Fatima has been a part of the Bukhari family since 2000, when she married Tariq Bukhari. The death of her father-in-law, who she insists was “like my father”, has left her alone, she says. It was Maulana Abdullah Bukhari who welcomed her into the family fold when she was facing rejection from all quarters. Reason: she was a non-Muslim and marrying into an orthodox Muslim family raised many an eyebrow.
“He was supportive of me always. Treated me like his own daughter, never made me feel like an outsider,” she tells Newsline.
As mourners continue to recite verses from the Quran, Fatima says: “Nobody can get so much love as he showered on me.”
Being a non-Muslim, did Maulana Abdullah Bukhari force her into purdah? “Not at all. He never forced anything. He just told me at the time of my marriage that if I want to do it, only then should I go ahead with it. I started wearing a hijab on my own. He never forced me,” she reiterates.
Fatima, who had converted the same year she married, evades questions about her relations with her own parents. “Imam saab never made me feel alone, he was like my father. Palkon pe bitha ke rakha tha.”
Meanwhile, Maulana Abdullah Bukhari’s wife, Sakina, sits with her face covered. “I will be alone now. I have lost him, it will get lonely,” she says as Najeeba, one of her two daughters sits silently. “He was a lovable father,” is all she says.
The late Imam’s granddaughter, Heena, simply shook her head when asked to recollect a memory of her grandfather, saying “it is difficult for me.”
A mourning woman in the group, however, summed up Maulana Abdullah Bukhari’s demise. “His death has left a vacuum, it will take us sometime to get over this.”