Hala and Malak Muhammad Jamal al-Madhoun

All words of farewell are bitter, death is bitter, longing is bitter, and loss is bitter. Loss is life's tearful way; its pain never goes away, even as the years pass. For who said that loss is a small thing? By God, if all the philosophy on Earth were gathered, it could not console a bereaved person for what they have lost. Oh Lord, you know that loss is the worst feeling, and that those who have lost are without strength or power. No matter the condolences or how many days go by, nothing can mend the hearts of the bereaved but You. Oh God, soothe my heart and the heart of every mother who has lost her children, a soothing that takes away the ache of separation. Make our patience firm, strengthen our faith, and ease our sorrow, O Most Merciful. Oh God, pour patience upon us, pour it upon every heart that has tasted the bitterness of loss, and mend our hearts that ache in silence. Have mercy on all those whose parting is so hard for us. Oh Lord, mend the hearts that lost their most precious treasure. And peace be upon us in what we miss. Speak to me of longing, and I will speak to you of souls buried beneath the earth who have never left my thoughts. Oh God, have mercy on Hala and Malak and let them dwell in Your spacious gardens of Paradise. You are the life of my heart and the light of my eyes, my Hala and Malak, my sweet princesses.