Why Islam is my choice — Page 41
41 Bahawalpur (then a princely state), on the insistence of a wealthy friend whose family ran a large business firm in that area. The firm’s name was H. M. ABDUL RA Ḥ M Ā N & SONS. During this visit one of the owners of this firm offered me a lucrative employment. The terms were so attactive that I could not refuse. I was soon made the General Manager of this firm. The firm was housed in a large building in the center of the town. A large furnished apartment on the second floor of this building was given to me for my personal residence. Thus I started a new life. My education had abruptly ended but I could see a bright future for myself. I started living a very comfortable life. My stepfather had finished his last leg of service at Quetta, Baluchistan, (now in Pakistan). I was always fascinated by the character of this city. Quetta’ s population consisted of various ethnic groups including Pushtoons, Afghans, Iranis, Punjabis, Hazaras and of course, the British. The city was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake of May 31, 1935. The British Indian government rebuilt it in a modem style. The climate was just ideal for a break from the summer heat of anywhere else in India. I made a lot of friends in Quetta with whom I kept up until very late in life. As mentioned earlier, my life in Bahawalpur had become very comfortable. The owners had handed over almost all their responsibilities to me. They had given me complete freedom to run the business as I wished. They were highly impressed by my hard work and honesty and would proudly and frequently make a mention of it. Since I could fluently speak Arabic, Persian, Pushto, and English, I became very popular with the members of the family of Naw ā b (Ruler) of Bahawalpur State. They used to frequently bring their guests for shopping, who used to be diplomats from different countries. This ‘Royal’ patronage gave a big boost to the business. On the other hand my private life was nothing