It is hard to believe one year has passed since Mama left us. I still remember speaking to him on the phone just weeks before his passing. Every time I spoke to him, he radiated such positivity just through his voice, which I can still hear.

My prayers to the Almighty is that he rests in peace and that our acts of kindness help him to achieve the highest of ranks in his eternal journey.

-Mishty

He will be my inspiration for the whole life. He always encouraged me to study,loved my family and always in touch with us. I will miss the voice inspired me everytime. Miss you a lot Nanu!

May Allah grant him Jannah!

Regards
Sazzad

Our favourite Shahid Mama may have gone out of our sight but can never be gone from our hearts!

Since my childhood, through to adulthood and during my visits to New York, I always found Mama to be the same: a loving, positive and also a genuinely affectionate person.

He had a precious heart and knew how to love others. His warm and welcoming smile will always be missed. May Allah almighty grant him the best place in heaven. ‘Rest in peace, Mama’.

Our prayers will be with him and his lovely family!

With lots of love and respect,

Nipun

Shahid Nanabhai was an exemplary person with a beautiful soul. He always welcomed us with a bright smile whenever we visited New York. He was a favourite younger brother of my Nanu's. His memories will be cherished by us and the rest of the family.

With love,
Anika

I briefly met Shahrina's father during her wedding in 2011.

I was surprised that he wasn't tall since Shahrina and her sister are both relatively tall. He was soft spoken, reserved and dignified which contrasted sharply with Shahrina's gregarious personality. His mien reminded me of my African father.

You could tell that he was very proud of his daughters.

May his soul rest in paradise.

Lighting a candle in your name, Mama. When I spoke to you at the end of December, you sounded so jovial and full of energy. Didn't forget to ask about how the children were doing. I can still hear your gentle voice and bask in the positive energy that you generated.

May God Almighty rest you in the best of states, and may us children continue to pray for you every moment till we meet again. Amen.

- Mishty and Arif, Ottawa.

Posted on behalf of Dr. M. Alamgir.

Shahid passed away but his smiles will remain with us forever. He never let others know the agony he was going through. Just about a few weeks earlier before he passed away, I was talking to him on phone. He sounded so healthy and had been laughing all through. So, I decided not to talk about his illness but kept talking about our fond childhood memories to keep him cheerful.

Shahid, a man of neverending strives and an enormous heart will remain for ever with us. May Allah, the Almighty Grant him eternal peace in Jannah. Ameen.

The Rabbani family is blessed to have been so close to Mama for so many years. Back in 1997, we immigrated to the United States and he immediately took us and our two young daughters in. The moment we stepped foot on American soil, he was waiting for us at the airport with a warm smile. We vividly remember feeling at home in this country right away because of that smile. He was one of our only relatives we had in America at that time and he housed us for our first two months here. We had asked him to rent us an apartment before we came from Bangladesh, to which he replied,“just come first.” But when we got here, he took us to live with his family instead. Shortly after, we kept trying to find our own apartment to lift the burden on him but he continually insisted that we stay with his family a little longer so that he could continue to show his warmth to us. It must have been difficult to squeeze eight people into one apartment, but he never showed anything but joy to have us there. To this day, remembering how extraordinarily kind he always was warms our hearts. He was also the one to show us around what was then a completely foreign country to us. His younger daughter was around the same age as our two daughters, and they got along like sisters. He saw our daughters like his own and they were always so excited when their Nana Bhai would come home from work. He also had a very deep bond with our third daughter, who had the pleasure of being close to him since birth. We have endless memories spending time with him all around the city: at his house in Astoria, our house in Jamaica, the Statue of Liberty, the giant Macy’s on 34th Street, the Empire State Building, the Bronx Zoo, parks all across New York, and so many more. Mama and his family have always been very dear and close to us. It was a pleasure to know him and we know that he is still watching over us fondly.

With much love,
Noton & Swapan

Inna lillahi wa inna illahi raj’oun

I first met uncle when visiting Shahrina’s family during Eid. His warmth, humour and compassion were immediately apparent and I thoroughly appreciated it as I was without my family during a special time. It actually made my Eid that year.

You will be thoroughly missed. May Allah grant you greatness in the hear after insha’Allah

My dearest Nana,

I can't believe you are no longer with us and gracing us with your beautiful smile. You were the first person I met in this cold foreign country as a young Bangladeshi girl back in 1991. You picked us up from the airport and took us in. You shared your apartment with our family of five! My earliest memory of my time in that apartment was of you cooking rice for us. You were our only relative here in the United States. Before being able to bring his family here, you looked after my father and gave him guidance. A few years later, when your own family joined you from Bangladesh, I witnessed how loving you were to your wife and children. You always were soft spoken and so cheerful. You would always have that smile on your face and joke around with us. 

I can attest to what a loving father and husband you have been to the three women in your family. You call your youngest, Joati ,"Babu Ma" and you would call upon Nanu (grandma) sweetly by a nickname. I've always marveled at the love and respect you had for Nanu, your wife. There was such respect between you both that I have never seen or heard of you being cross with her. Secretly, as a child, I would wish for my parents to have or display a semblance of that love that existed between you and Nanu.

Throughout the years, we've had the pleasure of celebrating momentous occasions together such as birthdays, weddings, and holidays. I am grateful for having had you close by to provide a listening ear especially to my parents who revered your advice and guidance. 

I'm grateful that we had you in our lives. In a way, our lives here would not have been possible if it were not for you taking us in and providing us with a home and sustenance. I've come to learn that this level of support is not just something that you have extended to our family but to countless others.

You will always live forever in our hearts. Rest in Peace, Nana. We miss you.

Love,

Shormin (Shoomy)

Please accept my deepest condolences.

I have never met mr. Mohammed in person but I have met a piece of him (Shahrina). And I knew who he was because I knew Shahrina. I am a dad and I know that you were a proud father.
Rest In peace uncle! I was told before that fathers don’t die, they watch over us from high above.

I had privilege of meeting Mr. Mohammed during all the delightful birthday parties thrown by his daughter Shahrina. He was a sweet gentle soul and utter gentlemen who loved his grandkids tremendously. The words cannot express the magnitude of this sudden loss. He was taken away from his lovely wife, Shahrina, her sister, his son in law Adam and his grandkids way too soon. However, I do know one thing-he is watching over them from above every step of the way. I have no doubt that he will be proud of the legacy he left behind. and I have no doubt that his grandchildren would carry his legacy-

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (we belong to Allah and to him we shall return).

May Almighty Allah dwell him in Jannatul Firdaus.