Homeward Bound

Alhamdulillah my short stay in Cork is coming to a close, and my purpose in coming here has come to a satisfactory conclusion. By the Grace and Blessings of ALLAH Almighty I have managed to revive Haniff's condition to a stable level which marks the first step towards normalcy in his disposition. today 21 Rejab 1431 Hijriah /23 June 2011 will be recorded in my diary as the turning point in our lives when Haniff shall travel to Dublin accompanied by Cik Afidah Arshad, the Embassy official who had tirelessly assisted in the management of Haniff's situation since he was overwhelmed by his inability to cope up with the rigorous demands of his course of studies at UCC which is one of the finest and established University in Ireland who had produced thousands of graduates in the field of Medicine and distinguished themselves in the profession all over the world.

From my vantage viewpoint the School of Medicine in UCC is one of the best Schools in it's area of specialization because the curriculum is an amalgam of theory and practice right from day one for students who chose Medicine as their choice of discipline. Haniff arrived in 2004 and underwent the Pre-Med year and along the way the curriculum was changed from the traditional syllabus of Pre-clinical and Clinical years was changed go an integrated one. Thus if he had graduated this year (discounting the repeat years in 2007 and 2010) he would have been amongst the first batch to graduate on the new module. But fate had it that Haniff suffered a bout of depression last August and Hasnul, my eldest son came to see him and that put back Haniff on track to continue his endeavor. Just before his fourth year exams, he was barred from taking it due to insufficient class attendences and other reasons best known to the School and this put him back to the situation back in August 2010. Indeed it was the last straw that breaks the camels back and I had to come here and sort out his situation,and what took place on June 11, 2011 was the most traumatic experience in my whole adult life and it was only my Faith on ALLAH's Will that saved the day for me and Nasimah. I shall never forget that fateful day in my life, where I had to grapple with my emotions, overwhelmed by the sight of Haniff crouched in his blankets on the cold floor of the Store in his house, oblivious of his surroundings and totally devastated at what was happening in his quest for that piece of paper which would have been conferred to him on the week of our arrival in Cork. Nevertheless I am going to pull him back from the precept and believe you me I am going to put him back to normalcy even if it is going to put my life on the line. There is no greater disappointment in my life greater than my inability to be with him when we were needed most, and this is it. I supplicate to ALLAH Almighty that I am given the Will and the strength to do what has to be done to come out like a Phoenix arising from the ashes. It has been proven many a times that one's failure is the motivation to one's success too because a wise person does not consider a fall to be a finality in this World of Challenges whereby only the fittest shall survive and also Thrive. QED.

A Heart rending Discovery

It was an unexpected discovery of sorts when I arrived at 32 Riverview Estate on that fateful Saturday 11 June 2011. I was prepared for the worst when I was told that Haniff would not be at the Airport to welcome Nasimah and I though we had travelled thousands of miles across the Globe to see what happened to him.

Only our Faith in ALLAH gave us the strength to pull through this traumatic discovery of him after a futile search everywhere looking for him as he was nowhere to be found around the house nor the nearby places where he used to frequent on his bicycle.

When I was told Haniff was in the Store of the house,covered in his trusted blanket, without the lights on and was locked from the inside, it was a miracle that made his housemate to enter from the other side and found him there made Nasimah and I cry our hearts out as he hid his face from us, as if he was lost in his own world. We immediately carried him to the kitchen and hugged him to our hearts content telling him that whatever had happened is all ALLAH'S WILL and we render our willing acceptance with complete submission to HIM and supplicate to HIM for our Deliverance. My heart was completely broken and my cool was completely shattered at that point of time. If ever it was due to my omission or commission of negligence on our part as parents we readily atone for them and beg forgiveness from our son and ultimately to ALLAH.

Now it has been one week we are here to salvage Haniff's future and I had been busy in sorting out many issues with regard to his mental health and overall wellbeing as well as his studies. When I met Dr.Kieran Doran last wednesday I conveyed to him in no uncertain terms that since Haniff is unable to make decisions for his future in his studies, I therefore as his Father and Guarantor takes upon myself to make him withdraw from his Medical studies forthwith and bring him home with no possibility of returning to Cork as there is no certainty that he will not suffer the same situation should he continue. He had been away too long and we wanted to nurse him back to his normal self. We just cannot afford to lose him. Fortunately his sponsor concurred and now I am delaying our flight home so that Haniff can wind up his matters regarding his personal effects etc. And say Good bye to Cork which had been his first home for almost seven years. It is a sad day for all of us to fly off from Cork this coming Friday, but our journey of discovery has added a further dimension to our lives and we shall come out braver and stronger to face this World and it's trial and tribulations. May ALLAH Bless us all.

Another Journey on Self Discovery

Today my flight not to fantasy island would be close to midnight on Friday, June 10, 2011 and I will be accompanied by my dear wife, Nasimah Ahmad Noordin. When I last met Ustaz Sharum last Monday night in Seremban, he advised me by saying, " Tuan Haji, please look at this journey as if it is another journey of the heart to perform your Hajj, the prime objective is in fact to bring you closer to your Creator, ALLAH Almighty". Never in my thoughts that my decision to fly and see my son Haniff in Cork is another Journey of the heart, MashaALLAH!

Now I am more imbued with the thought that my sacred journey is indeed carved in the righteous path of Almighty ALLAH! What an eye-opener and I thought a sacred journey is only to Makkah Al-Mukarramah or Madinatul-Munawarah! InshaALLAH, Ustaz Sharum, I shall bear in mind as to your most precious advice, as I shall go with an open mind and more importantly with an a big heart. May ALLAH bestow His Blessings on those who seek the truth and also speak and hear the truth because only then our hearts shall be opened to accept whatever comes your way whether good or bad as a Blessing in disguise.