Thoughts From Mohammed Ali Mirza
133/110/92/786
Salaamunalaikum,
A tribute to brother Sayed Imtiaz Ahmed Tabatabai.
I first met Agha Imtiaz properly around about the age of
17, although I had known him since I was a young boy my parents knew his
parents from back home in Hyderabad, India. My parents were fond of his parents.
My father knew Imtiaz’s father for many decades although at the time I didn’t
know really that they were friends, we still have a picture at home of my
father, Imtiaz’s father Marhum Sayed Ali Ahmed Uncle and Uncle’s brother Marhum
Sayed Khursheed Ahmed Uncle all standing together as young men in a park in
London in the early 1960s, all passed away now.
Imtiaz was close to my father and he also stayed at our
home in Croydon on a number of occasions, he liked my father and my father
liked him, and looked up to my father, I noticed he like to spend time with senior
people – he was good like that.
My late father
would reminisce about the memories he had of Imtiaz’s father and his Uncle
also, and would tell Imtiaz of his ancestry, the meaning of the honorific title
“Tabatabai” and what it actually meant, the arts, poetry from Lucknow flowing
down to the Deccan region, and the Akhlaq that people maintained there rarely
using the word “I” but rather “We”.
I remember once my father’s conversation with Imtiaz on
how the muslim community grew in London and what North London was like compared
to South London, Imtiaz loved talking about the North and South divide in the
city, and how he would feel crossing the river. He loved good food and would
make my parents laugh as others have mentioned on his humour. He was interested
in how the Indian muslims lived, how they were educated, Imtiaz was always
curious in history. How strange and nice how different age groups bond
together.
My father would praise Imtiaz’s family often in speaking
Urdu as a child I didn’t really know the difference in dialects, pronunciation,
grammar, the humility and arrogance region to region from North to South India.
Imtiaz was versatile essentially in his many interests in life, and this was
one example a builder, an artist, a thinker having these types of interests.
Mr. Tabatabai was also the personification of the cartoon
character Mr. Ben, this dude would visit a mythical changing room and come out
somewhere else, take the following example for instance…
On one occasion he told me how on one journey with
another he decided to pitch a tent in the middle of the Kenyan Jungle (if I’m
not mistaken), sleep there in the wild thinking it’s totally safe and then
think he can chill in the morning outside the tent -only to find he could hear
the lions and wild beasts just outside
and that he honestly thought he was wildcat food that night, that was Imtiaz.
Yep been there done that, type of thing for the blessed
soul.
From the age of about 25 we became close friends and
found commonality in London life but also as muslims, but I sensed he wanted
more in life. He would speak passionately about his travels especially Turkey
which he loved immensely, he liked the simple things in life, a proper sweet
tooth he had, black coffee and cake. He often would tell me of certain
projects, and those who knew him more recently have mentioned the same
aspirations that he so really wanted to get started, they assumed these were
thoughts over the last six to seven years no I can tell you he kept them all
close to his heart whilst he was a single man many years back.
I had the pleasure of working with Imtiaz on and off for
around two years and I looked up to him as an older brother, we did labour and
decorating jobs in London, as I took a period of time out from my career and he
respected me a lot. He knew about my life experiences as he often shared his,
our conversations were close, and there wasn’t a topic we wouldn’t speak about
he was broad minded in every way. The conversations would be around fashion,
life in London, arts, films, religion, acting, you name it, it was discussed together
with books, and books and books….
What I liked about
him at that time a lot was that he was a very good listener and wouldn’t dismiss someone’s opinion even someone much
younger than him. He was a good 8 to 9 years older than me but would take my
advice as I would take his. After a hard day’s work we often would go to places
like Muswell Hill, Crouch End, Belsize Park grab a couple of coffees watching
the view from the hilly edges of North East London down towards Central London,
and so we would speak for hours on end on spirituality, at times I would get
home well after 1am in the morning, other times I would take up his offer to
rest at his parent’s home in Tottenham.
