part 69: (hanzalah)

**”Bismillahir rahmaanir raheem”
-in the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful-**

Everyone stayed around for quite a while hoping that naseema would recover better if they were by her side.

Naseema tried to be strong for everyone, especially for her kids and abdullah. They were her life.

Everyone else was important to her but ever since she moved away and came to live in south africa, abdullah and her kids was all she had this side and she made her life revolve completely around them.

She didn’t have to do a thing. Everyone cooked and seen to the house aswel as looked after habeeba.

Hanzalah and habeeba had their cousins around whom they had met for the first times in their lives but they enjoyed having company for a change.

She wasn’t allowed out of bed, well actually, she couldn’t manage to get out of bed even if she was allowed out of bed.

Her salaah was of utmost importance. It was something she would never forsake.

The days she could manage, someone would help her to the bathroom and assist her in making wudhu and then help her back to the room where she would sit and perform salaah.

But lately she couldn’t even make it to the bathroom with assistance.

everyone would feel sorry for her and if she were asleep, promised eachother not to wake her.

But once they did and she had almost missed her asr prayer and she was extremely angry that there were so many people in the house but no-one bothered to wake her up for salaah.

She threatened that if they did that again, she wouldn’t take her medication and then she wouldn’t feel drowsy all the time and miss her salaah.

She was so full of remorse and they all agreed that they wouldn’t do that to her again.

Now unfortunately naseema was in a terrible condition. She could barely sit up let alone get to the bathroom. But she was adamant and insisted that someone bring her a container of water so that she could atleast make a fardh wudhu.

The container was brought with luke warm water and someone held naseema up while the other washed naseemas delicate limbs gently.

They then dried her up and put her to sit up on the bed facing toward the direction of the qiblah.

With much difficulty naseema tried to perform atleast her obligatory prayers.

By the time she made salaam, she was exhausted and asked to be put to lay down.

She then closed her eyes, inhaled and began reciting abundant durood shareef. It always made her feel better.

Her sisters both left the room to give naseema some time to rest.

The mood in the house that day was sombre. Everyone played around with the food in their plate and after everything was cleared up, gathered around naseema to recite surah yaaseen.

She gazed at everyone in the room.

“Hanzalah… Habeeba… Jaan…” Naseema tried to call her husband and kids but no-one could understand her.

Her mother in law was the closest to her and rushed forward to ask her what she had said.

Naseema struggled to breath and tried again..
“habeeba… Hanzalah.. Abdullah”

Her mother in law understood and nodded.

She related what she understood and habeeba was called from outside where she was playing with her cousins.

Abdullah pulled a chair right next to her and held her hand. Hanzalah lay on the bed beside her and habeeba cuddled inbetween hanzalah and naseema.

She looked at them all and smiled, then closed her eyes and a tear fell out. She was trying to avoid crying infront of anyone, but today she couldn’t control it.

She gently stroked habeebas light brown locks. Then she touched hanzalahs face which was beginning to show some signs of manhood all the while her other hand in abdullahs.

Hanzalah couldn’t take it any longer. He had been strong for far too long. This was the final straw. He buried his face in his mother neck and wept like a baby.

This left everyone in tears.

And with that she sighed heavily, shrieked and said:
“Allahu akbar….”

And that was the last that anyone had ever heard from naseema. She had departed from this world in a peaceful manner, with her loved ones right beside her and her caring family praying for her.

-to Allah do we belong and to Him is our return-

Posted by silent living…