Akif Has Gone Home

Akif, one of my two children that accompanied me to Jeddah [the other one is my youngest daughter Ummu] has flied back to Penang yesterday, 22 April 2010. He is waiting for a result and preparing to pursue his study at a University. Akif was joined at home by his eldest sister, Afirah, who arrived home this evening for her long vacation from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM).

Before this, I have never had a chance to write about Akif. Though he scored 5As in UPSR, 9As in PMR and recently, 10As and 1B in his SPM, I have never had an opportunity to express my happiness and record his accomplishment in this blog. The main reason is time. Every time he achieved something, I somehow was busying with something else.

Akif indeed is a determined child. He will put full effort in whatever he wants, for example a black belt in tae kwan-do, straight A's in examinations, and seven times in performing umrah while he was in Jeddah for nearly two months - to mention a few.

Yesterday, surprisingly, his economy seat in the Jeddah-Kuala Lumpur flight was shifted by a flight staff to a business class seat. It was really a gift from Allah swt, I told him, perhaps for his full effort in doing umrah twice in a day during the last two of his five trips to Mekah, to ensure that he accomplishes his intention to do the umrah for seven times.

Now that Akif is back in Penang, I have nobody else to purchase grilled chicken with bukhari rice, nor Indonesian fried rice and begede, and shawarma and ice cream, as Akif always did for our supper. In one hand it is good for my health not to have meals a few hours before going to bed, but on the other hand, I really feel that I am missing Akif and his service.

Akif was the one who served us with zamzam water whenever we visited Masjidil Haram in Mekah and Masjid Nabawi in Madinah. He was the one who queued for zamzam water near the House of the Prophet and carried it in a quite big container to our accommodation at Royale Al-Waleed in al-Ghazza, Mekah and subsequently to the car park where Dr Razley - who usually gave us a ride to and from Mekah - parked his car to go back to Jeddah. He was the one who queued to buy foods at restaurants such as at Felda D'Saji in Safwan Hotel complex and kebab shops around Masjidil Haram and near our accommodation at Royale al-Waleed in Mekah and also restaurants around our apartment in al-Arbaean Street in the Safa Districit in Jeddah. He was the one who carried big water melon that I bought at the mosque near our apartment after Friday prayer. He was the one who negotiated with taxi drivers on the cost whenever we were going out somewhere and the one that always accompanied me, especially when we were doing umrah in Mekah and visited Masjid Nabawi in Madinah. And in fact, Akif was the one who did a lot more to serve us in Jeddah.

May Allah swt blesses, protects and helps Akif and all my children in all their doings forever, Ameen.

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Posted By Muhammad Syukri Salleh to MUHAMMAD SYUKRI SALLEH at 4/24/2010 04:46:00 AM