ZURAIDA WAS A DEDICATED TEACHER, WELL-LOVED BY HER PUPILS - HUSBAND

MAKKAH, June 14 (Bernama) -- Mohd Azmil Abdul Hamid, the husband of the fifth Malaysian haj pilgrim who passed away in the Holy Land said he received the sad news immediately after completing the tawaf sunat (voluntary circumambulation).

Mohd Azmil, 38, from Marang, Terengganu, said that as soon as he finished the seven rounds, he received a call from the Tabung Haji (TH) authorities in front of the Kaabah, informing him about the death of his wife Zuraida Mohd Haris at 8.15 pm.

“Two hours before being informed of the news, I managed to go to the front of the Kaabah, perform the tawaf sunat, and pray earnestly for a good end for my wife.

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A week before, Mohd Azmil said that he and Zuraida, 37, who was a teacher for the Quran and Fardhu Ain (KAFA) classes at the Sekolah Rendah Agama Kampung Pandan, had fallen ill after completing their second umrah, and since then, his wife's health had deteriorated.

“However, afterward, my wife lost consciousness, and the hospital conducted scans to assess her condition. The next day, I was informed that my wife's heart had stopped for six minutes, prompting the doctors to perform immediate brain surgery,” he said.

Mohd Azmil said he was informed that typically patients would regain consciousness within 24 hours after the surgery, but his wife remained in a coma for six days.

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"Throughout her six days in a coma, I visited her constantly and prayed for her recovery. But when the doctor informed me that her blood pressure readings were dropping, I began to accept the possibility, especially when I was informed that my wife could depart at any moment," he said.

He said the funeral prayer was performed at Masjidil Haram and her remains were laid to rest at the Syuhada Al-Haram cemetery.

Mohd Azmil, who had been married to her late wife for 12 years and blessed with a daughter, described her as a devout wife and a good teacher.

He said she was willing to teach her students online until late at night, making her much beloved by her students, some of whom cried when they were informed that both of them would depart for haj recently.

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar, as well as TH's top management recently visited Mohd Azmil and four other family members of haj pilgrims who passed away in the Holy Land at the Land Premium Hotel here.

-- BERNAMA