In memory of a very special sister

Farzana , my friend and a very close sister in Islam, has passed away. It has been eight days since her death. She was suffering from cancer. Though her brother was able to donate some bone marrow, unfortunately her body rejected it. That’s why the doctors were unable to give the family any more hope. She decided to return home and spend her remaining time with her beloved family and friends.

I talked to her couple of times during her illness and felt amazed by her courage and patience, subhanallah. She was a very practising sister who had strong tawakkul (reliance) on Allah SWT. It felt like she has accepted the trial with an open heart and alhamdulillah, it’s my firm belief that she has passed the test insha-Allah.

During such a critical time she has also tried to prepare her three very young children for the world without her. You can imagine how hard it would have been for her to do so. May Allah SWT make her children successful in this world and the world to come, ameen. May Allah SWT make these three young children the means for her and her husband to reach jannah, ameen. May Allah SWT give her husband lots of strength and patience to endure the hardship of parenthood in the absence of his beloved wife, ameen.

Last Thursday when I went to her janazah (funeral) I felt very moved to see lots of people especially sisters coming to see her off for the last time. She was loved by many people for her wonderful personality. She was a very friendly sister who always had a lovely smile on her face. I will miss her company a lot. She used to discuss the current situation of Muslim ummah and how we can do something to contribute to the ummah. Alhamdulillah she was able to perform hajj at an early age. May Allah SWT accept her hajj and all the good deed, ameen. As far as I know, I haven’t seen her wasting her time. She worked hard as a teacher in English. She loved her subject very much. Her students in A-level would be able to tell more about her passion for English literature.

During her janazah, everyone I talked to has told me that she looked very peaceful alhamdulillah. She has lived her life according to the Quran and sunnah, alhamdulillah. May Allah SWT grant her paradise for all the trails and tribulations she had to endure for the last couple of months. Her short life reminds me the famous hadith of Rausulullah SAW:

“No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even a prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah SWT expiates some of his sins for that”
Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 70 Number 545

I hope and pray that Allah SWT washes away all of her sins, ameen.

Her death reminds me again and again how short and uncertain our life is. However, the bitter fact is we tend to forget the reality of death. We are so obsessed with our day to day life that we forget to prepare for our life in hereafter which will surely never end. Our prophet SAW has encouraged us to go to janazah as it will remind us the reality of death. I would like to conclude with the wise saying of Ammar bin Yasir RAW:

“Death is enough as a reminder, certainty is enough as wealth and performing acts of worship is sufficient as a job.”