Circumstances can force almost anyone to be a bystander to evil, but they can also bring out our

own inner hero. (Philip Zimbardo, 2006). In every generation, there are numerous individuals
who leave their imprint upon our history; they display the power of their passionate minds, show
us their immense dedication to their cause, share their inexplicable journey with us and change
our perceptions of the world, for better.
Abdul Sattar Edhi was a Pakistani philanthropist, humanitarian and ascetic who dedicated his
entire life to helping others, while managing to single handedly change the sense of welfare in
Pakistan. Hes more commonly referred to as the Richest Poor Man; one who has inspired
millions of people to provide for the less fortunate amongst us, in any form possible.

The Beginning
Abdul Sattar Edhi was born in Bantva in the Gujarat, British India on 1st January, 1928 to Abdul
Shakoor Edhi and Ghurba Edhi. He was born in a low-class family, and due to financial troubles
he was unable to pursue education. Even as a young child, Mr. Edhi was content with leading a
simplistic life; he spent most of his childhood helping his mother with daily chores, performing
his prayers at the local mosque with his father and playing kancha with his friends. A recurring
incident that happened in the Edhi household was, that his mother would give him one paisa
(less than $0.01) for him to keep, and one for a beggar. As a young child, he couldnt understand
the importance of giving one paisa to a beggar every time as their living circumstances were
already so difficult but in his later years, he used to refer to it as one of his fondest memories, as
the exercise instilled him in a sense of always giving back to others.
At the tender age of 11, his mother was paralyzed from a stroke and passed away when he had
just turned 19 years old. His personal experience of caring for his mother during her illness, led

him to developing a system of services for old, challenged and mentally ill people. Being
extremely close to his mother, Mr. Edhi was distraught and found it quite difficult to deal with
the circumstances. Additionally, the British Empire was at its peak in 1947 and so, him and his
family were forced to flee for their lives since the division of India and creation of Pakistan had
inspired terrible communal tensions: millions of people were being killed in mob violence and
ethnic cleansing.
This was the moment Mr Edhi, found himself penniless on the streets of Karachi, Pakistan but
set out on his life's mission. At just 20 years old, he volunteered to join a charity run by the
Memons, the Islamic religious community to which his family belonged. While volunteering, he
started working as a peddler, and later became a commission agent selling cloth in the wholesale
market in Karachi. At first, Mr Edhi welcomed his volunteering duties; but later was appalled to
discover that the charity's compassion was confined to Memons. He confronted his employers,
telling them that "humanitarian work loses its significance when you discriminate between the
needy. The confrontation ended on a negative note, and so he decided to establish his own free
dispensary with help from his community. He even used to sleep on the cement bench outside his
shop so that he could serve those who came late at night.
According to Zimbardo, three broad forms of heroic action include; martial heroism, civil
heroism, and social heroism. The objective of social heroism can be seen as the preservation of
a community-sanctioned value or standard that is perceived to be under threat. In some cases, the
person is actually trying to establish a set of extra-community standardspushing toward a new
ideal that has not yet found wide acceptance. (Shepela, 1999)

Mr. Edhis actions truly represent social heroism as he paid further attention to those who he felt
werent being treated well by society; due to issues such as classism and sexism - he helped
impoverished people, created welfare centers for women and even took care of babies who were
abandoned by their mothers. One of his famous quotes include, Nobody is different, the richest
to the poorest, from here to the end of the globe face it equally
An example that really captures his dedication to his cause; He would hurtle around the
province of Sindh in his poor man's ambulance, collecting dead bodies, taking them to the police
station, waiting for the death certificate and, if the bodies were not claimed, burying them
himself.
Amongst the twelve Heroic subtypes stated in A Conceptual Analysis and Differentiation
Between Heroic Action and Altruism, Mr. Edhi seems to fit the definition of a Good Samaritan
the best. They are individuals who are first to step in to help others in need even though it can
possibly involve immediate physical risk. While there are numerous qualities that most heroes
seem to possess, Mr. Edhis most distinctive qualities were; being compassionate,
understanding other peoples perspectives, being persistent, following his strong morals and
being an ascetic.
Expressing Compassion
Mr. Edhi established his own foundation, The Edhi Foundation in 1951. He went from being a
refugee to running Pakistan's most renowned philanthropic organization, which really speaks
volumes about his courage and devotion to his work. Initially, he carried out his operations
from a second hand ambulance but gradually as people started to recognize his efforts, they

