Your Last Glimpse at Mum

[Khalid Saifullah]

Adapted from an essay by Amatullah Abdullah

Imagine your mum is placed on the silvery steel bed that they wash dead bodies upon ...

You first make wudhu upon her and then start to wash her hair. You run your hand through her greyed hair, and you remember the times she would ask you if she looked nice in what she was wearing. You remember that signature hair as she prepared sumptuous meals for you in the kitchen....

Suddenly, you remember how sweet and beautiful she was in her youth and that she embraced old age in never stop caring for you. You now realise this will be the last time you will ever touch your mother in this dunya again. As you lift her left side over to wash , it strikes you that she can no longer wash her own self, although she was the one who used to wash you daily.

You then pour the water over her body and start to remember the times she used to wash you, clothe you, feed you and stay up at night by your side worried about you when you were sick. As a young girl/boy or as a grown man/grown woman, she treated you the same. You realise that this is the only person in the world who would love you unconditionally and would gladly give up her entire world for.

You now take a look at her face and wish she would smile at you one last time!!! You realise the small things you took for granted, you remember the jokes that you used to make to make her laugh and the things that you said to please her. Nothing brought you more pleasure then to see your mother happy.

You now begin to shroud her body and its time to cover her face. You ask for one last chance to fondly gaze upon her serene face and gently kiss her upon her forehead. With a heavy heart, you shroud her knowing that you will never see her again in this life...

Upon your shoulder she is carried just as upon hers she used to carry you - no more playing, laughing, giggling, joking. There is only pain and anguish as you carry the most important woman in your life out of your life...

You then slowly bury her. As you walk away, you begin to remember the things you did that hurt her and wish you never did so. Those words you said that would slice her previous heart in half , but which she would overlook. You think about the times you chose your friends over her, your wife over her, a program or a soccer match you preferred to watch over her, and you begin to realise you were a daughter/son that she deserved more from. You wish for one moment to hug her and tell her how sorry you are and tell her how much you appreciate her...

But it's too late...

Her bed is the dust and her questioning will begin... If only you made use of your time with her before her time came to an end....

That day is coming or may have already come in the life of everyone. Don't let it be a time of regret and remorse, but a time of joy knowing that your door to Jannah has been thrown wide open for you by her passing....

A MOTHER IS SPECIAL

May الله سبحانه وتعالى grant all our beloved mothers who have passed away the highest stages in Jannatul Firdose
آمِيْن يَارَبَّ الْعَالَمِينْ

And to all of those whose mothers are still alive... may Allah grant them barakah in their lives, and grant us the ability to respect, honour and serve them
آمــيــن

[Serinity]

:salam:

Quite scary and saddening to imagine your mom as a corpse on a table. :(

[noraina]

SubhanAllah, this so saddening and yet true. Mothers are amongst the greatest blessings yet we rarely appreciate this.

Reminds me of this hadith: A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet said: Your mother. The man said, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further asked, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your father. (Bukhari, Muslim).

May Allah SWT guide us to be obedient and loving children and the coolness of our parents' eyes.