“God only gives you how much you can handle,” she whispered, after narrating a heartbreaking story about having to start her life over not once, not twice, but three times. Izzat Nurani, a 75-year-old Ugandan refugee, is an active member of the Jamat and is a beam of optimism for all who know her.
As part of my Journey to Jubilee, I spoke with several elders I lovingly call “Uncle” and “Auntie” to learn about their experiences. This Diamond Jubilee is particularly special for Izzat auntie: although she has committed the last 57 years of her life to serving the Jamat in various capacities, this is the first jubilee she will celebrate as a retiree with even more time to dedicate to her community.
“I am always happy and smiling; I have no worries in the world,” she said. “What is supposed to happen will happen, I have no worries.” This statement feels especially poignant, given the tribulations and turmoil that Izzat Auntie experienced throughout her life.
For Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Takht Nashini, her whole family traveled from Uganda to Nairobi for the celebration in a large caravan. As they saw the lights of Nairobi in the distance, the unexpected happened: Their truck overturned, immediately killing two of her loved ones and injuring several others, including herself.
Izzat Auntie tearfully recalled the Imam personally going to the hospital to give the injured his blessings. “I went to the Aga Khan Platinum Jubilee Hospital,” she said. “I was sleeping and I remember Mawlana Hazar Imam came into the hospital room and put his hand on my shoulder.”
In 1972, she and thousands of Ugandans were forced to flee Uganda and relocate to the United States. With the help of Imamat institutions and the community, she settled in Atlanta only to have her house burned down twice, continuing a pattern of complete and utter loss in her life that she constantly met with unwavering optimism.
“I used to take a lamp in my hand and my brothers and I used to attend prayers like that,” she recalls of her childhood. “By God’s grace, I never miss prayers.”
Despite her hectic work schedule, Izzat Auntie has prioritized her faith and urges the youth to do the same. She gives the example of the Golden Jubilee, during which she had the honor of traveling to seven different cities to serve as a uniformed volunteer even while being employed.
Now that the long anticipated Diamond Jubilee of Mawlana Hazar Imam is here, Izzat Auntie and several others have strong sentiments about the Imam and the Jamat. And although their life experiences vary, they share a common thread of struggle, relocation, loss, and rebuilding. They say this commonality demonstrated to them the importance of faith and pushed them to give back to others.
Fariaal Musani, 70, said volunteering and preparing for Diamond Jubilee helped her recover from the loss of her husband a year and a half ago. After crying for a full year, she had to remind herself that her life went on and that family stretches far beyond the bonds of those who you live with. Fondly, she smiles now and says, “Today, the Jamat is my family, service to the Jamat is my happiness.”
Gulbanu Badu, 68, says she has one major regret: her age makes it so that she cannot physically do as much as she previously did for the Jamat, and she deeply wishes that she could do more. After this realization, she recalls, “My son and I danced until we couldn’t dance anymore during Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Silver Jubilee in Mumbai, it was unforgettable.” Although she has gotten older, she still plans on dancing and serving as much as she can.
Shirin Ali, 78, says that she owes the community for all the good that has happened to her. She was reunited with her family that migrated to the United States from India decades before her, and now lives happily with her loved ones in Atlanta. She looks forward to celebrating Diamond Jubilee with all of her children and grandchildren. “I cannot wait, I want to celebrate my Imam’s Jubilee and I want to do whatever I can do in my old age for my Jamat,” she said.
“And after I’m done, it’s your turn to take over,” she added, jokingly.
