PART- 1

Year 1931

It was just another day for the people of Malleshwaram, (a small and bright city situated in the south western part of India) sunny and extremely humid, a climate which was usual for them. Being in a place that had tropical climate, the scorching heat was something they experienced regularly throughout the year.  If there was any other weather except summer, it would be monsoons, which most of them awaited eagerly throughout the year.

In this particularly usual day, there was an unusually beautiful baby born to a Muslim family living in the most modest part of the town, accepting the acceptance of their living and thanking Allah (  ) for all the things which He (  ) blessed them with, happily bringing up their children in the best possible way. Today, yet again, was the day where they welcomed another baby girl in their family.





Ayesha exclaimed, “Finally I’ve got a companion, my beloved baby sister is here”. The younger brother sulked a bit hearing this, but his father cheered him up by saying, “Now, you have someone under you, whom you can finally play with and command to”, and they starting laughing looking at Ibrahim’s expression. Unlike today’s generation, Ayesha’s mom had delivered at home under the observance of other elder ladies in her family and neighbors. After the day of delivery, the next thing to be decided was the baby’s name. Everyone started giving their own opinions till the mother, who was silent for a long time, came up with a name and told, “Ruqaiyah, that will be my child’s name, Ruqaiyah.”, which meant charming/gentle/delicate. As soon as the father heard the name, he gave a silent nod of acceptance and smiled with pleasure……

Year 1941

One fine evening, both the sisters were sitting on their front door steps at tea-time, talking to each other about general things, until Ayesha asked Ruqaiyah, “Tell me, what do you want to do in your life?”, Ruqaiyah stopped sipping her tea and turned herself towards her sister completely. She looked at Ayesha with her audacious and expressive eyes and told her, ” I want to leave an impact as much as I can, I don’t guarantee the entire world but at least to the people I leave behind.”

Ayesha looked back at her silently with an unmitigated expression. Ruqaiyah wanted to get some response and continued looking at her elder sister for an answer or probably some encouraging words. Ayesha continued sipping her tea, finished it and while getting up told, “This world will not allow you Ruqaiyah, you are still young now, come off the fantasy world”. Ruqaiyah heard her sister’s words and stayed back thinking about it all the time.

“ I want to leave an impact as much as I can, I don’t guarantee the entire world but at least to the people I leave behind.”

It was an annual program next day at school, and the students had to prepare something for the event. Ruqaiyah had prepared her part too and waited till she got a chance. The teacher finally called her saying, “We would like Ruqaiyyah Syed to start the program with few verses of Quran.”

Ruqaiyah moved intrepidly towards the stage and took hold of the microphone steadily and started with Surah Yaseen. As she was reciting, the teachers and the students were enthralled with her voice and recitation. The principal was so captivated that after she completed her recitation, she invited Ruqaiyah over to her house for lunch as a token of appreciation. Such kind of acknowledgment was never given to any student or child in Malleshwaram.

As time passed by, she moved ahead of everyone in her town in terms of studies, activities and character. Her parents were getting extremely overwhelmed with their daughter’s performance and ways till……

To be Continued…

Part-2
YEAR 1946

Until..

One day, when  she was discussing about higher studies after 10th grade with her parents, her elder brother Ibrahim suddenly barged into the room and told his parents in an enraged tone, “People are laughing at me, they are saying, “Your sister is going ahead of you! You did not go beyond 6th grade, and look at her, she is going beyond everyone’s imagination; she will certainly exceed everyone soon.” I can’t take this, you both need to stop it, you need to make her discontinue her studies, else I am never going back to work again”!!!

Everyone were shocked and annoyed, but Ibrahim had become very adamant of not going back to work until she discontinued her studies. It was a very tough decision for Ruqaiyah’s parents but they had to make this one.

Next day, mother went to Ruqaiyah and hesitantly placed her hands on her head while she was studying and asked her, “I want to talk to you”. Ruqaiyah got up immediately and made her mother sit on the chair on which she was sitting and sat down near her mother’s legs and asked with a smile, “Tell me Maa, what is it?”. Her mother’s eyes were moving timidly here and there. She was trying to speak those words which would shatter her daughter’s dreams. After a while, she looked at her daughter’s innocent face and said, “You are not going to study any further and it’s decided.”

Ruqaiyah continued to look at her mother the same way as she was looking a few seconds ago, without any expression or words. She got up slowly, continuing to look at her mother the same way as before, and quickly moved out of the room. Her mother hurriedly went behind her to see what she was up to and saw her daughter’s eyes overflowing with tears, which didn’t stop for the next 2 to 3 days. She had become extremely weak and ultimately suffered an attack of typhoid, which got her parents troubled and worried for days. Her beautiful long locks of hair loved by everyone had started falling due to extreme poor health.

