After the death of my sister, Halima Yakubu, five years ago, no death has shocked me like that of Zainab.
I came to know Zainab sometimes in 2008, I knew her as Mama Sinani.
And I never knew she was the Zainab Musa Kperogi that I have wanted to meet until she died. We related so well, our children went to the same school, she was also looking for me, she wanted to meet my niece Sadiya in particular which my late sister left behind, Zainab and her husband were close friends of my late sister, when she finally found us she hugged Sadiya, carried her with so much passion and she prayed for her, that was how I came to know this beautiful, compassionate, amiable, kind-hearted woman, and I said to Sadiya you have found a mother, any time we meet to pick our children in school, she must come down to say hello to Sadiya.
On the naming ceremony of my son last year in June, she came with some teachers from our children’s school; the woman in her usual simplicity was simply dressed. Most of us were readers of her column, the Famme Point, but didn’t know she was the one seated in our mist. She sat down quietly and she asked, ‘what is your baby’s name?’ I answered, ‘Al- Imran’, and she said that is a beautiful name, she asked again, ‘why did you name your son Imran’, and I said ‘AI-Imran from suratul Al-Imran (Q3; 21)’ which describes exactly who Allah is. Then she said ‘you have given your son a good name, may Allah bless and guide Imran and may every word which describes Allah in suratul Al-Imran be a blessing upon your baby. Amin’, and she said to the guests ‘let us pray for Imran’. Of all the women who gathered at the naming ceremony, she was the only one who remembered to pray for my baby, this I will never forget.
The first time I visited Zainab was at the naming ceremony of her son Adam, just the way she did on my baby’s naming ceremony, I went with some teachers from our children school, and we got to the house she was not there. I met her twin sister, house help, children and the little boy, I sat for a while and I decided to go and promised to come back with my children. This promise I never fulfilled, it pained me so much, anytime we meet to pick our children in school I will tell her that I will still bring the children when I am less busy as promised, we will stay and chat for a while before the children are released from their classes.
A week before her death, we no longer had time to talk to each other as we only waved to each other as we drove in and out of the school.
On that faithful Friday, I saw Zainab in the morning, she drove into the school, dropped her children and left immediately. We did not wave each other as usua, as we were both in a hurry. In the afternoon, I had came into the school earlier and was waiting at the car park for the children to close, at exactly 1pm, the school bell rang, and I saw Zainab rushed into the school in her red Toyota salon car, as if something was chasing her, she picked her children and left immediately waving to so many people who caught her attention. I watched her from afar sitting in my car. She did not see me. I wished she saw me and wave for the last time, I picked my children and left.
At about 9pm, that Friday Umar, Sadiya’s father called to inform me of the tragic accident. I could not move for a while. I was shocked and the only thing that could come out of my lip was Innah lilahi wa Inna Ilaihi raji’un’. I quickly called my friend who knew her to tell them the bad news and everybody was just shouting, ‘the Mama Sinani that we saw this afternoon is no more.’ As at that time, we were not sure if the children were alive or dead, I could not sleep as I rolled from one corner of my bed to other, praying to Allah to spare the lives of her children.
Mama Sinani was a good woman. Her death is a great loss to humanity. I will not weep anymore, but continue to remember her with prayers and a smile and be grateful to Allah for giving me the opportunity to know this great woman. I have learnt so much from her life and death, and I will continue to tell people about this very good woman that I met.
Zainab, those short but great moments we shared together were recorded by the angels, I feel highly honored and pleased. May Allah grant you Aljana firdaus, because that is where you deserve to be and may every word which describes Allah in sura Al –Imran continue to be a blessing upon your soul. May Allah bless the children you left behind, may they be counted among the pious and your husband the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss, AMIN.
Engineer (Mrs.) Yakubu writes from FHA, Gwarimpa.
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