Thirteen Years On: A Son’s Tribute to His Beloved Father

Epigraph: 

(Reading Time: 5 minutes)

"In the silence of loss, I’ve come to understand that love transcends time. My father’s departure left an enduring emptiness, yet in that void, I find solace knowing our bond will never break, and one day, we shall meet again."

— Aamir Yazdani

Thirteen years have passed (29th April, 2012) since my beloved father quietly returned to his Lord, slipping away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of the morning. It was around 7:30 am when the angels came for him, and as if by divine design, my mother was made to fall into a profound slumber. Normally, she would stir throughout the night, waking now and then, checking on him. But that morning, she slept heavily, unaware that her whole universe would be turned upside down in that short half-hour. Till her last day, she never came to terms with that sleep — that silent, fateful interval when everything changed forever.

That night, I had arrived late from a business tour, reaching home at around 2:30 am. I peeped into my parents’ room before going to bed, watching them sleeping peacefully. It was the last time I saw my father breathing, unaware that it would be our final earthly meeting.

I was 49 years old when my dear father passed away. Around that time, I came to deeply appreciate the profound prayer the Qur'an suggests in Surah Al-Ahqaf (46:15), which highlights the gratitude one owes to their parents, especially upon reaching maturity at the age of 40:

"We have enjoined upon man to be good to his parents. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship. The carrying and the weaning of him is thirty months, until when he reaches maturity and reaches forty years, he says: 'My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to do righteousness of which You approve and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am from the obedient” (Qur'an 46:15)

This verse reveals a powerful truth: if a person preserves their natural disposition and does not stray from it, the awareness of fulfilling the rights of their parents becomes a pathway to truly recognizing and reaching the ultimate Being — the Creator of all, including their parents themselves.

In the love, care, and upbringing provided by our parents, we witness a reflection of the greater providence and mercy of God. It is this glimpse of divine affection that, upon reaching mental and spiritual maturity, opens our eyes to see God’s blessings in everything around us.

I can only bow my head in gratitude to God Almighty for blessing me with so many precious years with my father, years filled with countless conversations, laughter, guidance, and moments of pure togetherness. I remember sitting with him for hours, being gently corrected by him even in my late forties, accompanying him to the local mosque where people knew me simply because I was his son. Thank you, my Lord, for allowing my father’s goodness to flow into my life, and into the lives of my children, for so long.

Yes, we all must walk the path he walked. I had always known this, but it became etched in my soul when my father left us. And yet, the most comforting truth is that this separation is not the end; it is but a pause. A crossing to the other side, where we will meet again, God willing. My father's passing has only strengthened my belief in the Hereafter. No one can ever tell me, "There is no life after death." How can there not be, when someone like him, who gave me every shade of goodness within me, must surely be waiting to meet me again?

I pray to God Almighty to keep him at peace, comfortable, and honored until the day we are reunited. I pray He admits us together, hand in hand, into His everlasting gardens of Paradise.

There is still so much I need to tell my father. Stories unfinished. Conversations pending. I need to tell him about his beloved grandchildren, about Waleed’s marriage to our dear Anoop, about what Khalid and Ahmed’s marriages to damsels are now doing with their lives. How his heart would swell with pride and joy hearing about them! I need to tell him about his cherished wife, my fragile, precious mother, who joined him a few years back. How my dear Hureen took care of her with tenderness.

Sometimes, when I returned home late, my mother would softly ask where I had been, and I could only answer with a shy, inaudible smile. But Hureen was always there by her side, sharing stories, listening with a patience only love could inspire. How I longed to tell my father that when Hureen took my mother for her hospital check-ups, the nurses would often mistake her for her daughter. And when they learned she was her daughter-in-law, they would smile warmly, touched by a bond so rare and beautiful it lingered in their hearts long after.

There is so much more waiting to be said, so much love still waiting to be shared with him.

Anon!

اللّهُمّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ، اللّهُمّ أَدْخِلْهُ الْجَنّةَ مَعَ الْأَبْرَارِ

O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him. O Allah, admit him into Paradise with the righteous. (Ameen.)

— Aamir Yazdani