Friday, March 13, 2009

Remembering Wilma Halira Mohd Raffali


I used to call her “Ima” when I was just a little boy. I would run and report to my mom saying, “Ima buat! Ima buat!” (She did it, she did it!) over anything and everything I did wrong back then. She did not mind at all. I was her cute little brother. She was a loving sister, a great friend and best of all she was my guardian angel.

My mom used to call her Wilma. Kak Ima was born on May 17th 1973 in Pahang. She was really close to my mom. The fact was, she were close with anyone who knew her. She stood at 5’4 in height, had a large frame (That’s what she always wanted us to tell her!) with beautiful fair skin and long wavy hair. My dad said, " Macam anak Pak Arab mana tah!"

I have lots of memories about Kak Ima. When I was a baby, I could remember listening to her lullabies. She enjoyed singing "Tidurlah Wahai Permaisuri' by Jamal Abdillah just for me. She loved singing so much. U2 was her all time favorite. She made a book compiling every U2 song I could possibly imagine and she would sing her hearts out over U2 song that came out the radio. “With or without you” were surely her most cherished song. I remembered her the most every time I listened to U2.

Kak Ima was the most affectionate person a brother could ever wish for. She knew she wasn’t the brightest of our siblings but she encouraged all her brothers and sisters to do well in our studies. She started working immediately after graduating secondary school and help out our parent. She loved to treat her siblings with the best kind of ice-cream or KFC or even Sushi just for fun. Even so, she was so strict over our studies she would punish us if we slacked our study. She was the kind of person who loves to solve problem in advance because she doesn’t my parent to worry. The truth is, If not for her I would probably be dead, rotted away in a gutter somewhere. I am grateful she found me that day after I went missing for 14 days!

One thing for sure, Kak Ima liked drawing. She even took night classes to study fine art. She liked writing poems and reading inspirational books. Kak Ima also has this collection of historical romance books and was a fan of Fabio and Judith McNaught. She loved Manchester United and really a die-hard fan to be frank. She shared the passion along with my sister Ita and my brother Ijai. We would throw a barbecue party over a Manchester United vs. Liverpool game where the whole family would gather and watch the game together.

Kak Ima was a serious gal who brightened our lives with her smile and her loving feeling. At the peak of Kak Ima’s young and simple life, no one thought that her life will end. She was talking and laughing with Ijai while we watched MTV together the previous night before she passed away. She went to work as usual that morning. A bit in a hurry my mom would say. Who would have thought that was our last glimpse of her alive. Kak Ima passed away on the morning of Thursday, 9th January 2003 at her office after succumbing to an asthma attack. She was only 29. She was laid to rest at Tanah Perkuburan Islam AU4, Lembah Keramat. On that day, there were hundreds of relatives and friends managed to came for her funeral and bid her farewell.

She adored river and nature. That's why my family and I have gathered pebbles and stones from rivers all over and put over her grave. My father said each stone represent every zikir and doa for my late sister. Even her tombstone are made of from them.

Rest in peace my lovely lovely sister. I love you! May Allah bless her soul.

Wilma Halira Binti Mohd Raffali
Born on Thursday 17/05/1973
Died on Thursday 9/01/2003


by:
Saddiq Raffali (little brother)

6 comments:

  1. Allahumma ighfirlaha warhamha waAfiha wa'fuanha waakrim nuzuluha waadkhilha iljannata.
    How i wish i had another sister like her!

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  2. Naf Khalit (nuffie99@gmail.com)March 24, 2010 at 12:06 PM

    Salam Raffali, I came to your website by accident. I went to school with arwah @ SMLK. I was not in her class, but I knew her. I did not make it to her funeral, as I was in a survival course in a hutan sumwhere. I got the news much much later and it was a shocker. I'm looking at her pix now holding a guitar... and thinking what a nice person she was. Al-fatihah...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello I just read this do you still have the picture? Can you send me a soft copy via WhatsApp? My number is +60186610346

      Delete

Jangan pergi tanpa ucapan takziah atau sebarang doa mahupun kata biasa. Tenangkan roh mereka atau anda tidak akan tenang nanti.. :)

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