There are some great characters in our life. They boost our morale and make us stronger with their unconditional love, support and encouragement. They are the characters, love us unconditionally and beyond limits, trust us and stay with us. They are the ones who are always more close to our heart and souls. And those strong characters belong to our family. With everything constantly changing around, there is one thing that always remains safe and unchanged for us and that is our family. The greatest gift our family gives to us is our life and love. Our family especially our beloved parents are always ready to catch us when we fall. They constantly remind us of the love and have to struggle a lot to give us comfort. It is they who suffer unbearable pains for us. We never understand the love of our parents for us; till we ourselves become parents. Our parents are truly the most important and influential people we will ever encounter on this earth.
Blessed are those who have blessings of their parents and they must be grateful to Almighty. Ah! I lost my beloved father last year who was very caring and supportive to me. The loss of one’s father marks one of the big tragedies in life. But I firmly believe my heavenly father will continue providing me the strength and support. There are times when I forget my father had left us, and there are times I can’t believe it. It’s my beloved father, who pushed me to the best. He loved me unconditionally with every possible ounce of his heart. But I wonder if we ever thanked to my beloved father for all his sacrifices! But I hope that he knew it all along, how much he meant to all of us in our family.
My beloved father was a model of truthfulness and sincerity. He was very pious, religious minded and a kind hearted soul. He was kind to everyone including birds and animals. He offered shelter to strangers in our home when they were not finding one. I remember how my beloved father taught us to feed birds before we started our own meals. No one can match his selfless love for his own mother. I remember how one day my beloved father washed his mother’s feet. Treating it as a blessing from his mother, he consumed the used water. This kind of immense faith is angelic and impossible to find in the modern days. I remember his great love and affection for his relatives and friends. He was a great symbol of harmony and he had many great friends in Hindu and Sikh families. They looked at my beloved father as their own brother. He was an exception who took greatest care of his handicapped nephew for more than thirty years. When his last Gusul (Last Bath) was performed, Azaan in a mosque (Prayer Call) was also called. A day before leaving to heavenly abode, he had wished to offer prayer in a mosque and he reached there at the same time….I could find ‘Noor’ (pious light) on my beloved father’s face while leaving this world. Surely he will be offered a good place in heaven (Aameen).
It is a fact of life that nothing but death is certain in life. I wish you my strong and caring father to come back and wrap me up again. Thank You for teaching me respect, confidence and proper etiquettes in life. I am grateful for letting me carve my own way. You have given me the greatest gift of education and the freedom of choice. Truly I wouldn’t be here without your endless sacrifices, support, love and guidance. I will forever look up to your teachings. I hope to make you proud and make the sacrifices to make the future brighter for our family. May Allah offer you a good place in paradise-Aameen. With love and hugs from your Son.
(The author is an Assistant Professor at the School of Management, ITM University Gwalior. Views are his own [email protected])
