The Manrilla Blog | Life. Art. Religion. Culture.

I learned today from my father that a close friend of mine, Abdullah Nasr, died at the age of 40. Abdullah was a kind, gentle man. He died of a sudden heart attack while playing indoor soccer. He will be sorely missed.

I met Abdullah at the Islamic Center in Ann Arbor. He was from Palestine. A large man with a mirth to match his belly, I spent many hours at his meat market, sipping tea, eating olives and chatting in Arabic for hours. Abdullah gave me a great outlet to polish my oral skills in Arabic. He always had time for someone. He gave generously to his community. I loved his smile. When Abdullah smiled at you it felt as if clouds had moved out of the way of the sun. I remember going up to the mosque and praying the fajr prayer at 5:00am and Abdullah would be there, making the adthaan, or call to prayer. He had a surprisingly sweet voice for a man of such bulk. I will miss his laughter, his smile, his playfulness (we used to wrestle outside of the mosque after Friday Prayer). He could be seen often with a smirk on his face, laughing or playing a joke on someone. I will miss his kind, gentle heart. Ya ‘ammi. Wayn ant? Fyl jannah, in sha Allah. As-Salaamu ‘alykum was rahmatu rabbina ‘alayk.