Many people visit and offer prayers at the tomb of Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi, day and night.

While I was interviewing Mr. Edhi, a middle-aged man rushed into his office. Sobbing bitterly, the man said he did not have the money to pay for medical bills for his child and begged for the help of Mr. Edhi. While telling the man to “try and get donations from neighbors,” Mr. Edhi called in one of his staff and handed the man in distress a paper (possibly a check?). The man was escorted out by the staff member, thanking Mr. Edhi repeatedly. All this happened in three to four minutes, and I gather that this, for good or ill, was the way of Mr. Edhi. The warmth with which he deals with people, completely unlike bureaucratic procedures, may be part of the reasons he has been popular with ordinary people for so many years.

When I asked him, “Do people come rushing into your office like that for help every day?” he gave me an interesting answer: “That’s right. And that’s why I am always short of money. I am always thinking about how I can raise the necessary funds. One day, a young woman came here and said, ‘I have been poor since I was born and stole money from others’ purses many times. Please forgive me for my sins,’ and she started crying. I told her that there was no need to apologize to me, but rather to the people from who she had stolen money.”

Mr. Edhi built the “Edhi Village,” at a location some 50 kilometers from Karachi. It is home to several hundred orphans and mental patients. Mr. Edhi also built a final resting place for himself and his wife in a corner of the vast premises of the facility. It would not be far out to predict that upon his death, the place will be a mausoleum receiving many visitors.