{"id":3108,"date":"2026-09-30T19:44:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T19:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bittertruth.uk\/en\/?p=3108"},"modified":"2026-09-30T19:44:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T19:44:04","slug":"the-last-journey-the-first-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bittertruth.uk\/en\/the-last-journey-the-first-return\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last Journey, the First Return<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between Earth and Heaven: Separation, Reunion and the Life Everlasting<\/strong><\/p>\n

Until yesterday, he was among us. The mention of his name would bring recognition to a face, a familiar voice to a home, a quiet assurance to the bonds of kinship. Then came the news, and the world whose roads, seasons and daily habits we knew became strange to us in an instant. My brother-in-law had died. That was his place in the family, but affection had long since given him the place of a brother. A family tree may assign a relationship its proper name; the heart keeps a deeper word in its own vocabulary.<\/p>\n

I was on my journey home. Beyond the aircraft window were the clouds; within it, the subdued preoccupations of the passengers. The pilot announced our altitude: sixty thousand feet. The figure itself ceased to matter. One thought took possession of me: however high a man may rise above the earth, the memory of someone dear whom he has left upon it travels with him. I was moving through the sky, while my heart was returning to a grave.<\/p>\n

I have written nearly eighty books. There can be few subjects in life to which I have not turned my pen. My columns and essays reach millions of readers each day. Yet there are hours of grief in which a person stands speechless before everything he has ever written. One can find words of consolation for others; finding them for the ache within one\u2019s own breast is another matter. Knowledge helps us understand death. Love, when death comes, still weeps.<\/p>\n

In that silence, a declaration of the Qur\u2019an sounded within me:
\n\u0643\u064f\u0644\u0651\u064f \u0646\u064e\u0641\u0652\u0633\u064d \u0630\u064e\u0627\u0626\u0650\u0642\u064e\u0629\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0645\u064e\u0648\u0652\u062a\u0650 \u06d6 \u062b\u064f\u0645\u0651\u064e \u0625\u0650\u0644\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0646\u064e\u0627 \u062a\u064f\u0631\u0652\u062c\u064e\u0639\u064f\u0648\u0646\u064e
\n\u201cEvery soul shall taste death; then to Us you shall be returned.\u201d<\/strong>
\n\u2014 The Qur\u2019an, al-\u2018Ankab\u016bt 29:57
\nThe verse places two truths before us: death will come, and beyond it lies a return. The first shakes the heart; the second does not leave it without direction. We do not mourn those we love because we were ignorant of death. We mourn because knowledge cannot take the place of their nearness.<\/p>\n

The Chair Left Empty<\/strong>
\nAfter a death in the family, what wounds the heart most deeply is often no grand emblem of loss. It is an empty chair. An ordinary object left upon a table. A name preserved in a telephone, which the finger can still touch although no answer will come from the other end. We discover, with astonishment, how much room one person occupied in life\u2014and how much more room his absence can occupy.<\/p>\n

Those who come to offer condolences have heard of an event. The family discovers that event afresh each morning. A door opens, and the eye turns instinctively towards the place where he used to appear. The table is laid, and one place confronts us with its question. Some small happiness arises and immediately comes the thought: How glad he would have been to hear this.
\nThat is the enduring severity of separation. Death occurs on one day; its absence enters daily life for a long time afterwards. To honour grief is to refrain from demanding that the bereaved return quickly to their former selves. Let them speak their loved one\u2019s name, tell a remembered story, sometimes cry and sometimes remain silent. Love needs time to acknowledge what it has lost.<\/p>\n

He dwelt so long within the house of the heart
\nThat, when he left, the house remained in sorrow.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Messenger of Allah \ufdfa shed tears at the death of his son Ibr\u0101h\u012bm. He taught that the eyes weep and the heart grieves, while the tongue says only what is pleasing to the Lord. There is great mercy for the bereaved in that example. Patience does not require a heart of stone. Tears are one language of love; patience is to suffer grief without losing trust in God.<\/p>\n

The Traveller\u2019s Illusion<\/strong>
\nWhen I look down from an aircraft window, cities lose their apparent immensity. The roads along which we travel with such a sense of our own importance become fine lines. Buildings whose names find their way into histories become small marks upon the earth. Height alters our perspective. It also recalls us to a truth about ourselves: our busy lives seem vast from within, but the time allotted to us is limited.<\/p>\n

On the ground we make plans, build homes, dream for our children and debate the future of nations. These are proper and necessary concerns of life. The danger begins when a traveller mistakes his journey for a permanent abode. He gathers so much baggage that he forgets his destination and becomes so consumed by his affairs that sitting with someone he loves begins to seem a waste of time.<\/p>\n

