“No religion is higher than humanity” – Abdul Sattar Edhi"
Legendary Pakistani Philanthropist Mr. Abdul Sattar Edhi, an angel of mercy for destitute, passed away at the age of 88 on Friday at a Karachi hospital after suffering from prolonged illness of kidney failure since 2013.
The foundation owns and runs Pakistan’s largest ambulance service, as well as nursing homes, orphanages, clinics and women’s shelters, along with rehabilitation centers and soup kitchens across the country. Edhi foundation runs 330 welfare centres in Pakistan, both in urban and rural areas to help mentally ill individuals and drug addicts. Since its beginning, the foundation has rescued more than 50,000 orphans, and 20,000 abundant infants, while it has trained more than 40,000 nurses. The foundation not only exist in Pakistan but it provides services in other parts of the world as well.
Mr. Edhi came from humble origin and remained a quiet, modest and honest in his life. He lived by the principle of simplicity, which he decided to adopt at the age of 20, to devote his life in order to bring positive impact on the world.
Born in 1928 in the small village of Bantva in the Gujarat district of then British-ruled India, Mr. Edhi was deeply affected by the death of his mother when he was 19. Mr. Edhi migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and made a living by selling cloth at the Karachi wholesale market. A few years later, he started his charity work with a community clinic in Bantva.
In time, he developed a widespread welfare service across Pakistan, built on donations. Mr. Edhi’s wife, Bilquis Bano whom he married in 1965, ran the free maternity home and organized adoptions throughout Pakistan.
60 years ago, Mr. Edhi stood on the corner of streets of Karachi, and begged for ambulance donation. He successfully raised enough money to run a battered old man. In it, he set out on countless life-saving missions. Gradually, Mr Edhi set up centers all over Pakistan.
The Edhi foundation had started with Rs 5000/- equivalent to ~50 USD as of today, the foundation now receives donations from all over the world. His years of hard work and devotion started to payoff and people began to realize the cause of this noble man. Edhi foundation also provides technical education to the disadvantaged, religious education for street children, consultations on family planning and maternity services, as well as free legal aid, financial and medical support to prisoners and the handicapped.
Abdul Sattar Edhi was the recipient of numerous awards including Lenin Peace Prize, and Nishan-e-Imtiaz from Pakistan Government, the Gandhi Peace Award, the 2007 UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize, the 2011 London Peace Award, the 2008 Seoul Peace Award and the Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Service. The Guardian newspaper regarded Edhi as, “a legendary charity worker known for his asceticism.” He has often been regarded as the greatest living humanitarian in the world.
People of Pakistan have been supporting the noble cause of this noble man. Their emotions were deeply trembled when they found out about the promise he made with his son to donate his eyes to the persons in need after he departs from the world. Donations to the Edhi foundation were doubled the next day after his death. People demanded to provide state funeral to Mr. Edhi, in respect to the services he has provided to the human all over the world, which had only been given to the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, till today.
I hope people from all over the world be inspired of his entire life and continue his legacy. I would like to pay my humble tribute with:
“The richest-poor man left millions a lot to be inspired with”