The Dawoodi Bohra Welfare Society in UK

held a memorial Warsi Ceremony in remembrance of

 Janab Ahmed Ismail Luqmani Saheb

in recognition of his long years of selfless and dedicated services to the community

Sunday 28^th March 2010

 at

Rawlins Community College, Quorn

 

Some of speeches delivered on the day are available for you to read

by Mehdihasan Inayathusein (Malegaon, India)

On the occasion of warsi of Marhoom Janab Ahmed BhaiLuqmani sahib I offer my heartfelt condolences specially to his family members and to the UK Bohras in general, because each and every one has lost a loving and a guiding father figure.During this past year , you must have realized this fact time and again that the vacuum created after his sad passing away is very difficult to be filled. When I was in Birmingham in 2001 for the Mohrram waez, his health was not good , and after the Ashra I along with Moez Bhai , his wife Mrs.Nasreen Bhabhi and Fazle Abbas went to see him at his residence in London. He was very pleased to meet me and said that he had a sentimental relationship with Malegaon. In 2006 , again when I came back to do Ashra in Birmingham ,at that time, Ashura was jointly observed by all the UK reformist bohras and despite his age and failing health he was present there and was very pleased to see the large number of Momineen there.For the UK Bohras , the services rendered by him can not be forgotten. In this world there are certain people who by their selfless services win the hearts of people and I place him very high in the list of such persons. He had offered his services at such a time when there was none to look after the religeous needs of the community.Allah (SWT) likes such persons very much who strive very hard to come to people’s help and do services for His deen. I am sure that Allah(SWT) rewards him highly.May Allah uplift him to a higher place in jannat.Ameen.

_________________________________________________________

by Fazleabbas Kinkhabwala (President of DBWS in GB)

As-salaam alay kum

As president of the Dawoodi Bohra Welfare Society I feel honoured to share with you this solemn occasion in commemorating the warsi of Janab Ahmedbahi Luqmani Saheb.

At Janab Ahmedbhai Luqmani’s funeral people talked about how he had touched the lives of most of us in one form or another.

Mr. Luqmani was a man of very high stature and lofty status. The first true giant I had encountered at the age of 14

A tremendous personality with his fur cap, silver beard and his long coat, he was a dashing figure, yet he was very approachable. One could feel ones presence in the entire hall, even when one was sitting in a quiet corner.

I want to focus on the positive aspects of his life achievements.

At our last meeting in London we decided to hold it at Limes Avenue and I sat there at the dining table listening intensely to Gulbanoo aunty reminisce about Luqmani Uncles life and work and her reflections on their life together.

Short life history

Cousin of the present Dai his father’s opposition to the exploitation of the community by the late Sayadna following his great Fai’s demise and participation in the famous Chandabhai Galla case as witness against the Sayadna led to the ending of his relationship

with the late Dai. As a consequence the family suffered enormous hardships. Mr. Luqmani translated his fathers will into English. It makes interesting reading and sheds light on the trickery and connivance of the crafty Kothar. 

In Burhanpoor Mr. Luqmani stayed in the boarding house of Hakimiya Coronation High School. Having graduated from Hakimya high school gaining excellent results in Burhanpoor, he moved to Mumbai for further studies.

He then saw an advert for the post of headmaster, applied for it and at the age of 19 was appointed headmaster for the Anglo-Urdu School in Kurla Mumbai. He stayed there for a short time and then joined the Indian railways as a clerk. Promotion soon followed to Inspector of Accounts and this accorded him the opportunity to travel all over India .

In 1947 when India became independent and was partitioned he opted to work on the railways in Pakistan. His first posting was in Lahore and quickly moved to Karachi. Here he developed a liking for accountancy and studied it in austere family circumstances. He qualified as an accountant and started his own practice ‘A.I. Luqmani & Co.’

In order to access the best education for his children he decided to move to the U.K. After an initial family holiday in India

The family set off for Tilbury docks and arrived on 12th March 1961.

