Originally posted 5th August 2015.
My mom Zainab Mukhtar was a historic figure in my life, and in the life of all those around her. She is a loving wife, an embodiment of righteousness, valour and uprightness. A virtuous woman, I have never come across a person so loved by other people than she is, she has a way of interacting with people that makes them feel important and wanted by her. It’s been three years since she passed away, I miss her a lot.
As a mother her greatest priority was of course us, the kids. Our upbringing was simple and modest, she neither led us to an extravagant path nor denied us anything we ever needed, even as little trifles as children want. She taught me to be calm when angry with someone, to defend myself when necessary, and to treat people as if they were of my own blood. She especially stressed the last point, that “people are bayin Allah (Allah’s creation).” She is the ambassador of the human rights in the true sense of the word. Although she is very effortless when enacting a ‘martial law’ against us stubborn boys, that fierceness flows with her natural demeanour.
My mom is a writer, a councillor, a believer, an environmentalist, a designer, a tutor, an artist, a psychologist, an entrepreneur, an explorer, and likes helping people, that she would always try to persuade me to become a doctor, “they help a lot of people,” she would say. She was everything I ever wanted to be and beyond. We would watch the rain fall by the window together, while I bore her with so many of my scientific undertakings. She would respond with enthusiasm and “Oh Hafizi, you did all that!, by yourself?” She wouldn’t leave a clue I have said too much physics, so I go on and on. And most important of all, I learnt everything I know from her, she taught me my first verses of the Quran, counting and the ABC (although it took a lot of flogging before I began to recognise the plus sign, but she persevered anyway). She encouraged me to be innovative and creative, to think beyond the crescendo of utter awesomeness.
She is a heroine, an example to live by. I love you mom. I pray that Allah continue to have mercy on her, her late father and the rest of the Muslim Ummah and admit them into al-jannatul Firdous.