COEJ

“Inna Lilahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Rajeeun”

“To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return”
(Holy Qur’an, Surah Al Baqarah 2:156)

(1939 – 2021)

It is with great sadness that we announce the sad demise of Razia Bai Pirbhai, who passed away on November 26^th 2021. May Allah (s.w.t) grant her a lofty place in Janatul Firdaus. Ameen.

Born on 20^th April 1939, Razia Bai was the eldest of 15 siblings. She was married at the age of 18 to Marhum Mohamed Taki Pirbhai and after having three children, Bashir Pirbhai, Hamid Pirbhai and Hasina Bai Chagpar, she was widowed at the age of 26. Razia Bai recognized the importance of education, migrating from Arusha to Karachi and finally to London to ensure that her children had a bright future.

She made many sacrifices along the way, but never let it show. Even as her health started to deteriorate 35 years ago, she always had a positive outlook on life.

What made her special was the connections she formed with others. She was a champion in Silah Rahmi and the matriarch of the family and maintained strong relationships with her late husband’s family as well as her siblings, keeping in constant touch with them on a global scale.

Razia Bai made a significant contribution to our community and she will be remembered by many. She managed finances for the Seniors Society and was highly praised for her work. She loved attending the Hujjat Seniors programme because she would get to be the social butterfly she was, and see all her friends and volunteers.

She proactively engaged with young and old not expecting anything in return, but purely for the love and joy of others. She did not wait to be greeted, even by younger members, and would make time to talk and listen to everyone.

“Razia Aunty was an inspiration to my daughter, so kind and loving that she gave her confidence to serve”, mother of a young volunteer.

Despite her health issues, Razia Bai visited the sick and encouraged the younger generation to accompany her to help them gel with the seniors and demonstrate to them the importance of this great community service.

If you had a new venture or a small business, she would always make a purchase, especially from mosque stalls and charity events.

She was a lady that genuinely cared for people, and had huge amount of respect, love and gratitude towards those who cared for her. She would always thank anyone who did anything for her no matter how small. Her relationship with the volunteers was second to none. She had the highest levels of respect and appreciation for all their hard and selfless work. The family would like to thank you all for your support and care for her.

Her faith in Allah (s.w.t) and love for Ahlulbayt (a.s) was incredibly strong. She lived her life in line of the teachings of Ahlulbayt (a.s) and always had the akhera in her mind and with the help of Orison Charitable Trust, established a mosque in Bangladesh where daily Salaat, Jummah Salaat, Madressah, Muharram, Ramadhan and commemoration programmes take place throughout the year.

She never held a grudge and was very quick to forgive. Her kind and loving nature would always look towards forgiveness and positivity.

What we will remember her most about is that she was always there to support you. She has a calming presence, a person who you could talk to and who would listen to you. Her positivity, caring nature and warmth could even be seen in her final days.

We pray to Allah (s.w.t) to grant Marhuma Razia Bai Pirbhai maghferat and place her soul amongst the blessed ones in the vicinity of Chaharada Masumeen (a.s) and who continuously receive mercy and grace of Allah (s.w.t). Ameen.

Al – Fateha is resquested for Razia Bai Pirbhai and Qul Marhumeen.

“I knew my grandmother was well – respected in society, but its only her passing that I understood the extent to which she was loved and cherished by all. She was proactive in reaching out to everyone, visiting the sick even while struggling with ailments of her own. A truly selfless woman, she has set an example for us all.” – Mahdi Taqi.

Husein Jiwa was born in Moshi, Tanzania and moved to Peterborough, UK, in 1985.  Dr. Jiwa qualified as a doctor with MBBS in 1980.  In 1992, he undertook specialist training and graduated in Osteopathy and Naturopathy from the British College of Naturopathy & Osteopathy.

Dr. Jiwa has served CoEJ for two terms as a President – between 2009 to 2015. He also served in the organisation as Vice President for two terms (6yrs) between 2003 – 2009 and another term between 2015 -2018.

Sajjad Govani – Head of Spiritual Academies Network

Abbas Merali – Head of Sports

Dr Sarfraz Jeraj – Head of Capacity Building

Saima Rehmatullah – Head of Marriage

Saima holds a degree in Logistics and Credit Management and as a qualified Project Manager, Saima has worked in both operations and project management roles for over 12 years.

Her previous employers include Honda Finance Europe, Peter Jones from BBC hit show Dragons Den and most recently, The Sharan Project – an award-winning domestic abuse charity where Saima worked with the Home Office, BEIS, The Department for Works and Pensions and the Domestic Abuse commissioner to launch a government-backed covenant aimed at supporting domestic abuse victims and survivors get back into work.

 As well as volunteering for her local jamaat in Peterborough for 7 years and now Leicester jamaat, Saima was appointed a Trustee of multi-award-winning charity FOCUS in 2020 and chairs the Anti-Oppressive Practices board.

 She is also currently writing the ‘Gender Equality Strategy and Policy’ for the Africa Health Organisation.

Sheikh Nuru Mohammed is the resident Imam at Al-Abbas Islamic Centre in Birmingham- UK.  He is also the national trustee and co-chair at Citizens UK.

Sheikh was elected as the UK’s most impactful Imam in 2021. He is also the deputy head of mental health Caucus at West Midlands combined Authority faith strategic partnership group and a Member of Standing advisory council on religious education. 

Habib Datoo – Head of Economic Upliftment

Habib is an IT professional running his own software development company. He has been an active volunteer at Hyderi for many years. He is also a Trustee of the Emaan Trust and Hasnain Foundation, charities focusing on Social Development in Africa.

Raihana Mawjee – Head of Women