In the name of Allah the Most Merciful the Ever Merciful
24 Rabi al-Awwal 1437 / 5th January 2016
The family of the Respected Professor Rev Gerrie Lubbe
Greetings
Inna lillahi ma akhadha wa lillahi ma a‘ta wa kullun ‘indahu
bi-ajalin musamman fal tasbir wal tahtasib”
“To God belongs what He takes and to Him belongs what He gives. There is a set time by Him for everything. So do exercise patience and expect a reward (from Allah).”
On behalf of the Dockrat family our heartfelt condolences are with you and your family on this sad occasion. Yet there is comfort in knowing that the deceased has reached closer to his final destination: “Death is but a bridge uniting the lover to his beloved.” Death does not signal the end, it is only the start of a fresh and more eternal phase of life.
Surely, to Allah belongs everything. Our life, wealth and families are wonderful gifts from Him loaned to us, so that we may derive benefit therefrom for a fixed period of time. Thus, gratitude becomes binding upon us when He gives, and patience obligatory when He takes away. Let this occasion be a means for you and your family of attaining great rewards by exercising the desired patience. Whatever is to happen, will happen.
My dear Professor Gerrie’s loss in not only your loss or mine. It is the loss of the nation and humanity at large. It is seldom that people of such integrity and virtue walk the earth. He epitomised for me what a good teacher should be. He was a good academic who truly understood and lived a life that promoted understanding and justice. The invaluable lessons he thought will be etched in my memory forever.
His office had a copy of the Qur’an on display and on his retirement he gifted me a frame containing the entire Qur’an. This frame has pride of place in my lounge and is an enduring reminder of the gift of a compassionate Christian pastor. This same Qur’an reminds us that nothing of this world endures. Wa mal hayatud dunya illa mata‘ al-gharur.” (3:185) [And this worldly life is nothing but deception]. It is good deeds and impressions we leave behind that immortalise us. Gerrie’s legacy endures as my friend. If a friend is a second self, then I feel blessed to have had a good, wise friend and I celebrate his life.
My parents, Ebrahim and Jamila Dockrat and my wife Aamena, join me in passing our heartfelt condolences to Mrs Jeanetta Lubbe, the children and the extended family. We pray that you be blessed with every goodness. Ameen.
Wassalam
Ashraf Dockrat