When death comes close to home, it quietly rearranges our priorities. Arguments we once had to win appear unworthy of their cost. Apologies postponed until tomorrow trouble the heart like thorns. A person begins to ask: Did I speak with him enough? Did I ask, with genuine care, how he was? Did I tell him I loved him, or merely assume he knew?<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most meaningful effect of remembering death is that it improves how we treat the living. Make time today for the person sitting before you. Where there is estrangement, seek a path towards reconciliation. Where a debt of care or justice is owed, discharge it. If we return from a funeral no gentler than we went, we have heard a profound admonition without allowing it to reach our habits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe Belong to Allah\u201d
\nThe Qur\u2019an gives those struck by calamity these words:
\n\u0627\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0630\u0650\u064a\u0646\u064e \u0625\u0650\u0630\u064e\u0627 \u0623\u064e\u0635\u064e\u0627\u0628\u064e\u062a\u0652\u0647\u064f\u0645\u0652 \u0645\u064f\u0635\u0650\u064a\u0628\u064e\u0629\u064c \u0642\u064e\u0627\u0644\u064f\u0648\u0627 \u0625\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0627 \u0644\u0650\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0647\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0625\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0627 \u0625\u0650\u0644\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0647\u0650 \u0631\u064e\u0627\u062c\u0650\u0639\u064f\u0648\u0646\u064e
\n\u201cThose who, when calamity befalls them, say: \u2018Truly, we belong to Allah, and truly, to Him we shall return.\u2019\u201d<\/strong>
\n\u2014 The Qur\u2019an, al-Baqarah 2:156
\nWe often recite these words as soon as we hear the news. But pause, for a moment, between their two parts. We belong to Allah: our lives, our strength, our years, and even those dear to us whom we call our own are gifts entrusted by Him. To Him we shall return: this departure takes place in a universe whose Lord knows us, knows our sorrow and does not lose sight of the one who has gone before us.<\/p>\n

Such a conviction should never be laid upon a grieving heart like an order. It is better understood slowly, sitting beside that person, perhaps holding a hand. One may say inn\u0101 lill\u0101h and also say, \u201cMy heart is breaking.\u201d Devotion to God and the sharp pain of separation can dwell together. Sometimes a prayer is uttered through tears.<\/p>\n

We love our families deeply, yet we cannot shield them from the passage of time. A mother draws her child to her breast but cannot spare that child every hurt. A brother cares for his brother but cannot add a single day to his allotted life. To recognise this helplessness is to become humble. We learn that our final hope of protection rests with the One to whose care we entrust those we love, both while they live and when they depart.<\/p>\n

When I recite inn\u0101 lill\u0101h for my brother-in-law, the words do not make my sorrow small. They give it shelter. I say to my Lord: he lived among us, and we loved him; now we entrust him to Your mercy. Our sight cannot follow him to where he has gone. Your mercy can reach him there.<\/p>\n

Death and the Question of Life
\nThroughout history, humanity has questioned death. Conquerors extended the borders of empires but could not extend the borders of their own lives. Thinkers untangled the problems of their age, yet their eyes, too, filled with tears when someone dear was taken. Poets gave words to the longing for permanence; builders carved their names into stone. Every age has found its own way of standing before mortality.<\/p>\n

Islam does not dismiss this human restlessness. It asks us to consider it seriously. If this world is the final destination of every deed, where is justice to be completed? What becomes of loves left unfinished by death? Where will the cries of the oppressed be heard when they have gone unanswered on earth? Faith in the Hereafter sets these questions within a vision of moral accountability. It tells us that what has happened in this world does not lose its moral weight when a life ends.<\/p>\n

The Qur\u2019an says:
\n\u0643\u064f\u0644\u0651\u064f \u0646\u064e\u0641\u0652\u0633\u064d \u0630\u064e\u0627\u0626\u0650\u0642\u064e\u0629\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0645\u064e\u0648\u0652\u062a\u0650 \u06d7 \u0648\u064e\u0625\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0645\u064e\u0627\u062a\u064f\u0648\u064e\u0641\u0651\u064e\u0648\u0652\u0646\u064e \u0623\u064f\u062c\u064f\u0648\u0631\u064e\u0643\u064f\u0645\u0652 \u064a\u064e\u0648\u0652\u0645\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0642\u0650\u064a\u064e\u0627\u0645\u064e\u0629\u0650 \u06d6 \u0641\u064e\u0645\u064e\u0646\u0652 \u0632\u064f\u062d\u0652\u0632\u0650\u062d\u064e \u0639\u064e\u0646\u0650 \u0627\u0644\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0627\u0631\u0650\u0648\u064e\u0623\u064f\u062f\u0652\u062e\u0650\u0644\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0652\u062c\u064e\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0629\u064e \u0641\u064e\u0642\u064e\u062f\u0652\u0641\u064e\u0627\u0632\u064e \u06d7 \u0648\u064e\u0645\u064e\u0627\u0627\u0644\u0652\u062d\u064e\u064a\u064e\u0627\u0629\u064f \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0651\u064f\u0646\u0652\u064a\u064e\u0627 \u0625\u0650\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0627 \u0645\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0627\u0639\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0652\u063a\u064f\u0631\u064f\u0648\u0631\u0650
\n\u201cEvery soul shall taste death. You shall receive your recompense in full on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is drawn away from the Fire and admitted into Paradise has indeed succeeded. The life of this world is but an enjoyment that deceives.\u201d<\/strong>
\n\u2014 The Qur\u2019an, \u0100l \u2018Imr\u0101n 3:185 <\/p>\n

