From the FB of MaryAnne Gooi on 15/6/18:
Alhamdulillah, I witnessed something really special today.
It all began with our receiving a call for help this Eid morning - a Chinese convert to Islam (in his 30s) had passed away last night and since none of his family members were Muslim, they weren't sure what to do or how to arrange for the funeral.
A Muslim funeral and burial should take place as soon as possible after a death. Oh dear, it was Eid so many people were away and the deceased was located out of our locality - where were we to find people to help? A few calls later, we still hadn't found anyone to help on our end but Alhamdulillah we were told that his friends had managed to get everything arranged and that the funeral prayer would be held after the Friday prayers. So off we went to attend the funeral prayer, still worried if there would be enough people to help carry the casket and so on.
And then, what unfolded was immensely moving... It showed me how if one keeps his commitment to Allah, Allah can arrange a beautiful ending for him even seemingly against the odds.
Here was a young man, who had not a single Muslim relative, and it was Eid so presumably all his Muslim friends had left town or were busy with celebrations. Bad timing? On the contrary....
1. He had passed away just a few hours after completing a whole month of fasting and worship, in a state of spiritual purity inshaAllah.
2. He had passed away on malam Jumuah - a blessed time.
3. His death was sudden, without pain and those who washed his body recounted how clean and easy it was to wash him.
4. His family, though not Muslim, all came to the mosque, dressed respectfully - though visibly sad, there was no drama or wailing. Just calm, collected and respectful.
5. His mother spoke lovingly of how he had looked forward to Eid and how he had even secured a place to perform Hajj this year.
6. The funeral prayer was held right after the Friday prayers - so this man, despite having no Muslim family members, was prayed over by droves of people seeking forgiveness for him.
7. He had just passed away slightly more than 12 hours prior, and yet everything had been quickly and smoothly arranged, without any hiccups. What a relief it must have been for his family, left to grieve without having to fret over funeral arrangements.
8. So who arranged all this for him? He used to frequent the mosque for prayers and had made friends there, some of whom were also neighbours. When they heard of his passing, they postponed their Eid plans and got down to quickly arranging and ensuring that everything went well. Imagine that! Instead of being understandably "too busy" with Eid celebrations, they dropped everything to be there for their brother.
9. Unlike some funerals which are arranged by funeral professionals who are ultimately merely strangers, his casket was carried by friends and neighbours. 😍
10. At the burial, his colleagues of various races turned up and his boss even helped lay the casket into the ground.
11. Funeral expenses - his employers took the tab!
12. His family watched the burial, surrounded by people who loved their son/brother, just as they had.
So there it was. A man who was unmarried and without children, who had not a single Muslim relative who could pray for him at the funeral or who knew the first thing about arranging his funeral. But Allah had made all the plans for him and it couldn't have been any more beautiful.
#CopyandPaste from Sahabat Hidayah Centre PJ's WhatsApp on June 18, 2018 @ 9:02 A.M.
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