MY MOTHER—AN EXEMPLARY WOMAN

MY MOTHER—AN EXEMPLARY WOMAN A Child’s Schoolroom T HIS is the story of my mother—a mother whose nobility of character, under the severest of strains, is an example worth sharing with the readers. The way in which she came through certain ordeals in life is a clear proof that, within the limits prescribed by Islam, women can be positively constructive not only within their own domestic sphere, but also much further afield. They can indeed be a powerful and beneficial influence upon others. The daughter of Khuda Bux, my mother was born towards the end of the nineteenth century in the town of Sanjarpur (Azamgarh, U.P., India), and was given the name of Zaibun Nisa. When she passed away in Delhi on the 8th of October, 1985, she was about 100 years of age. The type of education she had, permitted her to read only the Quran and a little Urdu. She was a religious woman in the fullest sense of the word. Never did she tell a lie or act in a way which could be described as unethical. She was punctual in her prayers and fasting and had performed Hajj. Spending her entire life in hijab, she was a woman of fine, upstanding character and unbending principle. She was the wife of the biggest landlord in that part of the country, with lands spread over several villages. On a routine visit to his farm in Newada, her husband suffered a paralytic stroke, fell unconscious and had to be carried home on a bedstead. There could be no words of final parting, for he passed away the next day without having regained consciousness. Quite suddenly, she found herself a widow. She was a mother to three sons and two daughters. The daughters, being older, were then not even in their teens. Both her daughters died during her lifetime. The death of our father at that time was a great blow, not only because we had lost a loving parent but also because of the treatment we received at the hands of certain members of our joint family. After my father’s death, these relatives took over the management of the entire family property. My grandfather, under the joint family system, was the person who had actually been entrusted with the management of the farm. But he was so honest that he would Within the limits prescribed by Islam, women can be positively constructive not only within their own domestic sphere, but also much further afield.