These beautiful memories from a far-removed time were written in a sleepy sunroom at my home in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a place where my father loved to lounge, read and write and where he spent several summers overlooking our backyard in all of its leafy splendor.
It has been my honor and privilege to have enjoyed my father’s company and to have played a small role in urging him to record those parts of his life that we, his children, have come to cherish over the years.
These memoirs shed light on the various challenges faced by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community during the Partition years, the strength and incredible foresight shown by Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II (ra) during this period, the perseverance and fortitude of everyday Ahmadis and of course the numerous aviation adventures that the community found itself thrust into during the departure of the British from India and the largest mass migration in human history that followed it.
They present a story of courage, triumph over adversity and the ever-present helping hand of God.
They also offer a glimpse into my father. He was a highly honest man who possessed a truly noble spirit and a kind heart. For me he was an empowering figure in an age where girls had fewer opportunities. He had a remarkably broad perspective on life. He taught his children about time management, financial integrity, decency and kindness. Most of all, he showed us to perceive and love God in a deeply personal way, beyond just ritual and customs and to remember God with each breath and step of our lives as the Supreme Being Who transcends time and space. And it is exactly this love of God which comes across so strongly in these recollections. He relished travel, nature, stimulating company and had an uncanny ability to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds with empathy and kindness. These qualities too shine through in this book.
Despite the various setbacks in his life, my father was never bitter or regretful. He was a man who when given lemons made lemonade and it was with this same spirit that he so dutifully fulfilled his role as a pilot of one of the planes of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community during the years of Partition. I hope that whoever comes across these memoirs is able to take as much pleasure from them as I have over the years.
Ayesha Ahmad
Hummelstown, PA