I recall a few times he would say to me, let’s go and
read Fajr in the park, and we would; after chatting all night in summer
evenings, he was spontaneous, gentle, but assured and confident, and would love
his humour be it Tommy Cooper, Marty Feldman or more recent. At times I would
wait for an answer to a question and he would pause for lengthy periods
thinking about what to reply to the question from me, he would switch very
quickly in thought.
This man Imtiaz he had vision and genuinely wanted to
help people and so am sharing a few of his thoughts.
Our conversations were frank, one of his proposed
projects that he wanted to get started and was keen in -was to help younger
single brothers and sisters get married. We would discuss how difficult it is
for single muslim men and single muslim women to meet in a halal environment
with a sincere desire to get married and that nothing was done in the community
save for some aunty trying to match a potential couple, that no one wanted.
(This was well over 20 years back). He was ahead of his time and we both spoke
of the difficult issues, he spoke then of developing a marriage course for
couples before they even marry to know what their rights, responsibilities and
duties were to each other, yes believe me his mind was active, always thinking,
looking to send the message out to propagate dynamic Islam, without any
hypocrisy attached.
About the time of 1999 I introduced Imtiaz to a number of
friends and also to Islamic centre, Maida Vale London Thursday night programmes
for Dua Kumayl, along with two other brothers Ali Abbas from East London and
Dilawar at that time from South West London we would religiously turn up
looking forward to listen to duas, pray and then talk for hours on end, it was
a buzz and Imtiaz would often remark on what he missed out years back in his
life and that he was blessed now.
However, outside we all had a similar trait in simply
blending in with society and Imtiaz well he was the master of that. Imtiaz
shared many, many secrets and in addition I did start noticing a change in him,
he became precise in his chosen words as to what should be said, when to say
it, and how to say something.
His Company for a while,
Around about the same time myself, the brothers
aforementioned and of course Imtiaz were introduced to a brother by the name of
Sayed Ali Rizvi (also passed away). Ali Rizvi introduced Philosophy to us,
Theology, journeys into spiritual awakening and the mystical path of Irfan, he
defined and broke down complex matter better than anyone at that time and hence
the maqam of the Holy Ahlulbayt a.s.. Upon meeting this figure we were blown
away by his knowledge and I can guarantee every reader Marhum Sayed Ali Rizvi
was positively influential on Imtiaz’s spiritual outlook to life and the
reality.
Sayed Ali Rizvi quite literally smashed to pieces the differences
of Western and Eastern Philosophies, breaking down the who’s who, and what the
meanings were, and what it means to the rational self, and soul- he took us all
on a journey and then Imtiaz developed his interest and his reading,
specifically towards the Batini (Hidden aspects) of mysticism, hungry was
Imtiaz for spiritual development and seeking to ascend.
“Die before you Die, one of Imtiaz’s favourite mystical
quotes, “ Keep your secrets closes to your heart” he would utter also, I could
sense the transition the change in him.
Around the year 2007 owards Imtiaz was soul searching ,
and was keen to meet Alims and spiritual personalities that he wanted to really
keep close contact with so that he could develop, he was specifically keen to
tap into the hidden, secretive aspects of Islam to truly find oneself. He
started off with reading on Sufi mystics, the tariqahs then the orthodox paths
and wanted to travel.
He was selective, secretive but a joy to be around,
rarely did I see him lose his temper, swear or get angry but confident, but if
he didn’t like something he wouldn’t bother wasting his time, he was old school
in thought like that, a man of strict principles and morals and totally set.
He loved his children and would often tell me how much he
loved them, all of them and how he wanted his children to continue in his name
a legacy for him, not many people know that.
Imtiaz was a kind amazing brother, the biggest mystery
was his mystery if that makes sense.
I will miss my brother Imtiaz immensely and InshALLAH may
he reside in the Gardens of Paradise
Through the Walayah of the Holy Ahlulbayt a.s.
Mohammed Ali Mirza
