PRAYER

            Can you believe that the woman who died right in front of my eyes came to life again? I started crying and begged ALLAH for giving the Life back to the woman who died  in front of me a little while ago. The medical team came rushing towards the woman and started their medical procedure to bring the life back into the woman. They were massaging her chest and doing other resurrection procedures. The doctor gave her a life saving injection. The nurse placed the machine on the woman’s mouth and nose and started giving her artificial respiration but no use. The doctor then told all to stand clear of the woman and gave her the electric shock. Once, no response second, no response, third and the line on the Heart monitor started oscillating. The heartbeat of the woman started and she came back to life. ALLAH has responded to my prayers.الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ 

          Since the year 2003, I started complaining to my doctor that I suspected heart problem. But he would always refuse to agree with me and always told me that the chest pain I am complaining about is of my stomach and not heart. The frequency of heart pain attacks kept increasing and the gap between the two pain attacks shortened. Initially I used to have chest pain after every six months. Then the gap narrowed to after every five months and it kept decreasing. But the irony was that whenever I used to be brought to the Cardiologist in emergency with the complain of the chest pain he would examine me, give me treatment for my stomach and relieve me from the hospital. This continued till 2008. 

          In this duration of almost five years three Cardiologists were changed/posted out of the hospital. It was somewhere in the beginning of the year 2008 when I again had a severe chest pain attack. This time the Cardiologist was Dr. Siddique, a new comer, who had just been posted in from The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD). He gave me the treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where I was admitted. I was discharged again, after giving necessary medicines and declared fit. However, on my request Dr Siddique agreed to re-examine me after 15 days. 

          To cut the story short, after 15 days when I reported to him for medical check-up, he put me through a process of different tests and after completion of the Tests, which took almost 30 days, he also declared me medically fit and found no defect as far as my heart was concerned. However, on my insistence, he referred me to NIVCD for my Angiography test. 

          I travelled on my own expenses, all the way from Quetta to Rawalpindi, a distance of almost 2000 kilometres, for the test. It was very kind of Dr. Siddique that he made all my appointments with the Surgeons/Doctors there at the NICVD. Thus on the very next day of my arrival, I was admitted at the hospital and the Angiography procedure was performed on me. 

          The result of the test reports revealed that I was right and doctors were wrong. It was discovered that three of my Arteries were blocked. One blockade was of 98%, the other was 96%, and yet another was 97% blocked. Thus the blood supply to the heart was hindered and that was the cause of my repeated chest pains. It was however diagnosed, by a board of 10 doctors that medicine management should be done with me. The reason the doctors gave was that the blockades are at such an acute angle that “Stunting” cannot be done and heart by-pass operation was out of question as well, as it was too risky. The panel of doctors assessed that in-case the by-pass procedure is conducted; my survival chances were 5% to 3%. So nobody was ready to take the risk. Thus, me and my family were briefed that it will be better to go for medicine management and shall forget about the heart by-pass operation or any other procedure. So we agreed and came back to our home at Quetta. 

          Here, despite my adoption of the suggested medicine management and strict diet control, that too under the supervision of my Cardiologist Dr. Siddique, there was no relief in the heart pain. Rather the frequency of attacks of pain increased. The gap between one attack of heart pains to another was shortened to almost once per month. Meanwhile two years passed and it was now the year 2010. A time came when I had severe heart attacks, three in a row in a months’ time. After the third one, while I was laying in the Intensive care Unit that one of my friend came to visit me. This was the person who was constantly in touch with me and was abreast with my current status. 

          He advised me that I shall leave the present set of doctors and I should go for a second opinion by going to Karachi, where better Cardiologists were available. I agreed. 

          It was with quite some difficulty, due to my serious medical condition that our Cardiologist and the hospital authorities allowed me to travel, with a precondition that I shall be airlifted to Karachi under the supervision of a doctor in attendance and shall be admitted immediately in Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) at Karachi. So it was done accordingly. The appointment with the Cardiologist and the admission at the hospital was scheduled for the same afternoon when our flight was arriving at Karachi. However, we could not make it due to extra ordinary delay of the airline flight. We lodged ourselves at a guest room and the next morning appointment with the doctor was re-scheduled. However, it could not materialize as I had a severe heart attack the same late night. I was rushed to the hospital and admitted in the ICU. From there, in the morning, when I was a little stable, I was shifted to CCU. Here at CCU I remained admitted from 3rd march 2010 to 14th  April 2010. I daily used to have three heart attacks and my Cardiologist, Dr. Qaiser and his team were surprised as to how was I surviving. They worked very hard with me with lot of dedication. So the frequency of my heart attacks came down to one per day. Dr. Qaiser told me that he is waiting for the day where I will give him clear three days without a heart attack that he will perform a fresh Angiography on me to see the current situation of my Heart and Arteries. This will help him to come to a conclusion as to what further medical procedure can be adopted. 

