Emotional farewell to Pakistani school boy from Ajman laid to rest in UAE
Funeral of 17-year-old, who had gone missing on April 12, took place in Dubai on May 3
Ajman: Family and loved ones bid an emotional adieu to a Pakistani school boy who was laid to rest in the UAE on Friday.
The burial of Ibrahim Muhammad, who was 17, took place in the large graveyard in Al Muhaisnah in Dubai, three weeks after he had gone missing in Ajman.
A Grade 12 student of the Pakistani School in Ajman, Ibrahim had vanished after he was questioned by his mother about unanswered calls.
According to his mother, a frantic search for him for weeks went in vain. She added that she was told he had been found dead the same night he had gone missing, after a fall from a building in Rashidiya in Ajman. "I still cannot accept what has happened to my son,” the shattered mother told Gulf News on Saturday.
She said she is seeking answers to many questions. “Some kids of his age also have also gone missing [in the past], but they all came back later. Initially, I thought he might have gone to one of his friends. I was hoping that my son would also come back safe and I was praying for him to return before his board exam starts. It was on the first day of his board exam that I got to know that he will never return. I was really shattered.”
Ibrahim’s younger brother Anas said he was missing Ibrahim, who was "nice to everyone".
High hopes
Several teachers and students from the school attended the funeral of Ibrahim after Friday prayers. His mother said his classmates and teachers were also helping in searching for him. “Some of them used to call me every day to check if there was any information about him.”
Niaz Ahmad, who taught him maths and physics in Grade 12, said the news of Ibrahim’s death shocked the entire school community.
“Ever since we heard of his disappearance, we had been discussing it and hoped that he would return home safely. We were all shocked to hear that he is no more,” he added.
He recalled Ibrahim as a student who was regular with his classwork. “I have known him ever since he was in Grade 5 and I know his younger brother also. I had never seen Ibrahim getting into fights. We had high hopes for him.”
The teacher said he was disheartened about how some teenagers have become extremely sensitive and disappear from their homes “for trivial reasons”.
“Parents may scold the kids if they are not doing the right things. They always think of the betterment of the children and advise accordingly. I hope no child takes decisions that hurt everyone.”
The teacher also offered prayers for the grieving family and for the soul of Ibrahim. “We did not have regular schools after we got to know about his death. Probably on Monday [May 6] we will organise a prayer for him in the school,” he added.
Respectful teen
Aneesur Rahman, the watchman of the building in which Ibrahim’s family lives, said he would never forget Ibrahim. “He would always greet and say something whenever he came across me. I have seen him regularly coming for prayers at the mosque. I had never seen him doing anything wrong or running around making noise or anything like that.”
He said Ibrahim called him ‘chachu’ (uncle) out of respect. “Ever since I heard he had gone missing, I would check if there was any information. When one of the tenants told me he was found dead, my eyes teared up. I was so shocked and sad,” he added.