Help Pay Zahara Ameen's Dignified Burial Loan of $10,300.

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un

إِنَّا ِلِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

“Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him, we shall return.” (Qur’an 2:156)

Asalam alayakum warahmatuallahi wabarakatu everyone.

We share a story that carries both sadness and fascination about our sister in Islam, Zahara Ameen's death.

We have known Zahara since 1997. She was a devoted Muslim. She attended regular prayers at the masjid, and at times, she stayed overnight at the masjid. Sometimes, she spent the whole day in the masjid, attending prayers, and going home after Isha prayer.

She had grown up in foster care with no family, and she asked me (Sheik Abdullah) and Sheik Abubakary to be her guardians in case anything happened to her.

We agreed to keep copies of her birth certificate. However, after 2014, her health began to decline. Her blood sugar levels became dangerously high, leading to the amputation of one of her legs. Despite her disability, she continued to come to the masjid until she was so sick and unable to do so.

On October 15, I received a call from David Keene at the Washington State Guardianship Office. Initially, I was unaware of the gravity of the situation. When I returned his call, he informed me that Zahara had passed away on October 10, just five days earlier.

He explained that her body was at Elemental Cremation Burial and that they intended to cremate her. He insisted that they wait as he sought her family members, knowing that cremation is not permissible in Islam.

After reviewing her hospital chart, he discovered she was Muslim and found our names listed as her guardians.

This led to our involvement in retrieving her body. We have taken a loan of $10,300 to cover her burial expenses, which took place on Friday, October 18, 2024.

We did this because we could not allow our sister to be cremated just because she didn't have a family. A Muslim should be treated with respect and dignity whether living or dead.

We are kindly asking for the support of our Muslim brothers and sisters to help repay this amount.

Thank you for your kindness and assistance. May Allah reward you!