Jul 30, 20232 min
Nadia Jamil & Jalil Jamil
Nadia’s father passed away in May 2023. At his Qul, Nadia recited a poem that he wrote for her mother. Here, a short note by Nadia about her parents’ relationship, followed by her father's poem.
Aba and Ama met under this tree in Nathiagali, in 1964. He was 18 and sitting under the tree on a bench.
She was 16 and walking up the path. He saw her and fell in love, deciding there and then he was going to move heaven and earth to marry her. Later on, we all went and hugged the tree and he got her to walk up the path again, which she did, giggling away. When she reached him he embraced her and her laughter turned to tears.
They held hands in their sleep while they slept for as long as he lived, till the ripe age of 78.
He wrote poetry to her, read odes to her, sang to her, laughed with her and cried with her. They were the best friends, lovers, partners and soul-mates and will forever be.
I have never seen a love like theirs. Ever. Blessed to be a fruit of this beautiful union. My amazing, beautiful, radical, brilliant parents.
May Allah bless Abu with the most beautiful gardens of Jannah and Ami with strength, patience and happiness. May she continue to live a life full of joy and adventure, with him smiling in peaceful joy down at her.
Below is the poem by Jalil Jamil, an ode to his wife.
This Little Sixteen-Year-Old Girl I Saw
This little sixteen-year-old girl
I saw
In the sweet smelling aroma
Of the pine trees in Nathia one day
With eyes like green ponds
Turbulent yet dreamy
With lips most kissable
I saw
And fifty years next
I loved, cherished her
With my heart, my soul
Never a moment less
So we have lived
And kissed and cuddled,
Wiping each others tears
In moments of sorrow
Laughing together in moments
Of joy
Dancing away nights,
Fighting on trivia,
Holding hands.
Two stars we generated,
that now shine on our
Well-trod path of life.
As I lie next to her—
Late, late in the night
Fifty years later,
With my medical bag
Filled with files
Lines of age on my face
Weak of muscle,
In the winter of
Our togetherness—
As I lie next to her and
Watch her beautiful face
I cannot see the lines
etching
Her face,
I cannot see
Her beauty aged,
I just see
That petite girl
Walking up the path
Amongst the pines of Nathia
With huge green ponds for eyes
And the most kissable lips,
Walk up to me and enter
My heart,
My soul,
My life.
Nadia Jamil is a Pakistani actress, host and activist. She is a trustee of a school for financially deprived girls and is also an ambassador for Girl Rising, a project that raises awareness about girls’ education.