By: Azman Zakaria
Photo by: Creative Media Section and Corporate Visibility
SERDANG, March 23: “At first, I was reluctant to come and accept my late husband's bachelor’s degree because I was afraid that I would grieve and would not be able to step on stage.
"However, I told myself to be strong to celebrate the success of my late husband and to motivate my four children to follow the footsteps of their late father to succeed in studies," said Nurul Huda Abd Rani, wife of Allahyarham Shalat Ihsan Sharudin, who received a bachelor’s degree on behalf of her deceased husband.
Nurul Huda, 36, received the Bachelor of Communication on behalf of Allahyarham Shalat Ihsan from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Pro-Chancellor, Academician Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dr. Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim, at Session 5 of the 45th UPM Convocation Ceremony here.
Nurul Huda said her husband, who worked at the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in Putrajaya, passed away because of a heart attack on June 8, 2021, a day after the deceased completed the Six-Day voluntary fast in the month of Syawal. They have four children aged between five and 14 years old.
Two months after Shalat Ihsan passed away, his father, Sharudin Abdul Hadi (Nurul Huda's father-in-law), an alumnus of UPM, passed away due to COVID-19.
"What I imagined when I went to receive the bachelor's degree, was the face of my late husband who received the bachelor’s degree, it's hard for me to describe .... but I'm thankful, the Allaryarham’s ambition to obtain a bachelor's degree was achieved," said Nurul Huda in a hushed tone while holding back her tears.
"I was sorrowful and touched when the Pro-Chancellor asked for the reason of my husband’s passing when I received the bachelor's degree," she said.
She, who hails from Sungai Besi, Selangor, and is a housewife, said the ones who really told her to come and receive the bachelor's degree with her children were her parents, mother-in-law and sister.
“InsyaAllah, I will educate my children to succeed in this world and the hereafter. I want my children to succeed academically like their father,” said Nurul Huda, who has a degree in Materials Engineering from the International Islamic University Malaysia.
She said she now supports her children with the derivative pension issued for her late husband and may plan to work later.
She said her husband did not show any signs of heart disease even though his cholesterol level was quite high.
"On the day of the incident, my husband and I had just come back from breakfast. He slept for a while, and at noon I woke him up. Shortly after waking up, he suddenly collapsed. The medical officer who arrived soon after performed the Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for 20 minutes, but he did not respond," she said.
When met, their eldest son, Muhammad Soleh, 14, a student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Putrajaya Presint 11 (1), said he was touched by his father's success is determined to study up to the university level.
"This will be a source of inspiration for me and my siblings," he said. – UPM.
