At 1 PM sharp,Saturday,12/12/09 I received a message from Ommi saying that our Ama H. isa just passed away and make sabr for his loss. Upon receiving the message, it silenced me and world seemed to be paused from revolving in moments. I could not believe what I just found out and even re-read my message to confirm my disbelief. In the moment of silence, memories with him flashed back and burst out into tears.
Ama was almost a hundred years of age. his death is not a shock as it is anticipated but his memories that he has left made me mournful, not only me but almost all the people who have love Ama. I am very proud of him. He was well-respected, he was a father figure, he was a leader in my Hometown, Bacolod Grande. He was the Imam of the one of the most beautiful mosque in Lanao del sur.
when I was in my teen years, I had no problem in introducing my name to all folks in BG every time I went there after disclosing to them that I am Ama’s grand daughter. I better had to tell that I am my grandfather's grand daughter than saying I am Nadhera or Rabhea.
My last cherished moments with Ama was in November-December of 2008. We cherished and enjoyed every bonding with him. He was in our house for medication on those days. Everytime he started to talk, we all had the enthusiasm to listen to his speech, we gathered, we all laughed at it and even emtionally moved by it.
In the last years of his life, Ama almost lost his memory, he tended to forget names and even forgot who are his children. whenever I was on vacation, He would ask me who I was, who were my parents, then there is one sure answer for him to recognize me. I would just simply say, I was the one who missed my flight because I slept at the airport. I had to keep repeating the same answer once he asked me who I was. One time on my 2008 vacation, he asked me the same question, I answered the same answer then he immediately said: “YOU ARE RABHEA, why did you miss your flight? He asked again, “How much money you bought for ur ticket?, I said: its nine thousand pesos, He replied: It is almost a hundred thousand, you should have given it to me. That was the very delicate conversation between me and Ama.
Ama like I said almost could not recognize everyone even his own offspring. One time my mother went inside his room to feed him, he asked Omi who she was, then Omi said: I am sahirah. Ama still could not recognize Omi. Then asked a following question to omi: “you are AMINA’s daughter? watta funny question, AMINA is my mother’s younger sister.
On different token, there are people who lasted and were tattooed on Ama’s mind and heart. One of them was my late father. One time I was so moved by him. My Baba was mentioned and he cried outrightly. He said how my Baba was like while tears streaming down on his face. but another funny thing was he did not mention and not well aware that Baba was my Omi’s husband.
Losing him doesn’t beget his total extinction. He left us memories; he left us legacy, he taught us lifetime lessons. There are two things I’ve learned from Ama that I will keep them inshaAlla for the rest of my life. firstly, يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسۡلِمُونَ (١٠٢) : O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islâm [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allâh). He said this to us on his session with us in June 2008 inculcating to die as muslims and not abandoning our religion. The second was during our family gathering in the year of 2005, the year when I came here in Malaysia. He said to all of us, his children, grandchildren, grand grand children. He said ”It doesn’t matter if we don’t possess abundant wealth, what matters for me my children was you help one another. Don’t abandon your sister, your brother, your relatives in times of dire need. that’s only I can leave to you my children before I die. I was really crying that time he giving us his speech in front of us.
