Sunday 16 January 2011

My baby Afzal

Assalamualaikum wbth,

Afzal is laid to rest at the foot of his grandma's grave in Sungai Marong, Bentong. Pahang.


It has been 30 days since Afzal's passing, at 2.24am, 18th December, 2010. Memories of those 16 days I spent with him in Hospital Ampang kept playing in my head, over and over again and I thank Allah for giving me the opportunity to look after Afzal. I cannot help missing him but remembers his entry in January, 2010 titled "Time To Say Goodbye.."

The eyes tear
The heart is in pain
But (with my tongue)
I will only say that which is pleasing to Allah

Day 2 at Ampang Hospital : Afzal Performing Maghrib prayers

He only slept one night alone in hospital, since he was admitted that was on the 2nd December, 2010. After that, I was with him for 10 nights and Andi (my eldest) was with him for 6 nights. They were nights that gave me an insight into part of what he must have had to endure alone, whilst being hospitalised in Royal Hallamshire, Sheffield, U.K.

Aiysha's spa sessions : It's a routine that Afzal loves because it helps him sleep. The only problem is, he wakes up when Aiysha stops massaging him. Notice the different oxygen mask from the one he had on day 2. This is after one week when his breathing was better and he graduated to a less heavy-duty oxygen mask.

I would like for "Not the primrose path" to not fade away, but alas, it is not going to be possible for me or any member of my family to write the way Afzal writes. Allah bestows me with only one Mas Afzal. But, as I've received a few requests to pen down my experiences in bringing up my children, I thought, that would make a good start towards maintaining this blog.

I am amazed at the number of hearts that Afzal has touched during his short lifetime, something I have not succeeded in doing after more than half a decade scouring this earth. My husband and I often ask each other just what it is that he has done to warrant massive efforts by several old friends and new acquaintances to deliver kind comments and condolences via blogs, emails and fb, since his passing on December 18th, 2010. Basically, our conclusion is that he must have gone to great lengths giving people a helping hand in their times of need, be it in the form of physical/monetary assistance or advice/suggestions, sincerely. This knowledge has made me feel at peace coping with this loss.

Afzal, 4-months old in Eugene, Oregon USA.

I felt like I carried Afzal for about 10 months before he was born on October 12th, 1984. When I was about 8 months pregnant, my husband had to leave for the United States to pursue his Masters. Since at that time, I also have 2 other young sons ( Mas Affendi/Andi – 2 1/2years, Mas Jaffri – 1 1/2 years ), we decided that I should move to Bentong and stay with my parents . I was then attached to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, with its office in Wisma Keramat, Jalan Gurney, Kuala Lumpur.

Every morning, I would take the 6 am bus from Bentong, to the Pekeliling Bus Station (its an hours journey), then walk to the Chow Kit area to get a taxi that would take me to my office. In the evening, I would usually try to catch the 5.30pm bus back home to Bentong. Every evening, my father and my two young sons would wait for me by the main road (my house is about 1 km from the main road) and each time I am not on the 6.30pm bus (either because I missed it or because it was full), my late mother would think that it's because I have given birth in Kuala Lumpur. But as fate would have it, Afzal was born in the wee hours of the morning in Bentong District Hospital, on October 12th, 1984.

To all working mothers out there, do not use pregnancy as an excuse to slack in your work. Pregnancy is not a disease. The more active you are, the easier it is to deliver.


Never far away from his mother.

When he finally came, Afzal was a whopping 8lbs 12 ounces baby with a big voice, but I delivered him normally, without much hassle.I remember the midwives in the ward where I was staying were fighting for turns to bottle feed him because he's big, so he was so cuddly to carry. Since papa was not around when he was born, I got the priviledge of naming him (the only one among my 3 boys that I get to name exclusively).

I chose the name Afzal, after an impressive Islamic Scholar Afzal Iqbal, whom I met during an Islamic Civilisation Seminar organised by my Ministry then (but Afzal Iqbal sounded too Pakistani, so I opted only for Afzal and added the signature “Mas” to it).

When Afzal was about 3 months old, we left for Eugene, Oregon, United States and stayed there for 1 year 10 months. Taking care of Afzal was such fun. Whenever we travel in the U.S, he would sit in his car seat n “sing” himself to sleep. He loves his milk and orange juice, and he loves to follow whatever his two brothers did.


Afzal, 2-years old, back in Malaysia.

