AS RECEIVED
Subject: Dolly's Incredible Moment
The following is the description of the unique experience that she underwent during MHI's recent visit to Toronto. .
During Hazar Imams recent visit to Toronto Dolly
had a very special moment. Your prayers and good wishes have always been with us and we would like to
share the special moment with you. > >
All our love and mumbaraki
Dolly and Shiraz Sachedina
EPIPHANY
My Incredible Moment
I am documenting my special moment very soon after
it happened for a variety of reasons:
a.. so that the passage of time does not cloud
my memories b.. if this event is retold I do not wish that the
facts be distorted in any manner which invariably
happens when descriptions are passed orally
c.. and most important so that i can share this
moment with my children (inshallah someday with my
grandchildren), my family, my friends and my fellow
cancer patients with an ardent prayer that this
event inspire them as much as it has inspired me.
The Context
My name is Dolatkhanu (Dolly) Shiraz Sachedina.
I am a mature woman with a husband and two grown children. My
personal belief system is that all faiths, Islamic or otherwise
eventually lead to the
same "Allah" and no one faith is any more right than
any other. I have also got this habit that whenever
I am alone, whatever I am doing, cooking, cleaning,
walking, or just sitting, I will always be saying a
tasbih - more often than not it will be the
"Salwaat" or the "Bibi Fatima Tasbih".
As I alluded to earlier, I am a cancer patient
with my first diagnosis in 1989. At that time the
doctor gave me 5 years to live. It has been 15
years. I have had breast cancer, throat cancer, and
now there is a tumor right on the spine at the top
of the neck which makes it unoperable as the chances
of paralysis are very high.
On June 15 2004 after a series of tests a few
days previously my doctor gave me the news that the
pain which had been steadily increasing over the
last few months was due to the tumor increasing in
size. The tumor was in a growth mode and the pain
would keep increasing. Unless something was done
the tumor threatened the quality of life and
eventually life itself. He recommended Chemotherap which he knew I did not want to take but he said
there was a new drug coming out. he needed
persmission from the Ministry of Health to use it
and there was a substantial cost which would have to
be borne by us. For those of you who know me well
know that we have had severe financial reverses
recently and "substantial cost" was the kiss of
death to this option.
On June 17th in the evening one of my son's
friend's Mom - Mrs Prabha Gandhi - called me to lend
her support in my trials and knowing my personal
belief systems invited me to go along with her the
next day to Chicago where her Devimaa was visiting
and Prabha believed that she had healing powers.
When I told her that my Guru, My Khudavind was also
in town she asked me why I did not go see him and
get blessed. I told her that the true "deedar" of
the guru is a matter of "takdeer" and if it was
meant to happen it will happen.
The Encounter
On June 18 2004 I was at our store in First
Canadian Place. I was in alot of pain and feeling
very depressed. When it was time for me to go to
the store in TD Centre I decided to take a few extra minutes and
walk outside rather than use the tunnel
(PATH) which I normally do. I told the counter girl
that I would like to walk outside and admire the
lord's creations. I went outside and stopped for a
few minutes in front of the fountain as running
water always seems to have a soothing effect on me.
I walked down York Street crossed Wellington Street
and turned left on the south sidewalk of Wellington
Street. At the southeast corner of York and
Wellington stands The Toronto Club. For those of
you not familiar with Toronto, this club is the
oldest private club in Toronto and a bastion of the Canadian
Establishment with membership limited to the elite powerbrokers of
Canadian Society.
At 8:45 am as I was walking on the sidewalk
(saying the salwaat as usual) a limo pulled up at
the front door of The Toronto Club and the chauffer
stepped out to open the passenger door. I stepped
back so as not to get in his way. He opened the
door and his passenger stepped out. It was none
other than Khudavind Noor Mowlana Shah Karim
Al-Husseiny Hazar Imam. Hazar Imam was no more than
three feet away. I was stunned. My eyes were like saucers, my
mouth fell open. Instinctively the salwaat I was reciting under m breath came out loudly - Allahuma swali alla Mohamedin wa aale
Mohamed - Hazar Imam looked me straight in the eyes,
raised both his hands in blessing. As he looked at
me, it was as if millions and millions of volts of
electricity were flowing through my body. He
smiled, all I saw was a brightness. I was rooted to
the spot. Tears of joy were streaming down my
face. It was a while before I could bring down
myself back to earth. By then he was inside the
building. The encounter took no more than a few
seconds but in those few seconds everything changed.
The Effect
He left me standing on the sidewalk but Hazar
Imam left me with an incredible sense of wellbeing.
He left me with an incredible sense of optimism and
He left me with an incredible sense of being loved.
I know that my Mowla loves me, he loves me
individually, he loves me personally, and he loves
me unconditionally.
This life that I have, with all its pain and
suffering is a gift, a blessing, from Him and I will
do everything to sustain.
I will fight this cancer that is growing in me
I will fight this cancer that is consuming me
I will fight this cancer with conventional therapies
I will fight this cancer with alternate therapies
and Inshallah I WILL BE WELL!
comment by unknown
This is nothing but a miracle for sister Dolly. And by the way what
is a miracle? An event or incident against the physical laws of nature
is not a miracle, because such thing never happens. But if an event
or incident takes place despite the probability of its occurrence is
almost nil – this is a miracle.
What was the probability of sister Dolly having very close Deedar at
such an odd place, and that too at the precise moment of Hazar Imam's
stepping down from the limousine? This is simply a miracle for sister
Dolly, which she will never forget.
If some other persons had also been there at that time, they would
not have noticed the silent messages exchanged between the Imam and
sister Dolly in those few seconds.
"Imam can not try to shun natural and fateful sufferings of humans.
If Imam does that then the next world will be here….A person should
not be disappointed from natural sufferings from this world, but he
should be grateful because such natural sufferings clean your sins ,
and the soul gets freedom from sins." ( ISMS, Daressalam, 11-7-1945)