During her final moments in this dunya, my father stood beside her. She gave him her hand to kiss. My father hugged and kissed her so much. He had asked her if she had recited the Kalimah (shahadah – testimony of faith) to which she nodded her head, ‘Yes.’

Hay’aa (Modesty) — She was very strict about this. Even when she was younger, she had so much shame. I remember when she was at the hospital and had problems using the bathroom, the doctor (who happened to be a male) came to look at her. Asma immediately said she doesn’t want him to look at her. We explained that he is the only specialist around and she needs to be checked right away to figure out what is wrong. After much convincing she agreed, on the conditions that he must be very quick and we all must be present in the room. She covered herself up as much as possible before allowing him to enter the room.

Worshipping Allah — One of the things we still remember about Asma from her school days is how we found out that she would pray at school. One day, my mother found a hijab and a prayer rug in Asma's backpack. She asked Asma why she was taking it to school with her everyday. She told my mother that she takes it to school to pray Salaah in jamaat with her friend. My mother asked who leads the prayer. Asma told her that she leads it. Subhaan’Allah not only did it make me smile, it was also a great reminder to myself.

After her amputation, there were times when she would get on the floor and drag herself over to where we would all pray in Jamaat. Although it was heartbreaking to see, her efforts and determination became a lesson for all of us to learn from.

Resilience — One of the things that I have learnt regarding Asma was that she was a fighter – a true fighter. She never gave up. Anything and everything that came her way, she was patient and hung in there. Even to the last seconds of her life, she did not give up. I remember Asma telling all of us that Allah Subhanawata’la doesn’t give us more than what we can handle. She would go on to tell us that Allah tests the ones whom He loves. Subhaan’Allah here we were listening to a little girl on how to deal with this and remain steadfast.

Tough — She was very tough. She didn’t care who it was or where she was, she would speak up if she had to. She was always one of the first ones to defend my mother against others. In fact, she would be the first to defend any of her family members. I remember one time she mentioned how some lady said some harsh things to my mother. My mother, being the quiet and non-confrontational lady she is, remained quiet. Asma told me later on that she wanted to punch the lady very hard because of what she said to my mother! She took her family seriously.

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