I took unpaid leave to follow my husband because I was not “qualified”(I was not confirmed in service yet then) to be given a scholarship to pursue my own Masters. When my leave expired, I decided to go home to Malaysia, eventhough my husband still had a further 3 months of studying. Since by then MAS was operating a direct flight from Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur, via Tokyo, I felt I could cope with the long haul, while taking care of 3 young sons( Andi- 4 1/2years, Jaffri 3 ½ years, Afzal coming to 2 years).

My husband drove us to Los Angeles and I took the flight via LAX Airport. While on transit in Tokyo, we were the last passengers to leave the plane and we were also the last passengers to board the plane when it was ready to depart for Kuala Lumpur, because I had a hard time pulling my 3 mischievious boys away from the attractive toy stores at the airport. I must have been the loudest mother in the airport back then, always shouting at my sons to not stray. Being boys, it was not an easy thing for them to do. I was very lucky because my boys are very good mannered eventhough they are very, very inquisitive (always curious and eager to poke around and explore . Jaffri, the most inquisitive would lead, Andi, the ever macho brother would be the guardian and little Afzal, the ever so willing follower!). To help me make it through the flight, I brought along toys that could attract my children's attention so that they would not get bored.

So, to all young mothers out there, never use the excuse of having many young children as a hindrance to doing things or going out and living life. It's all a matter of planning and believing.


To be continued.

- Mama Afzal

81 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks Mama Afzal for updating =)

-farhan-

Fira hilwa said...

mama afzal,

sy harap auntie tabah dlm mengharungi kehidupan ini.

kami tahu Allah benar-benar menyayangi dia & semoga dia tersenyum di sana melihat ketabahan auntie sekeluarga =)

sygnya sy mengenali arwah (blog ni) sesudah dia pergi menemuiNYA tp sy yakin dia seorang yang sgt2 baik...

Ummu Fauzan 'Audah said...

Assalamu'alaikum wbt auntie..

Sy sgt kagum dgn arwah sejak mula kenal dgn dia..Walau hy melalui penulisan2 shj...
Akhi Mas Afzal seorang yg sgt tabah..kerana ibunya juga seorang yg tabah..

Auntie,u also inspire me a lot to be a gud mother in future...

"to all young mothers out there, never use the excuse of having many young children as a hindrance to doing things or going out and living life. It's all a matter of planning and believing."

InsyaAllah..

picairin said...

takziah... moga ditempatkan bersama orang-orang soleh...ameen..

AriFrukAi!! said...

Salam alaik.

Tahniah aunty coz dpt lahirkan anak seperti arwah Mas Afzal, saya hanya mengenali dirinya melalui penulisannya, penulisannya yang penuh motivasi untuk sesiapa sahaja yang membacanya dan itu juga menjadi saham dan bekalan untuk arwah sekarang, semoga arwah bersama dengan para syuhada dan anbiya. al-fatihah

Mieza Everdeen said...

takziah buat keluarga almarhum Mas Afzal. i'm one of this blog's follower, i only knew almarhum through his writing but i do respect him for his own attitude and his strong will in enduring everything that Allah gave to him. may his soul rest in peace, insyaAllah he deserves to be in jannah with para anbiya dan syuhada. al-fatihah.

KecHiQuE oLiGoS said...

salam.. aunt, keep on writing k.. smoga aunt tabah seperti arwah..

moga arwah abg afzal sentiasa di bawah lindungan Allah..

http://fromtheheartoflittlesoldier.blogspot.com/2010/12/chapter-293.html

Rusydee Artz said...

Al-Fatihah dan Ya-Sin untuk arwah. Moga tabah segalanya. InsyaAllah bertemu lagi kita semua di alam sana bersama2. Janji itu benar sama sekali.

Wslm.

Alter Ego said...

I would love to know that this blog is still alive with words.
Alhamdulillah.
:)

Thanks mama Afzal!

MSI said...

Assalamualaikum wbt

Minta maaf tidak dapat hadir di pengebumian dan majlis tahlil.
Hanya doa dan bacaan ayat Quran mampu dihadiahkan kepada arwah Mas Afzal.

Thanks kerana sudi berkongsi pengalaman.
Sedikit sebanyak dapat kami pelajari bagaimana cara arwah dididik.

Hayatnya mungkin sangat singkat, tetapi sumbangan arwah sangat banyak dan memberi kesan kepada ramai insan yang lain.

Al-fatihah...

muhammadthoriq said...

He is so inspiring to others who know him either face to face or through his writing.

and you are an inspiring mother as well to keep reminding people to be a good mother and wife.

Anonymous said...

