The Chronicles of Death...

Death never ceases to amaze me. In every thing about it. In the way it comes, the way it skips some people and takes some people, the timing in which it comes, and the way in which it surprises us when we are least expecting it.

And may be mostly, in how we always ignore it and think that it is something that happens to "the people", and we never think that it will come near us. Those horrible catastrophes that we hear about always happen to the other people. We always think that we are spared.

While the truth is that none of us is.

We are all prone to death alike.

On the day of Arafa, we met with death face to face. With no previous preparations. We were at home, I was cooking and baby Leo was wandering in the house in his walker toy. My husband decided that he was going to take a nap since he did a couple of stuff during the hot day hours. Ten minutes after he went to the bedroom and shut the door, I heard him coming to the kitchen. He was confused. He said "May Allah protect us. Seems that something has happened. My cousin just called me telling me that Khaled (my husband's friend and brother in law) passed away" I gasped. My knees were barely holding me. Khaled was supposed to be driving to Aqaba with his wife, my husband's sister, and their little four years old girl. He was standing there staring in his cell phone, trying to think with whom he can talk to know what was the issue. He decided to call Khaled's father. He was in the living room, sitting on the sofa, and he asked Khaled's father: "What, uncle, was what we heard about Khaled true?" And the he listened, his face went grim, and asked with a shaky voice: "The three of them? Even Thia?" and he started crying, and repeating "La hawla wala quwwata illa billah... la hawla wala quwwata illa billah"... My tears started flowing, I was grabbing my face and gasping "Inna lillah wa inna elayhi raje'oun... Inna lillah wa inna elayhi raje'oun"... I hugged him tight and we were both crying uncontrollably... It was a shock... my husband's sister, her husband, and their little girl Thia died in a car accident on the way to Aqaba. They were intending to spend the Eid there. But Allah's wisdom is beyond our understanding, he chose them to spend the Eid in heaven.

They were burried first day of Eid. It always amazes me how the spirits settle down after the burial, subhan Allah. After the funeral, every one fill silent, even Khaled's mother. This woman has a different story.

Khaled, who was my husband's friend and later his brother in law, is the only male son in his family. Other than him they have three daughters. My own mother in law passed away around five years ago after a brave battle with cancer. She won it the first time, but second time Allah subhanahu wa taala chose her to dwell in heaven. So the mother of Sarah, my husband's sister is not alive. After the accident, when the families were required to look at the dead bodies and confirm identities, Khaled's cousin identified him, but stated that his body had clearly seen injuries. So he asked his family not to see him because the scene will hurt them. Khaled's mother swore to God that she will not eat or drink any thing until she sees him. She fasted until the next day, she went to the hospital where the dead bodies were, she saw the three of them, kissed them goodbye, and then went home. Neither my husband nor me were able to take a final look at them, although later we were informed that Sarah and Thia had no visible injuries and died of internal bleeding and head bumps. They looked asleep. Only asleep. Except that there was no waking up after that sleep.

When they were being prepared for burial, an imam who is trusted by the family and who is familiar with bathing dead bodies and wrapping them in "kafan" was called. He was supposed to bath and wrap Khaled. But we needed a female to do the same for Sarah and Thia. I have gone through this experience before, and -although I am not qualified to give a full bath- I am familiar with the process and I can watch and assist. But this was an accident! And Sarah was so dear to me and the mere fact that she was dead was hard enough for me. This is not to mention Thia, the small angel. So I apologized. The imam said that his sister is experienced in this and he can bring her. When the sister saw Sarah, she broke into tears. She recognized her! She turned out to be Sarah's school teacher! When she was able to pull herself back together, she bathed her and the little girl while taking extra care, and while sincerely praying for them all the time.

It was a shock. A real shock. It was very difficult. But the good signs were reassuring. A friend of my husband called him to pay his condolences. Then he told him that he is calling from Saudia Arabia as he is performing Hajj. He told him that since they knew about the accident they were praying for them, and that he told every one accompanying him about the accident and told them the names of the people who died in it, and asked them to pray for them as they are doing their Hajj!

And now, their house is empty. Their whole life came to a sudden stop. It ended! There is no more "Sarah's house"! One day we were planning to visit them, the next day we were planning to bury them!

Thank God for every thing. Alhamdulellah. The three of them went to Allah together. No one of them was left behind. I cannot think of how any one of them would feel if he survived and knew that the others passed away!

This sudden wake up call has blown up my mind. It made me revise alot of things and practically live some situations that I used to theorize about.

May Allah rest their souls in peace, them, and all those good people on earth that we do not know of. May Allah keep your children healthy and safe. May Allah keep your families and loved ones.

And may Allah make this Eid a blessed Eid for all of you and accept all of your good deeds.

It is Eid, after all!