ACKNOWLEDGING THE ROLE OF PROF FARIDA KHANAM

There was a persistent demand for an English translation of this book. Many individuals attempted to translate it into English independently but faced difficulties. The main challenge lay in the fact that the book contained numerous excerpts from English sources, which had been translated into Urdu. Translating these passages into other languages posed no issues since the translators could work directly with the provided translations. However, for an English translation, it was necessary to have access to the original English texts to avoid the inaccuracies of translating from English to English twice. Numerous English scholars who expressed interest in translating the book approached me, requesting access to the original English texts. However, the challenge was that during the writing of Mazhab Aur Jadeed Challenge, I had consulted various books over a considerable period. I had gathered these books from different libraries and personal collections of scholars, and I had lost track of the exact sources of the quotations. It became apparent to me that translating the book into English was not feasible due to this issue. Remarkably, Farida Khanam took the initiative to address this challenge without my prompting. She tirelessly began searching for the original English texts in various libraries, day and night. Her dedicated efforts extended to libraries such as the Aligarh Independent Library, Delhi Public Library, Delhi University, and other university libraries. She diligently obtained the complete citations and original excerpts from all the required books. Her motivation in this regard sparked when she received an extensive list from Mr. Ikramuddin Ahmed (IAS), who had read my book Mazhab Aur Jadeed Challenge and compiled a detailed list of the relevant books spanning several pages. Although I couldn’t provide her with those books, the list served as a catalyst for Farida Khanam. She embarked on a quest to search for these books in various libraries, armed with the provided list. Eventually, she managed to acquire all the English excerpts and proceeded to translate the entire book, incorporating these excerpts. This translation underwent several stages before it was finally completed and printed in Delhi in 1985. The translated book was titled God Arises and spanned 288 pages. This undeniably serves as a remarkable illustration of selfless cooperation, and it appears to me that such a flawless and selfless Selfless dedication to a mission is a trait that is perhaps more commonly found in women than in men.