Reflections of Ustadha Samia Khalil Omar During Ummrah 2024

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him spoke the following words of truth upon losing his beloved son Ibrahim when he lamented: “The eyes shed tears and the heart aches with sadness; we are truly grieving from losing you. But what can we say except that which is most pleasing to Allah: ‘Indeed to Allah we belong and indeed to Allah shall we all return!’”

After four long months of grieving, I have finally found the strength and courage to announce the loss of my beloved mother.

This loss has left me with a heavy heart. I thought that loosing my own daughter years ago would be the greatest sadness in my life, but after loosing my mother, I felt that same pain, if not worse. Especially since I did not have the opportunity to give her my final goodbyes.

My mother truly was a woman of remarkable generosity and wisdom. She was loved cherished not only by her family but by neighbors alike. Her home was always open, and no one ever left empty handed.

My work in the community was largely dedicated and inspired by my daughter, but part of me was also doing it in an effort to make my mother proud. Now that my mother has passed away, I must admit, I began to lose the motivation to continue with this work.

Suddenly I found myself feeling that I am too old and too tired to go on. Honestly, I wanted to just retire. But the umrah trip was a commitment I made before my mother passed away, so like any other commitment, I had to make sure it was done. And subhanallah, I am so happy that I did.

After the students learned of the passing of my mother, they took it upon themselves to donate a wheelchair to the Haraam in Mecca as a sadaqa jariyah(ongoing charity) on behalf of my mother.

It deeply touched my heart to witness strangers to my mother, many of them around the same age of her grandchildren, coming together from across the world to perform this noble act of generosity in her name.

It goes to show that the only thing we really leave behind in this world are the fruits of our good deeds and good actions.

It was inspiring to see that her good character and actions in life can leave a lasting impact, even on those who never met her, inspiring this act of ongoing charity on her behalf.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him/her (for the deceased)."

[Muslim].

‏قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏ "‏إذا مات ابن آدم انقطع عمله إلا من ثلاث‏:‏ صدقة جارية ،أو علم ينتفع به، أو ولد صالح يدعو له‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏

Over the years, I have been blessed to witness the kindness of our students during previous Umrah trips, where they donated Qurans and wheelchairs to the Haraam in my own name as sadaqa jariyah. Words cannot fully express how much I appreciate their kindness. Every time I visit the Kaaba, I offer two rakats in gratitude to Allah for the opportunity to serve the beautiful hearts of the young Harvard Muslim students and make dua for them.

This year, after our students made this generous donation for my mother, I will not be the only one who will be praying for them. All eight of her children, 25 grandchildren, and everyone my mother has touched over the years will always keep these students in their prayers for their kindness.

It has been an honor to be part of these Umrah trips and to play a role behind such beautiful acts of charity. I love our students as if they were my own children. Through our journey together, they have shown me immense love, care, and respect. This has given me strength and courage, easing my heart when I think about those I’ve lost.

May Allah reward them and their parents in the same way they have blessed me and my mother. May their actions count as sadaqa jariyah towards them as well, and may they be rewarded in this life and the next. Ameen.

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

Kofi Bilal Mahmud Eid AlFitr 1443 A.H.

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Kofi Bilal Mahmud

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