I was chairing a postgraduate viva session at one of the departments in the campus. Everyone was diligently paying attention when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Dr. B, one of the panel members of the meeting and a programme chairman of the department, rose to answer and he then disappeared behind the door.
I continued the session which was nearly at the finishing line.
Dr. B returned to his seat, his face suddenly looking very drawn. There were traces of sadness in his eyes. All of a sudden, he said, “Excuse me. I am very sorry, I just cannot concentrate anymore.”
I cast him an annoyed look. So did the others.
“There has been a terrible accident. One of our department’s postgraduate students. At the main gate to our campus here. And she is dead. I have to be excused. I need to attend to her matters. Please go ahead with the meeting,” said he, as he rose up to go.
We listened and watched, electrified.
I came to my senses and summoned myself to say, “It is all right. We are nearing the end anyway, aren’t we?” I looked around at the other faces. Nods everywhere.
By the time I was back at my own department, the news had spread. Apparently, the hardworking student who was on her motorbike, was a victim of a reckless driver of a car, which sped across the red light right in front of the campus. It was such disheartening news…
I wonder what were in the minds of her housemates. Most probably she was with them, all day long the day before, talking, eating, laughing and the next day, she was gone…
I wonder too how her mum would cope with this news. So sudden…
I remembered something my son told me. A friend of his had been called back home. He was doing his housemanship training at a hospital back in the UK. During his undergraduate studies as a medical student at the University of Sheffield (both my husband and I studied there more than 30 years ago), he was diagnosed with lymphoma, a kind of blood cancer. He had undergone chemotherapy many times before and the cancer had come back. The doctors had done all that they could do. His parents has asked him to come back. Watching his message (here), I could not help holding back my tears….
That afternoon, as I was driving back home, I stopped the car momentarily at the junction of the campus main gate, waiting for the green light. As I turned my face towards the left, I could see the remnants of what used to be a helmet, the pieces scattered all over the side walk. I was in tears again…
As a Muslim, we are constantly reminded to ponder over a Hadith. In this hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a man while he was advising him:
"Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; and your health, before you fall sick; and your richness, before you become poor; and your free time before you become busy; and your life, before your death." ~Al Hakim and Al Baihaqi~
I am reminding myself. I do hope you are reminded too….
