Funerals are never a good start to the year. On 13 Jan, in conjunction with awal Muharram (the 1st month of the Islamic calendar), Hafidz's maternal grandmother passed away.
Yani & Amzhar had just flown 2 days earlier to Manchester and New York for their honeymoon so wasn't around but the rest of us were called in by her doctor on Sunday noon as her condition worsened. Although she had been hospitalised for almost 2 months now, diagnosed with lung cancer almost 2 weeks prior to her death, she had been eloquent and alert when we visited her the night before.. so we really didn't see it coming. When we arrived, she had already deteriorated and was gasping within the confines of her oxygen mask- in the final phase of 'nazak'.
The death certificate issued said time of death was 5.30pm, just after asar. Out of nowhere, I had an image of me and Dian in our madrasah uniform sitting in front of Ustadzah Latifah in Al-Muttaqin Mosque prayer hall whilst she told us that a 'good' time to die is after asar on a Thursday.. I can't for the life of me remember why though but I do recall Dian & me promising to each other (at the naive age of 7) that we would both die at 5pm on Thursday in Mecca :)
The burial was smooth, the weather was nice and warm although it was the monsoon season still and we all went home feeling saddened that Arissa never will knw her Nyang but glad that we had the last 15 mins with her on Saturday night as she nodded to us and gave a weak smile on our way out..
Innalillahi Wa-innailaihi Raji'un... al fateha to Hjh Zaiton Bte Burhan (1930-2008).
Yani & Amzhar had just flown 2 days earlier to Manchester and New York for their honeymoon so wasn't around but the rest of us were called in by her doctor on Sunday noon as her condition worsened. Although she had been hospitalised for almost 2 months now, diagnosed with lung cancer almost 2 weeks prior to her death, she had been eloquent and alert when we visited her the night before.. so we really didn't see it coming. When we arrived, she had already deteriorated and was gasping within the confines of her oxygen mask- in the final phase of 'nazak'.
The death certificate issued said time of death was 5.30pm, just after asar. Out of nowhere, I had an image of me and Dian in our madrasah uniform sitting in front of Ustadzah Latifah in Al-Muttaqin Mosque prayer hall whilst she told us that a 'good' time to die is after asar on a Thursday.. I can't for the life of me remember why though but I do recall Dian & me promising to each other (at the naive age of 7) that we would both die at 5pm on Thursday in Mecca :)
The burial was smooth, the weather was nice and warm although it was the monsoon season still and we all went home feeling saddened that Arissa never will knw her Nyang but glad that we had the last 15 mins with her on Saturday night as she nodded to us and gave a weak smile on our way out..
Innalillahi Wa-innailaihi Raji'un... al fateha to Hjh Zaiton Bte Burhan (1930-2008).