[TRIBUTE] An Elegy for The Honourable: Alhaji Marooph Bukoye Bintinlaye

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.
To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return.
A call we knew would come, yet still, the heart resists—
A father to the fatherless, now from this world dismissed.

The widows’ shield, the orphans’ guide,
Now leaves behind a grieving tide.
No force could halt the Divine Decree,
For every soul must heed its plea:
“Every soul shall taste death…” (Qur’an 3:185),
Yet in our loss, we seek His grace,
And trust in His All-Wise embrace.

The needy still wait at your door,
The hungry long for harvest’s store.
The hands you fed now reach in vain,
For none can fill your place again.
Ramadan came, but where were you?
No feast, no gifts, no charity due.
Our children ask, “Where’s Baba Honourable gone?”
Missing the endless flow of goodies from you.
We whisper low: “To Jannah’s throne.”

You were the pillar, strong, unbent,
The family’s bond, its firm cement.
Each life you touched, each hope you raised,
Now stands in pause, in grief, amazed.
“The believer’s soul is a bird in the trees of Paradise,”
So said the Prophet (peace be upon him)—
And so we pray your rest is sweet,
Your record sealed, your work complete.

You taught us prayer, you led with might,
Yet never shied from truth’s sharp light.
You gave with hands both firm and kind,
A legacy that stays behind.
We thought we knew your worth, your height—
An Everest of love and light.
But death revealed a greater span:
You were Mauna Kea, more than man.

O Allah, forgive him, elevate his station,
Grant him Al-Firdaus, the highest mansion.
Let his good deeds weigh heavy on the Scale,
And shield his grave from torment’s wail.
For those who mourn, grant patience strong,
And reunite us in Jannah, whole, lifelong.
Ameen.