Mohammed, a 17-year-old handsome Arab student, recently passed away in a tragic traffic accident. The school administration, unaware of his death, sent a notice to Mohammed’s father a few days later, stating:
“Your child has not been attending school for several days. We kindly request you to provide a valid reason for his absence so that we may not deduct marks from his record.”
The father’s response to this notice moved every reader to tears. Indeed, the grief of losing a young son ages a father beyond his years.
The father’s reply has been widely shared on Arab social media, evoking sorrow and prayers. His words reflect not only the deep pain of his son’s passing but also the characteristic Arab tradition of invoking prayers in moments of both joy and grief.
Here is his heartfelt response:
Dear Principal and Respected Teachers,
Greetings filled with respect and love.
I wish to inform you that my son, my heart’s dearest piece, has departed from this world.
He has gone to meet the Most High and the Most Merciful.
Oh, how I long for the days when I would wake him up and prepare him for school, just as I used to do before. Like you, I also wish he were still alive.
May Allah forgive us and him, and admit him into the highest levels of Paradise, granting him a place among the righteous without any reckoning or punishment.
If you have deducted marks due to his absence, I humbly request you to increase his “marks” in the highest heavens with your prayers. Remember, he remains your spiritual son, even though he has left us.
I understand that your notice came from a place of unawareness, but it has reopened my wounds. Please convey my regards to his friends and teachers. Greet the chair where he used to sit, the desk where he placed his books, and the walls and corners of the school that hold his scent.
Overlook his shortcomings, and ask his teachers and friends to forgive him.
May Allah reunite us with him in the company of the Almighty King, in the assembly of truth.
With respect and love,
The child’s father, Abdul Rahman Ahmed
