Mak's "New Home" at Sungai Serai Cemetery

7 October 2009, Wednesday 2009 (18 Syawal)

To Allah (Almighty God) we belong, and to Him is our return." (Holy Qur'an 2:156)

Last Sunday, 4 October 2009, we visited Mak at Sungai Serai Cemetery in Ulu Langat. Mak passed away on 18 September 2009, 2 days before Muslims celebrated Hari Raya.

Earlier, my husband, my eldest son and my second son had had lunch at Bangi, and we later dropped by my sister-in-law's house (also in Bangi).

After viewing Mak's room again since her passing away, I had this strong urge to visit her and had suggested to my husband to visit her new home.

So from Bangi, we drove all the way to Sungai Serai in Ulu Langat.  Being Sunday, the road leading to the cemetery was crawling with cars as that is the only route for people who ply the road to go to the rivers and resorts for picnics.

Upon reaching the cemetery, my husband had alighted from the car to open the gate as the gate was closed.  Thank God it was not padlocked.

So upon entering the cemetery, all four of us slowly made our way to Mak's new home, the spot where mak was finally laid to rest.

 

 

 

Amir, my husband, and my two boys reciting the Fatihah for Mak

 

My husband, Amir, trying very hard to hold back his tears as he sat next to Mak's resting place

A close-up of Mak's newly dug resting place. 

The gravestones are yet to be erected 

 

 

As I sat down next to Mak's resting place and recited the Fatihah, I prayed to Allah to bless her soul and place her amongst the believers.

As Mak was buried close to Tini's (Amir's sister) mother-in-law, Amir and us took the opportunity to recite the fatihah for her too.

And before we left, we took a last look at Mak's home and the area surrounding it, a place where many of God's creations lay buried. God had taken back what He had created, what he had loaned to us.

 

 

 

With profound sadness and a deep sense of penitence on how great Allah is, we left the cemetery ground.  We realised that we are mere mortals on this earth.

Hence, it is of utmost importance that man should hold death dear and consider it an opportunity of meeting with his Almighty, and not hate it and consider it as evil, but should take lessons from it.

He should ask forgiveness from Almighty for his sins and tame the rebellious self (Nafs). When the call of his Lord comes, he should welcome it with open arms accepting it to be a blessing from Almighty.

He should be contented with the decree (Qadr) of Almighty. He should also rejoice that shortly he would be taken to the presence of Ahlul Bait [Household of Prophet] (pbut) and meet his deceased companions and other believer brothers.

He should also not be disheartened by the delay in death but should consider it as an opportunity afforded by Almighty to him to repent. This delay would give him a chance to gather provisions useful for his journey to the other world, for the journey is tiresome and full of dangerous valleys and difficult paths.

In fact a believer always remembers death, since his or her main goal is to reach the Almighty God. Therefore true believers, those who are sincerely devoted to the Almighty God, anticipate death since to them it signifies the long-awaited meeting with their creator.

Before a believer approaches the final moment of his/her life and death overtakes him, it is necessary that he wakes up from the state of negligence and prepares for the final everlasting place. This way he will be able to avoid bewilderment and the fear of the so-called untimely death.

At the time of leaving this world, as attested to by the Holy Qur'an, a person will be in one of two states - either he will be of the Companions of the Right, or the Companions of the Left (Refer Holy Qur'an 56:7-56). If he is counted amongst the Companions of the Right, he will be in a good, final state, but if he is one of the Companions of the Left, he will be of those who have suffered a great loss.

"To Allah (Almighty God) we belong, and to Him is our return." (Holy Qur'an 2:156)