Before that measure of success, the glitter of fame grows dim. The pages I have written, the columns that are read and the number of my readers place responsibilities upon me; they confer no certificate of salvation. More searching than the number of books is the question of how faithfully they served the truth. Did my words give hope to a troubled heart, or deepen hostility? Did my pen speak for the vulnerable, or defer to the preferences of the powerful? For a man who has spent his life writing about life, death becomes the sternest reader of his work.<\/p>\n

When the pages of a lifetime are turned,
\nOur deeds stand forth more plainly than our words.<\/p>\n

The thought brings fear, but it also leaves room for amendment. We are still alive. A pen can still be lifted; a right can still be honoured; forgiveness can still be sought; a prayer can still be made. The death of someone dear makes that remaining opportunity visible. Tomorrow is not ours to command. Some part of today is still in our hands.<\/p>\n

The Hope of Reunion<\/strong>
\nSeparation is felt; the hope of reunion draws its strength from faith. The distinction matters. We have no authority to turn our wishes for a person we have buried into a certain judgement about his final state. We pray for his mercy, forgiveness and admission to Paradise. We hope well of Allah and take heart from His promises, while leaving the final knowledge of any individual\u2019s fate to Him.<\/p>\n

This restraint does not diminish hope. It is a form of reverence. The Qur\u2019an speaks of believers being joined with their descendants who follow them in faith:
\n\u0648\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0630\u0650\u064a\u0646\u064e \u0622\u0645\u064e\u0646\u064f\u0648\u0627 \u0648\u064e\u0627\u062a\u0651\u064e\u0628\u064e\u0639\u064e\u062a\u0652\u0647\u064f\u0645\u0652 \u0630\u064f\u0631\u0651\u0650\u064a\u0651\u064e\u062a\u064f\u0647\u064f\u0645\u0652 \u0628\u0650\u0625\u0650\u064a\u0645\u064e\u0627\u0646\u064d \u0623\u064e\u0644\u0652\u062d\u064e\u0642\u0652\u0646\u064e\u0627 \u0628\u0650\u0647\u0650\u0645\u0652 \u0630\u064f\u0631\u0651\u0650\u064a\u0651\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0647\u064f\u0645\u0652 \u0648\u064e\u0645\u064e\u0627 \u0623\u064e\u0644\u064e\u062a\u0652\u0646\u064e\u0627\u0647\u064f\u0645\u0652 \u0645\u0650\u0646\u0652 \u0639\u064e\u0645\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0647\u0650\u0645\u0652 \u0645\u0650\u0646\u0652 \u0634\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0621\u064d \u06da \u0643\u064f\u0644\u0651\u064f \u0627\u0645\u0652\u0631\u0650\u0626\u064d \u0628\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0627 \u0643\u064e\u0633\u064e\u0628\u064e \u0631\u064e\u0647\u0650\u064a\u0646\u064c
\n\u201cAs for those who believed, and whose descendants followed them in faith, We shall join their descendants with them; nor shall We diminish anything of their deeds. Every person is held to account for what he has earned.\u201d<\/strong>
\n\u2014 The Qur\u2019an, al-\u1e6c\u016br 52:21 <\/p>\n

For a heart bearing separation, that promise opens a horizon. Meetings in this world are measured by hours. The fulfilment of the Hereafter is not subject to the passing time whose end we dread here.<\/p>\n

Hope of reunion does not instantly remove the pain of parting. So long as we live here, the empty chair will remain visible, and an old photograph may still bring tears. Yet hope gives us strength to live within that pain. It asks us to give love a path through prayer: to speak well of the departed, stand beside his family, carry something good of his into our own lives, and help settle any rights or obligations he may have left behind. Memory can become a cause of good as well as a wound.<\/p>\n

