YONA MOURNS NA JAINABA JAWLA: A NOBLE SOUL, A GREAT MOTHER AND A WOMAN OF EXCEPTIONAL HUMANITY

By Bakary Jallow

Some people pass through this world and leave behind memories. Others leave behind a legacy so powerful that their names will forever be written in the hearts of those whose lives they touched. Na Jainaba Jawla was one such woman.
Yona, in the Central River Region (CRR), has lost a remarkable woman, a devoted Muslim, a compassionate mother, a generous neighbour and a true blessing to humanity. Na Jainaba passed away yesterday after a brief illness, and her remains were transported to Yona, where she was laid to rest.
As I reflect on her life, my heart is filled with profound sadness, gratitude and admiration. I have lost a mother whose love, kindness and generosity can never be adequately expressed in words.

My personal story with Na Jainaba

In 1986, when I was posted to Yona as a Secco Manager under the then Gambia Cooperative Union (GCU), I was a young man living far away from my biological family. It was at this point in my life that Na Jainaba embraced me as her son, and I accepted her as my mother.
From that moment, she treated me with a love and affection that made me feel as though I were living in my own father’s compound. She fed me, washed my clothes and ensured that I enjoyed the comfort, care and security every child deserves from a mother.
As a single young man, one of my greatest worries was how to receive friends and relatives who called to inform me that they were coming to visit. My concern was always how to feed and accommodate them properly. But Na Jainaba consistently took that burden off my shoulders. She welcomed my visitors, fed them and made sure they were comfortable until their departure.
That was the kind of woman she was. She did not merely welcome people into her compound; she welcomed them into her heart.

During the off-season, when financial difficulties became unbearable and I desperately needed money, Na Jainaba was among the first people I turned to. Even when she had little or nothing herself, she would do everything within her power to help me. If necessary, she would go out and borrow money on my behalf.
Think about that for a moment: a woman who had her own household responsibilities and children to care for would still go out of her way to ease the burden of someone who was not her biological son.

That was not ordinary kindness. That was motherhood in its purest form.
I can never repay Na Jainaba for what she did for me. But I will forever carry her love, sacrifices and generosity in my heart. Her place in my life can never be occupied by another.

A Woman who loved beyond the boundaries of family

Na Jainaba was a deeply pious Muslim whose life reflected the values of compassion, humility, patience and generosity. She was friendly, approachable and exceptionally careful with her words and actions. In all the years I knew her, I never knew her to quarrel with her husband or engage in quarrels with anyone in the village. She was a peaceful woman and an exemplary neighbour.

She was contented with what she had, never one to beg, and lived a modest and dignified life. She rarely went out except when it was necessary.
But what made her truly extraordinary was her love for strangers and people in need.

Na Jainaba had a heart that seemed to have no boundaries. She would welcome strangers into her compound and ensure that they received food and water. Often, she was among the first to attend to visitors, making sure that no one who entered her compound was left hungry or thirsty.

Her generosity was not reserved for the people she knew. She extended it to strangers, the vulnerable and anyone who needed a helping hand. She gave from whatever little she had, without seeking recognition, praise or reward.
This is why her death has touched so many hearts. The people who came to mourn her and attend her burial spoke of her extraordinary kindness, selflessness and generosity. One after another, they testified to the goodness of a woman who gave so much of herself to others.
When people from different walks of life remember you for your kindness, when strangers speak of your generosity, and when those you helped stand together to testify to your goodness, you have left behind a legacy far greater than material wealth.

Na Jainaba was rich in humanity.
A mother who raised children with values

Na Jainaba also deserves recognition for the values she instilled in her children. She raised them to be kind, humble, appreciative, disciplined and committed to the teachings of Islam.
These are values that money cannot buy and that no inheritance can replace. They are the lasting gifts of a mother who understood that the true measure of a person’s life is not what they accumulate, but what they contribute to the lives of others.
One of her sons, Soriba, is the current Alkalo of Yona, following the demise of his father. May Allah grant him and his siblings the strength to bear this painful loss and the wisdom to preserve the beautiful legacy their mother has left behind.

My deepest tribute to a mother I will never forget

Na Jainaba, you took me in when you had no obligation to do so. You fed me when I needed food, cared for me when I needed a mother’s attention, welcomed my visitors when I worried about their welfare, and supported me financially when circumstances were difficult.
You never treated me as an outsider. You treated me as your own child.

Today, as I mourn your passing, I find comfort in knowing that your life was meaningful and that the love you gave so freely will continue to live in the hearts of the countless people you touched.

You may have left this world, but you have not left us empty-handed. You have left us with memories of kindness, lessons in humility, examples of generosity and a legacy of peaceful living that generations can learn from.
Yona has lost a great woman. Your children have lost a beloved mother. Your neighbours have lost a trusted companion. Those in need have lost a generous benefactor. And I have lost a mother whose love I will cherish for the rest of my life.

May your departure remind us all that greatness is not measured by wealth, titles or possessions, but by the lives we touch, the burdens we lighten and the kindness we leave behind.

Rest peacefully, my beloved mother, Na Jainaba Jawla. Your good deeds will continue to speak for you long after your departure.

May Allah, in His infinite mercy, forgive your shortcomings, accept your good deeds, illuminate your grave, expand your resting place and grant you Jannatul Firdausi, the highest abode in Paradise.

May Allah grant your children, grandchildren, family and all those who loved you the patience and strength to endure this painful loss. May He bless your surviving children with long lives, good health, prosperity and the ability to uphold the noble values you taught them.
Ameen Ya Rabbi.

Farewell my mother. You were a blessing to me, a blessing to Yona and a blessing to humanity. I shall never forget you

Inna lillahi Wa inna ilayhi Raji’ un

The post YONA MOURNS NA JAINABA JAWLA: A NOBLE SOUL, A GREAT MOTHER AND A WOMAN OF EXCEPTIONAL HUMANITY appeared first on Daily Observer Gambia .