Farewell Tok Mat

Received the sad news that Datuk Ahmad A Talib passed away late this afternoon.

Ex-NST GE Ahmad A Talib dies

Innalillahiwainailaihirojiun.

I know arwah for more than two decades.

He was a good and kind man.

Anyone who knows him will agree with me on that.

Some may even say that he was sometimes too good and kind for his own good.

As some people like to say, nice guys never win wars.

But that's just Tok Mat.

"Ahmad is the quintessential nice-guys-don't-win-wars type. He hasn't got a mean bone in his body," said a friend when we discussed his illness two weeks ago.

Whatever it is, for me, life is not war. It's not about winning or losing.

Life is a journey.

And Allah judges us based on how we conduct ourselves on this journey.

I believe Tok Mat conducted himself well throughout his journey.

Ya, as a human being he, as do all of us have faults, but as far as I'm concerned Tok Mat's good deeds, especially his kindness to others far outweigh his faults.

I pray that Allah placed him among those that He favored.

My condolences to his family and loved ones.