ROTTERDAM: ON his last night in Rotterdam, before boarding the ill fated plane, Mohd Ali Md Salim, 30, stayed up all night bantering with his friends who helped him pack.
He even had one of them cut his hair for Hari Raya that he was to spend in Malaysia with his family.
These were his family in Rotterdam: Nur Fariza M Shaipuddin, a PhD student in Plant Biochemistry at the University of Amsterdam who made laksam for the breaking of fast, Muhammad Hariz Aizat bin Azizan, 19, a student at College Zadkine Rotterdam who cut his hair, Ahmad Huzaimi Abdul Jamil, 30, a PhD in Construction Management at Vrije University in Amsterdam and Joe Ismail, 76, his landlord and “uncle” to many.
They stayed up way past sahur not wanting to sleep in case he missed the flight at noon.
Mohd Ali, in his excitement to spend Hari Raya back home, asked Muhammad Hariz, who also shared the same house with him, to cut his hair. It was a jovial last few hours that he had with his friends at Uncle Joe's house in Rotterdam.
But the mood last night, as these very same friends and more gathered here for the breaking of fast and later for sahur, couldn't have been more different. They had apparently said their last goodbye to him at the departure lounge of Schipol Airport.
Friends from The Hague and Amsterdam came to hold a tahlil session for a friend who had been a caring son, a supportive brother and a rock to many. Indeed, judging from pictures in their albums and Facebook, Mohd Ali was there to pack for someone leaving, to cook when someone needed catering and to lend an ear and a shoulder to cry on.
Nur Fariza came to Holland the same year Mohd Ali did , both pursuing their PhDs in their respective fields, one in Rotterdam and one in Amsterdam. But in Mohd Ali, Nur Fazura found a caring younger brother who was always protecting her and sharing her problems coping with life abroad.
“I would call him and he would never let me down. He would listen to my problems. It is such a loss. With other friends, we went on holiday together and he would cook for me“ said Nur Fariza who fainted upon hearing news that Mohd Ali was in the flight.
“When he came here he wanted to get that doctorate so that people would respect him. But towards the end, it didnt matter anymore. He said he just wanted to go home and serve the community. He had plans and couldn't wait to go home and implement them,” she said of the neuropsychopathology student.
Hariz recalled an occasion two months ago when he was about to leave for work he heard Mohd Ali reciting the Quran.
“ It was such a beautiful recital. He had a beautiful voice. I didn't want to leave. Now he is gone. Allah loves him more and I have to accept that. He cared for me, he cared for Uncle Joe and we cared for each other, “ said Hariz, his voice wraught with emotions.
What Hariz found to be most painful was perhaps the sight of soft toys scattered around the crash site. It was his mother who confirmed that the soft toys were bought at a flea market in Nord Rotterdam for his newborn niece. He was so excited he bought a plastic bag full of toys which sadly never reached the newborn he would never see.
If Hariz and Nur Fariza found it hard to cope with the loss, Joe, who is the treasurer of the Malaysian Association of The Netherlands, said he had lost someone who was like a son to him, who looked after his meals and took care of him when he was unwell.
“He cared for everyone who came to this house. He was like a son. If you fell ill , he was there for you. He will cook anything that you want. If you couldn't do any shopping, he would do it for you. He would jump on his bike and go buy the stuff that you want. A better friend, a better carer, you couldn’t find,” said Joe.
Joe has a more difficult task ahead. Mohd Ali's room has been left awaiting his return. Joe now has the unenviable task to sort them out and pack them home.
Strange as it may seem, Mohd Ali's Instagram username MASA 1777 and his video clip that became trending has a very simple explanation. It has nothing to do with the fact that the ill-fated flight crashed on 17th of 7 and the plane was a Boeing 777.
It was actually the registration number of a Honda Civic he bought before he left for the The Netherlands three years ago. MASA was the acronym for Mohd Ali Md Salim – thus MASA 1777.
Hariz and Huzaimi were at pains to explain this when the trending clip drew some comments that it was a fake account.
“He bought the car just before he came to The Netherlands but has since sold it as no one was using it. It was all a coincidence. He went in the month of Ramadan, on a Friday night before the Nuzul Quran. We have lost some we loved very much but we have to accept the fact that Allah loves him more,” said Hariz .
The 15 sec video clip was captioned “Bismillah #hatiadasikitgentar” (feeling a bit nervous).
Huzaimi , who also sent off Mohd Ali at Schipol Airport on the tragic day said, anyone who knew Mohd Ali would know that this was nothing unusual.
“Mohd Ali would express his feelings when he felt nervous or worried especially when he was travelling.But when this tragedy happened, we thought perhaps this was some kind of a warning that he was going. At first to us, it was just normal. It was just something that Mohd Ali would do,”