How Do I Become a Great Man?

Like every mother, my mother used to lull me to sleep with sweet lullabies during my childhood, while also planting in my mind the idea that her beloved son would grow up to become a “great man.” Perhaps that thought quietly settled somewhere in the corners of my subconscious. I grew up believing that, somehow, someday, I had to become a great man.

When I look back through the windows of childhood memory, I can still recall the time when brick houses were beginning to replace mud homes in our village. During those days, my innocent mind observed something rather fascinating: the respect a mason commanded in our society. Even an ordinary laborer was respectfully addressed as Ustad master or teacher.

And so, my young heart made its decision: when I grew up, I would become a mason.

One day, when all my paternal uncles and aunts were gathered together, someone jokingly asked me:

“So, what are you going to become when you grow up?”

Without hesitation, I replied:

“I’m going to become a great man.”

Naturally, the next question was:

“And how will you do that?”

My innocent answer was:

“I’ll become a mason.”

That was enough to set off a wave of laughter.

I stood there bewildered, unable to understand what was so funny. When the laughter finally subsided, my younger aunt took me into her arms and said affectionately:

“No, no. Don’t make fun of my little boy. He is going to study a lot, become a great officer, and then he will become a truly great man.”

So that was it.

An educated officer was a great man.

From that day onward, whenever my middle uncle gathered all the students in the evening to teach them, I would happily sit in his lap, fascinated by the pictures in their books. Apparently, those innocent observations were interpreted as signs of my love for learning. Before long, I was sent, with my belongings, to stay with my elder aunt in Sargodha so that I could receive a better education in the city.

My aunt’s household was a rather extraordinary place. Technically, there were two families living there, but once all the relatives, children, and adults were counted, the household numbered around twenty-eight or twenty-nine people. Nearly sixteen of them were students.

Taking advantage of this unique educational environment, a man known locally as Shah Ji established a small school in his sitting room. As far as I remember, almost all the students in that one-room school belonged to our family. There were hardly any outsiders.

And so, putting my God-given abilities to good use, I managed to complete what might generously be called my two-year degree in nursery and preparatory education in the remarkably short period of six months!

Another Formula for Becoming Successful

Around the same time, the month of Ramadan arrived, and I was introduced to the experience of fasting in the city. The entire atmosphere at home seemed filled with prayer, the Qur’an, tasbeeh, blessings, and supplications.

Those spiritually radiant moments captivated my young heart.

On the first Friday of Ramadan, I also had the opportunity to visit the city’s main mosque. At the end of his sermon, the imam emphasized that a person who remained committed to prayer and fasting was truly successful in the sight of God, while those who neglected them would face the consequences in the Hereafter.

What happened next?

Perhaps the fear of Hell was not quite as overwhelming as it should have been. But the discovery of another “formula for success” certainly caught my attention.

I decided that, whatever happened, I would now become regular in prayer and fasting.

Remember, all of this was happening inside the mind of a child who had barely seen six years of life.

Somehow, I learned to pray. I began reading the Qur’an, and before long, the books of supplications and prayers kept on the Qur’anic stand became part of my daily routine.

And remarkably, more than twenty-three years later, the memory of that period still brings me a profound sense of peace.

From Education to Teaching

Time moved swiftly.

A few years later, because of a change of residence, I was enrolled in a new and somewhat better school. On the very first day, during the very first class, I discovered just how unfamiliar I was with the English language and the demands of a modern education.

Fortunately, I was blessed with excellent and compassionate teachers. They performed their duty of educating and nurturing us with such dedication that, somewhere along the way, another dream quietly awakened within me:

I wanted to become a teacher.

After passing middle school, my educational journey entered the realm of matriculation. The choice between science and arts seemed obvious: science was the clear winner.

But another question remained.

Should I study biology, or should I venture into the world of computers?

As was customary in our family, a small council of elders gathered to deliberate. After much discussion, the majority voted in favor of biology.

And so, biology it was.

Those were innocent and relatively simple times. There were not many highly educated people in our extended family, so when I scored 72 percent in my matriculation examination, the result was celebrated enthusiastically among relatives and friends.

Then came intermediate education.

This time, the matter moved beyond the boundaries of the family council. Neighbors, acquaintances, educational advisers, and self-proclaimed experts all began offering their opinions.

Some recommended commerce. Others filled my father’s ears with the supposed advantages of a three-year technical diploma. From elsewhere came arguments for and against F.Sc.

Amid all these voices, my own desire to become a teacher kept pointing me toward F.Sc.

Eventually, ignoring the pressure from every direction, I once again chose biology and enrolled in F.Sc. Pre-Medical.

Discovering a Love for Books

College brought with it an entirely different kind of freedom.

