Khan Mohammad ‘Marhoom’, legendary cricketer, friend of Lahore Ahmadis in U.K.
The Dawn carries the news of the death of Mr Khan Mohammad, well known as fast bowler in the Pakistan cricket team during the 1950s. Please read this link.
Inna li-llahi wa inna ilai-hi rajioon.
Although we had heard of the distinguished name of Khan Mohammad since childhood, little did we know that a time would come, as it did in the last eight years or so, when we would meet him regularly and sit in his company, as we did at the Lahore Ahmadiyya centre in London.
Mr Khan Mohammad, while not being formally an Ahmadi, was one of the most regular people attending the Friday prayers, and monthly and other functions, at our Darus Salaam in London. He was of an absolutely humble, quiet and unassuming nature, a gentleman in all senses of the word. You would not know that he was a man of such fame that some 5 or 6 years ago President Pervaiz Musharraf bestowed a national honour on him and a cricket stand was named after him in a stadium in Pakistan.
Almost nothing could prevent him from attending our centre. Even when receiving his cancer treatment as an out-patient on Friday mornings, he would try to make it for Friday prayers. Many a time I prayed alongside him in congregation, or I gave the khutba and led the prayers with him in the congregation (the latter happened as recently as twice this year).
A year or so ago I asked him about fasting during Ramadan, assuming that he would not be fasting while under treatment, but he said that since he couldn’t eat much anyway due to his condition and the treatment, so he had decided that he might as well fast.
It was only his confinement in hospital in the last few weeks that prevented him from attending our meetings.
He showed extraordinary patience in his illness and made light of it. He prayed with deep concentration and humility. Behind the scenes, he quietly helped people, including members of our Jamaat, in many a matter.
Although apparently not an Ahmadi, he expressed in his will that the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jamaat should say his funeral prayers. As the Holy Prophet Muhammad said: A man is with those whom he loves.
The pleasure of a humorous chat with him will, unfortunately, not be experienced by us again.
We pray that Allah accepts all his humble prayers that he said in our company, grants him forgiveness and mercy, and admits him to His highest places to join His righteous servants in heaven, Ameen.
These few personal observations of mine will be borne out by many others.
Zahid Aziz
From ikram:
Some followup thoughts:
30:50. Look, therefore, at the evidences of Allâh’s mercy! how He breathes life into the earth (making it green and flourishing) after its (state of) death. Surely, He (it is), the same (God), Who will raise the dead to life (in the Hereafter), for He is the Possessor of power over every desired thing
17:21. Behold! how We have exalted some of them over others (in the present life), yet the Hereafter holds out greater degrees of rank and (confers) greater merits and excellence.
2:25. And give good tidings to those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, that there await them gardens from beneath which the streams flow. Every time they are given any kind of fruit from them (- the gardens) to eat, they will say, `This is the same we were given before.’ They will be given it (- the fruit) in perfect semblance (to their deeds). They shall have therein companions purified (spiritually and physically), and will abide therein for ever.
[The Holy Quran – translated by Allamah Nooruddin]
“Beyond all death is Truth, and herein lies
True life – though in bewilderment man dies.”
[A Selection from Iqbal’s Poems – translated by S. Amjad Ali, The Islamic Review, Woking, England, pg 27, September 1957]
From fazli:
In fact Khan Muhammad had been very close to the Ahmadiyya. And this came about due to his teacher Master Muhammad Ibrahim Jammuni, who was later on the Headmaster of Ta’lim al-Islam High School, Rabwah. Khan Muhammad visited him once in Rabwah and stayed there for some days and himself revieled that Mr. Ibrahim, who was also an enthusiast of Cricket and a player himself, had been his mentor during his school days. He never formaly entered the Jama’at, but seems to have had sympathies with the Jama’at.