MOn the occasion of the Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony for Dr. Shehzad Saleem.
ost of you are already well aware of Dr. Shehzad Saleem’s intellectual and scholarly accomplishments. My association with him, however, predates the time when our revered teacher, Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, entered our lives. We have known each other since childhood, and in fact, he is my maternal cousin.
The greatest inspiration I have drawn from Dr. Shehzad Saleem came at the moment when he chose to commit himself to a religious life. That single decision brought about a complete revolution and a sweeping transformation in his personality. This change, however, was not readily welcomed within our family. We were not particularly religious; our religiosity, at most, extended to observing prayer and fasting. But growing a beard, wearing a cap, adopting a distinctive style of dress, changing one’s social circles, and standing against the cultural traditions in which we had been raised—these things were not viewed favorably in our family.
As a result, Shehzad Saleem faced considerable discouragement in those early days. His new way of life was not merely disapproved of; the disapproval was open and pronounced, and I witnessed it myself.
What struck me most, and what inspired me deeply, was Shehzad’s response to all of this. Despite being so young at the time, his attitude was marked by restraint, reflection, deliberation, and wisdom. For me, this was truly extraordinary. I was left wondering: how does faith give a person such strength—that he endures everything with such patience, dignity, and composure? To me, this remains the most inspiring aspect of his life, and it is because of this that Dr. Shehzad Saleem is my hero. Even today, I long to reach the level of character and resolve that he had attained at that time.
May Allah grant him ease in his life and elevate him to the station he truly deserves, God willing. May Allah grant him His eternal Paradise, and grant me too the grace to join him there.