" We will all die sooner or later. Nobody knows when his time will come, so make sure you have

Firstly, our condolences and warm wishes go out to Sister Naima B Robert, tears have been shed as we try to empathise and read about your heart. We gain inspiration and strength from the optimism in each post. The unwavering belief in Allahs plans.

We generally don't re-post arcticles although in this case we felt there was a powerful reminder and one that we are trying to communicate.

The interview is available in Sisters magazine, which is an amazing magazine we urge you to support. http://www.sisters-magazine.com/Single_Issues/May_2015

By Naima. B Robert

My editoral for the May issue of SISTERS Magazine.

Bismillah

A part of me died last month. After two weeks in a deep coma, my husband, my partner, my soulmate, the father of my children, returned to his Lord. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’oon. That was what I said when the doctor rang me up at 4 in the morning, just before Fajr, to give me the news. To Allah we belong and to Him is the return. When the doctor got off the phone after the obligatory explanations, I did the thing I had planned to do when he had first been admitted to hospital. I went into sujud. Shaking, heart breaking, tears stinging my eyes, I pressed my forehead to the ground and uttered a prayer of thanks. I could not have done any less. I had to express my gratitude to the One who had gifted me with this man for more than 16 years. He was one of His Favours to me. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally and intellectually, he was a huge part of who I am today. My husband rekindled the fire of inspiration when it had been all but snuffed out. He invited me to believe in dreams again, to aim high, to soar. When I finally published my first major work, From My Sisters’ Lips, I dedicated it to him. I called him ‘the wind beneath my wings’ because that was what he was. He believed in me, encouraged me, trusted me, made excuses for me and helped me picked up the pieces when things didn’t go according to plan. And he did the same with SISTERS when we were literally fighting to survive. He believed in the SISTERS dream, just as he had believed in me. He invested in the SISTERS dream, just as he had invested in me. He worked tirelessly for the success of SISTERS, just as he had worked tirelessly for our own success as a family.

As I write this, I struggle to see the screen for the tears. I miss him. And I find it hard to believe that he is no longer with us. He was a gentle, generous soul. I pray that Allah ta’ala has mercy on him. And that He has mercy on us, those of us left behind to carry his legacy. As he himself said, "We will all die sooner or later. Nobody knows when his time will come, so make sure you have accomplished something for people to remember you by.”

http://www.sisters-magazine.com/Single_Issues/May_2015