By Silma Suba

In the heart of Education City, a collage of colorful sticky notes posted on a whiteboard stands in front of the entrance to the cafeteria of the Student Center.

A memorial. A remembrance. Each sticky note sends a message of “Rest in Peace,” “You’ll be missed,” “You’ll never be forgotten!”

Several days have passed since Jaber Al-Adba, a second year pre-medical student, lost his life in a tragic motorcycle accident on campus last week.

He’s left behind a community of family, friends and colleagues in Education City deep in mourning.

There’s also a palpable sense of shock.

Al-Adba, a student at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), reportedly lost control of a motorbike near the underground parking area behind WCMC-Q while turning a bend. Al-Adba passed away on the spot.

“It was his cousin’s bike, who’s in the same year as him at WCMC-Q,” said Ashraf Sharawi, Al-Adba’s friend and a senior at Texas A&M University in Qatar (TAMU-Q).

“I was at a friend’s apartment when I first heard the news. My friend received a text that a WCMC-Q student had passed away in a road accident, but it wasn’t until later that we found out it was Jaber. We were shocked,” added Sharawi.

“I wasn’t very close to him, and yet his demise has had such an effect on me. In fact, last weekend we were hanging out at the Grand Hyatt together, and now it feels surreal that he’s not here,” said Sharawi. “He had a huge impact on people who were close to him; he was always there for them and his absence will never be forgotten.”

Following Islamic custom, his family buried him later in the evening, and many friends and colleagues from EC attended his burial. People gathered in EC to offer condolences and counseling to each other. Within hours of his passing, friends started sharing messages of their shock and grief on social media.

A passage from a Hadeeth of the Quran circulated on social media, asking friends and family to donate on behalf of Al-Adba.

It reads:

“If a Muslim dies, his ability to do good deeds ends except if three things happen

1. If people donate in his name

2. If people make du’aa (prayer to God) for him

3. Students in WCMC-Q and across Education City are working on a charity in the name of Jaber Al-Adba and we ask Allah for mercy and forgiveness.

For whoever wants to donate, please contact 29135041, 33512132.”

By Thursday afternoon, the EC community arranged a gathering at the Shamali Residence Halls. Friends and colleagues of Al-Adba poured into the gathering, sharing stories and remembering him and comforting one another.

“I visited his family earlier this morning and his father was a very gracious man,” said Stephen M. Scott, the Acting Associate Dean of Student Affairs at WCMC-Q. “It’s incomprehensible to lose a child.”

“He would volunteer for every event and always stop by our office to say hello,” added Luma Rayyan, Student Health, Wellness and Activity Coordinator, her voice muffled with tears.

Friends and colleagues remembered him as a kind and generous person who always stopped by to chat whenever he saw them in a bad mood. Many shared funny stories and incidents, but many broke down in the middle of their stories, followed by silence and sobs, all around the room.

On Friday evening, students took buses from campus to offer condolences to Al-Adba’s family at their home.

Students also continued sending in their grievances and condolences, sharing stories of him and recollecting memories on social media. A post on EC Confessions, an anonymous confessions Facebook page, has asked everyone to pray for Al-Adba and donate in his name.

From EC Confessions Facebook page:

“We are all saddened by the sudden loss of one of our own. Jaber Al Adba has touched many of our hearts throughout his past 3 years in EC and he will never be forgotten. We intend on memorializing him by keeping his spirit alive through prayers and ongoing donations.

In an effort to get out and coordinate our donations, donation boxes have been set up across campuses. If for any reason you can’t get to one or want to directly donate to someone, please call or text 33512132.

Also, if Jaber owes any of you anything, please contact his family as soon as possible, as it is necessary for a Muslim to settle all debts before he can rest in peace.

Moreover I’ve been notified that Jaber’s father contacted some of EC students and sincerely requested all of us to delete Jaber’s pictures we’ve have been posting, and the ones we posted even before the accident. (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter..) so please do so.

The best way we can help Jaber now is by sincerely praying for him. May Allah Almighty forgive all his sins and make Paradise as his eternal abode.

الله يرحمك يا جابر و يغفر لك ويسكنك فسيح جناته 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxKNHI7Vf-Y.”

Laila Telawi, a student from GUSFSQ and a close friend of Al-Adba, paraphrased a quote by Charles Bukowski at the gathering that gave closure to his memorial.

“We should live our lives to the fullest and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.”

In yesterday’s version of our story we mentioned that Tala AlTaji spoke at the gathering, instead it was Laila Telawi. The article has been corrected for this.