A Journey of Sabr, Shukr, and the Unfolding of Allah’s Plan

SubhanAllah.

There are no words that can truly capture what the past two weeks have been for us.

Challenging. Insightful. Overwhelming. Grounding.

Yet, through every moment, we find ourselves holding onto two constant states: ???????? (????????????????) ?????? ?????????? (??????????????????).

Shaafa was originally set to return to Brisbane via Melbourne on 22 January.

But on 16 January, everything changed.

She was rushed to the emergency department at an ENT hospital in Jakarta due to persistent throat pain and concerning symptoms. A few days later, as her condition became more complex, she had to be transferred to RSCM Kencana, a hospital with more specialised resources to manage her situation.

What unfolded in the days that followed is beyond what we could have imagined.

Without going into the details (because truly, each day has carried its own challenges, lessons, and reflections), her diagnosis shifted from one possibility to another—until, in the span of just a few days, we received a far more serious and life-changing confirmation.

???????????????? ???? ??????????'?? ????????

Reading updates on her progress every single day from afar was heartbreaking—for me, my wife, and my kids. The feeling of helplessness, of not being there when she needed us most, was an unimaginable test.

In the end, I made the decision, at the last minute, to fly back to Jakarta.

???????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ?????????????????? ???? ??????????’?? ????????, ?? ?????????????? ???????? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ???????????????? ???????? ?????????? ???????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???? ???? ?????? ????????????.

?? ?????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????? ???????????? ???????? ???? ?????? ??????.

I didn’t have a grand plan—I just knew that I needed to be with my daughter as she goes through this. Nothing else mattered.

I packed my bags, prepared to stay in Jakarta for at least the next 2-3 weeks. Not sure what to expect.

?????????? ???? ??????????.

I landed in Jakarta on Monday night. By Tuesday morning, I was at the hospital.

Before I went into the hospital, a family member reminded me of something profound:

???? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????????????????? ????, ?????????? ?????????????? ???? ???? ???????????????????? ???????? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???????????? ???? ??????.

?????????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?? ???????? ???????? ?????????? ???? ??????????????????, ???? ???????? ??????, ?????? ???? ?????????? ???? ?????? ????????????.

?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ?????????????? ???????? ??????????-?????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ?????????? ???? ?????? ????????.

?????????? ???? ???????? ??????????????????, ???? ?? ?????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ???????? & ?????? ????????, ???? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ???? ???????????????? ???????? ???? ?????????

In that hospital room, my heart turned completely to Al-Fattah (The Opener)—the One who makes a way when none seems possible. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware (Al-‘Aleem, Al-Khabeer), and He is Al-Latif (The Most Subtle).I held onto this as I awaited the final results from the doctors.

After multiple tests, including a bone marrow biopsy, the reality set in:

???? ???????????????? ?????? ????????????????—?????????? ?????? ???????????? ????????????.

?????????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????? ???????????????? ??????????????, ?????? ?????????????? ???????????????? ?????? ????????: ????????????????.

The doctors informed us that they could not treat Shaafa in this hospital.

Even if they tried to source the necessary medication, it would take at least three months to import. But they don't have the necessary know-how to manage the situation.

And she doesn’t have three months.

?????????? ???????? ???????????????????????????? ?????? ???? ???????????????? ?????? ???? ?? ???????????????? ???? ??????????????????, ?????????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????????????????????.

?? ???????? ?????????????? ????????

My mind started racing—SubhanAllah, how will we even get her there?

? A commercial flight was not an option. There is no direct flight from Jakarta to Brisbane, meaning she would need to transit in another country or state to connect to Brisbane.

? Her body is too weak. She needs daily blood and platelet transfusions, and her body is already reacting to them. She can’t risk waiting any longer.

? There is a critical 14-day window. A group of trusted friends—hematologists, a GP, and later, a friend with expertise in medical evacuations—confirmed that her condition is both treatable and curable in Australia.But she only had about 14 days before her condition could deteriorate maybe beyond immediate intervention.

Some asked me if I had considered a medical evacuation via chartered flight. When I looked into the cost—AU$150,000 to AU$300,000—my heart sank.

How? How could we possibly afford this?

?? ?????????????? ???????? ??????????, ???? ????????—"???? ????????, ?? ???????? ???? ???????? ???????? ???? ???? ????????. ?????????? ????."

