KUALA LUMPUR: Nur Malina Mohd Rozani, 24, was supposed to have tied the knot with Shahrizuan Shukri, 28, on June 30. It was, however, never meant to be as her then betrothed met with his tragic death from drowning in the Pasir Pekan river, Kelantan on May 25.
But as fate would have it, following the turn of events, the bride-to-be then found solace and happiness when she was united in marriage to her late fiancé's brother, Shahron Shukri, 32, on Sept 8.
Nur Malina, who is also a kindergarten teacher, shared that it was initially her in-laws who had proposed and decided for her to marry their other son. Both she and Shahron obliged, falling in love only after getting married.
"My story with my husband can be described as fate. It's been a beautiful journey of love because everything is according to Allah's plan and it happened so quickly. (It was) fate that was unexpected, and we met in this way.
"Shahrizuan's parents, who are now my in-laws, love me dearly. At the same time, I'm grateful to be connected to a good person because my late fiancé always said he loved me very much.
"Because of that, after he was no longer with us, they didn't want to abandon me. So, they decided to unite me with Shahrizuan's brother. Incidentally, his brother was still single and the only one who was still single," she told Harian Metro.
Nur Malina, or Nina, said that she only got to know her now husband after her fiancé passed away.
"It's true, Allah is the best planner. If you want to know, among his siblings, only one brother truly resembles the late Shahrizuan- even their names sound the same.
"I was surprised back then because I only got to know my husband after my late fiancé was no longer with us. Before that, I didn't know him; I only knew his name and that he was similar (in looks) to my late fiancé," she said.
Nur Malina, originally from Tanah Merah, Kelantan, mentioned that she accepts her husband, and their marriage is for Allah, not to fill the void in her heart.
"A little advice for those going through a situation like mine; don't hesitate to perform the Sunnah (optional) prayer, istikhara. Do it sincerely for the sake of Allah.
"Certainly, at the beginning, there is fear because you're worried that the answer will be different from what you want, and it's challenging to accept all of this. But if it's what's best for you, Allah will surely make it easy to accept everything. As long as our intention is for Allah. We live only for Him (Allah).
"I don't want to live with my husband while picturing my late fiancé's face. I accept him as he is and as per Allah's plan. Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me everything. I feel content, peaceful, and everything is good. My memories with my late fiancé are gone and now my life is with my beloved husband," she said.