provided for us within the boundaries Allah h as created for us. His style of upbringing is captured best in a statement Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IVn a made during one of his visits to the United States. Huzur ra stated: Here in the USA your Amir, M. M Ahmad Sahib and his wife, my sister, Amatul Qayyum, are good models in this respect to follow. The son of my nephew Battu, Muhammad Ahmad, is very dear to them and they cr eate an impression that appears as if Muhammad Ahmad can lead them with their noses and whatever he desires will be done. I mean that this is an impression that they can create to the cursory obser ver and of course upon the child himself But I know better than that. Within this small world off reed om he is never permitted to cross boundari es of principles. In fact he is taught to be absolutely tru e to respect elders, to love God, the Holy Prophefa w and his servants - all godly people and it is inbred in him to resp ect the Holy Qur'an and listen to it in silence whenever it is recited. All of this is done in a manner that the child continues to retain a sense off reed om and follows th e instructions by appropriating them as if these things b elong to him and he himself is the guardian over all these good qualities. In the end I would like to add that he was truly a rare man that we were blessed with and 1 fo r one. him every day, all da. Please remember prayers.