They Just Never Go Away

Assalaamualaikum Warahmutallah,

May you all be in the best of health and Emaan. Ameen

Asma would have turned 16 two days ago on the 9th. SIXTEEN! Subhana’Allah, I can’t even imagine how she would have been at 16. Maybe because she was always a little girl to me and everyone else. She never became a teen. Ironically, she always used to say that she will never get to be a teen.

Sometimes you do not realize that it has been well over three years since she passed away. Time is really flying by. It feels like yesterday that I was standing at her gravesite watching her being lowered into the ground. Three years later, here I am.

I probably will always speak about her and write the memories as I share them with people. However, I hope it comes as a reminder not only to me, but all of us that time is indeed flying by and soon will be greeted by death.

In a hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (1036) from Abu Hurayrah who said: "The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said: 'The Hour will not begin until knowledge is taken away, earthquakes increase, time passes quickly, tribulations appear, and there is a lot of haraj, which is killing, killing, and until there will be a lot of wealth among you and it will become abundant.'”

Right now we all think that death will not come to us right now. We still aren't done having fun. We still need to get a high-paying job, get married and start a family. But did we even once stop to think that death is very near? Did we stop to think that death can any time? Death doesn't always come with a warning.

On October 9th, 1992, who would have thought Asma would die 12 years later? Never did it cross our minds. Yet, on February 11th, 2005 she passed away. After she passed away, so many people that are either related to us or that we know have also passed away - some quite suddenly.

What if we are next? What will remind us to be obedient to Allah Subhanawata'la?

For me, the death of my sister is enough. Whenever I need a reminder, I will go visit her grave and sometimes just sit there and contemplate. Whenever I go with my father to visit it, he sometimes points to the ground and says, "We, too, will come here one day. Are we ready?"

Many of the readers of this blog and people who hear about Asma will use her death as a reminder and Insha'Allah I hope they do. However, for me it is much more than just a reminder.

Thinking about Asma is not only a reminder, but also a motivation to be successful in life. Thinking about Asma is also a constant learning experience. She has taught me so many things including being patient and determined and never giving up. Ever.

I can still hear her voices in my mind. I can still see her face in my mind. I can still hear her giggle and smile. I can also hear call out my name.

Sadly, I can still see her bloody wounds and hear her painful screams. I can also hear the beeping I.V. machines and her blood pressure monitor. I can even feel the bench I would sometimes sleep on whenever I spent the night at the hospital.

They just never go away.

May Allah unite us with Asma once again. Ameen
May Allah reward my parents and give them complete shiffa and sabr. Ameen
May Allah elevate Asma's status to Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen
May Allah prepare us for death and take our souls in the state of Islam. Ameen
May Allah make it easy for my parents, my family and myself. Ameen

WasSalaamualaikum WarahmutAllah.