25 years ago, I moved into this very house.
Unknown to me at the time, I would come to meet one of the greatest men in my life,
someone who would come to mould and shape me to who I am today.
That man was my neighbour, Mustapha Dadoun, who sadly passed away three weeks ago.
From the day I met this man as a boy, everything about him was special.
He always spoke to me like I was an equal.
Like I was a grown up, like I was someone of importance.
He always led me to believe that I would grow one day to be something special, that I was
no ordinary boy.
I remember most mornings, standing on this very driveway waiting for him to pick us up
to school.
And he always met us with a smile on his face.
This man was more than a neighbour.
He was a father.
He was a friend.
He was an older brother.
This man redefined to me what it meant to be religious.
What it meant to be a Muslim, he embodied every praiseworthy quality into one man.
This man worked three jobs, just to provide for his family, and yet still was the best
husband I ever saw in my life, who always showed love and affection towards his wife
and his family.
The best father I ever knew, always had time for his children.
He would joke and laugh and spend time with them.
I remember once for one of his kids who felt like a pizza.
At like one in the morning, he drove half an hour, just for that pizza, to put a smile
on his child's face.
This man embodied the best of qualities.
By Allah, I am envious, and I am thankful to Allah, that I was able to live and meet
and have such a man like this in my life.
Towards the end of his life, even when he was in the hospital, still smiled, still managed
to put a smile on everyone else's face.
Never complained about his illness, always in prayer, always thanking Allah the exalted.
I remember the day before he died.
I was able to visit him and he had lost his ability to speech.
And I came to him and I stood in front of him.
I said, do you know who I am?
And he nodded.
I said to him, are you making Du'a for me?
He smiled and he nodded.
I said are you making Shahada?
And he raised this finger like this.
I said, Are you sure you're making it?
He raised it again like this.
Even a day before he died, he managed to make that moment so special.
And I thank Allah that Allah allowed me to shake his hand and kiss it, and look him in
the eyes while he was in the hospital and tell him "Thank you for everything you ever
did for me, that I will never forget.
Every moment I spent with you.
And every sacrifice you ever did to make my life that little bit better".
I thank him so much.
And I asked Allah to give him no less than Firdaus Al-'ala.
My brothers and sisters, every single one of us plays a role in this life.
You are far more important than what you really think.
Because every one of us is either a mother or a father or a neighbour or an employee
or a worker.
And somewhere out there there's a young boy or a young girl that's looking up to you.
What seed are you planting in people's hearts.
What vibes do you put out?
And more importantly, how will we be when we die?
Will we be thanked?
Or will we be forgotten?
This man was no scholar.
This man was no celebrity.
But by Allah, one of the greatest men I ever met in my life.
And I pray for him.
Like I would pray for my father.
This is a true Muslim