Subhanallah...Walaupun arwah sakit tetapi masih lagi menunaikan ibadah solat. Mudah-mudahan jika lah suatu hari nanti jika ALLAH menguji saya dengan kesakitan, saya masih lagi menjadi insan yang menjaga solat saya insyaALLAH...apatah lagi semasa ALLAH masih memberikan saya kesihatan yang baik ini.

Mama Afzal.... terima kasih atas perkongsian kepada kami. mudah-mudahan Mama Afzal akan menghidupkan blog arwah dengan perkongsian kisah bersama kami. dan insyaALLAH, perkongsian yang baik itu mudah2an pahalanya akan turut sampai kepada arwah di alam sana.

You are an inspiring Mama to us!!!

yatibahar said...

Eugene Oregon? What a coincidence...I was nearby during that time - McMinnville. Salam perkenalan, Mama Afzal. Tabik spring to you for having brought up such a fine man, Arwah Afzal.

Glad to know that this blog will continue and what an inspiring writer you yourself are.

Cool Lean said...

Assalamualaikum WBTH..

TAkziah dan Al-Fatihah buat roh Afzal disana. Pertama kali membaca tulisannya (tak sangka itu adalah catatan terakhirnya) saya kagum dengan kekuatan dan ketabahan MAma Afzal dan arwah sendiri. Kedua-duanya sangat positive menerima dugaan Allah. Ketabahan yang gambarkan melalui penulisannya amat saya kagumi. Beruntunglah Mama Afzal kerana di pinjamkan Afzal, walaupun sedetik sahaja. NAmun detik-detik itu adalah sangat berharga. Saya, seorang ibu juga. Apabila melihat tanah kubur yang masih merah itu, menitis juga airmata. Moga Mama Afzal tabah menerima ketentuan Allah kerana Allah knows best. Moga arwah Afzal tenang disana disamping golongan orang-orang yg beriman, beramal soleh dan bertaqwa.

asyandi said...

salam mama afzal.

I miss afzal very much. I can't help myself from pouring while reading this entry.

Subhanallah, I learnt a lot from him.

Bila tgk bagaimana mas (i used to call him by that name) bisa solat ketika zaat2 seperti ini, sy teringat pula bagaimana arwah begitu rajin ke masjid pada waktu SUBUH yg mana jarak masjid dari rumah arwah sendiri (di sheffield) bukanlah jarak yg dekat dan memerlukan ketegaran utk mendaki bukit menuju ke masjid. Masa tu mas bukanlah dlm keadaan sihat sepertimana org lain, beliau masih lagi seorang penghidap kanser. Tapi, Allah telah menunjukkan betapa sayangnya Dia kepada Mas.

May Allah bless all of us. Hope I can meet and talk to you one day mama afzal. Keep inspiring people through your writings.

jzkk.

Wassalam wbt.

Andi,
Sheffield

mauve3 said...

Salam, these are lovely.. with fact that all mothers (and mothers to be) have 3 things in hand- family-children, work and personal lives.
You're a strong mother, mashaAllah..

My prayers to everyone

hatina said...

salam, takziah dan alfatihah dr saya...sbgai salah seorng follower blog ini mnjadikn saya tidak trlepas dr setiap entry yg allahyarham post...tulisannya sngt menyentuh dan mmberi kesedaran kepada saya,semangat yg dimiliki oleh allahyarham mnjadi inspirasi buat saya...harap puan dan keluarga tabah mnghadapi kehilangan ini dan semoga di satukan semula di akhirat nnti dan semoga rohnya di tmptkn bersama hamba2 yg soleh...aminnn...

Anonymous said...

Thanks mana afzal for continuing to write .. U are such a strong mom and inshaAllah, I will be like you. I still cry whenever I think of him. We d never met but he d influenced the lives and hearts of many people like me. He is such an inspiration and so are you. He had touched so many hearts in very good ways and he has his share for that. Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmayNya ke aras arwah Afzal, and to you, mama Afzal.. Bersabarlah, dugaan ini bersifat sementara, always believe that Allah knows what we don't know.. I always read this in his postings:).

K said...

thanks mama afzal! :)

Anonymous said...

thanks Mama Afzal!!

pls keep on writing.. :)

ummujannah said...

Assalamualaikum wbt,

Mama Afzal:)

I thought this blog will stop. But so happy that you will continue writing and sharing your experiences. It is very good. The 2 nasihat that u highlight as a mother.

I was sad everytime I open this blog before because seeing at the previous entries by arwah. I know him from my batchmates ex-school.

He is very good very kind very strong!

Mama Afzal you too are very strong:)

Salam sayang,

Iman Aisyah

sulastri said...

