May Allah Bless His Soul.
On the 15th of September, as I was sitting for my Mathematics paper, I kept thinking about Papa's phone call just before the paper. He asked, "When are you coming to see me?!", and I told him, "Later Pa, in the afternoon. I'm having my trials. Sorry." I dozed off for awhile during one of the papers. I had a short dream that Affendy and I were called to the school office and mama sat there crying. I woke up instantly and had a strange feeling inside.
Right after the last paper, there was an announcement for Affendy and I to go to the school office. My heart was racing at the fact that my driver decided to call us around 10 minutes before the bell rang whereas he could just wait for us to come down after school. When I saw my driver's expression and the sympathetic look from Encik Kamarul, I knew something tragic had happened. I asked the driver why we had to go home early, and well, he just stopped and said, "Kita kena pergi cepat. Atok dah meninggal." I couldn't care less about anything else anymore and i quickly dashed to the car crying. There was pure silence in the car. I cried and cried while Affendy did his part by asking the driver questions about the whole incident and sighed every once in a while.
It seems that the only person there when Papa answered the call of our Creator was Mama. That morning, Mama asked Papa to eat, and he kept refusing and said that he was going to die. Mama kept telling him that he'll be okay. He vomited blood and Mama called the nurse. After vomiting a few times, Papa was gone like that. Mama didn't realize straight away because she thought he was sleepy. About two minutes later, Mama felt him and he was cold all over; he had left us.
When Affendy and I arrived at the hospital, we went to the ward where Papa breathed his final breath. Mama was there and I rushed to hug her. We cried and cried. Mak Yang and Farah Came and everyone in the room was full of tears. We couldn't believe that our man of the family, the fighter, had lost his last battle to The Almighty Allah. We were quite grateful that he passed away during the holy month of Ramadhan.
Some relatives and friends of Papa took their emergency leave from work and rushed to the hospital. Those from other countries took the first flight to KL as soon as they heard the news. We decided that the funeral would go on the next day as many relatives from other states and countries were on their way. We cleaned Papa's body and wrapped him in the "Kain Kapan" and placed him in the coffin. The coffin was then to be taken to our house from Selayang Hospital. The Mortuary van took Mama and I home with the coffin in it. Pak Ngah sat next to the driver. When we reached home, many of papa's relatives and friends had already been waiting inside and outside the house. This made mama cry even more. I couldn't stand to see her grieving like that. I held her hand as she received condolences from everyone there. We all read Yasin for him many times. That night, the body rested in the hall of our home facing the Qiblat while many people took turns reading the Quran and Yasin for him. Most of us didn't sleep. My cousins and I took turns taking care of the body by reading Yasin next to him. Papa's sisters and a few other relatives and friends slept at the house. The next day was the funeral.
The next morning, we all ate our Sahur in silence. The house had lost a dearly beloved. He was usually the one that brought light to our lives. He was the life wire of a party, a true gentleman, a melodious singer, but most importantly, a great Husband, Father, Brother, Cousin, Grandfather, Uncle and friend to many. Those who have worked for him told us how honoured they were working under his supervision.
We had prayers for him 3 days in a row. On the 40th day, we'll have some more prayers for him.
Tan Sri Dato' Haji Ahmad Sabki bin Jahidin, you will be dearly missed by family and friends. We hope your soul rests in peace.
48 Years of A Strong & Beautiful Marriage.
The Burial of The Deceased.
I Miss You, Papa.
