Remembering Bilal Riaz
Posted by anas on Dec 5, 2009 in Life | 24 commentsThe news of Bilal Riaz’s shahadah took me by surprise last night to such an extent that I almost lost control of myself. I sat idly for a good one hour or so trying to figure out if this really did happen. Its not very easy to believe that a guy you just met a couple of months back before his departure to homeland has also departed from this temporary world. Its not easy at all. Granted, life and death is in Allah’s hands and that death can and does take you by surprise, the way in which Bilal passed away is really the point that is disturbing.
He came to the UK last year for his masters in communications and signal processing, a parallel course in my department. We didn’t interact much until we had a common module and after that we used to discuss all the issues in Pakistan, especially cricket. I walked in the lab one day, and he was sitting in his usual far end seat. It was the day the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore. We were the only two guys in the lab early in the morning and the look on his face showed his concern and disgust. We sat for an hour or so discussing the deteriorating security situation in the country. Obviously, we shared similar concerns on the wave of terror. Sigh, he has fallen victim to the same wave. His words about the incident and his take on terrorism kept reverberating in my mind all night yesterday.
We may have not interacted for very long but when you live abroad, you do share a special bond. I cannot even consider myself as a very close friend of his, but we did share a lot of our frustrations during the time of our final thesis. We had some lunches together and as usual, all the Pakistani guys in the department used to meet after every Friday prayers at the College. Again, its the Friday prayer in which he passed away.
Ironically yesterday as soon as I entered the uni building I saw BBC showing news of some attack in Pakistan. I turned away. I’ve been doing this for the past one month. It hurts to see so many people losing their lives for no reason while the leaders continue to condemn it. Anyway, and again we discussed Bilal out of the blue just as soon as I reached the lab. And that he was about to get married.
What troubles me most is what the heck is happening in the country? Who’s after all this? When will the conspiracies end? If the army knows, why don’t they tell us? If the politicians know why are they quiet? And why does the President get 80 cars for his security and common man nothing? Why is there injustice amongst ourselves? Why are innocents dying and culprits living lavishly? Who is our enemy? Why doesn’t anyone ever get caught? It is impossible to think that no one knows what’s happening. For us, we are bombarded with so much of information that we cannot even decipher which is the true one.
My heart weeps for Bilal, for my country. But I also hate myself for being so helpless at this point….
Returning to the subject of Bilal, I keep on picturing myself in his place. It could just have been me praying in the mosque and blown up in to pieces. Bilal was courageous enough even at that moment. The fact that he not only lost his life while in a mosque where he went to offer Friday prayers, but also that he sacrificed himself to save another life (his nephew) makes him much much special. May Allah grant him an exalted state in Paradise and give strength to his parents to be patient in bearing the loss of their beloved.
Ameen..
i hope his attempt was successful and his nephew survived..
was he from an army family?
Yes the nephew survived and yes he was from an army family
Ameen. Innilaha wa ina ilahi rajaoon. May Allah bless him and his family and place him in a high place in Jannah. I don’t even know him, but the minute I read your twitter feed, I couldn’t help but feel both sad and angry at the same time. Sad for your friend and angry at the people who kill for absolutely no reason at all.
I’m from an army family too and live close to parade lane-near qasim market!i wonder how many more innocent lives will be lost till our leadership wakes up-it cud be me or you-bilal passed away too early,his friends,parents,siblings wudve lots of hopes on him-may Allah give him the bestest place in paradise!
im confused,angry,frustrated, and helpless at the same time-plz guide us what can we do!shud we take to da streets like iranians did-afterall,more of us are going to die in dastardly attacks like these-what shud our strategy be?shud we keep blabbering on fb,twitter etc and not leave the comforts of our homes?!?!
Bilal is not only Shaheed but a brave one, greif of family is something but think of life that Allah has promised for Shaheed. How luck you are Dear Bilal, have fun in Jannah.
Tragedy has been all around us and narrowing in…this is the first time it has hit so close to our hearts. I may not be able to say what has not been said already but would like to add that Bilal has truly inspired us all in life and now in death. May he rest in peace and may peace surround all he has left behind. Aameen
When will all this blodshed in our country stop?? The corruption, terrorism and ignorance is destroying our country and our countrymen.
the best human i ever met in my life bilal riaz beloved son, beloved friend. surah -e- alfatiha
May Allah burn down the United States, Israel and India for sponsoring such a barbaric form of terror in our country.
May his sacrifice be worth everything he would have hoped for!
May his soul rest in peace.
may u rest in peace bilal..
Brave guy, you should be proud of jim!
Ameen to your prayers!
Truly sad how the gems of this nation are being taken away by such maniacs. Makes my blood boil!
i know him by face because i was a graduate student in giki. but i m utterly greived over his shahdat. i once said him that u r a smart by why dont u go for modeling stuff. may allah bless his soul. ameen
i know him by face because i was a graduate student in giki. but i m utterly greived over his death.but he is a shaheed. i once said him that u r a smart boy why dont u go for modeling stuff. may allah bless his soul. ameen
Why does ammar blame blame other people, everyone knows these terrorists were nurtured by the pakistan military and these forces have turned in on the country.
I wish your friend had not died by such barbarism, but we need to look at ourselves before blaming others.
Whosoever is grieved over his death should complete tasbeeh of Kalima Tayyiba 70,000 times. That is what Mr. Bilal Riaz Shaheed needs right now. May Allah grant him jannat-ul-firdous.
err hate to sound insensitive but are we going to observe indefinite mourning?
or should the rest of us do a post titled “remembering Anas Imtiaz?”
i dont know wat to say here…reading the post just made me gloomier
it made to so sad reading your post …..
inalilah he wainailahi rajehon….
may Allah give his family strenght to cope wid this
Just before leaving for Islamabad on the 8th of December, I was going through my phonebook, looking for a phone number, and I came across the name “Bilal Riaz, Team Leader, RF Planning, Ericsson”…
… And things sound even worse when you are away from home!
Whoever said live free and die young was an old stupid fart! Khair… Right now I cant help feeling more angry than sad, sorry cant help it!
I did nt know the guy but now would have liked to. May Allah grant him heaven in his afterlife.
i heard about that a young man, son of GENERAL , saved his nephew from bullets by giving him full cover… i have jux seen his pic on you-tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cePI69mDYYk)…..such a decent and smiling man…..MAY HE SHARES THE STATUS WITH SULAHEEN AND MOMINEEN……AMEEN !
So sad… I feel really depressed about all this