Obituary of Ishrat Husain Naqvi
Ishrat Husain Naqvi
Ishrat passed away peacefully, Sunday, June 28, 2020 in Regina, after a long illness. Born in India, he chose physics over his other scholarly passions of history and poetry, completing a BSc and MSc at Lucknow University, then an MSc and a PhD at the University of Manitoba. Over the years, he assisted several siblings, nieces and nephews to join him in Canada. He became full professor of physics at the University of Regina, retiring while department head in 1994. Born into a devout Muslim family, he became a passionate advocate of the harmony of science and religion, after a crisis of faith where he found literalism intolerable, and Western ignorance of Islam demoralising. He became a Bahá’í in 1971, nurtured by his first wife, and remained a committed servant to his community and ideals until illness overtook him. Ishrat was a model educator, in both his academic and religious life, teaching with rigour, humility, and dignity and committed to research. The Bahá’í community benefitted from courses on science and religion, and history, and he enlightened many uninformed Westerners regarding Islam. In the academy, he acknowledged that scientific curiosity is rooted in the mystery of the human spirit. After retirement, he took great delight in his grandchildren and in teaching science and civilisation for extension studies. He was predeceased by his parents, Rahat Husain and Zahra Begum, brothers Farhat Husain and Itrat Husain, and sister Sarwari Begum. Ishrat is survived by his wife Meher (Anwar Naqvi), brother Massarat Husain, sisters Razia Begum, Batool Fatima and Mumtaz Fatima, his children Karim (Sarah), Kimberley, and Darius (Nooshin), grandchildren Beth, John, Charlotte, Jasmine, and Lua, and great-grandchildren Hayden, Brooke, Melody, Bella, Breanna, and Riley, and his large and loving extended family. His kindness, generosity, humour and wisdom will be missed terribly, but we will no doubt benefit from continued service from his new posting with his renewed strength. Friends are encouraged to make a contribution to a charity of their choice in lieu of flowers.