Then my friends said something that stopped me in my tracks:

"??????’?? ?????????? ?????????? ?????? ??????????, ?????????? ???????? ???? ??????????. ??????’?? ?????????? ???? ?????????????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ????????????????’?? ???????????????? ???? ????????????????."

That night, I went to sleep with a simple du’a:

"???? ????????, ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ???????????????? ?????????????? ??????. ?????????? ???? ???????????? ???????????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ????????????’?? ???????????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????????????."

???????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????????

I woke up on Wednesday morning at 4:30 AM, and before I could even gather my thoughts, I saw the updates flooding in.

My friends in Brisbane were already running—doing everything they could to make this happen.

SubhanAllah, the progress was rapid:

? Hospitals were connected. Conversations between Queensland Children’s Hospital and RSCM Kencana had already begun.

? Medical evacuation options were explored. Quotes from different providers were coming in.

? Private funders stepped forward. Some were ready to contribute the first $100K just to initiate the process in case needed. Other members of the Muslim Brisbane Community private fundraised to support Shaafa and our family.

? They made connections with NZF and other community organisations.

Then came the moment of relief—NZF (National Zakat Foundation) stepped in and committed to covering the full cost of the medical evacuation flight, no matter the amount. They assured me that securing Shaafa’s transfer was the priority, and they would raise community funds afterward, they will accept whatever amount is raised even if it falls short of the amount paid by NZF.

This was a huge turning point because with each passing day without treatment, the risks for Shaafa were amplifying. This was time we could not afford to lose.

By midday on Wednesday, in less than 12 hours, everything was confirmed: Shaafa and I would be on a medical evacuation flight the very next day (Thursday, to be at Soekarno Hatta International Airport at 12.30pm), arriving in Brisbane on Friday at 3 AM.

NZF covered the cost of the flight, and the community fundraiser began immediately - and they reached the target amount in less than 3 days. Subhanallah.

Everything went so rapid.

Even the doctors were perplexed.

So did we.

I was humbled beyond words by the kindness of My Rabb.

I cried so many times that day.

???????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ???? ????????????, ???? ?????????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????????? ?????????? ??????????????.

?????? ?????????????? ??????????????????

We are now back in Brisbane, and Shaafa is already undergoing chemotherapy since day 1 she arrived at Queensland Children Hospital.

It has been a challenging ride for her to date with her chemotherapy treatment.

The road ahead is long. And this is the journey that Shaafa and our family going through, that our Rabb, in His Perfect Knowledge and Wisdom has prepared for us, so we can return to Him as the better version of ourselves, to enter His Jannah.

In the midst of storm & chaos, we can get lost in the direction. But to assume that this chaos is the norm and the trajectory, is far away from the truth. It is a part of the bigger journey to return to our Rabb.

Allah reminds us that “So, surely with hardship comes ease. Surely with ?that? (same) hardship comes ?more? ease. (Quran Ash-Sharh 94 : 5-6)

?? ?????????? ???????? ?????????????? ?? ???????? ?????????????????? ?????????????????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ????’??, ?????? ???????????????? ???? ????????????, ?????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????????? ?????????????????? ???? ???????? ?? ?????????? ?????????? ???????? ????????????????.

Please continue to keep Shaafa and our family in your du’as. More than anything, we need strength, faith, and the will to keep pushing forward.

May Allah ease her pain, grant her complete healing, and reward everyone who has been part of this journey.

???????? ??????????????????,

???????????? & ???????????? (????????????, ????????????, ???????????? ?????? ??????????)

?????????????? ???????????????? ????:

- My friends Brisbane whom I consulted with from day 1 and worked so hard in the background: Dr Mohammed Rahman, Dr Naadir Gutta, Dr Emad Abro and Wasim Omar.

- Brisbane Muslim Community and Wisdom College Teachers, Friends, Parents & Community. Also our friends and families who have supported us through their du'as, share campaign and funding - in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, UK, US, Middle Easts and other regions. We have received over 2,000 campaign donations of unique individuals.

- National Zakat Foundation Australia Ismail Davids, Muneer Abdalla and the NZF Team.

- AirLink / AirMed – Medical Evacuation Team: Jane Harrison (Nurse Manager), David White (Nurse on Board), Pilots: Mark Wardrop & Joshua O’Neill.

- RSCM Kencana Team: Dr Ludi Rahmartani and the team

- QLD Royal Children Hospital: Dr David Deambrosis and Dr Kimberly Chung, and the team.

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