Assalamualaikum Mama Afzal,

I am glad that you continue to write in this blog. I look forward to seeing this blog updated. Truthfully, the postings here contain pearls of wisdom that readers can benefit from. I sincerely hope that you will continue to inspire us with your writings on top of Afzal’s.

Through his postings, I can feel that arwah Mas certainly was deeply in love with Islam and the Creator. Despite the adversities he was faced with, he continued to nurture a relationship with the Creator. It felt strong and beautiful through his writings. Masya Allah. I believe that he is Allah’s chosen one.Indeed, the dunya is just a temporal abode and the hereafter is our true destination. May Allah illuminate Afzal's grave, bless his soul, increase his ranks and place him among the righteous people. May Allah bless your family with mercy and strengthen you in overcoming the loss of a beloved family member. Amin.

Unknown said...

Salam Takziah. You know Mama Afzal, the last and this entry seemed so connected. There is only one word for me to describe it, beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Assalamuaalykum Mama Afzal hafizakillah, May Allah forgive yr son & place him with the righteous ones in the highest Jannah, ameen Ya Rabb. A friend called me asking me to read smtg that leads to yr son's blog, rahimahullah.I then asked my husband to see the brief video cos he is a cancer patient now in hospital , i want him to see the message, " its a word not a sentence..." May Allah gv us the strength to move on...life goes on & every beat of the heart counts, May this test be a purification for my darling husband, ameen. Barakallahufik
from yr sister Noor

fifahnazri said...

salam takziah! buat mama afzal sekeluarga... semoga tabah menghadapi dugaan Allah s.w.t.

AZAK - Sheffield said...

Alfatihah .....

Anonymous said...

I was shocked and really happy to see this blog has been updated. Thanks mama Afzal.

Semoga roh arwah dicucuri rahmat. ameen.

DeQku said...

Assalamualaikum Dearest Aunty and family,

Thank you for updating this blog. I was hoping it everytime I open this blog to get some encouragement from arwah's writing. I'll keep reading, insyaAllah...

May Allah gives you rahmat and strength, amin.

siti fatimah said...

subhanallah aunty u r iron women,cuz u very tough n struggle to face this...May ALLAH bless u n ur family...semoga ALLAH mencucuri rahmat keatas roh afzal....this blog is too inspiring me...

Mardhiah said...

takziah,auntie. im sure you are very proud of your late son :)

bintuhamzah said...

assalamualaikum..
auntie,

takziah buat auntie dan keluarga

al fatihah.

moga arwah dicucuri rahmat.ameen

walaupun saya br jumpa blog ni dan itupun selpas arwah da tiada.

bila saya bce blog ni..
subhanallah arwah sgt tabah mnghadpi ujian Allah.

moga auntie & keluarga tabah..

a said...

Arwah has always been an inspiration for me to pursue medicine. :)
Semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat.
Ameen~

durra abd razak @ kocikin... said...

Assalamualaikum Auntie,

saya sgt tersentuh dgn kesabaran, ketabahan dll yg arwah selalu coretkan dlm blog beliau..sinambungan yg auntie coretkan turut membuatkan saya bertambah2 tersentuh..

blog arwah selalu menjadi "bahan rujukan" waktu2 genting memerlukan kekuatan diri...terima kasih utk sekian kalinya...

Al-Fatihah....

ajak said...

mama afzal, thank you for updating the blog

Anonymous said...

mama afzal, teruskan menulis blog ini. miss him so much..:)

salmi said...

Takziah buat mama Afzal & keluarga.
Semoga roh allahyarham Afzal ditempatkan di kalangan orang beriman. Hanya jasadnya yang meninggalkan kita, tetapi kata-kata perangsang dan semangat yang pernah allahyarham nukilkan di sini sentiasa tersemat di hati.

p.s Sebagai seorang ibu saya juga bersyukur jika dikurniakan anak seperti allahyarham Mas Afzal.

Julie Mercer said...

Dear Mama Afzal,
I wanted to say how sorry I was to hear about Mas. I had the honour of working with him when I was at the Lymphoma Association in the UK. We asked for people to come forward to help us with an awareness film, which Mas did. On the day we went to see him for filming, he'd had the worse news imaginable. We said we'd leave. But he asked us not to. He wanted to still take part, it was so important to him to help raise awareness of this awful disease among young people in the hope of saving lives (if you did want to see the film, it is on the homepage of the site www.takeapitstop.org.uk). He was a truly special, courageous individual. As we go through life, some people touch your soul. Mas was one and I will remember him. I am so sorry for your loss.

