I miss you very much, but as you said in the past, dying is not the end at all. It is in fact a new beginning as I know that you are now on your way to being re-united with Allah and your loved ones who have passed away, and life is simply a very small fraction of the eternity that our souls must endure.
I will always remember you because you were the most inspirational man ever and you cared for me very much as I did for you. You lived your life to the fullest in a way that not many others would. Whereas many people would have their ambitions set on having a successful job and a loving family, you made sure that the lives of those around you were of quality. You did this by donating endless charity to the needy and you spread your knowledge of religion, morality and ethics to others through your books and through speaking.
You passed on this knowledge to my dad, and to me as well as we used to discuss these topics very frequently; and even when I was little, you told me stories of your childhood which also co-related these topics. You recently wrote letters to your grandchildren to publish in your book and gave me one of my letters to me to read. I have started to read it and it is fascinating as it goes into life's philosophy and ethics very deeply in a way I have never quite seen before and causes me to ponder things I would not have thought about before. But you have not only shared your knowledge of life with me, you have also shared some pretty interesting and sometimes funny stories that didn't necessarily have morals to them. For example, you once told me that you ate fourteen eggs for breakfast and didn't fall sick afterwards. You were a very fun-loving person who laughed and joked around with your friends and acquaintances in addition to being a man who helped others and had very interesting intellectual debates with people.
You were always very open-minded and objective. You never judged others and would let others have their say even if you disagreed with their views. You were a very learnéd man. You were also a learnéd Muslim and understood Islam inside out which in turn strengthened your own beliefs. Whereas many Muslims would be offended when people asked questions about Islam, you were happy to answer my questions. I once asked you: "I know I am a Muslim and have been brought up as one, and I believe in God, but how do we know that Islam is the right religion and not for example, Christianity?" You then explained to me why, using science and knowledge to support your points. You told me how the Qur'an is the most recent holy book and is therefore more likely to be more authentic, and that the Qur'an itself has many similarities to the Bible but the Qur'an states that it is written in the exact words of Allah, whereas the Bible is written in the words of certain individuals and is based on what they saw. And you told me that the Qur'an has no contradictions with science, and many many other things. This certainly strengthened my beliefs further.
The way you died and the way you took your suffering also taught me many things and strengthened my beliefs in Allah even more. For example, when you were suffering in hospital, you saw my mother visibly upset and told her that you did not mind the pain because it was Allah's wish and you had to endure it. The day before you died, when you were severely ill, you could not move your fingers properly, you had hardly any energy, and you could not see properly because of your cataract but you still took the time to write a thank you letter to the nurse who had looked after you and you even apologised for your handwriting not being neat. You also said that you did not fear death (only the pain of your soul being separated from your body and we pray to ease this pain). This was because you had such strong belief in Allah and you knew that there is life after death. Luckily, you did not suffer at the time of when you died and you passed away painlessly in your sleep, surrounded by your loved ones.
I am still young, but because of the way you embraced life and death with such bravery and faith, I am now not afraid of death. The loss of your life is irreparable but I will try my best to carry on your legacy and lead a purposeful life in which I will affect the lives of others positively as well as lead a good life for myself, just like you did.
Love and respect from
Zora
(your eldest granddaughter)
P.S. As I feel Allah's presence around me, I also know that you are not truly gone for I also feel your presence around me.