You are not forgotten!!

Recently a good friend of mine who has passed on has been on my thoughts quite frequently. I wonder why??


I recall the events leading up to me receiving the news of his death. It was Friday during the Jumuah waqt, I was taking lunch at the time. I had relieved Cindy on the switchboard when Leona asked me about ideas that I had because she was doing the decor of a friend's wedding. I mentioned that a cousin of mine had used the same colors and that I had pictures on the pc. I left them and returned to my desk to search for the pics only to have the subject of an email jump at me!! The email was sent from Shamilla in JHB and it said, 'Rahiem is on life support, please make dua for him.'

I remember staring at the screen for a couple of minutes before it sunk in!! No, this cannot be, I tried reasoning with myself!! I just spoke to Warda, his wife, a few days ago and she said he was doing well. So how could this be?? I replied to the email and asked Shamilla if she was sure about the news because I had heard otherwise. My brain was still struggling to come to terms with the news, I had even forgotten why I had returned to my desk in the first place!! Then I remembered that Shamilla had close contact with Rahiem's mom, so the information she had given was probably true. My heart sunk and I tried to think of who to call at that point in time.

I returned to the switchboard and received confused glances from Leona and Cindy. Both wanting to know what was wrong because my face looked as if I had seen a ghost. I explained the situation and tried calling all the people who knew Rahiem on my contact list but none of them could give me any news. Finally I managed to get hold of Raygaana, Warda's sisiter, when she answered her cellphone I immediately knew that the news I had received was true!! I didn't know what to say to her. She confirmed that Rahiem was on life support and that they were deciding to switch off the machines. Rahiem was declared brain dead and wouldn't survive without the help of the machines!! My disbelief was apparent when I ended the call, with Leona and Cindy watching me closely.

At that point I couldn't concentrate on anything, I wandered around the office as if in a slumber. During the time I left work and returned home, they had switched the machines off. When Shanaaz called to tell me that she was going to Warda's home, I told her I would go to. En route to Warda's home my mind wondered over the last few years. It was so unfair for this to be happening now, his children were still so young, the youngest being only 2 years old!! He and I were about the same age, so it could have been me in his shoes. At that point I just realised how grateful I should be to be alive. The closer we came to Warda's home, the more my anxiety grew. I dreaded moments like these, I was always at a loss for words.

When I walked through the door and saw Warda's face I dissolved in tears, I couldn't imagine being in her shoes. We just held each other for a few minutes and I tried to console her with words of sympathy. Every person who was there wore a look of confusion and utter disbelief!! All of them still trying to fathom the death of a dear friend, brother, father, husband, uncle, son-in-law and nephew!!

Abduraghiem was such a spontaneous and humorous person, he brought so much spunk to all the relationships he had. Sometimes I wonder why Allah had taken him away at such a young age because his wife and children still needed him so much. But we are not here to question, only to accept and make sabr. Whenever a specific song plays on the radio I think of him and the way he used to dance to the music. So full of life and full of energy, with so much promise. May Allah fill his kabr with Noor and may Allah place him on the highest level in Jannah Insha-Allah Ameen!! Al-Fatiha