Hayat-e-Saeed

While what follows is in no particular order whatsoever—hence this section bearing the word “Miscellanea”—there is one theme that unites it all. And that is to provide a behind-the-scenes look into what is going on into making this translation.

A glimpse into the splendor of the outdoors in Calgary (Alberta, Canada)

1. We begin with a meditation on a remark by the biographer—my esteemed maternal aunt, Safia Saeed—who has gifted us with the two-volume biography (in the Urdu language) of Doctor Saeed Ahmad, titled Hayat-e-Saeed, and which is the whole reason for the existence of this website that features its translation (into English.) Coming to the meditation itself, and first to get the full background into the pic above, I invite you to look up the detailed remarks of the biographer: Part of those remarks allude to how “…the completion of this biography took place in the peaceful and spacious residence of my daughter Nasreen [Sadiq] and her husband Waheed [Sadiq], the residence being surrounded by snow-capped mountains in the Canadian city of Calgary…” Well, my cousin Nasreen Sadiq graciously shared a handful of pictures capturing the Calgary outdoors. Of those pictures, two are featured here—this meditation being effectively sandwiched between them.

Another view of the majesty of the Calgary outdoors

2. Masha’Allah, the majesty of the Calgary outdoors compels one to slow down and take it all in, slowly, breath-by-breath.

Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s autograph

3. Now, the message above is from Doctor Saeed Ahmad himself, being the words which he had inscribed in my boyhood autograph book on June 30, 1978 with his fountain pen. And a gift from his daughter Khadija Begum—my dear mother—is the paper weight globe, with a remarkable dandelion specimen encased within, one which you’ll espy in the picture above. The following verses of rhyme come unbidden to mind:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour
— William Blake (in his poem Auguries of Innocence)

What do you make of those verses?

A copy of the Hayat-e-Saeed set up for study in a public library

4. Much as food is (usually) prepared in the kitchen, books are (less usually) prepared in libraries. In this case—pictured above are my tools of the trade—I found myself in a public library.

A close-up view of Hayat-e-Saeed, all marked-up and highlighted with love and care

5. Acts of devotion are fun in themselves.

One becomes a student, and at one with the lexicon.

6. While that may strike you as rather Zen, there is a method to the madness, as they say. Remember the saying that when the student is ready, the teacher appears?

Should the alphabet elude one, the translator improvises

7. Let’s pore over the picture above, with the Urdu-to-English dictionary lit up with tap flags, each of the flags bearing one letter of the Urdu alphabet.

An original photograph of Maulana Muhammad Ali in a frame sitting atop a bookshelf

8. A glimpse of spiritual splendor on the face of the founding president of the Ahmadiyya Movement based in Lahore, Pakistan.

A close-up view of my copy of The Four Dervishes

9. Hmm… How, exactly, does one spell the plural of “dervish”? Or did I get it right?

Seen from a distance, the same copy of The Four Dervishes

10. The “dervish” book viewed from a distance this time… The same charming appearance.

My copy of Jaltay Bujhtay Deep, the autobiography of Bilqees Cheema.

11. My Ami gave this copy of the book to me.

A super-close-up view of Hayat-e-Saeed, being marked-up with notes and such

12. Taking inspiration from the saying that, “What read easy, wrote hard.” (Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.)

A special pair of verses of rhyme in Durr-e-Sameen

13. Let us dwell for a few moments on the couplet—the two verses of rhyme boxed above—in this copy of Durr-e-Sameen, being the collected verses of rhyme by Hazrat Mirza Sahib.

A portrait of my parents, with Durr-e-Sameen open in the background

14. Pictured here are my parents; their spirit, and their love, pervades the pages of the translation that is featured on this site.

A view of Debgaran

15. The clouds billowing above the hills of Bhugarmang, the sun rays streaming through an opening within.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

16. The biographer—my dear Khala Safia Saeed—graciously shared this as well as the next handful of pictures with me, and related to me how this beautiful cupboard used to be in Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s room in Dadar, and then in Abbottabad (in his room), with neatly-arranged books inside it. He designed this cupboard, and then had it made at home by a carpenter.

Take me down memory lane…

17. Behold a view of the Dak Bangla, and admire in particular just how well it’s been preserved. Recall, too, that this is where Doctor Saeed Ahmad stayed for a night and then serendipitously discovered the site for what he led, Masha’Allah, into becoming the world renowned Dar Sanatorium.

Both a habitation and a place

18. Interior of Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s residence in Dadar. The big change is that the courtyard was cemented over.

Another view of Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s residence in Dadar

19. Around the fountain—now overflowing with the lushness of a variety of native grasses—there used to be a cemented pool of the same shape. In summers, the biographer (my dear Khala Safia Saeed) further related to me, the household children had a lot of fun, enjoying the sprinkles of water splashing from the fountain. It has been kept neat and clean to this day. On the request of my dear Uncle (Muhammad Saeed) the place was opened for them. There are beds in all three bedrooms, and some utensils in the kitchen. Most likely, it’s currently being used as a guest-house. (Previously, it had been put to use as the residence for an employee of lower grade and had been in rather bad shape.)

Viewed from outside…

20. Exterior view of Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s residence in Dadar. The biographer related to me that the grassy lawns as well as the blooming flowers are all gone.

Notice the maple tree reaching into the skies…

21. The huge Maple tree was not that huge years ago, the biographer related to me. Sher Zaman Lala’s son narrates that it was planted by her Lalas, a friend of their’s, and by Sher Zaman Lala in the early 1940s. (Sher Zaman Lala was Doctor Saeed Ahmad’s first household cook in Dadar.)

The South Africa Legal Case—First View

22. Much to be learned from this fine book.

The South Africa Legal Case—Second View

23. So far, I’ve read only portions of this fine book. I’ve heard Doctor Saeed Ahmad praise this book as capturing in a nutshell the background and details of the Ahmadiyya Movement’s history.

Did you notice the walking stick atop the Urdu-to-English dictionary?

24. It’s special. (Please turn to the following picture for details…)

Two highly esteemed members: Maulana Muhammad Ali and Doctor Basharat Ahmad

25. That walking stick—the one sitting atop my Urdu-to-English dictionary in the previous item—belonged to Doctor Basharat Ahmad: it’s a prized possession indeed, alhumdulillah.

The arch of our mosque in Dar-us-Salam

26. Did you notice how the moon crescent in the distance, picturesquely framed by the arch?

Atop a bookshelf, you will see…

27. Would you like to share what’s atop your bookshelf? (You can do so by posting a comment.)

June 21: A Poem by the esteemed biographer of Hayat-e-Saeed

28. An exquisite poem, one whose depth amazed me as I got to grips with the Hindko language in which it is rendered.

French translation of the Holy Quran

29. I enjoyed arranging the books above, and placing them in that particular order.

A special copy of the Holy Quran

30. And it is securely placed atop an equally special autograph I took, ages ago…

The highly esteemed Maulana Muhammad Ali

31. We are forever in his spiritual debt for showing us the path forward.