Perseverance — Page 105
Part II – My Life as a Muslim 105 caused friction between me and Huzoor ra. Thereafter, when Huzoor ra would enter the Mosque, I would say As-Sal a mu ‘Alaykum , but I cannot recall having received his response. This continued for several weeks, but to me it seemed to be an eternity. 34 I felt that my privileged status with the Khal ī fah ra was no more and I could sense the snickers and sneers from those who envied my proximity with Huzoor ra , as if to say that I finally got my wings clipped. Fortunately, this was to change at an unusual event – a funeral. The jan ā zah was led by Huzoor ra at Masjid Mubarak and the bier was taken to the Bahisht ī Maqbara graveyard. I stayed behind at Masjid Mubarak. At the gravesite, the Khal ī fah ra asked, “Where is Mr. Rashid?” People started asking one another where Mr. Rashid was because the Khal ī fah ra was asking for him. As word spread from person to person, it finally reached to where I was in Masjid Mubarak, an approximate 5 to 10 minute walk from the graveyard. Suddenly, I heard these words, “Where is Mr. Rashid? Huzoor bulanday-nay! [Punjabi: Huzoor is calling him! ]” I ran from Masjid Mubarak to Bahisht ī Maqbara. As Huzoor ra was always surrounded by a mass of people, I tugged and pulled my way until I stood right next to him. We were standing side by side again, just as we used to every day before this personal crisis. I felt like I came back to life. 34 Rashid told me on Wednesday, September 30, 2010: “Even to this day I cannot tell you how long it was. ” [Writer]