The passing away of a good uncle .

On 8th.Aug.2007 at about 5.00 pm. I received a call from my brother Muttakin informing me that our uncle Hj.Hussein was critically ill at the Ampang ,Hospital . A few minutes later I was informed by my cousin Yassin that our uncle had passed away . I was stunned for a moment and felt very sad upon hearing of his death because he was my last late father's surviving brother .

Spontaneously, I told my wife I wanted to visit his remains at his house in Kg.baru Ampang,Kuala Lumpur to show our last respect for him and that she should follow me . I was sad whe she told me that we should not go that day but to wait till the next day for his burial .I told her I might not be able to sleep that night if did not go because that uncle meant so much to me .Finally , after much argument and a small quarrel she agreed to go with me after our Maghrib prayers .We reached Kg.Baru ,Ampang just in time for me to perform mass Isyak prayers at the mosque just opposite my late uncle's house . After the prayer we went to the house . I then recited the verse 'Yassin' for my late uncle and pray to Allah that he would be accepted among the good faithfulls . We went back home at about midnight .We decided not to attend the burial .

The last time I saw my late uncle was about a year ago when he came to our house during my son's wedding . He was around 80 years old . He was the owner of a tailoring shop in Jalan Raja Muda , in Kuala Lumpur . My late uncle stayed almost 15 years in Mecca and Cairo where he had a tailoring shop there too .When he returned to Malaysia in the 1960s he continued his tailoring business in Kuala Lumpur .He got married a bit late and he is survived by his wife and five children . His only son is now following his footsteps to continue the family business .

What makes me feel indebted to him was whenever I came to Kuala Lumpur for my interview either to continue my studies or for a job , I would stay in his house ,then at Kg.Baru . This was because his house was the nearest to the venue of my interview . I still remember his house at that time which was just a wooden squatter house . When his house was demolished to let go for development he was allocated a piece of land at Kg.Baru ,Ampang ,where his house is today .

Like my late father , my uncle did not talk much . A very soft spoken person but very kind at heart . One thing good about him was I could see him at almost every weddings of our relatives .

Now ,I have lost a good uncle whom we would look for , either for advice or blessings . Perhaps it is my turn to be the old man in the family ,whom they ( the younger generation ) would look for .

Well , that is life . May Allah accept him among the good faithfulls . Amin .