Appeal

How Much Do We Care For Our Imam?

-By Nigar Ataulla

Allah has ordained that praying in the Jamaat or the congregation carries a greater reward. The Imam who leads the prayer is highly respected by the Muslim community. The Imam guides you to performing the prayers in the manner performed by Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). The Imam has the Quran in his heart, mind and soul. It is a marvel  to watch the Imam reciting the entire Quran by memory in the Tarawih prayers during Ramadan. But what happens when an Imam falls ill? Are we as a community ever reflecting on the fact that an Imam is a human being and falls ill too. He needs our utmost  care and attention. 

Just walk down Rajendranagar slums, in Koramangala which is all set to become a mini Silicon Valley. Amidst the ramshackles of the huts there, you will spot Hafiz Rafiq Ahmed. He has been the Imam at the Madina Masjid in Koramangala for over 20 years now. But life for Hafiz Rafiq Ahmed is slowing down. This brilliant Maulana who completed his Hafiz-e-Quran course at Indupur and the Alim course at Vellore has been struck by Ischeamic Heart Disease (IHD) with critical Tripple Vessel disease. According to Dr. F. Sadruddin Shariff, cardio-thoracic surgeon of Hope Medical Centre who will be operating on Hafiz Rafiq, the condition is very critical and an urgent Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery is the best solution for this. The cost of the surgery amounts to Rs 1,04, 500.

Hafiz Rafiq’s story is all the more heart-touching. For over one and half years, Hafiz Rafiq ran from pillar to post, from hospital to hospital, when he developed chest pain while walking and while talking. Trekking miles, he even made his way into a hospital in the remote Whitefield only to be told that he needs to take some tablets for over a year before anything further could be done. Allah guides all and that’s how finally he reached the safe hands of renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr F. Sadruddin Shariff this Ramadan.

Life is not all rosy for 40 year old Hafiz Rafiq. Apart from the additional responsibility of taking care of his wife and two sons and a daughter, on a meagre income of Rs 2000 as an Imam, he now spends hours pondering how on earth is he going to arrange Rs 1,04,500 needed for his heart surgery which is scheduled for December 5, 2003. To make matters worse, his house has been in shambles now and needs reconstruction too. But priority is his heart surgery, as it’s a question of saving his life and helping him lead a normal peaceful life in the future –Inshallah.

We should thank Allah that he bestowed us with health to fast during this Ramadan. Hafiz Rafiq is saddened by the thought that he  was unable to fast due to his weak heart and also was not able to lead the Tarawih too at the Mosque.

We sit in the comfort of our homes, breaking our fast with a grand iftar, distributing Zakat, charity and doing all the good that we can so that Allah forgives us for our sins. Can we also reflect a bit on how we can as a community help Hafiz Rafiq get back to  normal life and a life he loves most as an Imam leading the prayers and guiding people to the path of Allah?

Your contributions to the cost of the surgery will go a long way in helping Hafiz Rafiq get back his healthy heart- a heart which is not only physically healthy, but also a heart that can soon recite the beautiful verses from the Quran all over again?  You may send in your contributions in the form of cheque or draft or money orders directly addressed to: 

Dr. F. Sadruddin Shariff, cardio-thoracic surgeon at Hope Medical Centre, 
No 332, Dar-us-Salaam, Queen’s Road, 
Bangalore-560052. 
Ph: 2202201, 2202202, Mobile: 9845450005. 
Email:hope-medical@eth.net