Greater St. Louis Area March 10, 2019:
In commemoration of today’s passing of Yusuf Ibrahim Umar…
The 22 Days of Baby Yusuf
by American Islamic Montessori Association
To Allah We Belong and To Him We Will Return.
So begins every Death Announcement from the St. Louis Muslim Community to which I belong. And the announcements, frequent as they are in a Community of our size, rarely deliver so sharp a message as that of Yusuf Ibrahim Umar, son of our Mufti and the baby of whom Allah granted us the gift …. for 22 days. In the sum total of 22 days, our Community shared in and was witness to one of life’s greatest joys – and one of its greatest sorrows.
Baby Yusuf is a piercing reminder of the exquisite and ephemeral gift that is life.
And yet the brevity of Yusuf’s life belies his influence; it belies the impact he has had on us all – even those of us who never met him. The events of his arrival – and of his passing – have forever changed us, through a galvanized and affirmed Iman. In this way, the world is decidedly different for his having been here. Our hearts go out to his family; we pray for them, as we pray for Yusuf. We find comfort in the knowledge that Yusuf, in perfect fitrah, has returned home to Allah; we find comfort in our salat and in our continued practice of faith, until such time Insha’Allah (God willing) that we too, will be called home. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un (To Allah We Belong and To Him We Will Return).
Dr. Jaime Dodd specializes in the research and application of Montessori theory and practice in early childhood educational settings. She is a member of the executive leadership team for a nonprofit, educational and research institution in St. Louis, Missouri where she has invested the greater part of her professional career. Dr. Dodd serves on the board of various St. Louis area non-profit entities, focused primarily on educational, humanitarian and/or healthcare concerns. Dr. Dodd’s passion is manifest in her work with the American Islamic Montessori Association (AIMA), a professional membership organization to advance Islamic Montessori Education (IME) as a bridge to foster understanding, promote education and expand peace across the U.S. and around the globe.