Ghauri sāhib was a rare man: down to earth, extremely polite, a devout believer, tolerant, friendly, and a genuine and devoted scholar of his field. He did a deal with His God to get an extension in life some years ago when he was seriously ill; his prayer was heard and he survived miraculously. Such was the value of his work in the eyes of God that He allowed him to recover from the gallows of death to pursue some of his important projects.
Ghauri sāhib’s obsession with his work was exemplary. He would always remain submerged in the books relevant to his subject and continue to explore different ways of putting across his understanding to as many people as was possible. And indeed his mission was one of the most important tasks one can imagine to pursue in life: to inform the people of the book, the Jews and the Christians, and through them to the world at large that the fact that prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was the last messenger of God is unquestionably true and the evidence of this reality is available in the Bible too. What Ghauri sāhib was endeavouring to achieve was nothing but a further clarification of the Qur’ān’s claim: “The book [Qur’ān] from God ... is confirming what is already there with them [the people of the book]” (2: 89), and “They recognize him quite as clearly as they recognize their own children.” (2:146)
If the Jews and the Christians can be made to believe this important truth, many of the religious differences in our world would disappear and the reality of God’s scheme for mankind would be realized. It was the possibility of realizing this goal that kept Ghauri sāhib’s spirits alive even when he was physically feeble. His enthusiasm for his work never waned. Indeed he was a warrior of a rare breed.
Ghauri sāhib has gone. May God wash away all his sins and grant him a very high place in Paradise, close to the man truthfulness of whose claims he fought all his life to prove. His mission however is still alive. The mission invites the attention of some intelligent, hardworking, and God-conscious youngsters to take up the baton from Ghauri sāhib and continue the mission of showing the truthfulness of the Prophet’s mission to the world through the Bible. Indeed that would be a great service to the cause of God’s message and a befitting tribute Ghauri sāhib’s memory, one that would cause his good work to perpetuate and thus enable him to benefit from its blessings even after he is dead.