In coming together with Zam Zam Water in memory of a son, brother, friend, and much more, Matin Mesdaq was a young 23-year-old that departed this world too soon. He was honored in the beautiful community of Dasht E Barchi, Afghanistan. The resilience the people of Afghanistan contain is not only admirable but desirable. Our Afghan-American identity was attained from that same resilience. The ability of bringing an idea and vision to life is incredible, especially one that serves so many. So many, implying not only the beautiful people of Dasht E Barchi but also the impact it had on us as a family. It is truly incredible how we can all help one another with proper use of resources, not only physical but also the unseen. This is what Zam Zam Water has done for us as a family. March 6, 2018 marked not only the two-year anniversary for Matin but also the day Zam Zam presented our family with a beautiful way of honoring our Matin. Entrusting Zam Zam with a request so personal on a large scale has allowed us to gain so much more in return. Our family is certainly nothing short of appreciative and humbled that we are a small part of the incredible work that Zam Zam has and will continue to produce.
"Every soul shall taste death" (Quran 3:185). Our hearts were fighting against our minds and the verse indeed was right before us. Although we had always believed it, now it had to be lived. What was practiced through words now had to be implemented by our actions, emotions, and heart. A mentality of acceptance gave us peace and a reason for persistence. Matins janazah (burial) was led by the same mentor that exposed and instilled within us at a young age that death would approach regardless of age and situation. There was no way around it. He was now leading one of his own students janazah and what we were taught and learned from had now come to a full circle and was being implemented in reality "to Allah we belong and to him we shall surely return" (Quran 2:156).
Matin never waited for the perfect moment but instead just any moment, never depending on the future. He acknowledged his imperfections always with sincerity in the way he carried himself and we were reminded of that constantly by many on that very day. The amount of Muslims and non-Muslim’s that stood, cried, and prayed with us respectfully on the day of his funeral showed us how important it was for him to always go beyond what was comfortable for him. Bringing closer and engaging with those that were different than him always. He never wanted to live in fear, in turn creating fear within us of losing him. We were left with the following question: does the perception of having control over so many aspects of our life, make the lack of control when death reaches us a difficult hurdle to overcome?
-Mesdaq Family
Matin Mesdaq