Hundreds attend khitma for late Ameir

DAR ES SALAAM: HUNDREDS of mourners, including government officials, diplomats and religious leaders, gathered in Dar es Salaam yesterday for special prayers (khitma) honouring the late Hafidh Ameir, husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Ameir died on September 7 at the age of 80 and was buried in Zanzibar.

The memorial service at the family-organised gathering drew prominent figures, including Deputy Minister for Education, Science and Technology Wanu Hafidh Ameir, who is the late Ameir’s daughter.

Leading the prayers, Mufti and Chief Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir urged mourners to remember the deceased and reflect on their own mortality.

“The gift of the living to those who have died is to ask Allah to forgive them,” Mufti Zubeir told the congregation, drawing parallels to Islamic teachings on grief and patience.

Mufti Zubeir said praying for the deceased was among the important acts the living could perform for those who had passed away, asking Allah to forgive their shortcomings and grant them mercy.

He said the gathering provided an opportunity to pray for the late Ameir while reminding Muslims that death was a journey every human being would eventually undertake.

“The gift of the living to those who have died is to ask Allah to forgive them. That is the gift that the living can give to their loved ones who have preceded them in death,” Mufti Zubeir said.

He said prayers for the late Ameir had continued since his burial, describing the khitma as part of the family and Muslim community’s efforts to seek Allah’s mercy for him.

Mufti Zubeir also extended condolences to President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the entire family, saying the death of a loved one was a profound test requiring patience and faith.

He cited Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who shed tears following the death of his son Ibrahim, saying grief over the loss of a loved one was a natural human experience.

The Chief Sheikh urged Muslims to use the occasion to reflect on their own lives, saying death could come unexpectedly and believers should therefore prepare for the hereafter through good deeds and seeking Allah’s pleasure.

He said a wise person was one who constantly remembered death and prepared for the journey to the hereafter. “Prepare for death as though you will not live until evening,” he said, stressing the need for Muslims to live with an awareness that death could come at any time.

Chief Mufti Zubeir further reminded the gathering that the late Ameir had entered the life of Barzakh, the period between death and resurrection, urging those still alive to prepare themselves for the same journey.

He prayed for Allah to forgive the late Ameir, have mercy on him and make his grave among the gardens of Paradise.

Speaking on behalf of the bereaved family, chairman of the event’s organising committee, Ambassador Dr Suleiman Haji Suleiman, who is also Tanzania’s Ambassador to China, thanked Muslims, government leaders, diplomats, relatives and friends for attending the prayers.

He said the large turnout demonstrated the love, respect and solidarity shown to the family since the beginning of the mourning period.

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“Your presence demonstrates the love you had for our departed father and your commitment to brotherhood and good neighbourliness,” Ambassador Suleiman said.

He also thanked ambassadors and high commissioners representing various countries in Tanzania for taking time from their schedules to attend the prayers, saying their presence honoured the occasion and comforted the family.

Ambassador Suleiman also thanked everyone who contributed to the successful organisation of the commemorative prayers.

Meanwhile, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila described the late Ameir as a righteous and humble person who did not use his position as the husband of the President to seek favours from government officials.

Mr Chalamila said that despite being married to the Head of State, the late Ameir lived a modest life and did not interfere with the work of regional commissioners, ministers or other government officials.

“As a regional commissioner, I remember Mzee Ameir as someone who never troubled a regional commissioner, minister or any other government official. His life was that of an ordinary person despite being part of a family in which there was a President of the United Republic of Tanzania,” he said.

Mr Chalamila said the late Ameir’s life provided an example of humility, urging those attending the prayers to remember his good deeds and continue praying for him.

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