Baru 12 hari saja Ralf Muhammad yang berasal dari Leiceister, Blackburn, Kerajaan Inggeris memeluk Islam, laki-laki ‘Muallaf’ itu akhirnya berpulang ke rahmatullah. Berita kematiannya menarus simpati dan empati banyak umat Islam di Inggeris. Tercatat, lebih dari seribu orang datang berta’ziah.
Ralf Muhammad, berusia 58 tahun menderita penyakit kanker saat pertama kali mengucapkan dua kalimat syahadat di Rumah Sakit. Setelah itu, ia merubah namanya menjadi Ralf Muhammad Edmund Golden.
Surat kabar ‘Blackburn Citizen’ yang terbit di Inggeris menyebutkan, Ralf Muhammad dikenal sebagai pemerhati Islam sejak beberapa dekade, khususnya setelah ia bertemu dengan salah seorang teman Muslimnya bernama Yusuf Seedat di salah satu SLTA di sana.’
Surat kabar itu mempublikasikan gambar sejumlah orang Islam yang tinggal di Inggeris saat berkumpul untuk menguburkan jenazah Ralf Muhammad.
Sementara itu di waktu yang sama, Seedat, teman seperjuangan Ralf menyebut temannya itu sebagai sosok yang sangat spesial dan unik sekalipun kehidupan barunya dalam naungan Islam ia lalui demikian singkat. “Kami akan sangat kehilangan dia!!” kenangnya. Semoga Allah menerima arwahnya di sisiNya. (almokhtsr/AH/alsofwah.or.id)
1,000 at Islam convert’s funeral
MORE than 1,000 mourners attended the funeral of the man who converted to Islam 12 days before his death. Ralph Golden, of Leicester Road, Blackburn, had developed an interest in the faith decades ago when he met his friend Yusuf Sidat at Accrington Road Secondary School.
Friends said after he was diagnosed with cancer the 58-year-old's health deteriorated quite quickly. He asked to become a Muslim from his hospital bed and changed his name to Ralph Mohammed Edmond Golden. His funeral, which took place at Pleasington Cemetery, was attended by a large number of men of the Muslim community.
In keeping with tradition, the female members of Mr Golden's family were not allowed to take part directly in the service. Instead they stood to one side and had proceedings explained to them by an Islamic priest. Mr Sidat, of Rydal Road, Blackburn, said: "He was one-in-a-million. "Every time we had a birth, marriage or death in our family he was there with us, supporting us. We travelled to India together twice and travelled around England a lot. "He will be missed."
Widower Mr Golden leaves a son Ralph, daughter Michelle, four sisters Christine, Rita, June and Diana and a brother Tony. The textile mill worker was married to wife Marie for 31 years. http://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk
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