A Muslim couple who lost their 2-year-old son to heart disease have decided to create a legacy for him, starting a family tradition of giving out toys to patients on the cardiac wards in hospitals.
Yahya Rawat was born with a number of heart complications and was not expected to survive beyond two months. He died in his mother’s arm aged two during Ramadan in May 2020.
After his death, mum Asiya and her husband, Imran, used to take gifts to the former Children’s Cardiac ward at Glenfield Hospital.
As the cardiac ward moved to a new £14.5 million purpose-built facility at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Asiya and Imran are aiming to do the same for patients at the new unit.
“Yahya passed when he was two years old. And although our hearts ache for him, we are tied to him by this amazing tradition we’ve started,” Asiya told Leicestershire Live.
“We’re grateful that in the two years of his life, Yahya didn’t have to spend any `Eid celebration in the hospital. But he passed in the month of Ramadan. Had he not passed in that time, he could have still been with us for `Eid that year too.”
In addition to donating toys, Asiya is collaborating with Ramadan Radio to share stories like Yahya’s from the children’s hospital in a bid to raise £3,000 which will be spent on toy hampers for patients across all children’s wards this `Eid.
“Being in hospital or having a child in hospital at a time of celebration or joy can be so difficult, especially during a time when visits to the ward are so limited,” she said.
“So if can just bring a little bit of joy to the families and to the staff – because it impacts them too – we’d be so happy.”
There are many texts in the Qur’an and Sunnah which point to the virtue and great reward of those who are patient and state that Allah will give them reward without measure.
Allah say in the Qur’an, Surah al-Baqarah verse 155, “And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As- Saabiroon (the patient)”
Undoubtedly the loss of a child is one of the greatest calamities for the one whom it befalls.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: When a person’s child dies, Allah says to His angels, ‘You have taken the child of My slave.’
They say, ‘Yes.’
He says, ‘You have taken the apple of his eye.’
They say, ‘Yes.’
He says, ‘What did My slave say?’
They say, ‘He praised you and said “Innaa lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon (Verily to Allaah we belong and unto Him is our return).’
Allaah says, ‘Build for My slave a house in Paradise and call it the house of praise.’”
[Al-Tirmidhi (942), Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1408]