Ola, Emad, and Basmala Saleh Maher Farwana

My beloved Aya was an icon of patience, steadfastness, and struggle; she was an entire army in herself. She was the source of strength in our home, our anchor of stability. We never saw despair in her, and weakness never found its way into her heart. When you met her, you felt she was from the time of the Sahabiyat [the female Companions of the Prophet]. She was a successful doctor who received her board certification in family medicine a few months before she was martyred. She was a great mother, and you could see the fruits of her nurturing in her daughters, who excelled everywhere they went. They would compete with each other to memorize the Quran and to wear the hijab. Among ourselves, we used to call her "Bassama Jarrar." She believed with absolute faith that the liberation of Palestine was near, and that our prayer in Al-Aqsa was closer than ever. She always used to say, "Either victory or martyrdom," and in the end, she attained what she wished for. May God accept her. My beloved Leen, the eldest of them, is the sole survivor. She memorized nine parts of the Quran, along with her sister Basmala (whom we also loved to call Bees). Leen, the delicate and gentle one, about whom I always said she was a delicate princess, not suited for harsh words or actions. My love, she lived through the entire attack and emerged as the only survivor. My gentle Leen, I don't know how much her body and her heart will be able to bear all this pain. Basmala (Bees) was very strong, bold, and unafraid to speak the truth to anyone's face. She was extremely frank, to the furthest extent. When her sister Leen put on the hijab, Basmala hurried to join her, even though it was not required of her at her young age. Her mother's upbringing was excellent, her foundation was strong, and so she too was a source of goodness. Ola, the beloved of my heart, her father's darling. She was small in size and age, but great in the maturity of her mind. My eyes have never seen a smile more beautiful than hers, or wonder at the simplest things. She would get so excited when Aya cooked her favorite meal, lentil soup. She would fly with joy to tell the whole building, "Mama cooked lentils for me, because I love it!" My dear Emad, the soul of his grandfather's and grandmother's hearts, their comfort, who would never leave their side. He had a captivating smile, a great love for cars, and was his father's spoiled one. Emad would come down from his grandmother's to his father and say to her, "Grandma, what do you say we have some coffee, you and I?" And Grandma would never refuse, as my mother always loves for someone to drink coffee with her and hates to drink it alone. Our sweet child knew his grandmother well. My dear Saleh, we know very well what a wonderful father and a loving, good husband you were. But this is the decree of God. To God belongs what He gives, and to God belongs what He takes. This is but a selection of our finest and the righteous among us, and we do not praise anyone before God, but this is how we see them. May God grant strength to our hearts, to the heart of our beloved Leen, and to Saleh's heart. They were killed in the Farwana family massacre on October 15, 2023.