PIR-E-KAMIL:
The Perfect Mentor, is a fiction novel authored by
Pakistani writer Umera Ahmad. It was first published in Urdu in 2004 and later
in English in 2011. The book deals with the turning points in intervening lives
of two people: a runaway girl named Imama Hashim and a boy named Salar Sikander
. The story spans a time period of around ten years.
The story's character, Imama Hashim, belongs to an prominent
Ahmadiyya family living in Islamabad. She decides to convert to Sunni Islam
after being prejudiced by her friends. She attends her senior shabiha's
lectures in secrecy from her family and her roommates, Javeria and Rabia. While
studying in a medical school in Lahore, she falls in love for her friend
Zainab's elder brother doctor Jalal Ansar. But Imama's family tries to coerce
her to marry her first cousin Asjad, which is unacceptable to her as she can
not marry a non-Muslim. In the result
her parents respond by locking her up in the house and taking away her cell
phone.
Imama seeks help from Salar whom she is antagonistic
with since she is a religious girl and Salar is not. He is a rich boy. Imama
wishes to marry Jalal, but Salar lies to her that Jalal has married someone
else. Imama is saddened and asks Salar to marry her so that her family will not
be able to force her. Salar helps her and marries but soon after loses contact
with her.
Imama finds a asylum under Sibt-e-Ali and his
family. She changes her name and completes her studies and starts working in a
pharmaceutical company in Lahore. She hates Salar because he refused to divorce
her as he had promised.
Salar later travels to New Haven for education, then
he works for United Nations for some time before enduringly settling in Lahore.
Salar finally sees the errors of his ways and changes for good. Later the scene
shifts near to Kaaba, where Salar and Imama are sitting together worshipping
God. Salar realizes that God has given him a blessed women to be his companion,
and vows to protect her.
CHARACTERS:
Main characters:
·
Imama
Hashim ( A girl who converts to Muslim from Ahmadiyya.)
·
Salar
Sikander (A rich boy, neighbor of
Imama.)
Major characters:
·
Waseem
( Imama's brother.)
·
Jalal
(A doctor and older brother of Zainab.)
·
Hashim
Mubeen (Father of Imama and Waseem.)
·
Sikander
Usman (Salar's father.)
·
Tayyaba
(Salar's mother and Sikander Usman's wife.)
·
Saad
Zafar (A friend of Salar in New Haven.)
·
Dr Furqan
(A devoted Muslim and doctor.)
·
Dr
Sibt-e-Ali (An Islamic scholar in Lahore.)
·
Saeeda Amma
(First cousin of Sibt-e-Ali.)
