VIDEO: Mourners gather in Dubai to bid farewell to Sudanese woman who died during childbirth

Sudanese woman Marwa Ahmed Al Amin Bakheet had no family in the UAE apart from her husband, Othman Nouri. But on the day she was laid to rest, mourners came to carry her coffin, perform the funeral prayer and share her husband’s grief.

At Al Qusais Cemetery in Dubai, the appeal made by “Janazat Al Emarat” — calling on people to attend the young woman’s funeral and “be her family and brothers” — took on a deeply human meaning, after it was noted that she had no relatives in the country other than her husband.

The funeral brought together people who came to offer comfort to a mother who died while giving birth to twin boys, leaving behind two newborns and a husband embracing fatherhood at the same moment he was forced to say goodbye to his life partner.

At times, Othman repeated “Alhamdulillah” (Praise be to God), while at others, tears overcame him and he wept in the arms of those who had come to offer their condolences. He moved from one embrace to another, surrounded by people who shared the painful moment of farewell, as he faced the arrival of his two newborn sons while grieving the loss of their mother.

In the image of the grieving husband, words of praise and tears captured the pain of the tragedy. A father of two newborns, he stood to bid farewell to his wife, finding around him people who opened their arms to him and gave him space to grieve.

The words of condolence could not take away the pain of his loss, but the presence of the mourners ensured that he was surrounded by support during those difficult moments.

According to accounts of her final moments, Marwa saw her first newborn son but died before she could see the second.

Among her colleagues, Marwa, who worked for Dubai Police, was remembered for her good character. They recalled her as cheerful, calm and kind-hearted, describing her as someone “no two people could disagree about” in terms of her good qualities.

Their words brought back memories of the colleague they had known during their years of working alongside her and the affection and respect she had earned among them.

A large number of people attended the funeral. Scenes from the farewell showed mourners carrying her coffin through the mosque entrance before gathering outside to accompany the body to the cemetery.

Between the funeral prayer and burial, mourners offered their condolences and gathered around her husband, embodying the spirit of the appeal for people to be her family and brothers in her final farewell.

Marwa has gone, leaving behind two children at the very beginning of their lives and a memory preserved in the words of her colleagues.

As for Othman, who repeated words of praise before tears overcame him, he found on the day of her farewell shoulders to lean on and embraces wide enough for his grief — comfort that could not erase the pain of her absence, but ensured that he did not face the farewell alone.