A hundred years ago,...
by Alnoor Samji

...... Samji Bapa was raising his family in the small town of Satudar, in the state of Kathiawar, India. He lived in a four bedroom house, ran a wholesale / retail produce and merchandise store, and looked after two buffaloes in the courtyard to provide him with milk. Going to Dhoraji on business or Council work a few miles away was a significant event. Could he have foreseen that his descendants, a hundred years, later would be living in North America, Europe and Africa? Could he have done anything to prepare us to thrive in this environment?

I think it is unlikely that he would have had any inkling of what was to unfold. Even after Mawlana Sultan Mohamed Shah encouraged lsmailis to emigrate to East Africa, Samji Bapa could not have visualized these changes in his wildest dreams. However, I submit that, even with this lack of knowledge, he prepared his family superbly for what was to come. He did this in three ways.

First, he believed in and preached family unity. He saw great strength in this unity; strength to pull us through difficult times, strength to move a significant part of his family to an unknown land, strength to sustain the values dear to him. Secondly, he taught his family the necessity of service without expectation of return, both within the Jamat and in the wider community. Service has been a continuous theme throughout our history. It has enriched our lives and has helped us to focus on what is important in life. Thirdly, he appreciated the importance of education. Besides making sure that his children attended school up to the highest grade available in Satudar, he also sent his children to a nearby town to receive tuition in English.

Looking at our situation today, and making plans for tomorrow, would we do any different? Wouldn't we also emphasize unity, service and education? Times have changed, but the fundamentals have remained the same. We learn from history, and we in turn must set an example today that will form the history of our future generations.

Our "get together" in Vancouver comes at a time when we can say that the descendants of Habib and Rehmat are well settled, well educated and with a commitment to service that Samji Bapa would have been very proud of. Inshallah, unity in our families will be much stronger as a result of our get together. We must maintain contact, visit each other, support each other and rejoice in each other's achievements. In the year 2095, our descendants may come to look upon 1995 as a major milestone in our history.

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