A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| My Grandfather |
|---|
| wardah |
| 06/08/03 at 14:52:39 |
[slm] this was written by a cousin 5 years ago but i still like reading it, thought i'd share... [i]He was the father of 7 sons and 4 daughters, masha'Allaah la quwwata illaah billaah. He also now has about 70 grandchildren and almost 20 great grandchildren, masha'Allaah. He taught Qur'aan to many of his grandchildren. He contributed to the establishment of the local masjid, in which two of his sons and now two of his daughters teach Qur'aan. There are approximately 100 students studying there. (all his young descendants study there) His grandchildren also teach there, mostly on fridays, when it is Islaamic studies. The first haafidh from the masjid is his grandson, who completed his Hifdh of the Qur'aan about a year ago, he is 18 masha'Allaah, and is currently the Imaam of the masjid. The next in line to become a haafidh is 14 masha'Allaah. He has memorised 19 Juzz masha'Allaah TabaarakAllaah., Also a grandson. There are many more children well on their way to memorising the entire Qur'aan. Many of them his grandhcildren. For them all, I make du'aa to Allaah almighty that He (swt) makes their efforts before, during and after memorising, solely and ALWAYS for the sake and pleasure alone. I pray that Allaah keeps the knowledge of the Qur'aan sound in their hearts, and gives them the understanding of the wisdom in it. i PRay Allaah gives them the tawfeeq to implement the Qur'aan and them to teach it to others, aameen. For the best of people are those who learn the Qur'aan and then teach it to others. He also used to contribute GREATLY to the conferences that used to be held locally. And it was at one such conference that he was destined to meet his Lord. His children and grand children also helped at these conferences. At the last one, he was critically ill in hospital. he had been ill for a few months, suffering from a number of conditions. he had moved from hospital to hospital to hospital. At the second day of the conference, i received a call from my brother, who was at another site in the campus. I was on my way to the creche. He said our uncle had returned that morning from the hospital and he had been extremely upset. in fact, he had started to cry when he came back to the site. i was told to gather the daughters (my aunts) and take them to see their father. I had tears streaming down my face, but alhamdulillaah my niqaab covered them. I found my aunts in the lecture theatres and briefly informed them of their father's condition and that i would take them to the hospital. They joined me outside then, and then a couple of them started to cry openly. I took them to the hospital. When we entered the room, i saw all of my grandfather's sons, around him. my grandmother was sitting on a chair nearby. Each of the sons had a hand on their father's body, a comfort to themselves and to their father, an expression of love, of sorrow and acceptance to the Qadr of Allaah. I remember the scene so well. My grandfather was curled up, frail and weak. he was covered by a thin sheet, so i could make out how much weight he had lost. Subhaanallaah. He was shaking. He looked so weak. And yet still, i could see a shining face. His beautiful grey-blue eyes were looking up into the eyes of another uncle. his hands were held lovingly by the same uncle. And that uncle was stroking his father's face. My uncle was declaring the oneness of Allaah, slowly, over and over again. i couldn't hear my grandfather repeating the words, i don't remember. but i was not in a position to see his lips, or maybe i don't remember. The room was all quiet except for the words that we live for and we die for, spoken softly ...over and over again. belatedly i realised a couple of my brothers were there also, silent in the background, with a cousin... When an aunt started to cry too much, i was asked to take them back. I took them back to the conference site, after i touched my grandfather's leg and said my final salaam to him. When i was very young, I remember that i used to think that Allaah looked like my grand father, just a much larger version. an imposing figure, A tall man, with a straight back. My grandfather, with a shining face and a beautiful white beard. Blue/grey eyes that sparkled when he laughed or smiled... Later that day at the conference, my female cousins and i had just finished performing salaatul-Maghrib. I was the last to make tasleem, and as i turned around, i saw all of my cousins crying. My grandfather had passed away. inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon. May Allaah have mercy upon him and may his akhira be easy for him, aameen. He passed away in the year of the scholars I was told afterwards that most of the family had been at some point or another to see him briefly. and in his last moments, just his own children were there. His daughter was the last to speak to him. She spoke beautiful words to him, of Allaah, of Islaam and of Jannaah. At his dying moments, he opened his eyes wide and looked straight ahead, he pointed out in front of him and cursed someone/thing. Then he punched into the air in front of him, twice, with a force you would not expect of such a frail body. When a person is dying, Shaytaan comes to him and encourages him just to say 'la ilaaha' - i.e. there is no God After this, My grandfather smiled a beautiful smile, that each of his children remember. and before he passed away, he smiled one last time. There is a hadeeth about if 40 righteous people attend a person's funeral (but i am not sure of the rest, but it is good). My grandfather's funeral was performed and attended by the speakers at the conference and it was attended by all those hundreds of people who had come to the conference to seek knowledge. subhaanallaah, it could not have been better, by the Grace and Mercy and Favour of Almighty Allaah. ----------------------------------- And the reason for my relating this story to you? To remind you to do good, encourage good, enjoin good and breed good. We too should want to leave a legacy of Haqq behind us. May we not die except as true slaves of Allaah, strong in Eemaan and submission, with the declaration of faith strong in our hearts and from our lips. May Allaah let us die is a state that is pleasing to him. May Allaah grant for all of us, martyrdom, Allaahumma aameen.[/i] [wlm] |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |