The life and legacy of Mohammed Rashid Farooqui
Mohammed Rashid Farooqui, Chief Executive of Sh. Wilayat Ahmad and Sons (SWAS), passed away on September 4, 2022, for his eternal abode. He founded SWAS, the renowned electrical component distributor, and he built it right from the ground with partnering of his brothers in coming years.
Mr. Mohammed Rashid Farooqui was born on October 15, 1945. He started working very early in his life, right from college. He would study and handle accounts for his father, Mr. Sadiq Hussain Farooqui. During that period, he completed his B.Com, then went for LLB. He also studied to become a successful Chartered Accountant and worked for The Ferguson Company which was a prerequisite for his degree too. SWAS was established in early ‘70s and was named after his late grandfather. Both father and son established the company and started importing electrical items and switchgear products from Japan. Their first order was given to Fuji Electric. Meanwhile his younger brother, Mohammed Zubair Farooqui, joined the company after finishing his engineering degree. SWAS was awarded exclusive distributorship for Pakistan by Fuji Electric but their father didn’t live long enough to see this progression. Due to the excellent business marketing and strategy, SWAS was able to get distribution rights from prestigious companies like Schneider Electric (Merlin Gerin) and LS Industrial Systems (which was LG then). The coming years saw the product portfolio growing big. Their youngest brother, Mohammed Asif Farooqui, had joined hands too. Now the company was a big name to reckon with, by the Grace of Allah, and with consistent hard work and ambition, they had a strong foothold in the market now. The matters of business were handled by Mr. Rashid in a very efficient and professional way, keeping everyone together and united. This company was his child. Now we see the new generation coming in to handle its reins and maintain his legacy.
Mr. Mohammad Rashid Farooqui was a man of word and honour and believed in honest earning. He would say, “Rahay naam Allah ka, sub kaam hojatay hain”. He led his life with ethics, discipline and virtue. He was God-fearing, visionary, self-sacrificing, selfless, humanitarian, philanthropic, and an arbitrator for those who needed his advice. He helped the underprivileged generously with the thumb rule of not letting even his left hand know what the right hand did. He wanted to help people understand the teachings of Quran and implement them in their lives, so for this purpose he commissioned printing of Quran in Urdu, English and Sindhi. He distributed millions of copies and even printed booklets of daily azkaars. He even led administration of Al-Mawrid, a research and literary organization for Islamic studies. He was a beacon of light for all. Our loss is Heaven’s gain.
After his passing, his associate, Dr. Shehzad Saleem, quoted the words of Frances M. Coelho:
God saw you getting tired
And a cure was not to be
So He put His arms around you
And Whispered: “Come to Me.”
With tearful eyes we watched you
And saw you pass away
And although we love you dearly
We could not make you stay
Inna lillahee wa inna ilaihee rajioon
