A Love Letter To A Dear Friend
Assalamualaikum..Hi my friend...
It's been a while since you're gone..In fact, it has been a year since Allah took you away from this world, to enter the real world. A lot of things have happened dear. Wish you could be here for a second so we can talk and catch up. But I guess that is not possible, so I'm writing this letter to you...because I miss you...
I can still remember the moment. It was around 3 pm, at a fast food joint. Life went on as usual and I was supposed to have a discussion on the presentation that I had to do. It was quite there as I was waiting for my friends to arrive. Then came a phone call, a phone call I dreaded til this day. Syila said to me, "Did you hear about it?" I asked her what was she talking about. At first I could not believe my own ears, but then it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was true. You had passed away...
You were so young dear...You were just about to explore the world, enjoy life. But I understood that it was your time to go. Allah had put you in this world for 18 years and I had the pleasure to have known you for 2 whole years. Quite frankly, we were not the closest of friends. I believe distance was what kept us apart. Even though we did not know each other well, you have never left my mind.
My dear friend, I will never forget how we first met.
How fond of you of your older brother.
How funny and lively you were every time you spoke.
How you beat me at car racing game at the mall.
How you reminded me to pray after beating me at that game.
How you asked me why can't we be friends anymore after I forgot to contact you for so long.
To which I replied, we will always be friends...
My friend, I think Allah purposely wanted me to meet you that day.
You are the constant voice in my head. You are the reason I look at life differently.
Most importantly, you are the most profound reminder for me that death is knocking on my door closely...
You lived a great life and I pray as much as I can that Allah has put you in Jannah among the people of iman..
I want you to know that I love you because of Allah. I'm grateful to Allah for the chance to have known you.
Most of all, you are one of the reasons I did my 'hijrah', and for that, thank you dear...
Hugs and kisses,
Your Friend
P.s. This post is dedicated to my friend, who past away exactly a year ago. I was already in Egypt again when I got the news, so I never had the chance to say good bye. Nevertheless, I have made peace with it because the beauty of Islam is that a du'a does not require us to be close to a person. I can pray for my friend whenever I want as Allah always listens. The reason I decided to share this story is that life is just too short. It does not distinguish old and young people. My friend was the kind of person who valued a prayer more than life itself. Let us all do too...Al-Fatihah...
