Out of deep grief, a small offering of comfort has been created for families navigating one of life’s most heartbreaking experiences: the death of someone they love.
This Islamic grief support booklet was born from the sudden passing of my beloved nephew, Mustapha Harris, who returned to Allah swt on 22 November 2025. His passing changed our family in ways that words cannot hold.
In the early days of grief, there were so many moments where we were trying to find language. Language for ourselves, for the children in our family, and for the people around us who were also trying to make sense of such a painful and sudden loss.
For Muslim families, death is spoken about through faith, prayer and love. Yet when children ask tender questions, Where did they go? Can they hear us? Can we still love them? What can we do for them now? many adults find themselves searching for words that are both Islamically grounded and gentle enough for a young heart while carrying grief themselves.
This booklet was created for that space.
It offers child, family-friendly language around grief, Barzakh, and continuing bonds with loved ones after they return to Allah. It gently reminds families that death does not end love. It invites children and adults to stay connected through du’a, sadaqah, good deeds, memories, stories, and acts of love done in the name of the person who has passed.
The intention behind the booklet is simple: khayr.
It is not being sold or created for profit. It is being printed and distributed for free through masjids, grief care packs, Death Doulas and through people who offer families support in those early and tender days of loss.
So many Muslim parents, carers, teachers, and community members are often called upon to support children through grief, but they may not always have a resource that feels both spiritually familiar and emotionally safe. This booklet hopes to offer a starting point, not to take away the pain, but to sit gently beside it.
It was created from lived grief, from love, and from the hope that another family may feel a little less alone when they are trying to explain death to a child.
The booklet holds space for sadness, questions, faith, and connection. It does not ask families to ‘move on’. Instead, it honours the Islamic understanding that our loved ones return to Allah swt, and that our connection with them continues through prayer, remembrance, and the good we carry forward as forms of sadaqah Jariyah.
In our communities, grief is not carried by one person alone. It is held by families, neighbours, friends, and the community. This resource is part of a wider tradition of communal care. A small resource offered into the hands of those who may need language, reassurance, and a gentle reminder that love continues.
The booklet can be found and accessed through the @Blue Gum Wellbeing Instagram page, where other grief, healing, and community care resources are offered. The booklet is also included in the @the7spikes Grief Care Packs.
May Allah accept this booklet as sadaqah jariyah for Mustapha Harris. May it bring comfort to grieving families. May it help children feel held in moments of confusion and sadness. And may it remind us that even after death, love, du’a, and connection remain.
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