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum wbth,

Thank you all of you for taking the trouble to drop by with very kind comments. My father said this morning, "looking at his photos, it felt like he is still around". That's exactly how I feel too and your kind reminder of how he has touched your lives help soothe the heartache.

Shahnom : You saw him at the hospital. He is so happy to see his friends then. I could see you all meant so much to him. Thank you for being his friend.
Julie Mercer : Thank you for the film. He was excited about making it because he loves giving to others. u guys did a brilliant job.
Azlynfauzi :I pray u succeed n be a great medical practitioner.
Mardhiah : Its not just proud that I feel for Afzal. I'm thankful to Allah for he has changed my own life.He taught me the true meaning of commitment.
Khalifatullah : I believe all parents are "iron men/women" because it is their duty to protect their loved ones. A good friend said to me once "I had to suffer carrying them for more than 9 months, why should I neglect or hurt them now?"
Anonymous : I pray that your husband can get some reprieve from watching Afzal's videos. Please convey my salam to him and I pray that he gets well.
Mauve3 : Yes, we mothers also have our personal lives. Don't forget that. Getting married and having children should not deny you time for yourselves, just as long as you divide them rightly...mama Afzal

School Of Tots said...

First time to this blog and it touch me in the heart. Afzal has played his role well as hamba Allah. InsyaAllah arwah punyai masa depan yang cemerlang. Masa depan kita semua ialah di Akhirat sana. Segala yg kita miliki ini milik Allah yg di beri pinjam untuk diguna pakai. Sampai tempohnya Allah ambil balik. Marilah kita sama2 bersedekah pahala bacaan Al Fatihah (dan 113 surah Al-Qur'an) kepada arwah semoga berbahagia di Alam Barzakh dan ditempatkan bersama orang2 yg beriman.

Ridhwan/Randolph said...

Dear Mama Afzal,

Although I hardly knew Mas, we did write to each other a few times. He had visited my blog, www.randolphworld.com, and that's how we started communicating.

My late wife also passed away from colon cancer in mid-2009 so I know how you feel, before and during his illness, and especially during this very difficult time.

I used to keep checking on his blog and when I saw the same entry every time, I prayed that everything was all right.

Tonight, I was very sad (and quite shocked) when I read your post.

I wish you great strength and look forward to reading more of what you write.

Nana said...

assalamualaikum..

thank you so much for this entry aunt...keep on writing : )

afzal tetap sahabat saya dunia akhirat. dr kecil hingga dewasa.

azie said...

Assalammualaikum..

He always in my heart, never forget to doa's and alfatihah for him as I never forget to do so for my beloved son Harith in my every solat

fyzi said...

assalammualaikum

salam takziah.

Unknown said...

salam

semoga roh arwah mas afzal dicucuri rahmat..dan ditempatkn bersama orng2 yang beriman..aaameen..

saya hanyalah seorang follower blog arwah..blog arwah sgt memberi inspirasi kpada ramai org termasuk saya..

mama afzal..tazkizah buat auntie dan keluarga..

Anonymous said...

Mama Afzal,

You are such an amazing woman,

MashaAllah...

May you be strong and may Afzal be in the best place in Jannah

PhD student..pray for us in our journey as well

Unknown said...

Pn Noor, thank you for updating this blog.I am very sure lots of Not The Primrose Path (NTPP) followers are looking forward for the updates from you & your other family members.Keep in coming :)

Unknown said...

Salam, auntie, i accidentally found this blog when i type mas afzal name in google. Some how, afzal is one of my patient that i really remember well. Your entry is so nicely written. i wish you will always strong and continue to inspire everybody who follow this blog

Salam-DrFad

Anonymous said...

Ladysirna : Was Afzal ur patient at Ampang Hospital? I think u r the doctor at the A&E who stabilised Afzal. If so, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to u n all staffs of the hospital for taking care of Afzal. For what it's worth u guys did a marvelous job. Thank you.

irshadian said...

tahniah mama afzal. keep on writing the blog. you share the strength with us

andi fitriani said...

Salam mama afzal,

I thank Allah for giving me
an opportunity to know Afzal...
even in this so called a-virtual-world-of-blogging.
Really, his passion and spirit had touched my life in so many ways. Alhamdulillah.

May Allah bless his soul...ameen.

p/s:waiting for the next entry..keep on writing aunt;-)

Unknown said...

dear mama afzal...pls do update the blog...saya baru tahu pemergiannya...saya salah seorang follower blog arwah..memang sangat sedh dan rasa bersalah sbb lambat tahu..smoga Allah tempatkan beliau di kalangan orang2 beriman...dan mmberi kekuatan kpada puan skluarga..

yanie said...

