The Eyes of the Living

This is dedicated to all the Fathers in the world, who stood up and took care of their families. Fathers that were role models inside and outside of their homes. Fathers who looked past their own lifetimes, and worked to help future generations succeed. Fathers who did what Allah and his Prophet asked them to do. May Allah grant them his mercy, and may we all learn from them.

The Eyes of the Living

Covered in dust, the young man emerges from the hole. His brother at the top extends his hand down to help him out. He steps out, squinting, in the bright morning sunlight, his eyes still adjusted to darkness of the grave. The day was already warm, and he was openly sweating, staining through his undershirt and soaking the upper half of his thobe. But, he felt cold. It was as if the grave sucked the warmth from him, but that wasn’t the only chill he felt. He felt cold in his heart, devoid of emotion. Nothing seemed to matter anymore, his problems at work, with his wife, with his friends, all placed on hold. He was finding it difficult to focus, his mind refusing to accept what was happening.

He looks around at the mourners that have gathered. So many eyes, so many emotions. People he knows and many he doesn’t have all come to honor this man. Each and every one of them know this man in some way or another. They may have been relatives, best friends, or just people he met at some point in time. Yet, they have all cleared out their schedules, made the long trip from Jeddah to Makkah, leaving their homes long before dawn so they could attend the prayer and funeral.

He looks at his brother, but he sees eyes filled with sadness. He sees the tears hiding just behind them. They want to escape, but he holds them back with all his will. He sees in them courage. The courage of a son that is fighting to prove to his father that he is now a man. He looks down into the open grave and tells his father that he may rest in peace, because he will take care of the family from now on. He tells his father that he need not worry, he will live up to standard that his father set. His brother looks at him, and without a word, they both know they had a long road ahead of them, and they knew that both of them together would find it difficult filling their fathers shoes.

He recognizes some of the people around him. Closest of which were his uncles. They were also his fathers cousins. They grew up together, they were best friends their entire lives, and that friendship carried on to their children. They were the young mans cousins also. Even more than cousins, they were his brothers, and they were standing there also. The look in the eyes of his uncles’, convey a sense of loss. They lost one of their best friends. A constant figure in their group, he is always the first to show up to their celebrations, and to mourn with them on their losses. Their eyes are forever changed, a small bit of light is gone from them and will never return.

The young man notices some elderly gentlemen standing together to one side. He remembers their faces from his childhood. These were his fathers colleagues. He looks into their eyes and sees the eyes of people who are lost. He was a leader figure to them. He was someone they trusted and looked to as their compass. They knew he held the best interests of them all before himself, and they were wondering how things will change now that he’s gone.

The young man looks over to the side, and standing apart from everyone he sees an old man, clearly Pakistani or Indian. His eyes are red with tears, but behind those tears he sees despair. The man received a monthly sum from the father. No one knew about this even the young man. The monthly sum helped him overcome difficulties with his family back home. It helped give his children an education and helped him pay off the unfair debts imposed by his host. His despair was not of losing that sum, instead he was in despair over how he would not be able to thank him, or show him the pictures of his sons graduation in his home country, or of the Masjid he helped build.

He sees some people scattered across, he recognizes some of them as friends from when his father was studying abroad. He remembers one of them in particular. His eyes show disbelief. The man landed in Seattle, the first time he has ever left his country. He knows nobody in this strange country, but for some reason this gentleman meets him at the gate and tells him that he studies with him in the University he’s attending. He opens his home to him, gives him the guest room until he is able to find an apartment for himself. He drives him around until he can find a car for himself. After all this, he refuses to take any money from him. He tells him that when he first arrived, he wished someone had helped him figure out what to do, so he just helps anyone that needs it.

They are about to close the grave. Silence takes engulfs the assembly. The mood is somber. Everyone lowers their eyes in respect. The young man closes his eyes, and he sees the image of his father. The image is clear as day. He looks into the eyes of his father. He expects to see sadness, longing, or fear. Instead he sees happiness. He sees in his fathers eyes a life well lived. A life dedicated to his family, giving his family everything they needed. He sees wisdom, teaching his children all the skills they needed to succeed in the world. He sees respect. Respect for all people big and small, white or black, man or woman. He sees a man who can go in front of Allah with no fear, because he has passed his test.

Now the grave is closed. Slowly the assembly breaks up. They each say a short prayer for their brother, cousin, and friend as they depart. They whisper their condolences to the brothers, and go back to their own lives. Each one having gained a sense of their own mortality, and the legacy they will leave behind when their time comes.

The doors to the graveyard are now closed. The brothers stand alone outside the doors. The sadness they felt as they came in is now replaced by a sense of responsibility. A sense of pride for their father who lived his life the way everyone should. A sense of respect for the time they have on this Earth, and how fast it can move if you don’t use it wisely. A sense of love for one another. Their father is resting in peace now, but their time hasn’t come yet. Their test still continues.