One can have an idea of age of this old lady from the fact that she had children before 1947. Thus, she must be over 90 years old and still is very healthy and walks herself, as she avoids cold water and air conditioning.
I have heard from wise people that spare time should be spent with older people and will gain experience etc. a lot. I went to the city of Kasur with my family few days back. I went to a sincere person’s home. His mother was old but sincere, pious, Allah-fearing and very experienced. Suddenly I thought that why should I not ask her about her experiences and thought of a verse of poetry which means that now people are around so why not say whatever is in heart.
Mir ahbaab jama hain dard-e-dil keh lay
Phir iltifat-e-dil dostaan rahay na rahay
Old people have limited time therefore one should gain from them whatever one can and it is in my nature that I never ignore older people. I take from them and give it to my readers. I take it as my duty so that this effort may become an excuse for my forgiveness. May Allah do so.
One can have an idea of the age of this lady from the fact that she had children before 1947 thus she must be over 90 years of age and still is healthy, walks herself and avoids cold water and air conditioners and so, is healthy.
Cure from Jaundice: The lady expressing her experiences said that old jaundice which is not cured with any treatment can be treated. She stated that before partition in 1947, there used to be a hakeem in the state of Ferozepur. He was expensive, stern but a man of principle and people used to get cure through him. We have seen patients getting cured from not incurable illnesses. Old lady was hard of hearing therefore her obedient son and daughter in law were helping me out. Her obedient son, Ch. Naseer would utter my question in her ear and the old lady would reply with grace. Her every word would express experience and observation that people! Come back toward nature, otherwise colorful tablets and five star hospitals would suck everything out of you. She told about a prescription for old jaundice.
Howashaafi: Big green Hareerr, small black hareerr, bahairra, dry amla, small cardamom, roasted black skin of chanas, river coconut should be grinded in equal weight. If mud pot is not available then two table spoons of this mixture should be put in ½ kg water. Early morning after filtering, mix some honey or sugar; if not available then drink without sweetening. Drink for 40 days. Chronic jaundice will be cured in such a way that no trace will be left of it. One should drink this water sip by sip during the day or in 1 go on an empty stomach in the morning but drinking it empty stomach in the morning is most effective.
Cure from Chronic Dysentery: Howashaafi: The lady recommended a prescription for chronic and old dysentery for kids or elders and said that I had dysentery for 3 months, my elder son brought pomegranates. She stated the prescription that, first take out the juice from the pomegranates and after filtering it in fine Malmal cloth. Then take the crown of the pomegranate, put some juice in a utensil and then start rubbing the crown in this utensil, keep on rubbing till all of it is dissolved. Then give this solution to the patient drop by drop or 1/4th spoon 4-5 times a day. It is an excellent cure for chronic dysentery. Use it for few days or few weeks.
Good news for couples who do not have children. Howashaafi: For old infertility and for people who are tired doing the treatment for it, the lady stated a prescription which she gave to her daughter in law whom Allah (S.W.T) blessed with a son who is now Hafiz-e-Quran. She said that take one cup rose water and one cup pure fennel (sonf) water, mix both and warm the mixture. Then during periods drink in the morning and in the evening or drink once daily only for 3 days and the husband should make a pudding by putting two table spoons of whole ispaghol in milk at night and should eat it in the morning. For few days or few weeks, husband should eat this pudding empty stomach in the morning and wife should use the rose water mixture during her periods. She said that there is a family over here. Both brother and sister had no kids. Baba Ji (late) Hakeem Ahmad Din prescribed them the same thing and Allah (S.W.T) gave them two sons. Even my brother-in-law had child due to this prescription and many people have benefitted from it.
Strange Incident: In our village, some people came carrying a patient on a cart. In old times people used carts to bring patients. When they reached hakeem sir, he said that the patient will not be cured and will die soon. They were tired so kept the cart near a field of sugarcane and lied down for rest. The patient himself started chewing sugarcane from nearby. His relatives were asleep when they got up; the patient was sitting by himself. When they noticed that he is getting better by having sugarcane, they made him use sugarcane regularly and he was cured.
They came back to the hakeem sahib of our village and showed him the patient. Hakeem sahib questioned that did he used sugarcanes? They said yes. Hakeem sahib said he got lucky and Allah (S.W.T) helped him; there was a black snake living underneath due to which he had to be saved. He was wise and straightforward, was stern but was wise and a Hakeem/Doctor.
Wisdom of Hakeem Sahib: A young person after his job came and sat in a place where girls use to come to take water. Hakeem Sahib was a wise man. A villager came with a young girl. Hakeem Sahib saw both of them and then looked at his ear and whatever he saw in the ear, he said that take him and get him married. Actually, their problem was solved with marriage.
