Abdul Sattar Edhi: ‘The greatest thing Islam teaches is humanity’

He was Not Father Teresa. He was Simply Edhi

These past few days I’ve been going through photos and notes from my trips and reading Edhi’s book that he signed for me. I miss him deeply, along with the millions who cherished him too; I miss what he means for humanity. I feel for the thousands of people for whom he was the one person who cared, the one person who did something to make their life a little easier. One life, each life. There are many who can speak about Edhi much better than I can. But there is one thing I know for sure. He was not Mother Teresa, he was not Father Teresa. He was Edhi. And there will never be another like him.

Salma Hasan Ali is a writer, blogger and storyteller, focusing on personal essays, cross-cultural reflections, and profiles about inspiring people. Her blog, 30 days, 30 deeds, includes other stories of inspiring Muslims. A version of this article originally appeared on Altmuslimah.