NEVER SEE ME AGAIN
In 1980, the Lord miraculously opened doors for Shajahan to migrate to Malaysia and then to Singapore where he worked as physiotherapist. Mom received a letter from one of the friends who moved to Chennai(Madras) many years ago from Melur. According to it, dad was seriously ill and was admitted in Chennai General Hospital. Mom was very much sorrowful and wanted to see him immediately. She saw a dream in which
dad appeared to be standing at the door step and said, "This dream meant your dad is in danger. All dreams God showed me came true and none of them was false.... Omar! You should immediately take few days off from work and visit your dad; he might get angry...so what? Tell him that you came to see him since it is eight years you saw him. Shall he harm you...no! He must have changed for better in these years". "OK! I will visit him...just now troubles are over; if I visit him and he starts to persecute us again...what shall we do?" Omar indicated his fear. Other children also agreed, "Yes mom...how shall we manage it? We had enough troubles and don't want anymore". Mom angrily exploded, "Just because he persecuted us, did he loose his relationship with us? Though we have not seen him eight years....he is still the head of this family!...he is still my husband!...his relationship as your dad will never change! You must visit him first and then we will follow you". Hearing this sure order, Omar replied, "Yes, I will do so; please pray for this trip. First I shall attend a leadership seminar at Kodaikanal and from there I will proceed to Thiruvadhavur to see dad". On one week vacation, he went to seminar which was for two to three days and with puzzling thoughts crossing his mind whether his dad would be very furious, he prayed, "Lord! Please touch his heart.....don't allow any unfortunate things to happen". On the other hand he was eager to meet dad after eight years. He was so glad to meet brethren in Christ after years. He explained how God granted relaxed life from all troubles. Tomorrow will be his last day of seminar.
The same day at Vellore, mom prayed for God's guidance to Omar's mission. Mytheen was at home for short break. Around 10 a.m., a post man handed over a telegram to Mytheen and it was common for Mytheen to receive telegrams regarding ministry. Mom asked, "What is it regarding?" and as he read it silently he was shocked extremely and did not know how to let know mom. Gently he mumbled to mom, "Dad passed away......". She fainted on the floor with a scream, "What? Is your dad dead?". Mytheen and Saleem picked her and helped her regain consciousness. "My God...my God....what has happened! He is gone" mom cried aloud. Depth of her anguish was beyond words. She was emotionally shattered. It was the worst of all her sufferings. Both brothers silently shed tears by her side. After a while, Mytheen told, "Saleem! Immediately send telegram to Ayub not to do funeral until we arrive there and we are on our way. Also send a telegram to Omar to come straight to Melur and we will meet him there". Saleem did so and they traveled to Melur.
That night Omar was pondering about meeting his dad after tomorrow's seminar. Around 9 p.m. some one knocked at the door and when he opened the door he was surprised to see Jeyaseelan with another believer, "Come in brothers....you came in this cold night?". Jeyaseelan responded, "Yes brother...just we came to see you; how are you doing?" and slowly he added, "By the way we just received this telegram". Reading it, "Papa Thangam passed away. Come to Melur immediately-Saleem", he felt as if thousand thunders struck him. His heart was dark and he was motionless....tears rolled down his cheeks. Brethren silently stayed with him and comforted him. Desperately Omar wailed, "Brother....day after tomorrow I am about to visit him....now this is happened" and they said, "Death comes unexpectedly". "Yes.. but it is eight years since I saw him..I took vacation to see him...just one more day to visit..could not he be alive just two more days"
Omar kept on weeping and continued after a pause, "I must go immediately and let us inform seminar people; but there is no bus at this time". They suggested, "Let us intimate to missionaries....they might help you with their car". Seminar organizer sympathized, "This is very sad situation; My car is broken.....otherwise I would have sent you in my car. Please have this money for expense now". Later Margaret and June drove him down to Vetlagundu consoling him all the way and he continued by bus to Madurai. There in the inter city bus terminal he accidentally met mom and brothers and inquired, "Are you going to Melur?". "No. On receiving the telegram, at once we came to Melur this early morning....but they did the funeral yesterday evening itself; we have no more business there....so we came back" Mytheen explained. He expressed, "However let us atleast visit his cemetery". "Ayub did not look at us. Nobody spoke a single word with us....not even answered our query. They treated us like enemies" Mytheen stated and they went to petha's (grandma) house. They joined relatives weeping for dad and in-between there was graveyard silence. Petha wailed, "When he was alive none of you came as relatives...but after he died you have come". Motherly love could not stand the terrible betrayal of his wife and children. Dad's dothi was on line and looking at it, Omar thought, "He won't wear this anymore.....we won't see him at all....we can see his dothi....but not this family united with dad". In a little while they pleaded to a relative to show them his cemetery and he agreed. At dad's cemetery in Melur main mosque, they thought .....whether they will ever meet him again .....though he never confessed accepting Christ...was he saved secretly in his heart?. Later that day, as they visited another relative, they related, "Your petha and aunts must not have done this to you...when Thangam passed away they did not want to inform you....we personally suggested to Ayub....how can you be so silent without letting know your mom and brothers...it is wrong...send them telegram right now; after much insistence, he did so. As soon as they received your reply telegram they conducted funeral without any delay...they didn't even give you a chance to see his face...would they ever prosper in life at all". Eight years ago, because of their faith in Jesus, dad shouted, "Don't ever see my face again even at my death" and it so happened. For the love of Christ, mom did not meet him for eight years and finally became a widow also.