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THE father of a Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin student who was killed in a road accident in Kuala Terengganu on Thursday said he has accepted the apology of the other driver’s family and forgiven them, describing the loss of his daughter as part of God’s will.
Mazli Yusoh, 51, a teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Putra in Besut, said he received a visit from the family of the Honda Jazz driver while waiting for the post-mortem of his daughter, Syakirah Hanan, at the Forensic Department of Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah on Thursday afternoon.
“Yes, they came to apologise for what happened. I forgive them, after all they are not at fault. In Islam we are obliged to forgive when people come to ask for forgiveness,” he said.
“What happened is all fate and destiny. Allah has decreed it. That is from the religious point of view. The law of this world still has to be followed… worldly laws such as human negligence and so on, but that is another matter. From the religious perspective, we accept it because when the time comes, we will all die.
“I have no problem forgiving because it is not his fault either,” he said when met at the hospital compound.
Syakirah Hanan, 25, died after the Perodua Viva she was driving was struck by a Honda Jazz at a traffic light junction on Jalan Kemajuan, Bukit Kecil, at about 1.38pm.
The victim, a UniSZA student, was making a right turn as the traffic light turned green when the Honda Jazz, driven by a man approaching from the opposite direction, crashed into her vehicle.
The male driver, believed to be about 32 years old and from Kampung Bukit Cempaka, Kepong, was reportedly travelling from Jalan Kemajuan on his way home to his village. The impact left Syakirah trapped in her badly damaged car.
The man suffered serious injuries, including a broken left arm and neck injuries, and is still receiving treatment at Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah.
Syakirah Hanan’s body was later laid to rest at about 12.30am at the Islamic cemetery of Kubur Besar Kuala Bedah, attended by nearly 1,000 mourners comprising family members, relatives, friends, local residents and university peers who came to pay their final respects.
Earlier, funeral prayers were performed at Masjid Ibadurrahman Kuala Bekah after the body arrived from the hospital’s forensic department at about 11pm. The prayers were led by her father, Mazli Yusoh, and joined by UniSZA vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Fadzli Adam.
The burial proceeded smoothly amid an atmosphere of deep sorrow, with some in attendance unable to hold back their tears.
Speaking after the burial, Mazli expressed gratitude that the funeral arrangements for his daughter were made easy.
“Alhamdulillah, my daughter’s body was very ‘comel’ (in good condition). The injuries were mostly internal and there were only slight marks on her face,” he said.
Syakirah Hanan was a second-semester student in the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme at the Faculty of Contemporary Islamic Studies, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. - January 6, 2025
