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Fadi Zaghmout

A friend’s death

I guess that no matter how you try to escape from thinking of death, it can just pops up suddenly and shock you of a very sad reality in life especially when it comes unexpectedly and take a young friend of yours.

We unconsciously anticipate the death of people around us when they grow older. Nature does prepare us and to face our old people death along with preparing them as well to face it. At some point our bodies became so worn out that it can’t handle to stay alive, but it comes in steps, in years of preparation where we learn to accept our destinies.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t go naturally everytime. Sometimes, a young person dies. Just like this, suddenly, and before any previous alarm. No preparation at all. No signs of weakness, no sickness, nothing. Just some hopes, and dreams for a better future. To live happily for a long time to come.

All has been stripped away off my friend Mishal Awwad. His family had to loose their son at a young age of 29 for a deadly stroke. Without any alarm. He is gone. Rest in peace somewhere away from the people who love him.

Eventhought I haven’t been so close to Mishal, maybe we can say I have been an acquintance of him more than a friend, but it shocked me. It is hard to believe that someone can just leave this life suddenly especially when you know the person. I am sure it is even harder to believe on his parents and siblings. May God help them in this crisis.

Btw, why the hell do we bury each other under the ground?!! It sounds like a reality check to me, that who died would never come back….

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Responses

  1. Saadna Avatar
    Saadna

    I’m very sorry to hear about your friend. 29 is so young, that’s terrible.(BTW, I wonder too why people are buried under the ground…the only logical reason I could come up with was – if bodies weren’t buried, they would pile up and the stench would kill us. *No pun intended*)

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  2. The Observer Avatar
    The Observer

    Saadna dear, you have posted your comment 4 times! :). Sometimes this comment thing can be buggy! Anyway, thanks for your consolation. It is sad. I think that buried bodies dissolve with time. They don’t stay as it is. What is scary, is to bury someone who isn’t really dead! Sometimes such mistakes happen, and they think someone is dead who would wake up in his grave under a pile of sand where he dies out of fear or lack of oxygen!I am not sure what I want people to do with my body. I don’t want to die in the first place, but I dont have a choice, do I?

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  3. Basem Avatar
    Basem

    Well said Ob., the eventuality of death is by far the most ignored out of all the facts of life, ironically it’s possibly the only factual part of our reality that is not disputed among humanity!For theists and atheists alike, death is the shore stone that shatters every wave that comes at it, be it big or small, fast or slow, pious or sinful, intellectual or simple minded, all will shatter into drops of waters at the stony shores of death.Statistically speaking, many die “young”, the definition of young varies, but in our culture <>(mind the loose generalisation here)<>, a person who dies young will be someone under the age of 50 who haven’t got married, doesn’t have an offspring …etcI lost 4 friends & family members at “young” ages, having been oblivious or the most part of my life, the attention I gave to the fact that they passed away didn’t pass the time it took for the effect of their traumatic loss to wear off, but then one runs away from his reality in such a blunt manner in sheer escapism… only few reflect upon death and its immanent reoccurrence and perhaps prepare for it.More on this one here:< HREF="http://dontcallmesheikh.blogspot.com/2006/01/we-dont-even-know-how-to-mourn.html" REL="nofollow">Wed Don’t know how to Mourn<> by humble < HREF="http://dontcallmesheikh.blogspot,com" REL="nofollow">self<>

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  4. The Observer Avatar
    The Observer

    Basem, I am sorry to read about your father’s passing away, the other young friends you have lost. Death is a major issue in life that I don’t think I can ever comprehend. Sadly, what you wrote as a review about the Azza is what really happens. I was thinking of the same about the Quran reading while attenting my friend’s Azza. The man who was saying the versus kept on asking us to read ‘Al Fatha’ every couple of minutes! It was a bit awkward to me as I am Christian, and didn’t feel comfortable just sitting there while others raising their hands and reading the Quran versus in their heads. Btw, I liked your blog 🙂

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