Its been 3 months now since my beautiful baby boy Zakariah passed away. Three whole months that have sometimes felt like an eternity and sometimes gone in the blink of an eye. I wake up in the morning, the first thought on my  mind is – Zakariah. And then it hits me and I remember what has happened. Its almost as if someone is suffocating me and then suddenly provides me with an oxygen mask and allows me to breathe. The day then begins and life continues onwards – with little gemstones of reminders scattered here and there throughout the day.

Why do I feel the urge to write again? It is the tragic events being potrayed in the news and social media in the past few days that is spurring me on. We all know it, seen it and read about it – that heartbreaking image of our little boy Aylan Kurdi – from Syria. He drowned on the shores of Turkey, escaping Hell on Earth to get to a safe haven. I refer to Aylan as OUR boy – because he very well could be. A sweet innocent child, who did no harm to no one. A precious boy who should be kicking a ball and playing peek-a-boo. The apple of his parents eyes, as our children are of our eyes. He could be your son or mine. He died due to the tyranny and oppression of an evil world.

Seeing the image of Aylan brought up the memory of the loss of my son. The pain of loosing a child is unbearable and no parent should go through it. But the pain that Aylan’s father and the hundreds and thousands of Syrian parents who are in the same derelict situation must be – unspeakable. They embark with their children on a perilous journey across the seas hoping to give them a safer future. And when that child dies – the feeling of guilt and anger must be immense.

I wake up each day almost as if someone is suffocating me and then suddenly provides me with an oxygen mask and allows me to breathe. This oxygen mask is hope and faith in Allah and the future. I take deep breathes in with this mask and try to move on forward. Yet the people of Syria and Aylan’s father do not have this mask. They can’t turn back and they can’t move foward. They have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their family and children. The can’t begin to have faith or hope…instead they have fear – fear of unknown present and an unimaginable future.

I pray Allah swt eases the suffering of all the refugees in the world who are escaping true anguish and despair and running towards the warmth of safety. May Allah allow us to provide them this warmth and give them their oxygen mask once again. Ameen

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

 “Whoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the griefs of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever alleviates the need of a needy person, Allah will alleviate his needs in this world and the Hereafter. Whoever shields [or hides the misdeeds of] a Muslim, Allah will shield him in this world and the Hereafter. And Allah will aid His slave so long as he aids his brother. And whoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the Houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that sakeenah (tranquility) descends upon them, and mercy envelops them, and the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them amongst those who are with Him. And whoever is slowed down by his actions, will not be hastened forward by his lineage”.[Muslim]

#InMemoryOfAylan
#syrianrefugees #aylan #refugeecrisis #childloss #MeditaranianRefugeeCrisis