          It was there while I was in the CCU that the above narrated incident happened. 

          This woman of about fifty years was brought in unconscious with a reported severe heart attack. Dr. Qaiser and his team provided medical aid to the woman. Her medical condition improved and she came to senses. She remained alright for complete 24 hours. But the above episode happened when she had passed the previous night peacefully and was resting after having her breakfast. It was around 10:00 am in the morning. She was so positioned on my right sides’ next bed that I could fully observe her and her vitals monitor was right in front of me and was clearly visible. 

          While I was looking at her heart beat graph at the monitor that she had a jerk and the heart beat line at the graph went straight showing no kinks of the heart beats. The alarm of the heart monitor sounded and the technicians at the desk shouted for the doctor and the nurse, who were giving medical assistance to another heart patient some four beds away, and ran towards her. 

          It was then that I remembered the verse of The Quran and the Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, that ALLAH listens’ to the prayers of the patient and responds immediately. 

          I begged ALLAH for the life of the woman, quoting that he has promised to listen to the prayers of the patients. SHUKAR ALHAMDULILLAH (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ), ALLAH responded as per HIS own promise and the life came back to the lady. I cried in gratitude. 

          I may mention here that it took almost ten minutes before the lady came back. The attendant standing beside me, having years of experience at the CCU, told me that it is useless efforts as the lady has gone for quite long. 

          When she revived, the attendant said that it is a miracle and that it has never happened earlier in his professional life. After four days, the lady was discharged from the CCU. 

          I may confess here that during my more than a month’s stay at the CCU I prayed such for five more occasions and at all the occasions ALLAH was kind enough to grant my prayers by bringing life miraculously to the persons who were declared dead. I also prayed to ALLAH to give health to all who were with me at the CCU and ALLAH granted that. I may also confess here that I made another request to my ALLAH and saw its acceptance after few months in shape of a promotion of my friend who has helped me all along in my medical treatment. Peoples were very sure, due to all laid down standards, that my friend would not be promoted but he did. 

          On 14th April 2010, I was taken for my heart by-pass operation and Six by pass grafts were implanted to my heart. It was almost after fifteen days that I was again admitted back to CCU due to some little complications. There, out of curiosity, that I asked the Duty nurse at the CCU regarding any casualties during my absence of 15 days. 

          She informed me that there was causality almost each day after I left. Daily a heart patient expired. I felt sad. 

         Readers, it may be a co-incidence or maybe it was because someone of us (the heart patients at the CCU) was ignorant of the extensions of the Graces of ALLAH and thus did not pray.

           So do always pray and never forget to pray for others whom you see suffering.        

Posted by Zaffar Iqbal Durrani

GOOD LUCK

           It was middle of Jun 2009 and it has been almost two years that I was without job. Those were tough days as it was very difficult to make the two ends meet. I had no source of income less my pension, which was too meager. Running the house affairs having a wife and raising four children had become a real tough task.

            One morning I saw an advertisement in the daily news paper by a multinational company announcing a vacancy of General Manager. The required qualification matched my credentials, so I applied. In few days time I received a call from their manager HR informing me that they have provisionally selected me and was asking my availability. After a little negotiation, we came to an understanding and he told me that I will be getting Rs. 150,000.00 ($ 1765) per month, a chauffeur driven brand new Toyota Corolla Car, a three bedroom rent free house, medical insurance and a limit free cell phone ceiling. But he told me that I shall have to appear before a selection Board for a formal interview. This Board will be headed by an American, who, as per him, is the Managing Director of the Company. The Manager HR also informed me that I shall remain ready as I will be called on a very short notice as the Managing Director was due to visit Pakistan within Two/ three days time.

            The very next day I received the call that I have to reach Karachi the day after for the interview. The Manager HR also said that I shall buy the Air ticket, whose charges shall be reimbursed to me on my arrival at Karachi. I accordingly managed my seat with the Airline. However, a day earlier than my departure, I received the call from the same Manager HR informing me that there was a change of program. He told me that their American Managing Director was now coming to Lahore and my interview will also be conducted there. So, I have to change my air ticket to Lahore instead of Karachi. The Manager also promised that all the charges, including cancellation charges etc will be reimbursed to me on my arrival at Lahore. So I agreed.