All she could recall repeatedly were her sister’s words, “This world will not allow you Ruqaiyah, and you are still too young to know, come off the fantasy world”.

Her dreams and ambitions were shattered

But could she do anything? No! Her dreams and ambitions were shattered. It was not her fault. Her dreams had to die because of someone’s selfishness, someone from her own family.

YEAR 1950

Ruqaiyah was 19 years old when she got married to one of the richest and well-known families of her town. Due to her beauty and character, she had attracted a large number of alliances, from which she was destined to marry Abu Baker. Abu Baker, a chivalrous and a well-mannered young boy, who was just 21 years old at the time of their marriage, was working for the Indian Military services.

Living like any other happily married couple, they always enjoyed each others company and encouraged each other in goodness and piety. They were blessed with 7 beautiful children, 3 sons and 4 daughters within the span of 14 years of their marriage.

Who would have known their happiness was so short lived….

YEAR 1964

It was just another day in Ramadan and Ruqaiyyah was busy doing dhikr and preparing for Iftar. Abu Baker entered the house panting. He was drenched in sweat and looked like he had run for miles of kilometers without taking a break. He sat on the chair.

“Ruqaiyyah, get me water! Get me water!” asked Abu baker in a very shaky voice. She came hurriedly and asked him what had happened but he was in no position to explain anything, he just demanded water over and over again. She replied, “There’s just 1 hour for Iftar time, be a little patient and Allah will help you out”. He asked her again in a furious tone, “Get me water, I say!” Ruqaiyyah being obedient now, without speaking a word went and took a glass of water and handed over to Abu Baker. As soon as he drank the water, the glass slipped off from his hands and he sat there without any movement.

Ruqaiyyah went near and asked him, “What happened”? But there was no reply and no sign of any movement.

Yes! Abu baker had passed away.

It was just 14 years into their marriage, Abu baker being as young as 34 and Ruqaiyyah, 32. She could have never believed that this Ramadan would change her life forever and force her to prepare for the heartless battles she would be fighting in an age where women enjoyed marriage and children.

She already had 7 children and was expecting the 8th at the time of Abu baker’s death. She didn’t know what she had to do, where she would go and how she would survive as her eldest child was her 14 years old son. She didn’t expect her children to be left orphans at such a young age.

Who knew destiny had so much in store for her from now

To be continued…

Year 1964

Soon after the burial process, Ruqaiyyah started comprehending what to do with her children and herself. She was living in a house with a family who made her life a lot more worse and difficult, piling up the list of miseries she was already going through.

She started her day with Fajr and they started theirs with music. Each family would compete with each other on whose radio would be the loudest. The ladies of the house used to sit and have chit-chat sessions in the evenings. Whenever Ruqaiyyah passed by them, they would giggle and pass comments, only to make her feel worse.

Finally the eldest brother of Abu baker came up to her and told, “Abu baker has passed away and this has certainly grieved every one of us. However, fact of the matter is, we believe that you staying in this house with your 8 children makes no sense. Please move out anywhere you want as soon as possible.”

Ruqaiyyah gave an impending dismayed look at him and then told in a firm tone, “I shall think about it”.

The next day, she visited her parents who were also living in a deprived condition. She went there and told her parents what Abu baker’s elder brother had to say. Her parents, who were equally poor but had a very high self-esteem in the society, looked at their daughter and told, “Do not fear and stay strong. Abu baker has left for you and your children a room in the house, which you have full rights upon as any other family member according to the Shariah. So, go back and tell him that you will not leave or give up on your right and that they have no legal authority to ask you to do so.”

She went back the same day and spoke to her brother-in-law with full confidence. She looked him in the eye and told firmly, “Indeed this is your house, but this is the house of Abu baker too and his children and his wife certainly have the right to live as much as your children and your wife. You demand us to be homeless but we are not going to throw away our rights. No one from my family is leaving this place, hope I’ve made myself clear”, and she walked away, making him stand there stunned by the strength of her words. 

As months passed by, Ruqaiyyah’s eldest son was given an opportunity by one of his maternal uncle to work in Dubai. Ruqaiyyah was extremely relieved as this could help their income and living. She encouraged her son to go off for work at a very young age of 15. She asked him to stay strong. She also asked him to ensure that he uses only halal sources of income and never delves into anything which could get him closer to haram or anything that would take him away from Allah  . He obediently accepted his mother’s words and realized his responsibility as the eldest son.