'Basically, our conclusion is that he must have gone to great lengths giving people a helping hand in their times of need, be it in the form of physical/monetary assistance or advice/suggestions, sincerely.'

He definitely did aunty. I am one of his junior in England eventhough we went to different universities. I remembered his speech on how grateful he was to be able to share tremendous knowledge and experiences with us the juniors. That was my first time hearing his talk and yet he managed to gain our respects. That shows how sincere the sharing was. I am no one really. His influence genuinely change thing.

He will forever be remembered.

Izzie said...

assalamualaikum...

harap auntie sekeluarga sihat2 je...tak lama dulu baru ketemu blog nih.baru mula nak baca...lepas blog entry terakhir afzal. =) tak sangka pulak bila baru je beberapa bulan 'mengabaikan' dunia blog nih, lupa nak cek...baru je dapat tau allahyarham meninggal. takziah buat auntie sekeluarga. semoga ALLAH tempatkan dia bersama2 dgn org yg beriman. harap2 blog nih, tak berenti cni...insya-ALLAH.

AzWiErA"s cReW said...

assalamualaikum....

fist time bkak blog nie trus dpat twu the owner of this amazing blog dh meninggal dunia...sy impressed ngn penulisan arwah..antie bertuah dpt ank yg tabah dlm setiap perkara yg menduganya...Allah lbih sygkn arwah..takziah sy ucapkan kpd antie skeluarga..sy pon harus belajar tabah n redha ngn ujian Allah terhadap sy jgk...inspirasi nya adalah arwah mAS Afzal...tq bb terus menulis blog arwah ye antie...

that's all...tq..

salam..

inisuha said...

as salam,
auntie, saya mula ikuti blog arwah semasa beliau diUK lagi.last entry yg saya baca - My 5 minutes with Dato' Haron Din.

previous entry yg di tulis arwah pun,memang akan diulang-kali baca

semoga auntie sekeluarga tabah dgn pemergian arwah.

al-fatihah

dEa@wanie said...

as'salam mama afzal...

semoga arwah sentiasa di cucuri rahmat dariNya....saya mula mengenali beliau melalui penulisan beliau yang banyak membantu menaikkan semangat kita...tapi segalanya dh terlambat..kini tiada lagi kata2 semangat yang dapat saya ambil untuk di jadikan panduan...beliau seorang yang sangat tabah...semoga auntie tabah menghadapi..saya turut merasa tempiasnya sebagai follower beliau

Anonymous said...

I found this blog by accident,an answer to some questions in my head.
Indirectly afzal has re-inforced the strengths that is fading at this point of time in my life.
Allah does have a unique way to show his love.Thank you...
Al-fatihah...

N

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum Mama Afzal,

Sekiranya Mama Afzal tidak keberatan bolehkah berkongsi bersama bagaimana arwah afzal berubah menjadi minat dan mengamalkan Islam dengan penuh penghayatan. kerana jika dilihat arwah bukan dari latar belakang pendidikan aliran agama tetapi penulisannya penuh dengan ayat-ayat Al Quran dan hadith seolah-olah dari pendidikan agama.

Perkongsian daripada Mama Afzal diucapkan ribuan terima kasih.

-Abdullah-

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum,

Back in 2009, during my Masters completion journey, I suddenly remembered a friend named Masafzal Masaruddin. I googled his name up one evening. I've stumbled upon his blog. The last time I remembered reading was the post that he was getting better. I was glad. Due to work responsibilities, I did not have the time to revisit his blog again. But tonight, I've discovered that he's gone. Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat keatas rohnya. Alfatihah.

I remembered him as an intelligent fellow, always chirpy and enthusiastic in class. I was his classmate in Standard 2 and 3, back in Sabah. I even had his photo, taken together with me when we went up stage to receive our prizes for doing good in our exam. I will always remember him that way. To Afzal's family, be strong. He will always be close to our hearts.

Yasmin

IN-faz said...

salam...
mama afzal...menagis sy bc n3 ni...
terkejut sangat arwah mas afzal dh xde...lama x bukak belog dy ni...T_T
banyaknya y saya terlepas...!!!
membaca n3 arwah sblm ni benar2 buat
saya menjadi tabah sbb arwah ibu meninggl kerana cancer gak....
sy doakan arwah ditempatkan bersama org2 yang soleh....smg mama afzal kuat menghadpi dugaan ini...