When I remember my brother-in-law, I shall perhaps return to the same recollections many times: the sound of his voice, an old meeting, some remark whose full value I did not recognise when it was made. This is the way of grief. It brings ordinary moments back to us clothed in extraordinary meaning. We need not flee those memories. We can hold them with respect, and carry them with us into prayer.<\/p>\n

The Family\u2019s Share of Patience<\/strong>
\nA death reaches each member of a family by a different path. For my sister, it is the loss of her husband. For their children and other loved ones, it takes another form. My own sorrow bears the colour of a brotherly closeness. None of us can take another\u2019s grief entirely into ourselves. We can, however, make room for one another.<\/p>\n

In the first days of mourning, people gather around the family. Then life resumes its pace and visits of condolence grow fewer. The need for companionship remains. Taking care of a necessary task, telephoning to ask after someone, mentioning the departed with affection, or sitting quietly without offering advice: each can be a way of sharing the work of patience. Do not require the family to demonstrate their strength. Stay close enough that they need not fear showing their weakness.<\/p>\n

The Qur\u2019an gives glad tidings to the patient, but first it speaks plainly of the trials through which they pass:
\n\u0648\u064e\u0644\u064e\u0646\u064e\u0628\u0652\u0644\u064f\u0648\u064e\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0643\u064f\u0645\u0652 \u0628\u0650\u0634\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0621\u064d \u0645\u0650\u0646\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0652\u062e\u064e\u0648\u0652\u0641\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0652\u062c\u064f\u0648\u0639\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0646\u064e\u0642\u0652\u0635\u064d \u0645\u0650\u0646\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0623\u064e\u0645\u0652\u0648\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0627\u0644\u0652\u0623\u064e\u0646\u0652\u0641\u064f\u0633\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0627\u0644\u062b\u0651\u064e\u0645\u064e\u0631\u064e\u0627\u062a\u0650 \u06d7 \u0648\u064e\u0628\u064e\u0634\u0651\u0650\u0631\u0650 \u0627\u0644\u0635\u0651\u064e\u0627\u0628\u0650\u0631\u0650\u064a\u0646\u064e
\n\u201cWe shall certainly test you with a measure of fear and hunger, and with loss of wealth, lives and fruits. Give glad tidings to those who are patient.\u201d
\n\u0627\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0630\u0650\u064a\u0646\u064e \u0625\u0650\u0630\u064e\u0627 \u0623\u064e\u0635\u064e\u0627\u0628\u064e\u062a\u0652\u0647\u064f\u0645\u0652 \u0645\u064f\u0635\u0650\u064a\u0628\u064e\u0629\u064c \u0642\u064e\u0627\u0644\u064f\u0648\u0627 \u0625\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0627 \u0644\u0650\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0647\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0625\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0627 \u0625\u0650\u0644\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0647\u0650 \u0631\u064e\u0627\u062c\u0650\u0639\u064f\u0648\u0646\u064e
\n\u201cThose who, when calamity befalls them, say: \u2018Truly, we belong to Allah, and truly, to Him we shall return.\u2019\u201d
\n\u0623\u064f\u0648\u0644\u064e\u0670\u0626\u0650\u0643\u064e \u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0647\u0650\u0645\u0652 \u0635\u064e\u0644\u064e\u0648\u064e\u0627\u062a\u064c \u0645\u0650\u0646\u0652 \u0631\u064e\u0628\u0651\u0650\u0647\u0650\u0645\u0652 \u0648\u064e\u0631\u064e\u062d\u0652\u0645\u064e\u0629\u064c \u06d6 \u0648\u064e\u0623\u064f\u0648\u0644\u064e\u0670\u0626\u0650\u0643\u064e \u0647\u064f\u0645\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0645\u064f\u0647\u0652\u062a\u064e\u062f\u064f\u0648\u0646\u064e
\n\u201cUpon them are blessings and mercy from their Lord; and it is they who are rightly guided.\u201d<\/strong>
\n\u2014 The Qur\u2019an, al-Baqarah 2:155\u2013157 <\/p>\n

Revelation does not avert its gaze from human suffering. The path to patience passes through pain. For one person it means a silent prayer; for another, caring for the children; for another still, simply living through one day at a time.<\/p>\n

We should also remember that a person who appears strong may need support. Someone who has advised others throughout his life may, when death enters his own family, need the kindness of another voice. I have written and spoken much. Today I may need to listen more, remember more, and bring fewer words but more of my heart before my Lord.<\/p>\n