Unfortunately, my academic enthusiasm began to decline somewhat, while my interest in extracurricular activities grew. The books in the library, newspapers, journals, and magazines gradually became an increasingly important part of my life.

This change in my reading habits broadened the boundaries of my mind, but it did not exactly translate into outstanding academic results.

Nevertheless, I managed to cross the battlefield of intermediate education with respectable marks.

And then came the next challenge:

Professional education.

Once again, a flood of career advice came rushing in.

There were more suggestions than there were people giving them.

During a personal visit to Chakwal, I happened to meet a highly educated and kind-hearted elder who offered me a piece of advice:

“My son, I think you should continue with your existing field of education. If you choose Botany or Agriculture, particularly the study of plants, you could have a successful future.”

His sincere advice struck a chord.

Perhaps because of my continuing desire to become a teacher, I chose Agriculture and entered the gates of university.

A New Direction

Having learned from the mistakes of intermediate education, I decided that during my undergraduate studies I would completely abandon extracurricular distractions and devote myself entirely to academics.

Of course, the changing environment and the energy of youth had other ideas.

For a brief period, I also developed the desire to become someone’s “boyfriend.” I even went through the application process in a few places, but apparently not a single flower was willing to bloom in my direction.

Eventually, I was forced to abandon that particular career path.

Meanwhile, my thinking began to change.

I gradually realized that teaching was not the only profession available to someone with my educational background. There was a vast world beyond the classroom where I could use my abilities, demonstrate my skills, and perhaps finally become the “great man” I had been dreaming about since childhood.

During my third semester, a detailed lecture by our professor of Agricultural Economics opened yet another door in my mind.

A new flower blossomed in the garden of my ambitions.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

When the fifth semester arrived, the university administration, for reasons beyond our control, did not offer Agricultural Economics as a major subject.

With no real alternative, I had to choose Horticulture as my second preference.

The Search Continues

After completing my undergraduate degree with excellent results, I headed to the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, for my Master’s (Honors).

Under the guidance of wonderful teachers, I successfully completed that stage of my education as well.

Shortly before finishing my degree, I came across an advertisement in the newspaper announcing vacancies at the Zarai Taraqiati Bank.

I temporarily put aside my dream of becoming a teacher and immediately applied.

I passed the required test and made it through the interview stage, but ultimately, I was not selected.

Taking advantage of the opportunity that followed, I joined a private college as a lecturer.

In a way, this experience fulfilled my long-standing desire to become a teacher.

Yet the childhood dream of becoming a “great man” still remained unfulfilled.

Throughout this entire journey, whenever I found myself eligible for an advertised position, I would immediately submit an application.

But apparently, fate had something else in store for me.

A few months later, fortune finally smiled.

This time, after successfully passing the required test and interview, I was selected for the Zarai Taraqiati Bank.

At first, I thought perhaps this was it.

Perhaps I had finally reached the destination I had been searching for since childhood.

Perhaps I had finally become a great man.

But as time passed, I began to realize that the cup I had carried since childhood — the cup meant to hold the essence of becoming a “great man” — was still empty.

The Day I Discovered What a Great Man Really Is

Then, one day, the mystery was finally revealed to me.

It happened when a truly great man left this world.

On Saturday, July 9, 2016, I was watching television with some friends as scenes from a funeral were being broadcast live.

Government officials, senior officers, and military leadership were among those attending. A huge crowd had gathered at the funeral.

One television headline described the deceased in words to the effect of:

“An illustrious human sun, born on February 28, 1928, has today departed for his next destination.”

An elderly man sitting beside me had tears in his eyes.

He sighed and said:

“What a magnificent display of God’s power. The funeral of such a great man truly deserved the honor and respect that God has bestowed upon him.”

Something stirred inside me.

I immediately asked him:

“A great man? How?”

The elderly man took a slow breath and replied:

“Yes, my son. Abdul Sattar Edhi. A man who devoted his entire life to humanity. Who could possibly be greater than him?”

And suddenly, everything became clear.

The Real Meaning of Being Great

“Man was created to care for the suffering;
otherwise, there were already enough creatures devoted solely to worship.”

Oh.

So this was the real formula for becoming a great man.

I had spent years wandering from one door to another in search of that formula. I had pursued education, careers, positions, titles, success, and recognition.

I had believed that becoming a great man meant becoming a mason, then an educated officer, then a teacher, then a successful professional.

I had searched everywhere, yet I had failed to discover the one truth capable of filling the empty cup I had carried all those years.

Today, having finally discovered the formula for becoming a great man, I must admit with some humility and embarrassment that despite all the years I have lived, I still have not become a truly great man.

But perhaps that is not the end of the story.

Because every journey has a beginning.

And perhaps —

the journey can still begin.

—

This post was previously published on medium.com.