She was a girl who struggled with poverty and lived a life of great hardship. She lived in a very modest house that was uninhabitable during the winter. It was small and damp. Worse still, she had to pay rent for it. She shared this humble home with her elderly parents, whose bodies had grown weak and whose hearts had become weary after years of hardship. They were no longer able to work. Even so, her father could not bear staying at home. From time to time, he would go out in search of work so they could put some food on the table. But because of his old age, he could not find a job. He would return home empty-handed, his face tired and filled with disappointment.
There were nights when hunger kept them awake. They could not even share their sorrows with one another because each was already wounded more deeply than the other by the hardships life had brought upon them. The beauty of this world seemed out of reach for them, because in this world, its beauty is reserved for only a fortunate few.
Yet everyone dreams of a better world in which to live. This girl’s parents also dreamed that their daughter would go to school, receive an education and become someone whose voice could be heard in the world. All they wished for was a bright future for her. She had a heart as vast as the sea and, with her kindness, tried to support her elderly parents, keep them company in their loneliness, help them through poverty and ease their sense of isolation.
She wanted to carry some of her father’s burden. By weaving carpets, she earned a little money to cover her own expenses and contribute to the needs of her elderly parents. Alongside carpet weaving, she also attended school, hoping that one day she could bring comfort to her parents’ broken hearts. This hope helped her endure a life that seemed stripped of all color and joy. In her imagination, she pictured the dreams she longed to fulfil.
She dreamed of having a life, not merely existing without meaning. She imagined a world free from broken hearts, pain and suffering. She envisioned the success she truly deserved. But life never tires of wounding people. It inflicts as many wounds as it can upon humanity and deepens those that are already there. Some events make an already dark life even darker. Fate follows its cruel course, blind to our hopes and dreams, crushing them without mercy.
Death cut short the life of a girl who dreamed of truly living, but her absence left a painful mark on history. On May 8, 2021, corresponding to the 25th day of the holy month of Ramadan, a devastating incident took place at Sayed al-Shuhada School, where the blood of hundreds of girls was spilled. This girl, too, became a victim of violence and hatred. In that horrific explosion, death was waiting for her before she had even tasted the sweetness of life. She endured bitterness and died in bitterness. She never had the chance to fulfil her dreams or become a source of support for her parents.
How cruel death is. It is a beast that sees none of the pain people endure. In a single moment, it brings everything to an end and takes away a person’s life. The girl closed her eyes to this world forever. But with her passing, her parents were left alone, and her place beside them remained forever empty.
How heartbreaking it is to lay a loved one in the cold earth. For a father, losing his beloved daughter was an unbearable pain. With a heart heavy with grief, he cried out from the depths of his soul: “I have lost everything. I no longer have the strength to go on living. We were already alone in this lonely world, but after you, we have become even lonelier.”
And the last words he said to his daughter were: “Nothing has changed for me. Just as before, I still imagine you becoming successful. In my mind, I build for you the life I could never give you, and I see the smile the world had taken away from you. I am happy that you are free now, that you have flown away and are now in the sky.”
