(انّا للہ و انّا الیہ راجعون): Ustaz M. Beshir Ahmed of Diaa Islamic School of Akhria (Asmara) passed away on December 29, 2009 in his home in Asmara. He was buried in the cemetery of Sheikh Al-Ameen in Asmara in the presence of thousands of mourners including friends, family, dignitaries, current students and staff of Diaa school, former students and local residents of Asmara and environs. A short account of his history was read before the funeral by ustaz Abdulkader Ahmed, a former student of Ustaz M. Beshir. The funeral prayer (salat al-jenaza) was led by Sheikh Al’Ameen Osman, Mufti of Eritrea.

Ustaz M.Beshir was born in 1933 in the village of Adi-Wederki, located 6 km outside the town of Adi-khuala in the Seraye Province of Eritrea. His parents, sheikh Ahmed M. Aman, and weizero Asma Abdurahman, taught him the basics of reading the quran in his early childhood. Young M. Beshir had a dream that he wanted to realize. He had strong ambition to acquire higher education in Egypt and return to serve his community. At 19, he headed to Sudan under difficult circumstances and spent a year in Sudan working and preparing to go to his ultimate destination, Cairo University. He arrived in Cairo in 1953 and started his studies at an elementary level. He studied very hard for several years and graduated from Cairo University’s Kulia’ Dar-Al-Ilm in 1966.

Despite the fact that University graduates of the time were presented with opportunities to work in the middle east with attractive salaries, Ustaz M. Beshir returned home to fulfill his dream of educating his community. After several years of planning and ground work, he succeeded to mobilize his colleagues and the entire community to establish the Diaa-Al-Islamia school of Akhria in 1969. For the past 40 years, Diaa-Al-Islamia School , which is best known as “Enda-Ustaz-Beshir”, has been teaching thousands of students the general national curriculum in addition to Arabic and Islamic studies in elementary and junior level. Ustaz M.Beshir has dedicated his entire life to empowering our community educationally and socially and his efforts have made significant difference in our community. His leadership has benefitted thousands and made a lasting memory in the hearts of all who knew him. He will be remembered for generations to come. May Allah accept him in Jenet-al-Firdous, and grant him ongoing reward (sedaqat-ul-jaria) for all his efforts.

Abdurahman Nurhussien Ahmed
Former Student of Ustaz M. Beshir Ahmed
Columbus, OHIO