Sickness from tadpole: Often villager ladies take out water from well. A tadpole went into the container of water, some lady drank this water and the tadpole went into her system. She was in extreme pain and started having fits. She was taking to hakeem sahib. People said that she does not sleep the whole night, shouts and just asks for water. Hakeem sahib understood and said to lock her in a room and prohibited from giving her water. She shouted the whole night and kept on asking for water but hakeem sahib did not do it. Next day at 09 or 10’o clock in the morning he asked the relatives to open the door of the room and kept water in an open container and asked the lady to drink from this open container by putting her mouth in it like an animal. Once she put her mouth in the water, the tadpole jumped into the water from inside and she was cured. The old lady said that hakeem sahib was very wise. My grandfather had fever, he came and hakeem sahib said that he will die on the 8th day at 9 o’ clock; and same happened. Both my maternal and paternal grandfathers were practicing Muslims. My maternal grandfather was a Land Revenue Officer as well as a scholar. My maternal uncle was a doctor plus a scholar. They wrote a letter to all the relatives that our paternal grandfather would expire in 8 days and same happened.
For incurable vomitings: When children are teething, they start vomiting. Take dry carrot, small cardamom, koldoday nuts; half nuts semi roasted and half as it is, in equal weight and boil water, and put one tea spoon of the mixture of all the ingredients in the boil water. When it cools down, give half spoon or few drops of this water to the patient. Many people have been cured with it.
Tried out prescription for cough: Grind whole coriander, green cardamom, sugar and make a dry mixture. Eat one spoon of this powder which is delicious also as and when desired.
There was a judge, it is not known from which city ? He had flu which affected his eyes and he could not see. Somebody said to take him to Ferozpur. When he came before hakeem sahib, he said did you have flue ? Patient said yes. First of all, hakeem sahib gave him a medicine to flush his system, then gave more medicines and told him to go to a place where fennel is planted. Make a spoon of silver and squeeze the dew into the spoon and put it in his eyes. This cured the judge. A student of hakeem sahib by the name of Ahmad Din told hakeem sahib that there is a constable who goes to the village and goes crazy. He drinks from various bottles along with tea and eat chicken and thus, returns by having hot and cold things together. Hakeen sahib said that he will die at 12’o clock and he did die at 12’o clock. My brother tells that some piece of camel body (ceechar) went inside a person and he was really upset. He got all the illnesses in the world. He was brought to hakeem sahib who said to bring a piece of camel meat. They did. He lowered this piece of meat into the stomach of the patient through his throat and kept on moving it. When cheechar stick to the meat piece, he pulled it out and patient was cured.
Simple dressing of hakeem sahib: The old lady said that the dress of hakeem sahib was a pyjama and a shirt made of course cloth and use to wear a turban on his cap, simple leather shoes and simple dress. Use to say that nothing is better for warmth than a cotton shirt. My mother use to make one which he specially used in winters. It would be stitched like a waistcoat by stitching cotton inside the cloth like a quilt. In winters, he use to say that I will sleep in a room with husk as it is warm. The day he died, all the business in Ferozpur including courts were shut down. People use to say that today whole of Ferozpur has become orphan.
There were two Forts in ferozpur and 10,000 people use to work in one fort. Unemployed people from other cities use to work. Our city was very nice. Lot of worshipping was done. There was activity everywhere. When Pakistan was formed, I was 19 years old and was married. Talking about her elders, she said that they took him to a big hospital in Lahore. After X-ray, Doctor said, I will start the treatment afterwards but first allow me to be your religious follower? When reason was asked, the Dr. said that Kalma is written on every bone of his. Subhanallah. He was a pious person of Allah. Stating about hakeem sahib she said that when he passed away, he kept a watch besides him before he went away and kept on saying that now this much time is left in my death.
There was a person by the name of Herbans Singh and there was a big house besides his place. Hakeem sahib used to say about the owner of the house that whenever he shall die, the reason shall be drowning and it so happened. My sister use to be in a boarding school and some girls were singing over there. When hakeem sahib passed by to visit a patient, by listening to the voice of a girl, he said that this girl is pregnant. Just from the voice he knew that this girl student is pregnant. Hakeem sahib always use to sleep on the roof, never used fan and used to say that there is health in natural breeze. He was really opposed to the use of fan. He use to say that when the child is teething, one should massage his head with oil and should put almond oil in his ears, and when there is a problem in the ribs and chest is choked and one bone overlaps the others, the kid should be placed on a sheet of cloth held by two people holding the corners of the sheet and it should be moved, the overlapping bone will be fixed. The similar way a kid is put in a swing cot. We used to do like this, the way one uses a swing. The old lady said: we use to make surma by taking ‘Zam Zam water’ when it becomes a little fine then take mehndi leaves slightly roasted and its water when it is fine grounded, silver leaves slightly roasted green cardamom and then grounded. Put the mixture in a bottle by using cloth as filter. She added that mehndi water, aab-e-zam zam, silver leafs, green hareerr, small and big cardamom is also put and like this we make surma. Readers! Old ladies conversation might seem incoherent but I am pleased to state her experiences and observations before you. I have forwarded to the readers what I got from her. You should also write the experiences of elderly people in Ubqari.