                With quite difficulty, I managed the rearrangement and was able to get a reservation in the air line for the next day.

                In the evening I confirmed my reservation/ arrival to the said Manger HR and he in turn told me about my detailed program. The Manager informed me that I will be received by their driver at the airport. He gave me the name and cell phone number of the driver and also informed me that the driver will be displaying my name’s ply card and a white Toyota Corolla of the latest model will be there to receive me. The Manager also gave me the registration number of the Car. He also told me that still there is a little change in the program because of the American MD. He told me that as their company intends to make a new factory at Kala Shah Kako, around half an hour distance from Lahore towards the north, so the driver will take me there for the meeting/ interview and from there, I will be dropped back to Lahore, where my stay arrangement for a night will be made. He said the rest of the details will be told to me personally on my arrival and meeting him.

                The next day I reached Lahore at around 2 p.m. I looked for the driver when I came out of the arrival Lounge but could not see him. It was a very worm afternoon of June at Lahore. The sun was blazing hot.

                I tried to call the driver on the given number but found it closed. Then I called the Manger HR. he was noticeably surprised to hear that nobody came to receive me as scheduled. He requested me few moments leave with a promise to call me back.

                He called back after a while and informed me that the driver/ car, which were to receive me, have met an accident on the Ring road. He asked me whether I can come to certain place at the middle way mean while he dispatches another car to pick me up. I refused and told him that I will wait for the vehicle at the airport. So he agreed. Twice then he rang me up again to confirm that I am still at the airport. He also asked about my whereabouts as to where am I waiting confirmed me that the replacement vehicle is on its way to pick me up.

              While I was waiting, I rang up my friend at Lahore to inform him that I am there and that by evening I shall be calling on him. My friend Mr. Rauf was part of an intelligence agency at Lahore.

              On contact, Mr. Rauf asked me the purpose of my visit and I gave him the details as to why be me there and why/ where am I waiting for the car to pick me up. He told me to immediately leave that place, to get a first available taxi and rush to his office. The alarm in his voice made me worried and without asking any further questions, I hurried out of the airport, engaged a taxi and started towards his office. While in the taxi, I receive the call from Mr. Rauf confirming whether I am out of the airport. On my confirmation, he asked me the number from whom I was getting the calls of the Manager HR. Mr Rauf also instructed me not to respond to any of their further calls. I replied in affirmation.

             On reaching Mr. Rauf’s office, I learned the horrifying facts from Mr. Rauf and thanked ALLAH for saving my life. My life was saved by a very short margin. The death kissed my cheek and fly by.

           Mr. Rauf told me that while I was on my way to his office he checked the telephone number from where the Manager HR was making the calls. The Manger HR was actually calling from Rahwali whereas; he was pretending to be calling from Lahore. Mr Rauf told me that it was a big gang of scoundrels who was working for abduction for ransom. Mr. Rauf also told me that the gang had earlier abducted 36 retired Army officers of the stature of Colonels and Majors, and after getting their life time savings, killed them and buried them at unknown places. Mr. Rauf also told me that his office was able to burst that gang a year earlier and after arresting the culprits and getting their confessions and necessary evidence, handed them over to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). They were further handed over to the local police by NAB, on the pretext of being not their subject matter. During the course, the police released them as some big shots of police and Two sitting Ministers and some Members of National Assemble and Provincial Assembly were part of the gang and were supporting the nefarious activities and whatever hue & cry was made by the families of the victims was suppressed and nothing was allowed to come out in the press. Further, the families of the victims were threatened to keep quite or get ready to face the dire consequences.

         Mr. Rauf told me that the gang was now again operating, after a gap of a year period.

         I still thank ALLAH for saving me from this disaster and my safe return to my home back to my family.   

Posted by Zaffar Iqbal Durrani

FAITH

           The eight gunners changed their aims and started firing on the stray dog. All the guns had 250 rounds each and they were firing in the automatic mode on the stray dog. Bullets were falling like rain drops on all sides of the stray dog, which was least bothered and kept moving with the same speed and kept sniffing the ground.

            OK, let me start from the beginning.

          I was commander of the troops and my job was to train them to the optimum and prepare them for war. On many occasions I noticed that though they were very brave and fearless troops but still sometimes they had this doubt that in the present day war with so much fire power of modern weapons, where every inch of the battlefield is cluttered with bullets and splinters from the bombs and mines, how one could survive. Though I had their many motivational classes but still I was not satisfied as their occasional questions kept coming. One day a miraculous help came. 

