Tribute

Abdur Rahman, A Smiling Lad

By Nigar
It was sometime in 2014 that I first met Abdur Rahman. He was then a patient at a kidney dialysis unit of a hospital. He looked weak and somewhat disillusioned about life. He must have been less than 25 years old then. Those days, I would visit the dialysis unit often. I had to complete some 200 hours in the unit as part of a course I was pursuing. One thing that struck me then about Abdur Rahman was his excellent command of English. He told me that he used to work at a call centre and that his good communication skills could help him get a good sales job in a company. Listening to him, I knew he could have sold ice cubes to an Eskimo! Abdur Rahman did not complain that he had developed a kidney problem and needed to be on dialysis. He always seemed to sport a smile.
A few months later, when I dropped in at the dialysis unit, I was pleasantly surprised to see Abdur Rahman at the front office reception, greeting patients and making them feel comfortable. I was delighted that the hospital had put him on their employee rolls. Now he looked very confident and happy. As my project ended, I now visited the hospital only very occasionally. On some occasions I spotted Abdur Rahman busy at work at the reception. He would say Alhamdulillah whenever I asked him how he was doing.
Just the other day a friend informed me that Abdur Rahman had passed away . It seems he was at a mosque for prayers and fell down and was brought to the hospital, where he was declared dead. What touched me immensely was that according to this friend who informed me about his demise, Abdur Rahman, in his desire to perform Umrah with his own hard-earned income, had left the job and with the Provident Fund money that he received, had performed his Umrah just a few months ago. I was also told that he strongly stood by his faith. Obstacles arrived in his way, but he did not waver from his faith in God. I kept thinking what a graceful death it had been for him. After having to go through dialysis for some years, he collapsed in a mosque and then he went back to God.
Abdur Rahman was just 29 years when he left the world. In the short life that he lived, he left behind memories of his firm faith in God. Way back in 2014, he had said to that he would make a good salesman as he was good at communication and interpersonal skills. Now that he has returned to the Almighty, he must be having great conversations with God. We may not remember Abdur Rahman as a good salesman, because this he did not become. But we will remember him as someone who did not sell his iman, his faith, or his soul for acquiring the things of this world. May his soul rest in peace!