In this hour of grief, I am deeply grateful to the relatives, friends and well-wishers whose condolences, prayers and affection have sustained my family and me. I am especially grateful to Hafiz Tahir in Pakistan, whom I regard as a spiritual son. The sincerity and timeliness of his consolation will remain with me. His words recalled the Qur\u2019an, counselled patience and carried the tenderness of a loving son; in this hour of separation, they gave me courage. At times no argument lightens the weight of sorrow. Allah may instead place a word of comfort upon the lips of a sincere person, and that word reaches the heart. For me, Hafiz Tahir\u2019s words were such a gift. May Allah reward him, and all those who have remembered us in their prayers and affection.<\/p>\n

That Moment Above the Clouds
\nThe flight continued. Light spread over the clouds, while the earth lay somewhere far below. It occurred to me that, in air travel, we trust the pilot, the aircraft and its systems to bring us to our destination. On the journey of life, too, we know many things while much remains hidden from us. The next turn lies beyond our sight. The death of someone dear suddenly makes that unseen limit impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n

I kept looking through the window. The pain of separation remained. Yet within that pain a prayer arose: O Allah, the one whom we cannot bring back, do not withhold Your mercy from him. Let us be a cause of good for him. Let gratitude abide alongside his memory in our hearts: gratitude for the time we were given together, for the meetings in which we laughed, and for the words now entrusted to our keeping.<\/p>\n

We often understand reunion only as meeting again. Yet within this life there is another way to remain connected to someone we love: through the good that his memory moves us to do. It is no substitute for the meeting we hope for in the Hereafter. It is a task given to the heart during separation. To name him in prayer, care for those he loved and put our own lives in better order is to turn love into living action.<\/p>\n

The Qur\u2019an says:
\n\u0627\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0630\u0650\u064a\u0646\u064e \u0622\u0645\u064e\u0646\u064f\u0648\u0627 \u0648\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0637\u0652\u0645\u064e\u0626\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064f \u0642\u064f\u0644\u064f\u0648\u0628\u064f\u0647\u064f\u0645\u0652 \u0628\u0650\u0630\u0650\u0643\u0652\u0631\u0650 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0647\u0650 \u06d7 \u0623\u064e\u0644\u064e\u0627 \u0628\u0650\u0630\u0650\u0643\u0652\u0631\u0650 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0647\u0650 \u062a\u064e\u0637\u0652\u0645\u064e\u0626\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0642\u064f\u0644\u064f\u0648\u0628\u064f
\n\u201cThose who believe, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah\u2014surely, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.\u201d<\/strong>
\n\u2014 The Qur\u2019an, al-Ra\u2018d 13:28 <\/p>\n

Rest does not mean that remembrance of the departed ceases. A heart may find peace while the eyes remain wet. A servant may bow before the decree of Allah and still weep for someone dear. I find consolation in allowing both truths their place. Faith does not ask me to abandon love; it teaches me how love, after separation, may continue as prayer.<\/p>\n

The Return
\nAt last, the aircraft will land. The passengers will collect their belongings and make for their homes. I, too, shall return to mine. Yet I know I cannot return as the person I was before this journey. The death of someone dear has reminded me that the pages of a life are numbered, and that what is written upon them is made by more than a pen. Our decisions, relationships, honesty, worship and kindness: these are all words in that account.<\/p>\n

My prayer for my brother-in-law is this: O Allah, pardon his shortcomings and accept his good deeds. Grant his grave spaciousness and light. Give his wife, children and all his family a patience in which they may feel Your nearness. Enable us to honour his rights and the love he gave us. And when the hour of our own return arrives, receive us with mercy.<\/p>\n

I sit between earth and heaven, arranging these lines within my heart. Below me are the dwellings of humankind; above me, an expanse without visible end. Within me is the sorrow of losing a brother, and alongside it, hope in my Lord. I do not know the time, place or outcome of our next meeting. That is why I make no claim. I pray.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this is the truest thing I can say today about separation and reunion: we weep when someone dear departs; we ask mercy for him; and we live what remains of our own lives knowing that one day we, too, must return. Our time together on earth was brief. The good his love taught us to do is now ours to keep alive.<\/p>\n

Though parted, he will travel with us in our prayers;
\nThe lamp of memory will keep its home within our hearts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Between Earth and Heaven: Separation, Reunion and the Life Everlasting Until yesterday, he was among us. The mention of his name would bring recognition to a face, a familiar voice to a home, a quiet assurance to the bonds of kinship. Then came the news, and the world whose roads, seasons and daily habits we …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,39,28,27,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-featured-columns","category-islam","category-today-columns","category-top-articles"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Last Journey | the First Return<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Within me is the sorrow of losing a brother, and alongside it, hope in my Lord. 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