        It was a fine bright morning and we were on the firing range, preparing for the forth coming firing competition. That was the practice day of Machine Gun firing. We had eight teams practicing on eight 4x4 targets from 300 yards. Each team consisted of two competitive seasoned firers who were trained and were good marks man.

         We were on the range since early morning and had five practice fires earlier and this was the sixth firing which was to be conducted.

When the firing was about to start and the firing control officer has given orders for the deliberate fire on own targets in own time then suddenly a stray dog entered the firing zone from the right and started moving slowly towards the left by crossing the firing field. The Field area was almost 50 yards horizontally from gun position number one, which was the Right most gun, towards gun position number eight, which was the Left most gun.

          The stray dog was sniffing the ground as if in search of some food. It was moving very slowly and was least bothered as to what was going around. The Dog was almost 100 yards vertically away from the guns, in the middle distance in front of the targets. 

        Suddenly, firing control officer changed the orders and announced “Gentlemen, you have the new target now and that is the stray dog visible and moving in the middle distance. Engage target.” 

       The eight gunners changed their aims and started firing on the stray dog. All the guns had 250 rounds each and they were firing in the automatic mode on the stray dog. A astonishing scene was witnessed by all present on the firing range, this included the rest of the troops and the support staff, that the bullets were falling like rain drops on all sides of the stray dog but none touched it. The Dog was least bothered and never took any notice of the falling bullets around it and kept moving calmly with the same speed, and kept sniffing the ground and searching for something. 

      The entire eight guns emptied their ammunition on to the stray dog but not a single bullet, out of the 2000 bullets fired, touched the stray dog. It kept moving left and crossed the field and disappeared peacefully into the bushes. 

     Please remember, all the gun firers were trained and were having the experience of taking part in the national level firing competitions for so many years and many of them were awards/medals holders. 

      After the fire was over and all the guns went dry, the firing control officer assembled all and enquired as to what happened and why nobody was able to hit the stray dog with such a close range. Nobody could give any reason/answer and they were visibly astonished and looked perplexed. 

     It was then that the firing control officer laughed and said,” O Come on! This has very a simple answer. Destinies are controlled by ALLAH. Today it was not destined by ALLAH that the stray dog be killed. And as you all saw it from your own eyes that the stray dog crossed the firing zone safely in the rain of the bullets and none touched it despite all your concerted efforts”. He then said, “It is the same in actual war. Likewise nothing will kill you unless it is your destiny.”

3.145.  وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ كِتَابًا مُّؤَجَّلًا ۗ وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الْآخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا ۚ وَسَنَجْزِي الشَّاكِرِينَ     ٘

3.145.  بغیر اللہ کے حکم کے کوئی جاندار نہیں مر سکتا مقرر شدہ وقت لکھا ہوا ہے دنیا کی چاہت والوں کو ہم دنیا دے دیتے ہیں اور آخرت کا ثواب چاہنے والوں کو ہم وہ بھی دے دیں گے (١) اور احسان ماننے والوں کو ہم بہت جلد نیک بدلہ دیں گے۔

003.145 No soul can ever die except by Allah's leave and at a term appointed. Whoso desireth the reward of the world, We bestow on him thereof; and whoso desireth the reward of the Hereafter, We bestow on him thereof. We shall reward the thankful.

Posted by Zaffar Iqbal Durrani

Get Together of 55th Long Course Karachi Chapter

       A get together was held on the occasion of the marriage ceremony of the daughter of Attahullah Shah Bukhari on 14th April 2012. We all thank Bukhari for choosing this date as it gave the opportunity to 55th Long Course for their annual get together of the 37 years of their comradeship. It was a lovely evening at the services club of Malir Cantonment. All the members of 55th Karachi chapter graced the occasion and paid their homage and prayers to the lovely couple. A very nice gold set was presented by Agha Ali Raza Qizilbash, on behalf of the Karachi chapter, to the beautiful Bride. Here are some photographs of the function for those who were there but not present.

Durrani and Imran Khawaja 

Wasif, Zahir, Inam Karim, Rafaqat

Jilani without Hat, who was advised to become Gilani so to be appointed as Governor of upcoming Sariaki Province

Rafaqat, Tariq Zaidi, Durrani

Durrani, Jilani, Khawaja, Zahid

Rasheed, Zahid, Wasif, Welcoming Tirmizi of 54 Long Course

Enjoying Happy Moments

Presentation of the Gift to the Couple By Agha Ali Raza Qizilbash

With Uncles of Karachi Chapter of 55th

With Aunties of  Karachi Chapter of 55th

Posted by Zaffar Iqbal Durrani