Anonymous said...

x pernah lupa masuk blog ni setiap kali layari internet...

Still hoping a new entry. please..

ardisia said...

ku ulangi juga membaca blog ini, byk pengajaran,stop.Tears start flowing.

Anonymous said...

allayarham Dr. Mas Afzal memang seorang yg tabah..
sy sgt kagum dgn ketabahan yg dimilikinya dan berharap akan menjadi sekuatnya dalam menghadapi hidup yang penuh mencabar..
moga Allah cucuri rahmat ke atasnya..

Anonymous said...

just found out this blog,mohon nk share aunty ye.
hope that we could learn something from here.

Anonymous said...

me also just found this blog. the experience remind me about my late mum who just passed away last month.
alfatihah to afzal.
may Allah bless him....

ZATTY said...

i just found this blog from my friend. she said arwah`s blog was very inspirational.

takziah buat mama afzal & sekeluarga. selepas baca entri ni, saya terkenangkan arwah makcik sy yg baru shj meninggal 3 hari lepas.

may Allah swt bless him...

wie said...

dear mama afzal,

i've just found this blog from an article in iluvislam. this blog inspires me a lot. tahniah auntie, u have raised a talented yet inspiring young man. i'm proud of him as his sister in ISLAM.

Allahuakbar!

semoga roh saudara afzal dicucuri rahmat.

SS said...

Assalamualaikum,
Takziah Mama Afzal & Family. Actually, after reading dis entry, suddenly d tears coming down. Yes, he's truly a beautiful person I ever know, both physically & mentally aftr I found dis blog a year ago. Mama Afzal, U hv done a great work in raising up ur sons & May Allah Bless Your Family 4ever. I do hope I can have d strength like U & Ur son in dis tough yet warm life dat Allah gave me..

TQ 4 being such an inspirer 2 me...May Allah Bless U, saudara Afzal.Amin...

Dee said...

assalamualaikum wbt..

takziah atas pemergian anakanda tercinta..ALLAH lebih menyayanginya..Tabahkan hati ya puan, dalm mengharungi dugaanNYA ini..Ujian ALLAH kpd arwah sampai disini sahaja dan ternyata arwah sgt2 tabah dgn ujian ini..

sye baru jumpe blog ni,slpas sye bce entri "ibu xpernah kecewe" dalm i luv islam..sgt menyentuh hati..dan ape yg buat sye lebih sedih apabila sye xberkesempatan mengenali arwah kerana arwah terlebih dahulu menyahut seruan ilahi..

sye xmampu bace entri yg dikarang arwah sebab even i never know who is "mas afzal" but naluri sye kuat mengatakan arwah seorang yg baik dikagumi dari pelbagai aspek..pendidikan agama,pelajaran,ketabahan dan byk lagi..

smoge puan sekeluarga tabah dgn ujian ALLAH ini..i never know how mother feel because i not married yet..still young..20 yrs old..but u make me understand how its feel 2 be a good mother..

dee nak mintak izin untuk menulis entri mengenai perjalanan hidup mas afzal..sekirenye siap entri 2,dee akan bgtahu puan ya..

al-fatihah...

Anonymous said...

Salamu Aleikum

Mama Afsal, i found your sons blog the day after he passed away, rahmimullah, because he was a friend of my friend and she posted the blog on facebook.
I never met him personally, and still, reading his blog i truely love him for the sake of Allah. He seemed like a strong brother with alot of imaan and wallahi everytime i read his blog, my imaan increases. And i never leave the blog without making dua for him, for you, and for your entire family. May Allah bless you all, increase you in imaan and reunite you in Jannah al-firdhous.

You are such a beautifull person, strong mother and a good muslim, may Allah increase all that for you.

I just wanted to let you know that both your son and you, have touched my life in a way that not many people have.

You are a true inspiration and the strenght you are showing by keeping this blog up is more than most of us could ever dream to have, mashaAllah.

I know you dont know me, but if you ever come to sheffield, know that you have many many places to stay in and we will welcome you with open arms. And if we never meet in this life, may Allah make us those who meet in Jannah.

Best of wishes
a sister from Sheffield

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum,

Anonymous from Sheffield : Thank you very much for your kind words. Sheffield and especially 42, Filey Street, will forever be a home I will treasure in my memory. Sheffield,Broomhall and its community have been a pillar of strength for Afzal while he was there. I thank Allah that it had provided for Afzal what I could not while he was studying there...a feeling of home and a family to share his life...I hope I can return to Sheffield one day and revisit the home that had helped shaped Afzal's beautiful character.

