Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd

Last night I lay in bed and listened to the thunder roll incessantly overhead. This morning, I woke up feeling oddly anxious and sad. The air was now cool, the sky a cloudless blue. I could not make sense of my mood.

Admittedly, however, for the past two weeks, I had been worried. My dear friend, mentor, and colleague Nasr Abu Zayd had fallen suddenly ill in Indonesia and returned to Cairo for treatment. Indeed, he had been reported dead. In disbelief at the initial reports, I had tried to contact Nasr without success, and then contacted several people who were able to provide me with reliable information: Nasr had fallen ill with a rare infection, but he was being treated and was expected to recover. That was the news one week ago today.

An email reached me this morning that he had passed away at 9:00 A.M. Cairo time.

Inna lillahi wa inna alayhi raji'un.

Good-bye dear friend. I will always remember your advice, your companionship, your support, and, no less than the others, our laughter.