Dear Father,

Sometimes when I think about how much I love my father, it scares me to know how broken I will be should he leave some day. My attachment with my father has grown so much over the years, at times when I don't see him for a couple of nights when he's on night shift, I would literally cry because of how much I miss him. Some nights, I would start thinking about how much he has done for my family and I and I'd start tearing. I couldn't possibly express with the right amount of good words as to how much I love my father.

I had just recovered from a rather awful stomach flu and very high fever. The stress of losing both of my uncle and my grandmother consecutively got to me and I fell rather ill. When I couldn't stop vomiting, I could literally notice the panic and hurt on my father's face. Yet he remained so calm and massaged my neck every time I got up to vomit out my gastric juices. When I was younger and I fell ill, my father would carry me to the doctor until I went into the clinic but now that he's too weak he held my hand throughout the journey. While my mum waited at the clinic to get my medicines, he walked me home and placed me in bed. When I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to vomit, my mum was there to take care of me but he couldn't sleep either so he'd wake up to check if all was going to be fine. The next day as soon as he returned from work, the first thing he did was rush to my room to see if my fever and vomiting had faded. When I had to go through surgery two years ago, he stayed by my side every day till night just to keep me company. Even if it meant that I was asleep. He'd sing to me, feed me and just told me stories.

He knew how much Palestine meant to me so he worked day and night just so he could afford to bring all of us but particularly me to see that beautiful country. When we were in Makkah he told me "The first thing I asked for when I saw the ka'abah was for yours and your brother's children to stand before the house of Allah like how you're doing so today"

He's also a rather funny man. Not mentioning his impeccable taste in art and fashion. He's not dressy on his own but let's just say when I need to choose a matching outfit or hijab, I'd ask him. He picked out this amazing 3abaya when we were in Palestine and insisted that I buy it for 3eid and I must say, my outfit caught the eye of almost every muslimah whose house I've been to.

I can't even begin to speak of how amazing he is as a husband. He comes home at 2 am in the morning and realizes that my mother had left the laundry unfinished. Thinking of how tired she must be, he decided to finish it off for her. He cooks on some weekends, texts my mother on nights he has to work to keep her company, never fails to call during lunch, listens patiently to everything she has to say and is the most loving and caring person we all have ever had in our lives.

Most of all, he is an amazing Imam.

I don't agree with him all the time and inevitably, we get into little arguments but I have never not felt love for him at all. If it's anything I ask for in a man inshaAllah, it is that he has a heart as huge and generous as my father.

Baba, I love you with every inch of my heart and soul.

A'qilah Saiere