Remembering Abah - Part I

My Abah, Tn Hj Mohd Noor bin Tadin

1936 - 21 Sept 1990

As I wheeled him into the Operating Theater, I whispered to him to remember God and InshaAllah he would be fine and we’d be praying for his recovery. He nodded his head and with a heavy heart, I watched the hospital personnels wheel him into the OT. The nurses asked me to wait outside and they’d call for me later when the procedure was completed.

And that was the last time I spoke to him. “Him”, my Abah left us that night 21 September 1999, moments after he arrived at the OT, even before the surgeons could do anything to him.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un From Allah we come ; to Allah we return.

It has been 9 years since that fateful night at HKL. I still remember my brother and uncle’s faint voices calling out to Abah in the OT. In the beginning, there was silence and then panic voices suddenly broke the stillness in the OT.

“Abah, mengucap Bah…mengucap Bah. La illah ha-illa Allah....” That were the exact words of my brother.

Then there was silence again. Minutes later, my brother emerged from the OT and he said, “Nyah, Abah…Abah dah tak de.”

My aunty who was with me, came and hugged me. My body felt so light as if I was flying. For a while, I thought I saw flashes of light before my eyes. There was no feelings what so ever in me at that time. I stood and stared at my brother. He then said I could go into the OT and say my goodbye to Abah. I remember my other aunty’s strong grip, holding my arm and telling me to be strong.

In the OT, there he was, his eyes closed and he looked so calm. It was as if Abah was in deep sleep. No more pain, no more sadness. I just stood by him and when I felt his body, he was still warm. The whole time I felt blank. Next thing I knew was my aunty telling me, “Ida, you can kiss Abah, Ida. Cium kat kepala dia.” Obediently, I did as what she asked me to do. It was then I whispered my last good bye to my beloved Abah.

“Selamat jalan Abah. Semoga Abah selamat di sana.....”

Nyah or Anyah – the name my siblings call me by.
Ida – how I’m addressed by the rest of the family.