During this time, her in-laws would be extremely partial and mistreat her children, thinking they could make her leave the house if they treated her badly. Her daughters would get very annoyed and used to ask their mother, “Why don’t you answer back when they do that to you”? She would smile back at her children and reply, “I will let Allah   reply back to them, we humans can only say a few words but when the justice of Allah   comes down, there is no escape for the oppressor.”





Their house used to celebrate grand parties and birthdays while the orphaned children would peep from their doors and watch the delicious food being served. They would come back to the room and plead with their mother, telling her that they want to eat too, but their mother would convince them by saying, “This rice water with pickle is the best of all the foods” and thereafter, the children would quietly eat it with heavy hearts.

“I will let Allah   reply back to them, we humans can only say a few words but when the justice of Allah comes down, there is no escape for the oppressor.”



One day, her 4th son who was just 8 years old came to his mother and told, “Why don’t you borrow some money so we can have enjoyable food for a day at least”.  His mother took him to the room where her other children were playing and told her children to listen to her very carefully. She said, “No matter where you go and what circumstance you find yourself in, if a time comes that you have to die starving or borrow money, then prefer death than debt as indeed Allah  will never forgive the one who takes money and forgets to return it to its owner at its due time. Hence, always remember, we should stay away from such situations than to risk our hereafter.”



“I realized when my mom was telling me this story, that 40 years back, my grandmother was one of the most wisest women who knew how she had to attain Jannah and she also knew that she shouldn’t compromise anything for the hereafter. Her words got engraved deeply in my heart and I knew once and for all that I wanted to strive in order to have that strength and firmness as she had as a Muslimah.”

To be continued

THE LEGACY

As time passed, her eldest son got well settled in U.A.E. He built a house in one of the most respected areas of Malleshwaram and quickly got his mother shifted off from the previous house into the brand new one. By Allah’s grace and mercy, all 8 children of hers got established comfortably in their lives, thanks to the immense hard work she put in.

So, is this a happy ending?

No! Her struggle never ended because Allah  had placed a lot of struggles in order to test her patience and mold her more before she could reach Him .

December 1995

She lay in the hospital bed trying to grasp for breath, her youngest son watching her helplessly while trying to figure out what he could do to get her back to normalcy. After a relentless struggle for a few hours, she returned to her Lord at the age of 63.

Ruqaiyah’s story has a lot to be told and can’t be completed in a bunch of short series. There is much more to her struggles and how she dealt with it, which if we heard,  would prevent us from asking “Why me?” for the major and sometims even minor struggles we encounter.

Never did she whine or complain about any kind of situation she had to face. Rather, she always told Qadar’Allah with a smile on her face and moved ahead. She was a lady who won hearts of anyone and everyone she met. She is my hero who continuous to inspire my life. She is my grandmother with whom I hardly spent time with, however, she lives with me till today with her thoughts, morals and character. This was the legacy she left behind.

Lastly, I would like to share a few points which I learned from her and I am pretty sure if you applied them, your life will definitely change for the better in shaa Allah.

1. NEVER GIVE UP: No matter how hard your life is and no matter how hard you think it will be, never ever lose hope in the mercy and power of Allah .

2.No matter how small or big your earning is, make sure you live and die a life with SELF-RESPECT, because if you can’t respect yourself, no one else ever will.

3. NEVER DEPEND on anyone apart from Allah , because no matter how dear or loved that individual is to you, you will always be bound to disappointments at some point of your life because no one is impeccable.

“If Allah helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allah (Alone) let believers put their trust.”-  (Surah Aal-e-Imran: 160)

4. Be a STRONG INDIVIDUAL AND A STRONGER MUSLIM. It will build your personality in a way which you can’t even comprehend off, and what better way to start developing your character than by reading the Seerah of our beloved Prophet.

5. READING: Make it a habit to read. Surround yourself with good books, the ones that make you grow, not the ones that are known to give fantasies, making you waste time. Ultimately, you are what you read.

6. DEBT: Let this be a last resort in your life. Make sure that you keep you and your family away from debt or any sort of credits as it could possibly put you in destruction in this world and the hereafter. Obviously, you can resort to asking for financial help in dire circumstances, but make sure you stay within the limits of Quran and sunnah while doing so.

7. And finally, make sure you leave a LEGACY. It could be as simple as being kind to someone or smiling at people, touching someone’s heart or making their day.

“But those who have feared their Lord – for them are chambers, above them chambers built high, beneath which rivers flow. [This is] the promise of Allah . Allah does not fail in [His] promise.”- (Surah Az-Zumar:20)

I hope all of you have benefited from my grandmother’s legacy. If there is anything else you would like to share, please drop your thoughts in the comments section below.

May Allah  accept our efforts and grant us the highest level of Jannah! Ameen!

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