Innā li-llāhi wa-ʾinna ʾilayhi rājiʿūna

Verse 2:156 of the Quran meaning “Verily we belong to Allah (God), and verily to Him do we return.”

Umar Saleh Abdul-Basir, 41 years old. Born October 2, 1979 in Washington, DC at Howard University Hospital; deceased April 9, 2021 at University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore. Umar was found unresponsive with a fractured spine at a bus stop in Baltimore City on March 22, remaining on life support until his untimely passing.

Umar was one of my most favorite people in the world. He was handsome, intelligent, articulate, witty, charming, and funny. He will forever hold that place in my heart. Along with his attributes, he was challenged in ways that were not obvious to the casual observer. Despite being diagnosed at an early age with disabling mental and emotional conditions, he fought the good fight to accomplish things that are often taken for granted. A diagnosis of severe dyslexia delayed his learning to read until the 4^th grade when a wonderful tutor at the Rose School in Washington, DC by the name of Mrs. Huber took him under her wing and opened up the world of reading to him. He was eternally grateful to her and often acknowledged and mentioned her fondly. He was also an accomplished athlete, who ran track in high school and was very skilled on the basketball court. Further, he successfully completed high school in 1998 at Tracy High School in Tracy, California, after a very troubling period of adolescence. Umar had a good heart and wanted so much to love and be loved by all. His personal struggles often filled the path to love with innumerous obstacles. Nevertheless, he was a beloved son, brother, father, uncle, nephew, cousin, and loyal friend, beyond measure, by those both near and far.

Umar was preceded in death by his father, Charles Willis, and his brothers Jawara and Muhammad. He is survived by his mother (Umi), Dr Muriel Baskerville (aka) Samira; his son, Isaiah Abdul-Basir and his daughter, Tajja Onley; his maternal siblings Asmaa, Najwa (Saleh Ahmed), Asiya (Haithem Abou Taka),  Daeemah, and Jomari; his lifelong best friend, Jerry McCarthy; maternal aunts, Zakiya Abdullah (Faye), Lisa and Erica Baskerville and a maternal uncle Andrew Baskerville (Andy); a favorite cousin Jibreel, numerous other cousins, nieces, and nephews; and a host of other family and dear friends, way too numerous to name in this brief synopsis of his life. You all held a very special place in his heart. You will always remain in mine for the outpouring of love and support imparted at this time of bereavement. Words cannot express my gratitude.

According to what is written in the Quran, “Every soul shall taste death, and only on the Day of Judgment will you be paid your full recompense.”

The Quran also urges mankind: “And die not except in a state of Islam, because “Truly, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam”.

“He (Allah) who created death and life, so that He may test you as to which of you is better in deeds. And He is the All-Mighty, the Most-Forgiving”.

“Certainly, they see it (resurrection) as distant, but We see it as near”.

Pray that Allah expand Umar’s grave, allow the trauma he endured, which led to his death, to be an expiation of his major and minor sins, forgive him and have mercy upon him, allow him to experience the sweet smell of Jannah (Paradise) until the Day of Resurrection, and on the Day of Judgement, grant him entrance into Jannah where we will be reunited in Eternal Life. Ameen.

I pray Allah’s (God’s) blessings upon you.

With my Warmest Regards,

Umi

First, I want to give a shout out to Angelica Isabel Pascia of Host Gator Live Chat for walking me through the reactivation of my blog. In the fog of my son’s illness and passing as well as being stuck in the US for 7 months during the Covid pandemic, I forgot to pay my bill.  She was patient and caring and got this old lady back on track.

Since I’m working mostly from home now, to break the monotony, I thought I might fill y’all in on my life over the past few years here in Egypt. A lot of “water has gone under the bridge” since I last posted but Alhamdulillah (All Praise is due to God), I’m still standing, even with my 2 replaced knees!

I’m going to share both some personal and professional stuff that I’ve  been doing and what fills up most of my days. I even have some pictures and videos to upload as well. So stay tuned and don’t forget to comment and subscribe so you won’t miss a beat!

Hey Folks!

It’s been a while and a lot of water has gone under the bridge. I have some exciting things to share with you and will be playing catch up over the next several days, weeks and maybe even months! I’ve got pictures and videos to share as well. So keep your eyes and ears alert for some upcoming posts!

Love

ME

I made another trip to a different village in Beni Sueth to continue the roof and water tap project. This village is the home to a family that has pretty much adopted me as a grandmother figure to their children. The father is the “boab” (the Egyptian version of a maintenance man) to a villa a few doors up from where I live with my daughter and her family. Most of the “boabs” hail from the “ballad” or countryside in Egypt, travelling to live in the urban or suburban areas in Egypt in order to make a living. Wages are meager and living conditions are are not the best; they typically live in the basement of the building they care for and in addition to maintaining the building and grounds, they are expected to wash tenants’ cars as well as perform other tasks and chores required by the people who live in the building. And this could mean ANYTHING!

I met this family in 2011 and again in 2014 when I was just here in Egypt visiting. They are the nicest people and are always looking out for me and having me come drink “chai” with them. Our communication has improved since I started studying Arabic however, I am studying “classical” Arabic and they speak Amiya or the Egyptian version of Arabic. I always promised I would visit their village one day and I finally took the opportunity to travel there a few weeks ago.

After my visit to the first village where the initial roof and water tap project took place, I came back so excited, sharing the pictures and videos with them of the project. I noticed a sort of indifference from them that was not disrespectful but more puzzling than anything else. When I asked them what was wrong, the wife shared that they neither had water or a roof at THEIR house in THEIR village! I was mortified! Here I was showing off the pictures of a neighboring village that I supported through this project and they too were without these “amenities”. So I made a promise that I would go with them to their “ballad” and see what could happen for them.

So I went to the village of Kaffra Hakeem where they live and the above videos I recorded are a glimpse of the life there. If anyone is interested in contributing to these efforts, please leave me a comment and your email so that we can communicate.

A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip to a small village where we are helping the residents get water taps in their homes. There are approximately 21 more homes that need them. We pay to get the initial tap installed, then the head of the household must be responsible for running the tap to the kitchen and bathroom.

Additionally, we are helping to get a roof on on innumerable houses that either don’t have one or they have a thatched roof of leaves and branches, or wood, that is little protection from the severe elements they have to brave. This is but one small village of many more that exist where the residents live in abject poverty.

We believe in Islam that any cause we contribute to in this life will continue to bless us in the grave until the day of resurrection and judgement. Giving access to water and the protection of a “roof over their heads” will live on long after I have passed from this earth.

So, I have taken this on as one of my projects while living here. Being of limited means, I have considered starting a gofundme or crowdrise page to assist with this effort. A water tap costs around $250 and a roof is around $1500. I need your feedback as to what direction I should take in getting people to contribute. See videos below. Give me your honest feedback.

This above video is of a house that was featured as one in dire need of water and a roof due to the father experiencing the loss of sight in one of his eyes.

There is a system for prioritizing.

The people who live here are mostly farmers, subsisting off of the land and selling what they can to survive. Some are government workers who keep common areas (such as roads) clean, but the salary is only equivalent to about $50 per month. They are some of the most loving and caring people – when some one gets married or dies, the whole community comes together to support the family in any way they can.

I will continue to do what I can. It would be great if others could help, even in some small way.