started donating money to further his cause. His foundation currently runs hospitals,
orphanages, morgues, legal aid offices, centers for the abandoned and drug-addicted, and has
almost 2,000 ambulances. Edhi Foundation expanded backed entirely with private donations
from middle class and upper class families. His compassion for people is unmatched; 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 operates worldwide now; it has carried out
relief operations in Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe and the United States.
His compassion was truly boundless; as he never differentiated between people based upon their
status or gender. He helped everyone and anyone he could possibly reach out to: whether itd be
providing shelter, food or free medical operations.
Being Broad Minded
The story of Mr Edhi coincides with the history of the Pakistan state. More than any other living
figure, he articulates Jinnah's (Pakistans founder) vision of a country which, welcomes
everyone; people of all faiths and backgrounds. Mr. Edhis life definitely provides a sad
commentary on the betrayal of Jinnahs vision of Pakistan, as it has been completely demolished
by a self-interested political class. People were very interested to know why he aided NonMuslim people and his reply to this inquiry was simply just that, he was fulfilling his duties as a
Muslim. Mr. Edhis ability to analyze a difficult situation from another persons perspective was
quite remarkable, he really seemed to feel the pain of others and thus, wasnt judgmental towards
anyone.
Staying Persistent

Mr. Edhi was definitely a man of his word, he made decisions in his life based upon values
that he had grown up with as a young individual, and even when things became unbearably
difficult, his faith in himself or his cause never wavered as he always focused on how
obstacles could be eliminated. When he had first moved to Karachi, it was extremely tough
for him to focus upon his humanitarian work when he had no available funds. He was also
constantly in fear of being targeted by the Memons as he had challenged the operations of the
management team where he previously used to volunteer. Being an outspoken person, he was
quite vocal about major issues such as abortion which endangered his security even further as
his opinions were considered quite controversial. Later during his lifetime, he even started to
exercise such a vast moral authority that Pakistan's corrupt politicians had to be held accountable
for their illegal actions. Additionally, being an ascetic technically made matters worse, as he
refused to have any kind of security to protect him. This proves that he had a rare ability to
constantly face danger valiantly, and focus all of his energy on always doing the right thing.

Morally and Spiritually Strong

According to researchers; Zimbardo and Franco, heroes possess two essential qualities that make
them stand out from everyone else: they breathe and live by their values and they are willing to
endure personal risk to protect those values. Their values and personal beliefs provide them with
courage to endure risk and even danger in order to adhere to those principles. My religion is
humanitarianism, which is the basis of every religion in the world. (Abdul Sattar Edhi,
1978). Spirituality was a huge factor in Mr. Edhis commitment to improving the living
conditions of everyone. In an interview, he stated that the main reason why he never doubted
his mission from the beginning was due to his 100% belief in karma. While he did have rough
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patches throughout his life, he believed that God could never burden him with any problem he
couldnt resolve. His foundation being the largest charitable organization in Pakistan, naturally
attracted millions of dollars of donations. In its more than five decades of existence, Edhi
Foundation was never scrutinized for misappropriation of funds. Its volunteers, staff, and
management are also inspired by Edhis own integrity, honesty, and trustworthiness. Edhi
realized that maintaining his personal, as well as organizational integrity was central to the
success of his humanitarian activities which entirely depended on donations.
Asceticism
In Heroes: What They Do and Why We Need Them? the author brings an interesting point to
light when she mentions the intention aspect of an action. She states that genuine heroes dont
take actions to acquire material gain, but instead do so as theyre invested in improving the
quality of other peoples lives. Mr. Edhi was always known for his simplicity and humble
demeanor; whether itd be his lifestyle, his interactions or his outlook on life. He spent his entire
life in a two-bedroom house with his family, he refused to own more than two pairs of simple
clothes and shoes and even his office remained a small room with minimum furniture. The only
car that he ever drove was an ambulance, when he used to go on rescue missions. In terms of
earning money, he never took a salary from the foundation as he considered it to be morally
wrong. His family follow his footsteps and lead a very modest life as well, they believe that
contentment comes from within, and happiness can only be achieved by helping others,
something that the luxuries of our world can never provide.
Due to his commendable journey, Mr. Edhi received a lot of attention from local and
international media for decades, but this fame never changed him or made him lose focus in any
way. Out of the seven paradoxes of heroism, the third paradox The most abundant heroes are
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also the most invisible, applies to Mr. Edhi to a certain extent as his intention wasnt to ever be
famous, and so, he was invisible but due to his remarkable service, he rose to fame. His
authentic self, remained intact and he performed tasks just as vigorously every day to ensure the
well-being of others.

