The world was never the same after the tragic events of 9/11. For someone like Ghayyur, those events changed the entire trajectory of his life.
Ghayyur had been working at a prestigious real estate brokerage firm in New York. In 2000, he and his wife welcomed their first child, Javaria, and by 2001, they were expecting their son Kamran. At this point, Ghayyur had eight substantial sales deals lined up. Suffice it to say, life was good.
Then came the events of 9/11.
In the wake of the tragedy, every single deal Ghayyur had in place fell through, and his thriving career came to a sudden halt; his income was reduced to a mere trickle. It was amidst this newfound uncertainty and turmoil that, in April 2002, Ghayyur’s son Kamran was born.
Around that time, Ghayyur’s friend from Georgia, USA, reached out with an opportunity: a retiring owner was selling his dry-cleaning plant and self-service laundromat. The business had over 150 machines—many over three decades old, including a petroleum-based dry-cleaning plant, shirt pressing machines, and industrial washers. The seller, Jack Pittman, had been the sole technician for years. Though it was a world apart from New York real estate—and far removed both culturally and professionally—Ghayyur put his complete trust in Allah and decided to make the move and take the risk.
After some difficult negotiations, the original owner agreed to the terms and sold the business to Ghayyur. But this was only the beginning of a long and difficult road.
Ghayyur, by his own admission, had no mechanical aptitude whatsoever. After closing the deal, he stood alone in the darkened facility—surrounded by ageing machines—and whispered a heartfelt prayer:
‘O Allah, this is beyond me. I don’t know what I have done. Please, if it be Your will, get me out of this honourably.’
The years that followed were harsh. Operating costs forced him to shut down the dry-cleaning plant. He let go of staff and began outsourcing garment cleaning. The laundromat remained open, often manned by Ghayyur alone—mopping, sweeping, collecting clothes, and dispensing change.
In the midst of his extreme financial difficulty, experiences like someone donating groceries for him and his family weighed heavily on Ghayyur. In the depths of this trial, Ghayyur turned to Allah in sincere and constant prayer. He recounts seeing a dream in which individuals of Asian origin signed a document on Eid day but did not share in the Eid feast, suggesting they were not Muslims. At the time, Ghayyur was unsure of what this dream could mean.
It all became clear in 2005, when a miracle unfolded.
A group of Vietnamese buyers approached him and offered to purchase the very dry-cleaning plant that he had shut down, at a price higher than what he had originally paid when it was operational. In that moment of relief, an extraordinary testimony came from an unlikely place—Jack Pittman, the original owner.
In a room full with the buyers, their families, attorneys and brokers, Jack declared with great emotion:
‘My god abandoned me, but this man’s God stayed with him—because he prayed to Him in the plant.’
He continued with a statement that stunned everyone present and exhibited the mercy of Allah:
‘I operated this plant my entire life and constantly had to fix those machines. But when he bought it… the machines stopped breaking down!’
This unsolicited and completely unexpected statement from a non-Muslim man served as a powerful acknowledgement of Divine grace. It was a testimony not only to Ghayyur’s prayers, but to the active, compassionate presence of Allah in the lives of His servants.
‘And your Lord says, ‘Pray unto Me; I will answer your prayer.”’ (The Holy Qur’an, 40:61)
Ghayyur’s story is a profound reminder of how Allah, out of His sheer mercy, supports His servants through the most trying of circumstances—sometimes in ways that completely take us by surprise. Ghayyur’s journey is a living illustration of the power of trusting God, reminding us that:
‘Whoso fears Allah — He will make for him a way out, and will provide for him from where he expects not. And whoso puts his trust in Allah — He is sufficient for him.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 65:3-4)
About the Author: Dr Nayyar Ahmed serves as the National Assistant Additional Finance Secretary for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the United States of America. He also serves with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Medical Association (AMMA), Ahmadiyya Association of Muslim Scientists (AAMS), and the Ahmadiyya Educators Association (AEA).
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