Editor’s note: The following In Memoriam for Mohammed Ibrahim Ali, who died a year ago on March 15, 2014, has been submitted by his youngest son, Enoo, the well known Ismaili composer and musician from Orlando, Florida. Simerg invites obituaries/in memoriam pieces honouring your family members who have passed away. Please see submission guidelines and examples by clicking Obituaries and Tributes.

CELEBRATED LIFE OF MR. MOHAMMED IBRAHIM ALI
(1925-2014)

By Enoo

“Good, better, best…Let it not rest until the good gets better, and the better gets BEST!!” were the words often said by my late dad, Mohammed Ibrahim Ali, who passed away peacefully in Dallas, Texas, USA, on March 15, 2014 at the age of 88. He is fondly remembered by his wife, children as well as their families at the first anniversary of his death.

A truly meritocratic individual, the great husband of Roshan Ali and a dear father of three sons Mushtaq, Ishtiaq and Enoo and  one daughter, Rezia, was born on June 7, 1925 in Chennai (formerly known as Madras), South India. His father Ali Mohammed, who was related to Pakistan’s founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, through his forefathers, came from Sisan, a small town in Kathiawar, Gujarat, and from the same state of the city of Porbandar came his mother, Sherbano.

Ali Mohammed, my grandfather, made sure that all his children got a very good education, and sent my dad, Mohammed Ibrahim Ali, to St. Mary’s High School, which was considered to be among the top schools in Madras. Later, my father studied at Presidency College near the city’s Marina Beach.

My father was a keen sportsman, who believed in exercising regularly. He was a good swimmer  and indulged in many other sporting activities. As a cricketer, he excelled as an off-spin bowler and became his college team’s vice captain.

In the footsteps of my grandfather, my own dad ensured that all his four children also received excellent education by sending us to the best schools including St. Mary’s where, as mentioned earlier, he himself had studied during his youth. His dedication and support for our education bore fruits with my two brothers Mushtaq and Ishtiaq and myself qualifying respectively as an Eye Surgeon, a Chemical Engineer, and a Music Composer/Recording Engineer, while my sister, Rezia, became a Registered Nurse. Being from a business background, the children also have businesses besides pursuing their professional careers.

After completing his education, Mohammed Ibrahim, co-partnered with his other siblings in the retail and wholesale family business selling home appliances, glassware and crockery. He was however left to run the business totally on his own after his siblings departure from the family operated business. At the same time, my father had the added responsibility of looking after his own parents as well as other family members, including my mother and the four children.

Having been brought up in an academic environment, Mohammed Ibrahim  raised his flourishing business to a high status, as a result of which he became very well-known in business circles and also a valued member of the Chamber of Commerce. His expanding business led him to become an agent to Bajaj, manufacturers of electrical irons, and he also became the sole agent for Prabhakar, which specialized in stoves and gas lamps for use in hotels and big units for cooking.

My dad attended Jamat Khana regularly and was a key Ismailia council member for the Madras Jamat along with Nurudin Popat Jamal. He led an active life and sought to serve and help others in many ways such as completing paperwork, filing applications. and conducting tasks for individuals needing his advice and guidance from his rich educational background and business acumen.

The momentum of his flourishing and expanding business could not be maintained for very much longer after both he and his father fell seriously ill.  The assistance and help that he was expecting and hopeful of during an exceptionally difficult time in his life did not materialize, and for the peace of his wife and children he relocated and settled in Karachi where he took up an accounting position in a  Swiss Pharmaceutical company. We became a witness to his large heart and soul, which enabled him to march on positively with his life. His ethic to forgive everyone was an example for all of us to emulate.

Subsequently, he decided to settle in the USA with his wife in 1988, where they lived with their youngest Music Composer son ENOO and family for a number of years.

My father lived his life to the fullest, and was active until the final two days of his life. After special prayers for mushkil asaan (i.e. easing of difficulties) in the Midcity jamatkhana, Dallas, my dad breathed his last and passed away peacefully at his home around 9:00 pm on March 15, 2014, a few months before he would have turned 89. He was then laid to rest on March 19, 2014 at the Hughes Crown Hill Funeral and Burial home in Dallas, Texas.

May the Almighty rest my loving dad’s soul in eternal peace, ameen.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un — “Surely we belong to God and to Him we return.” Holy Qur’an.

Date posted: March 13, 2015.

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About the writer: Inspired by the voice of his mother, Enoo’s passion for music manifested when he was still a young boy. Over the years he built himself a great reputation as a composer and musician, and has performed  around the world at important events and worked with radio and TV stations as well as the film industry. Having settled in the USA in the 1980’s, Enoo continues to thrive and perform with a unique blend of jazz. Among his important productions are a special CD to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan. Please visit http://www.enoosmusic.com/.

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