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Raza Hassanali Fortieth Majlis Dear Brothers and Sisters in Iman – Salaamun Alaikum. We are gathered here tonight to commemorate the Shahadat of our beloved Bibi Zainab A.S. and for the Fortieth Majlis of Marhum Al-Haj Razabhai Hassanali. I am greatly honored to have been asked by the Hassanali family to say a few words about Marhum Raza Hassanali. I met him and his family for the first time when I arrived in At the core of Raza’s existence, was his unflinching faith in Allah swt and his absolute love for the Ahlal Bait. Every discussion, every undertaking would bring forth a Hadith of the Prophet or of the Fouteen Masumeens. He raised his family and dealt with friends and relatives based on this deeply ingrained faith. Azadari was his lifestyle. He once was even at the brink of losing the lease to his apt because he had volunteered to hold Muharram Majlises at his home. Raza’s life revolved around his immediate and extended families, his relatives and his friends. He was at the center of their adulation. His attachment to his family and friends was unshakeable. The Community was his other passion. He was one of the founding members of SIJNY and he assumed various leadership positions in this Jamaat. He was heavily involved in establishing this Center also. As President of SANA he managed to bring together Shias from the sub continent and East Africa. It was he who wrote to Aga Khui requesting an Alim to be sent to NY for the benefit of all the Shias here. This single move, I believe, was a milestone in our Community’s spiritual growth. Many new comers to the country were hosted at his home and were guided into proper settling. As a business man he managed to jointly own factories, a hotel and partnerships in various commercial enterprises. His stubborn persistence to emphasize religious and secular education was something to admire and emulate. Many of us remember him teaching Quran at SIJNY and Masumeen Madressas. Those young parents who grew up here will certainly remember their younger days when Raza would encourage them to prepare and deliver short speeches during our Majlises. Many times, the Marhum himself wrote the speeches for the youngsters to deliver. He had high expectations for his own children and guided them to pursue higher education and achieve professional status. He propagated the same enthusiasm and high expectations for education to the rest of the Community. I believe that the successful professional career preparations of these early youngsters provided mentorship and role models to the succeeding waves of our students. This Marhum’s life provides a yet another lesson to all of us. For a successful and blissful life one needs to have deep faith, love of Ahlal Bait, passionate Azadari, love for family, high educational expectations and a fair amount of entrepreneurial spirit. However, for Raza, his participation in Community life was his center of gravity. He yearned for enthusiasm and unity within the Community. He also hoped that this Community would use its collective resources and its international associations for the betterment of us all. Brothers and Sisters, in memory to this Marhum, let us commit ourselves to reinvigorate this Community and bring back the love, the unity, and the enthusiasm that we enjoyed during our earlier days in this new land. Let us make each and every one of us feel proud to belong to this Community and to feel that this Community will anchor our lives. On this solemn night, let us pray to Allah swt, behakke our Fourteen Masumeens to place the Marhum’s soul at an elevated position in proximity to our beloved Masumeens in whose Azadari this Marhum devoted his entire life – Aameen. Let us also pray to the Almighty to grant Sabar to the Marhum’s family – Aameen. Finally, I pray to Allah to bestow wisdom and strength to this Community to embark upon a path of greater unity and genuine caring for each other – Aameen. Al Fateha. |
