WHEN the mirror is broken you no longer see yourself. Father, you were the mirror at which I looked at myself and now that you are gone my life is so empty that I feel it in my soul. My solace is the fact that you live a righteous life. Every moment of your life is like a book on a path toward heavenly bliss. Father when I close my eyes the image of you is all I see…!
On the 15th of February 2020,21 Jumada II 1441 A.H., Upon receiving the news of my father’s passing away. I immediately felt the most excruciating pain. My biggest fear materialized and my world crashed and my heart shattered into tiny little pieces.
My dear beloved father Alhaji Ahmad Yaya Ahmad (Baba) as fondly called by his children passed on at Amsad Hospital, Bauchi, after a short illness that started in earlier in the day.
He died around zuhr time (1:42 p.m.) and his funeral was observed around Asr prayer at juma’at mosque Gwallaga, with a huge crowd of people, including renowned religious scholars and respected personalities.
Being not a famous , neither a rich nor a powerful man, but was an honest Muslim and a hard worker. He was a remarkable husband to my mother and a good father to me and my other siblings. Completely irreplaceable loss to us, friends and extended family.
Growing up, my father doted over us. He was extremely protective in raising us with my mother was as complementary as it was distinct. His main focus was our education and taught me about fearing Allah in our conduct and Islam.
He worked so hard to provide us with what we needed to excel at whatever endeavor chose to do and taught us to understand right from wrong. As far as I can recall, he provided us with anything we asked, and even more than what we requested, and my siblings lacked nothing; he is a no-nonsense man with a heart of gold and his sense of humour was decidedly quirky.
He expected nothing short of excellent and good conducts from us, at all times. A father with respect for time like Swiss-German watch. Father’s biggest obsession was education.
For as long as I can recall, his family was always his top priority. On daily , I spoke with him until the very end no matter where any one of us was.
The true measure of a man particularly in the eyes of God is in his kindness, loyalty, generosity, and humility. and with all these virtues as yardsticks, Dad was truly immeasurable.
I was always in awe of his intellect, his moral compass, his sense of integrity, his dedication to duty, and his honesty. Dad was a walking encyclopedia and a thesaurus. I want to mention some virtues and qualities of my dear beloved father as mentioned by his associates, friends, and well-wishers.
I am also a living witness to the virtues for which my father was generously praised. What I’m writing now is only our testimony but judgment belongs to Allah alone.
First, I want to talk about my father’s adherence to love of truth and truthfulness. He was a man of truth in his words and actions. He tried to be truthful in whatever decision he took during his life, he never breaks promises, and he stood by the truth and justice even against himself or his children.
The second attribute of my father that many people testified about is his commitment to and love of congregational prayers. Father was very religious, he never joked with voluntary fast. Allah’s service was core to my father’s life on earth. He recited the Glorious Qur’an every morning.
I recall with nostalgia that he repeatedly traveled to various parts of the states for(da’wah). His philanthropic activities touched the lives of many people. Dad was also very caring and monitored his family until his death, he was very caring, even his friends and relatives testified to the quality of his caring, not only for his children but also for them.
He encouraged those he knew to partake in and pursue what is good and avoid what is evil and harmful. He had always been spending whatever he had in taking care of his family. His spending and caring for others were more noticeable in the areas of “education”, health, and food. Another attribute of my father I like to mention is his appreciation for every good done to him.
Until his death, he was appreciative of any little good you did to him. He was privileged to visit Saudia for several times. By Allah’s grace, I see mal. Ahmad yaya Ahmad (my father) as a practical demonstration of surat muminun” from verses 1-10 of the Glorious Qur’an.
After his death, I have been pondering and making a comparative analysis between his associate’s tribute with the description of the Glorious Qur’an about the Qualities of believers “Qad’aflahal aluminum up to wal lathina hum ala salawatihim yuhafizun in the final analysis, I believe he aptly demonstrated the qualities in words and actions. Last but not least my dear father’s personality I like is that he is a great role model and a source of inspiration. He was neither a prophet nor an angel; he lived as an ordinary mortal in this world, and as a result, he was neither infallible nor impeccable.
His departure made me broken and transformed me into a woman. Not by gender but by willingness to do what great men do. My Dad was my biggest fan and my greatest role model, he always has a solution to my problem. I never questioned if he loved or care for me because he made it so obvious. In you, I know I’m not alone. Your smile gives me happiness. Your memories give me strength behind the darkness.
You had been my reason since then to fight and continue living, to endure every pain, no matter how I suffer, and to believe that I can still do better. You spoke of love, life, and dreams and also helped to ease my fears! He gave me love and touched my life. He is no longer here now, this man is the late Alhaji Ahmad Yaya Ahmad whom I will forever remain grateful to and whom I will never see now. I don’t have the word to express how I miss you. Dad was the kind of father that every child will dream to have.
I’ll love you forever that’s my promise. Eating together that’s what I miss. I could write a million pages but still be unable to say just how much I love and miss him, I miss him a million thousand times I mean with every fiber of my entire being. If I could write a story, it would be the greatest ever told of a kind and loving father. He was my best friend, my life will be less bright without him. May Allah have mercy on him.
Now to my dearest daddy! Although you have gone the way of all flesh, ahead of the rest, please take this message, we’ll do everything in our power to live by your examples and carry on your legacy for as long as we live. And Also I will make sure I fulfill all the promises I made to you, even if it means on my death bed I will, in sha Allah fulfills all your wish because l treasure you so much that I will never disappoint you even after your death father, never in sha Allah. I love you and I miss you with every atom of my being.
I will forever remain indebted to you! Death didn’t allow me to repay all you did to me for that I always cried but god knows best. Life is different without him now but I’m grateful I got to call him my dad. Dad was one of the greatest men who ever walked this earth.
Ya Rabbi grant him the shade of your Arsh on yaumul Qiyamah, grant him the favor to drink from Hawth al Jawahar, and grant him a peaceful time in the barzakh. May Allah grant you the highest station in Jannah! Raudatun min riyadun jannah. Rahimahullah father!
He was later buried at the new Bauchi cemetery. My father was so different from any other father I have ever come across in life. He was beyond alphabetical description and imagination!
Khadija writes in from Bauchi.