A Deep Mark
. "Our lives are not just measured in years. They are measured in the lives we touch around us."
(Peeta Mellark, Catching Fire 2013)
This quote captures the true meaning of the incredible presence of Sir Abdul Sataar Edhi. He
devoted his entire lifetime to constantly supporting those around him, through any means he
could offer - for absolutely nothing in return.
On 25th June, 2013 Mr. Edhis kidneys failed and it was announced that he would be on dialysis
his entire life, unless a kidney donor was found. He was offered free medical treatment from
many foreign countries but he refused to leave Pakistan, as a patriotic gesture towards his
beloved nation. He passed away on 8th July, 2016 due to kidney failure at the age of 88. Amongst
his last wishes, he requested for his organs to be donated.
Several Pakistani officials including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued their statements of
sorrow at the news of Sir Edhis death. PM stated, We have lost a great servant of humanity. He
was the real manifestation of love for those who were socially vulnerable, impoverished, helpless
and poor.

Prime Minister Sharif declared national mourning on the day following Mr. Edhi's death and
announced a state funeral for him; he was the only Pakistani without a state authority to receive a
state funeral.
With his nobleness, gratitude and passionate energy; Mr. Edhi left a deeper mark upon history
than he couldve ever anticipated. His mantra in life was to oppose any concept that encouraged
segregation and to spread love and positivity as much as possible. He has managed to influence
millions of people around the globe, to treat poor and mentally disabled people as their equals
and to make them understand that, their difficult circumstances dont define them. Besides
inspiring individuals to starting their own charitable organizations for important causes, he
introduced a modernized way of thinking in Pakistan at a very early stage. His commitment to
making people feel valued, loved and important is the reason that individuals from all around the
world are still willing to make massive amounts of donations to his charity. Today, the influence
of the Edhi Foundation stretches far outside Pakistan, providing aid at every international
emergency. Mr. Edhis genuine drive to pursue his dream to create a better society coming from
a low class family, to actually achieving his goals is exactly what makes him an international
hero, a legend.

Conclusion
Most of us plan our lives around what we believe will provide us the greatest value; whether itd
be a flourishing career, large sums of money, becoming famous as an entertainer or spending our
lives travelling. Mr. Edhis life strategy was completely different, he lived to create meaning and
a better future for others. He didnt care much for owning the newest gadgets, expensive houses
or driving fancy cars as he was too busy trying to extend his help to even more people and create

a better system where everyone felt significant. By leading a simple life, he inspired others to
pay attention to things that are much more important than man-made created things that we
consider luxuries and, he left us all with an important reminder: Chasing after desires creates
inner turmoil. When the devil becomes guide, dacoits and gangsters are manufactured. He
makes men fight against their souls to survive expensive items and most lose everything in the
face of his strength. The internal enemy can only be overcome by a personal revolution.

Works Cited List

1. Kunich, John C., and Richard I. Lester. Profile of a Leader: The Wallenberg Effect.
Washington, DC: Dept. of the Air Force, Chaplain Service, 1994. Print.
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2016
3. "The Banality of Heroism | Greater Good." N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016
4. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1972.
Print.
5. "10 Abdul Sattar Edhi Quotes That Will Leave You Inspired ..." N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct.
2016.
6. "Abdul Sattar Edhi - A Life Bigger than Accolades | Asia ..." N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct.
2016.
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7. "Definition of Hero | Heroes: What They Do & Why We Need Them." N.p., n.d. Web. 21
Oct. 2016.
8. "The Day I Met Abdul Sattar Edhi, a Living Saint - Telegraph." N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct.
2016.
9. "Productivity Inspired by Abdul Sattar Edhi: The Richest ..." N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct.
2016.
10. "The Seven Paradoxes of Heroism | SPSP." N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

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