The Nigerian Air Force pilot, Flight Lieutenant Ibrahim Adamu Abubakar, who tragically lost his life in the recent MI-171 Jet crash in Niger State, was given a solemn burial on Tuesday.
Amidst prayers and mourning, the pilot was laid to rest in Zaria, Kaduna State, following a service held at the Haruna Danja Jumma’at mosque.
Sheikh Muhammad Sani Gumi, the Chief Imam of the mosque, led the prayer, which was attended by the pilot’s family and scores of mourners.
Prior to the burial, the late pilot’s family had conducted a proxy funeral prayer (Salatul Gha’ib) for him at Tudun Jukun, Zaria, when his body had not yet been found.
Explaining the significance of the proxy prayer, Abubakar Adamu, the pilot’s elder brother, shared, “Such prayers in Islam, known as Salatul Gha’ib, are observed when the body of the deceased is not available. As relatives, we have a religious obligation to perform the prayer, regardless of the presence of the corpse.”
Adamu added that now that the pilot’s body had been recovered, it was essential to conduct another funeral prayer in his honor.
He expressed the family’s deep shock and grief but also mentioned their belief that the late pilot, having made the ultimate sacrifice to free his people and country, had attained Shahada, and thus was destined for Aljanna (heaven) in the afterlife.
Recalling her son’s traits, Hajiya A’ishatu Adams, the mother of the deceased pilot, described him as a “Hafiz” (someone who has memorized the Holy Qur’an) who possessed a calm and quiet demeanor.
She pleaded for Allah’s mercy to grant him eternal repose in Jannatul Firdausi (the highest level of paradise).
