Life

Kaya stepped out of the room with his wife and daughter. They had agreed beforehand to part ways as if bidding each other goodnight, with a simple "Sleep well." And that's exactly what they did. Kaya remained calm, even offering comfort by reciting the words he used to say to his daughter, Hayat, when she was little and didn't want to go to bed: "We'll sleep, we'll wake up, we'll lie down, we'll rise, and, God willing, we'll be together again." He kissed them one last time and said his goodbyes. Avoiding their gaze, he turned to the others waiting nearby. In the lounge outside the sleep room, he also said farewell to his sons, Ali and Peker. Then, he handed everyone a small note written on a piece of paper. "I've read and reflected on the meaning of this verse countless times," he said. "Now, I'm going to sleep. Perhaps it's your turn to think about it for a while." Everyone looked down at the note in their hands. It read: Surah Az-Zumar (39:42): "It is Allah who takes the souls at the time of death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for whom He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who give thought."