Dr. Salman Haq: An Obituary

Dr. Salman Haq was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and later emigrated to the United States, where he graduated from Ross University School of Medicine in 2000, and became a leading cardiology specialist. He also served as President of the Islamic Center of Irving, Texas (ICI).

Written by Abu Hamza, Dallas Community Member

Bi-smi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm

When I first heard the news of Dr. Salman Haq returning to Allah , I felt a strange hollowness inside which I don’t recall ever feeling before.  I have had many loved ones pass away before; mostly in a gradual and expected manner so that the news, as hard as it is, is something the heart and mind are prepared for.  This news however, neither my heart nor mind were prepared for.  It was a jarring feeling and one that confused me at the same time.  My first thought was really how could this be, and I had to quickly ground myself and remind myself that the will of Allah cannot be questioned. I had to rely on the knowledge that Allah is Al Hakeem and Al ‘Aleem tin order o prevent my thoughts from spiraling down a path that I’m sure would not end well.  Nevertheless, the pain of the news tugged at me, and still does.

The strange thing is that I am not related to Dr. Salman.  I have maybe spent 2-3 hours in total with him in the last two years, yet the feeling is like having lost my own brother. So, I had to spend some time thinking about why I felt this way. Why was the pain so deep that tears start to well up every time I see his picture in a WhatsApp message?  It is not good to overly praise anyone, so I am not going to talk about Dr. Salman’s achievements or deeds.  Those that know him already know.  Those that don’t, can infer from the reactions of others, what kind of man he was.

What I want to share is why I think Dr. Salman meant so much to me, and how I see these events in light of the attributes of Allah as Al Hakeem and Al Aleem.  Dr. Salman was one of those people, who, no matter what kind of day you were having, would be a delight to meet and talk to.  He had that characteristic that people describe about the prophet that when you meet him, he would make you feel like you were his favorite person. That he was genuinely interested in your life, your problems, your stories.  He was someone I looked up to and wished I could be as loving and as generous as he was.  What I think deep down he represented to me in my psyche was the goodness that I hoped to find in myself and in others. He gave me hope and optimism that I could be better. and that people in general can be better, can be genuine, can be trusted. I am a cynic at heart and as much as I don’t like it about myself, it is my nature and he represented something that stood strong against my cynical view of the world.  So, to see him gone, his goodness return to Allah , shakes me to the core.

But then I try to see the attributes of Allah at work in these events. Although we don’t have access to Allah’s knowledge or His wisdom, we can try to glean some insight into His wisdom and knowledge at work to comfort our hearts. It is like when Ibrahim said,

“And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead.” [ Allah ] said, “Have you not believed?” He said, “Yes, but [I ask] only that my heart may be satisfied.” [ Allah ] said, “Take four birds and commit them to yourself. Then [after slaughtering them] put on each hill a portion of them; then call them – they will come [flying] to you in haste. And know that Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 2;260]

They say that you don’t truly appreciate the value of what you have until you lose it.  And in this case, I can only speak for myself that certainly I didn’t appreciate the value of that friendship and companionship until I suddenly felt its loss.  But I don’t think I am alone in this feeling. Probably too many of us have forgotten the importance of mercy, compassion, generosity, humility, and all the other character traits that we may think of when we remember Dr. Salman, and this event is a way of reminding us how valuable those characteristics are; not through lectures or readings, but by making us feel their loss. Perhaps it will ignite in us the resolve to commit to these ideals in ourselves.

I cannot even fathom in any way the feeling of loss that Dr. Salman’s family feels.  Mine is but a fragment of the pain they must feel, but I hope that for them, Allah’s wisdom in it becomes even clearer. That his children will see that what people remember about their father is not how much wealth he had but how much wealth he shared.  Not how high he climbed in this world but how much he lifted people up; not how much he laughed but how much he made others laugh and smile.

I pray that we all see the same thing and commit to being better people. That we commit ourselves too to sacrifice, generosity, and compassion. And if we do this, because we were motivated by the memory of this loss we felt. If we do this because Dr. Salman’s life inspired us to do it, then that will be the greatest sadaqa jariya for him. Our deeds inspired by his loss will come as mountain ranges to be weighed on his scale on the Day of Judgment, and there is great wisdom in Allah giving him this honor.

There is a dua’ that the sunnah reports the Prophet taught the Companions:

 اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ، وَتَرْكَ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ، وَحُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ، وَأَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِي، وَتَرْحَمَنِي، وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ فِتْنَةَ قَوْمٍ فَتَوَفَّنِي غَيْرَ مَفْتُونٍ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ، وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ، وَحُبَّ عَمَلٍ يُقَرِّبُنِي إِلَى حُبِّكَ

“O Allah, I ask You to help me do good deeds and abstain from evil ones, to grant me the love of the poor and needy, and to forgive me and have mercy on me. And if it is Your Will that You put some people to trial (regarding their faith), then make me die without being put to that trial. I ask You to grant me Your Love, the love of those who love You, and the love of deeds that bring me closer to Your Love.”

We know the state the world is in now and the fitnah that is all around us. To pass from this world in a state of imaan, on jumu’ah, while traveling is a mercy from Allah . Only Allah knows what trials and tribulations are headed our way and what Dr. Salman has been saved from. I pray that Allah gathers him with His auliya and the shuhadaa, and provides him with the shade of His Throne on the Day of Judgment and enters him into Jannah without hisaab.

“The virtuous will be ˹dressed˺ in garments of fine green silk and rich brocade, and adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a purifying drink.” [Surah Al-‘Insān: 76;21]

“All this is surely a reward for you. Your striving has been appreciated.” [Surah Al-‘Insān: 76;22]