Determined to get the better of discrimination that he encountered he landed his first job at £6.00 per week. His Pakistani qualifications as an accountant were not recognized in the U.K. and spent some further years studying and finally qualified as a Chartered accountant in 1973 at the age of 54.

He worked hard to build his business his qualifications and to provide a roof over the families head moving to Limes Avenue in 1963

Married twice with 5 children firstly to Sharifabai in 1942 in Udaipur till her sad demise in 1956. Having to cater for the 3 sons he was encouraged by his inlaws and met  and married Gulbanoo Aunty in Mumbai in 1958 again under trying circumstances.

My first contact with Janab Ahmedbhai Luqmani saheb was in 1975 when he came to Newcastle at my dads request to perform my Misaaq without notes some 240 miles at no cost. He then toured Scotland and returned to London via the Lake District. I later understood that he had solemnized over 150 marriages including marriages for the Shia Ithna-asri and & Sunni Brothers.

He was highly regarded by the wider community. Besides serving the Reformist cause he served as secretary and president of the ‘Islamic Association of North Finchley.’ He was also a committee member and auditor of the Union of Muslim Organizations in the U.K. and Eire and a Muslim Chaplin in the North London Hospice.

He met her Majesty the Queen in 1998 when she visited the Hospice.

He also made himself available for burials, Sadakallas, and 192 Nikahs the first being on 2nd September 1973 in Leicester and the last on 29th November 2008 just 4 months before his death.

He led prayers for us and delivered Moharram sermons and organised and delivered seminars on burials and religious education.

His was the best teachings distilled from years of reading into simple English, Gujrati or Urdu even I could understand.

During Canadian Bill S-13 he translated articles from Urdu and Guajarati into English.

A learned man always eager to share his knowledge the mark of a wise one and used rationale to explain quaranic injunctions.

A modernist who accepted changing times and never forced orthodoxy. His liberal views together with his analysis of cause nature and effect of reform movement evoked great admiration in me. Orthodoxy and the clergy are like all human beings with birth, growth, decay and death. No civilisation, kingdom or people dominate for long one giving way to the other. It is the group mentality of a people which helps it to defend itself. Well versed in sociology I thought. It may not happen in my lifetime but it will happen. He was aware he was living at a critical juncture in the history of the reform movement and therefore keen to record the past to draw lessons for the future and to accomplish it in a masterly manner.   

He knew the weaknesses in me but tolerated it and helped us to get along. He was the first to say the community has chosen wisely when I was elected president.   

He was modest, principled determined and yet a patient and polite man.

Prolific in Arabic, English, Urdu and Guajarati. I can only have access to 25percent of the literature he could access hence his unparalled wisdom.

A generous man who never counted the cost of serving meals to many guests who came to his house for Missaks, Nikahs, Guidance, and meetings. He happily travelled to distant locations to perform religious ceremonies using his own transport and never expected any reward or compensation. He offered his selfless free service to the Reformist community for over three decades.

It was also at that meeting I talked about in London that Hamidbhai took me upstairs and I was in awe when I saw the computer he used to work on the wonderful books from which we derive guidance and religious knowledge. Kitabus Salaat and Our Way of life have become an integral part of my daily life and will remain so for our future generations to come. We talked about his being one of the founder members of DBWS a visionary who helped frame the constitution, the treasurer and trustee of 1986 Bohra Reformist Trust and his commitment, services and dedication to both organizations.

I still fondly remember the great man who came to take my misaq and leave a lasting impression on me for the rest of my days.

The man who takes your misaq can have a significant impact on your life and he certainly did on mine. 

Was salaam

---

Details for the day

We request your presence with all your family members punctually at 1:30 PM

RSVP:  by 6th March 2010 to your Branch Secretary or chain leader 

We do not want to waste food so please let your chain leader know the number of people attending from your family.

Tentative program

13:30              Quran khwani (Siparas)
15:00              Fateha & prayer (Sadaqallah)
15:30              Tributes
16:30              Niyaz
17:30              End