Assalamu’alaikum Nabra. Peace be upon you. You don’t know me, nor do I know much about you, but the world knows your name. When my heart is heavy I tend to pick up my virtual pen and write, so I write this piece to you, despite the fact that you’ll never read it. You’ll never read it because God took you from this world. That’s important for me to remember. That sick, barbaric man did not take you. God took you and honored you.
You were taken in the holy month of Ramadan. You were killed in the last ten nights, on an odd night, possibly the most blessed night in the entire year. You died on your way between suhoor, a sunnah of the Prophet, and the masjid, a house of God. You died the death of a martyr, God willing. I know your family is in a lot of pain, and many Muslims are heartbroken as well. Yet, I want to take a minute to remind myself and us all that you, Nabra, did not lose. God granted you an honorable status. Millions of Muslims and non-Muslims prayed for you and will continue to pray for you. The loser is the one sitting in a jail cell while you rejoice with your Lord.
I’m sorry for everything that led up to your death. I’m sorry for everyone who left you behind. I’m sorry for the pain you felt in your last moments. That being said, I want to look ahead.
America failed you, but your Lord didn’t. Nobody can promise anyone that America will not fail them, so our only outlet is to seek nearness to our Lord. Your death has increased many of us in piety and taught us the swiftness of our time in this world. Your death gave our faith life. You’re a martyr for all believers. May God bestow his limitless mercy upon your soul and keep your name on the tongue of those praying, until the end of time. Peace.
To those who read this, please make it a habit to pray for Nabra during your remaining prostrations in prayer this Ramadan. Pray for her forgiveness, and pray for God to increase her family in patience. None of us can imagine how they are feeling, but God can, so pray to him. Please refrain from arguing about arbitrary details of the incident and just do what you can to help. You can donate here.
