Mrs Asghari Bakhsh Chaudhry Departs
By Ms Mannal Bakhsh
Our dear Mrs Asghari Bakhsh Chaudhry has returned to her Creator. She is the wife of Chaudhry Allah Bakhsh and mother of four daughters - Shehla Haider, Hala Khurram, Faryal Khan and Mannal Bakhsh - and grandmother of seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Asghari Begum, a loving, caring, gentle soul, fought countless tough battles in her life with grace and dignity, and has finally returned to her Maker.
She was an extremely loving, affectionate, caring lady who was known for her huge heart and hospitality; she loved to welcome people into her home. She loved to cook, and would cook delicious food (haleem, biryani, koftai) for anyone and everyone that came to her home. Countless people came to visit and stay with her and she always made them feel welcome. She loved to be surrounded by people, even during all her illnesses, cancer struggles and surgeries, she always wanted her loved ones to be around her.
She was known to have such a love for life, until the very end. She was also known for being impeccably dressed up and groomed, with her rings and jewelry and her love for beauty and elegance.
She was also known for helping destitute women whose husbands had abandoned them, and she always welcomed them to stay with her in her home with her husband and 4 daughters until they could find a family member who was able to help them. She also provided counseling, therapy, mental health support to many girls who had been traumatized and abused in their lives.
She helped many of her immediate and extended family members, who had migrated from Pakistan, to live in her home, help them get social benefits, healthcare, food stamps, and enroll their kids in school. She went above and beyond, to help others find their footing to establish themselves in the US.
Asghari Begum had a Master’s in Social Work from the Punjab University in Pakistan. She worked as a Social Worker and Mental Health Therapist for 40 plus years and continued to volunteer for many years after her retirement.
In Pakistan, Asghari Begum was a senior superintendent in charge of Dar Ul Amaan (a women’s shelter) for destitute, abused, and homeless women, and women with mental health problems. She helped women who could not survive independently in the community and needed protection. As well as those whose entire comprehensive needs needed to be met. She also helped many women get married and helped to arrange, and even host, their marriages in her own home.
When she came to the USA in 1977 (44 years ago), Asghari Begum headed the House of Ruth (in Washington, DC, ) one of the largest shelters for mentally ill/homeless women in the capital. They provided shelter, residential services, and treatment for homeless women who suffered from poverty, abuse, disease, and many other problems.
She later worked for the Fairfax County Mental Health Center as a Senior Licensed Mental Health Therapist. She was a very affectionate therapist and known for hugging, kissing and holding her patients despite being reprimanded by her superiors to not show any physical affection. But, she hardly cared and felt the patients needed love and affection as they had so much pain.
Asghari Begum was a big proponent of Education. She loved to hear about any child who was educated and excelled in school and their area of study. She and her husband, Chaudhry Sahib, gave good education to their four daughters and they went on to become Computer Scientists and Engineers. They made sure their daughters would not be dependent on any man, and be able to stand on their own feet.
Over a lifetime, Asghari Begum served so many and truly lived up to her calling of a social worker. She also helped many children read and finish the Qu’ran.
In the end, Asghari Begum loved Allah SWT. She had a great deal of love and faith in her Creator. She prayed 5 times a day and read the Qur’an daily. She always finished the Qur’an every Ramadan. She would always say out loud to her daughters and grandchildren: “Mera Pyaara Allah Mia”, “Allah Mia Kitna Payara Hai;” “Allah Ko Hamesha Khush Rakho”.
Please pray for Asghari Allah Bakhsh Chaudhry’s maghfirat. May Allah forgive all her sins. May she receive all of Allah’s Choicest Blessings. May she be blessed with Jannat Ul Firdaus. Ameen.
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