Following interview of Bahen Sakina Karachiwala, Zanzibar, by Mudar Patherya


During the political chaos in Zanzibar in 1982, my husband Abdul Karim was jailed. This was upsetting; we did not know how he would be treated inside; besides, we did not know for how long he would be detained. So we sent an araz to Huzurala Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Saheb for advice. Huzurala replied that we must maano nazrul-mukaam in Imam Hussain’s name. He also mentoned something specific: under no circumstance should we try to bribe the captors for my husband’s release.

 

From all the advice we had been given in the circumstances from various perople, this single line turned out to be the most pertinent. Because each time we would go to the government to request for Abdul Karim’s release, the captors would openly ask for money. Initially, one may have been tempted to negotiate but Huzurala’s advice gave me the strength to say, “Thank you, but I do not have any money to give you.”

 

This continued for three months. Three months of not being able to get Abdul Karim released. Three months of worrying.

 

Then on pehli Ramadan I got a call from the office of the Minister of State stating that Abdul Karim would be released in five days. This was a big relief. Sure enough, Abdul Karim returned on the night on the 6 Ramadan.

 

However, the story is not as sinmple as that. Something interesting transpired on 4th Ramadan without our knowledge. Since Huzurala was in London, my sister went to him with the araz for dua for the release of Abdul Karim (without knowing of any message from the Minsiter of State). Huzurala replied, “Abdul, chhuti gaya chhey.” My sister felt she might have heard wrong so she said, “Ji na Moula, Abdul Karim huji jail ma chhey.”

 

Huzurala then insisted firmly, “Main kahun chhu ne, Abdul Karim chhuti gaya chhey!” My sister went to Busaheba and related what had happened. Busaheba advised her to believe what Huzurala had said. Perplexed, she called Zanzibar and discovered what the Minister of State had communicated. Later, I was to discover that the moment Huzurala had stated that Abdul Karim had been released was the very time the documents for release were being signed in Africa!

 

When Huzurala went to Misr for Lailatul qadr that year, the family felt that it would be appropriate to seek Huzurala’s advice on whether we should move out of Zanzibar in view of the prevailing chaos. So we went. Shahzada Yusufbhaisaheb Najmuddin led us to Huzurala (who was waiting for the thaal to arrive) with the introduction that Abdul Karim had come after being released from jail. Huzurala replied “Haan maney khabar chhey, tane aajey ekwis diwas thaya ne?” Abdul Karim completed the qadambosi. Huzurala then said, “Tamey pehla minnato puri karo, pacchi araz karjo.” So went went for Haj, Yemen and Karbala Moalla with Huzurala and after all our minnats had been completed, we approached Huzurala with our araz once again. By then I had lost all will to stay in Zanzibar because of these occasional riots and chaos and made an araz to Maula about shifting. Then in two days Moula saw our arzi and called us to meet him in the evening the next day.

 

The core araz: we wanted to shift out of Zanzibar. We had had enough. We could not see political stability returning. We feared the politics of vendetta would continue. We felt we would continue to be targeted for wealth. But against all expectations, Huzurala asked Abdul Karim to return to Zanzibar.

 

He did. Within a short while, something unexpected transpired. The President, who was responsible for our troubles, was taken into custody and replaced by someone who we knew well. And then something even more unexpected happened: we received a letter from the new President’s office itself that stated that “I know what services you had given to the government and what hardships you had to face. Please re-apply for your licenses and ID-cards that had been cancelled and I will see that they are passed.”

 

We see things as they are. Huzurala sees things as they will be.

 

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