Very few persons in the world rose to such a high level of prominence that even the opponents find it very difficult to oppose their mission and have no option but to praise their contributions. Abdul Sattar Edhi was one of those personalities. He died after suffering from kidney failure and diabetes related problems. A selfless person who lived his entire life for others, who despite the owner of world’s largest ambulance service (1500 ambulances) as well as nursing homes, orphanages, clinics and women’s shelters, along with rehabilitation centers and soup kitchens across the country, lived in a small two-bedroom apartment and lived a very simple life.

The height of simplicity and selflessness is that he asked his family to bury him in his own clothes. We have often heard the phrase in the news during last few days, “He built an empire out of nothing”. It is not an exaggeration. He literally built this vast network out of nothing. He masterminded Pakistan’s largest welfare organization almost single-handedly, entirely with public donations.

When he was eleven, his mother became paralyzed from a stroke and she died when Edhi was 19. His personal experiences and care for his mother during her illness, caused him to develop a system of services for old, mentally ill and challenged people.

He never finished school but later said that the world of suffering became his tutor. After migration to Karachi in 1947, he made a living at first by working as a commission agent selling cloth at the Karachi wholesale market. A few years later, he started a free Bantva dispensary with the support of some community members. That was the start of his charity work.

Later, he planned for developing a systemized welfare service and drew a persistent and wide response for donations, expanding the trust at a remarkable pace. He first set up a maternity home and the emergency ambulance service in Karachi. Meanwhile, he met Bilquis Bano( Later she became Bilquis Edhi) , who was working as nurse at his dispensary. They married in 1965. The couple has four children, two daughters and two sons. Bilquis Edhi ran the free maternity home and organized adoption of abandoned children.

Edhi remained involved in the Edhi Foundation, from raising funds to helping with ritual bathing of the bodies of the deceased poor. He also personally drove one of the network’s ambulances across Karachi to help anyone in need.

Later Edhi’s foundation started providing technical and religious education to the disadvantaged street children. The foundation also provides consultations on family planning and maternity services, as well as free legal aid, financial and medical support to prisoners and the handicapped.

Since its inception, the Edhi Foundation has rescued over 20,000 abandoned infants, rehabilitated over 50,000 orphans and has trained over 40,000 nurses. It also runs more than 330 welfare centres in rural and urban Pakistan which operate as food kitchens, rehabilitation homes, shelters for abandoned women and children and clinics for the mentally handicapped.

His work earned him numerous awards at home and abroad, including the Gandhi Peace Award, the 2007 UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize, the 2011 London Peace Award, the 2008 Seoul Peace Award and the Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Service.

Edhi Saheb’s insistence on helping people regardless of their background (especially religion), and his criticism of orthodox clerics drew the ire of some extremist Islamist groups over the years. Some criticized him for helping non-Muslims, while other clerics accused him of promoting adultery by encouraging people to leave unwanted children born out of wedlock in his organization’s care, in cradles placed outside the foundation’s orphanages.

His critics have remained a small minority in Pakistan, however, and his foundation is one of the most revered institutions in the country. “In a country where trust in public figures and institutions has never been high and has been eroded over time, Mr. Edhi’s was a cause that everyone could get behind and support without fear of being let down. Everyone was ready to contribute because they trusted him. They knew that their donations will be used appropriately.

In 2013, The Huffington Post said that he might be the world’s greatest living humanitarian. BBC wrote that he was considered “Pakistan’s most respected figure and was seen by some as almost a saint. He was known as Angel of Mercy and was considered Pakistan’s “most respected” and legendary figure.

His last wishes included the request that his organs were to be donated but due to his ill health, only his corneas were suitable. Even after his death, he continued his service to humanity. His corneas were transplanted into two blind persons and now they got their vision back.

Government of Pakistan needs to declare 9th July as national charity day in remembrance of his services and provide all kinds of possible assistance to his heirs in order to continue his mission.

Abdul Sattar Edhi was one of his kinds. We may never see a person like him. He will be missed forever. May God rest his soul in peace.