Answer the following questions:

Q.1. What was the imam masjid’s full name and what was his alias?

Ans: His full name was Maulvi Abul Barkat. His alias was Abul.

Q.2. What was Moulvi Abul’s turban known as and where did it originally come from?

Ans: Abul’s turban was known as Mashadi lungi. It originally came from Mashad in Iran.

Q.3. What did Maulvi Abul always carry with him?

Ans: Maulvi Abul always carried a walking stick with him.

Q.4. Describe Maulvi Abul’s appearance.

Ans: Maulvi Abul Barkat was an active healthy man in old age with bulging eyes. He wore a light-brown turban whose tip shone brightly. He carried a walking stick. He used sweet-smelling  oil for his hair. Thus, his appearance and personality were almost always very pleasant.

Q.5. How much did the Maulvi collect on every Eid?

Ans: Maulvi Abul collected 150 to 200 rupees on every Eid.

Q.6. How much of the money collected by Maulvi Abul was distributed among the needy and the poor?

Ans: Maulvi Abul distributed 40 to 50 rupees among the poor on every Eid. 

Q.7. What was the name of Maulvi Abul’s eldest daughter?

Ans: The name of Maulvi Abul’s eldest daughter was Mehrunnisa, called Mehrun. 

Q.8. What was the name of the member of the District Board of the place where the Maulvi lived?

Ans: The name of the member of the District Board was Chaudhry Fathehdad. 

Q.9. What was the name of Maulvi Abul’s wife?

Ans: The name of the Maulvi Abul’s wife was Zaibunnisa. 

Q.10. Write the names of the other daughters and son of Maulvi Abul who are mentioned in the story.

Ans: The other daughthers of Maulvi Abul were Zabda, Shamsun and Umda and his son was Arif. 

Q.1. Who has written the present story “God be Praisede” and what do you find interesting and appealing in it?

Ans: Ahmad Nadeem Qasim wrote this story in Urdu, which has been translated into English. I have found the story to be very close to our homely life in the country (villages). The characterization of Maulvi Abul, his wife, the hero and heroine, and Chaudhry Fatehdad is true to life. My passions rise to great heights as I read the story.

Q.2. Describe briefly Maulvi Abul’s life and dress before marriage.

Ans: Maulvi Abul wore a light-brown turban know as Mashadi lungi. The gold-painted tip of his turban shone brightly. He carried a colourful shining walking stick. He used a weet-smelling oil in his hair. Thus, he kept an appealing appearance most of the time.

Q.3. What did Maulvi Abul wear on his head and what did he hold in his hand?

Ans: On his head, Maulve Abul wore a light-brown turban, known as Mashadi lungi that had come from Mashad (Iran). The gilded tip of his cap shone brightly above the turban. He carried a walking stick, a kind of king’s rod, with decorative bands of brass and gilt.

Q.4. What kind of oil did Maulvi Abul use in his hair? What did this show of his taste and liking?

Ans: Maulvi Abul used fragrant oil in his hair. Its sweet but sharp smell stayed in the village lanes whenever he passed through them. It showed his artistic taste and liking for sweet-smelling oils or perfumes.

Q.5. What rings did Maulvi Abul wear on his fingers and what did he do to them during the day? Explain.

Ans: Maulvi Abul wore silver rings with large greenish-blue stones. He took these rings off his fingers five times a day before ablution. He always put the rings on the right fingers. The stones fixed to the rings are taken as symbols (signs) of good fate and changing conditions. It is not explained in the story.

Q.6. What did Maulvi Abul do every Eid after his sermon? What did he ask the worshippers afterwards?

Ans: Maulvi Abul distributed 40 to 50 rupees among the poor out of the 150 200 rupees collected in a bag. He asked the worshippers to pray to God and thank Him for His blessing. He said he had everything he desired and did not need anything more.

Q.7. Where did Maulvi Abul keep the money donated for the mosque and the money saved by him? What would you like to say about his saving habits?

Ans: Maulvi Abul kept the money donated for the mosque in a cotton bag. He kept his own savings in a tin box which Zaibunnisa stored in a trunk. He saved his money bit by bit throughout the year. His saving habits helped him to live honestly and honourably.

Q.8. Why did Maulvi Abul weep in his talk with his wife about Umda’s shoes? Discuss his economic condition?

Ans: Maulvi Abul could not buy proper shoes for Umda. At night, his wife lifted the quilt and showed him Umda’s feet. He began weeping. After buying the shoes, he promised with Allah not to use powdered tobacco (to save money). He shared the hardships of his family. But he provided them whatever he could.

Q.9. What complaint did Maulvi Abul  make to the shoemaker about the price of the shoes for his youngest daughter, Umda, and what reply did he receive? 

Ans: Maulvi Abul complained to the shoemaker that he was asking five rupees more for his youngest daughter’s shoes. The shoemaker replied that the prices of leather had gone up very much. He could have charged ten rupees from someone else for the same shoes.

Q.10. Why do you think Maulvi Abul promised never to use the powdered tobacco again? 

Ans: One, Maulvi Abul had little money to spend on this pleasure. He wanted to save money to spend on his children. Two, he felt that tobacco and powder could damage his power to work for his family and religion.

Q.11. What changes occurred in Maulvi Abul Barkat when Mehrun reached the age of fourteen?

Ans: When Mehrun reached the age of fourteen, he started making mistakes in the prayers. He became more worried about Mehrun, whom he had to marry In few years. His income was not getting higher.

Q.12. How did Maulvi Abul feel or react when Chaudhry Fatehdad criticized him for making mistakes while leading the prayers? Explain.

Ans: Maulvi Abul replied that it was because of his daughters and their responsibilities that he had repeated a chapter of the Holy Quran twice. I think Maulvi Abul was correct because he was worried about the marriage of his daughters. So he committed mistakes in the prayers.

Q.13. What did Zaibunnisa do to supplement (add to) the income of her husband in view of his “ever-increasing” responsibilities? How did she save unused bread? 

Ans: Zaibunnisa started teaching the Holy Quran to the young girls of the village to add to his husband’s income. On every Thursday, each of the girls brought sugar on bread. Zaibunnisa arranged two baskets to store and save the remains of home-baked bread in them.