PETALING JAYA: While many Muslim households sit up for celebrating Aidilfitri, Fauzi Ghaffar finds it arduous to share the joy.
The fasting month serves as a painful reminder of the day his son Zahiruddin Putra went missing on April 15, 2019 – weeks earlier than Ramadan that 12 months.
Zahiruddin, or Zahir as his household fondly known as him, is the sixth of seven youngsters. He was eight years previous when he disappeared.
Zahir was final seen on the compound of the household’s house in Bandar Seri Putra, Bangi, Selangor.
Recalling the day of the incident, Fauzi, 50, stated Zahir preferred to play alone or together with his buddies on the compound of the house, and he wouldn’t go far.
On the fateful day, Zahir had been enjoying with some youngsters close to the house’s surau. The household realised the boy was missing round 7.30pm when he didn’t return residence.
His buddies had gone residence earlier however Zahir advised them he needed to proceed enjoying close to the surau and would go residence shortly.
“The final time I noticed him was round 6pm after I shouted at him from our unit’s window to cease enjoying within the rain.
“Around 7pm, his siblings nonetheless noticed him (on the compound), however after Maghrib prayers, he didn’t come residence in order that they went wanting for him however he was gone,” Fauzi, who’s self-employed, advised eNM.
Despite a search carried out by the authorities and the general public, not a clue surfaced relating to Zahir’s whereabouts. Netizens have been fast to attract comparisons with the disappearance of one Ashraf Hassan in Gopeng, Perak, who went missing just some weeks earlier than Zahir.
To Fauzi and his household, the ache of not figuring out what occurred continues to hang-out them and the Hari Raya celebration hasn’t been the identical.
With no closure, Fauzi struggles between accepting that he might by no means see Zahir once more and clinging on to hope that the boy will miraculously seem at their entrance door.
Fauzi stated though there had been instances when he thought he was prepared to simply accept that Zahir, who could be 13 now, would possibly by no means return residence, his intuition would kick in and make him change his thoughts.
“My intuition tells me he’s nonetheless round. And after I miss him tremendously, I hear his voice whispering: ‘Zahir is okay, abah (dad) don’t fear’.”
For now, all Fauzi may do is to name out softly to Zahir: “Son, please come residence.”