I still cannot help but shed tears evertime I think of Afzal. I do not think I will ever be able to have dry eyes thinking about him because there are so many things that he wanted to do still. Like other bloggers, I also always look forward to his writings, wondering what the topic of discussion will be. And now that there will no longer be new entries, I keep reading the old ones, over and over again, revisiting the memories that are embedded in my soul....

InsyaAllah I will continue to fill this blog with those memories of Afzal.....Mama Afzal...al-Fatihah

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum...
Takziah.Ini adalah kali pertama sy terjumpa dengan blog ini. Itupun sy mengetahui kehadirannya dari pembacaan tentang ibu di http://www.iluvislam.com/inspirasi/kembara-hidup/1120-ibu-yang-tidak-pernah-kecewa.html...sungguh2 tersentuh apabila membaca setiap entri dalam blog ini...Semoga arwah tenang di sana.

-Akmal-

Anonymous said...

semoga arwah ditempatkan di kalangan orang-orang beriman..aminnn

Anonymous said...

Takziah atas pemergian mas afzal..
my dad passed away when i was 9

..harimau mati meninggalkan belang
..blogger mati meninggalkan blog

edogawa conan said...

salam..auntie.
entry ni wat saya kembali cari Tuhan di hati saya.tgk pic bro afsal solat saya nanges n terkedu.tertanya kalo saya akan jd cm die ke kalo di uji sehebat ujian yang die hadapi?
hmm..hanya melalui kisah dia sudah mampu menyuntik semangat dalam diri saya untuk kembali kuat di jalan Allah.dia memang hebat..sgt hebat pada saya.moga Allah redha dengannya.
auntie..saya sudah share cerita bro afsal kepada kawan-kawan group friendly comparative religion yang sy join. moga lebih kurang 1260 orang members dalam group kami mampu mengambil iktibar dan semangat untuk terus berjuang di jalan Tuhan sebagaimana saya hari ini sembuh sepenuhnya dari kesedihan yang saya hadapi lebih kurang 11 bulan lepas.melalui kisah bro afsal saya mula berazam, sy mesti jd macam bro afsal, kuat dan sentiasa mengingati Tuhan walau di uji sebegitu hebat.
tq auntie..lahirkan lelaki sehebat dia untuk menjadi inspirasi dalam hidup saya.

Mudd said...

i've read this entry many times.. and each time i read.. gamba kedua tu memang menggetarkan jiwa.. menginsafkan... al-fatihah untuk arwah..

Marilyn Barlow said...

To my sister, Mama Afzal..... This entry is beautiful. I'm sitting here with tears pouring and such a feeling of love for and pride in you. You are such an incredible mother and so many will benefit from your words of wisdom. I can only imagine how much this would please Afzal as well. Do keep writing. Love to you, Marilyn.

Anonymous said...

Salam Aunty,

I've just found out this blog from (iluvislam).

Entry mama Afzal & Afzal sendiri betul betul menyentuh hati dan memberi inspirasi,iktibar dan menyuntik semangat sy dalam pencarian sy.

Terima kasih aunty and Afzal semoga Allah membalas segala kebaikan.

Jyl

Anonymous said...

Aunt,

Mohon Share ya... semoga Allah merahmati Aunt sekeluarga.

Jyl

Anonymous said...

mama afzal, Allah had loaned Dr Afzal to you and the whole family for years. He had given your family the opportunity to be among the 'ahli syurga'. Masya-Allah...

Anonymous said...

Assalam Puan Noor & keluarga

Beberapa minggu sudah saya teringatkan Mas Afzal, agak lama aaya tidak mengikuti blog beliau dan hari ini terdetik untuk datang kembali. rupa2nya Dr Mas Afzal sudah pergi buat selama-lamanya.

Saya mula mengenali arwah apabila beliau membuat panggilan kerana ini turut serta program usrah di KK. beliau baru pulang ke KK dan sedang menjalani praktikal. No handphone saya diperolehi melalui seorang kawan. Kebetulan hari usrah tersebut giliran di rumah saya dan beliau hadir buat pertama kalinya. Disitulah kami berkenalan dan gembira dengan kehadiran beliau. Beliau sempat hadir usrah beberapa kali sebelum kembali ke UK. Selepas itu bila ada peluang beliau akan hadir usrah apabila berada di KK.

Sedikit kenangan ini amat beerti kepada saya dan kawan-kawan yang mengenali beliau. Sampai masa giliran kita pula menjejak langkah kembali menemui Ilahi.

Terima kasih
al-fatihah.