There have been many articles and other writings in Bangla about Poet Moitur Rahman Mollik in the days following his death on 12 August 2010 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This is an attempt to express some of the feelings and emotions of an individual of Bangladeshi origin living abroad who had some connections with his work. These are a few sporadic and incoherent thoughts, which I hope, will reflect the general vibes affecting many small Bangladeshi communities across the globe following the fall of a star from Bangladesh’s field of literature. Death for a living being is inevitable. The Qur’an reminds us more than once that كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ every soul is bound to taste death. Life and death are interrelated – the successes of a life are often only appreciated in death. Poet Mollik himself wrote: “This world isn't my true address… All the glitters of life will be wiped off By death” However, the death of Poet Mollik – known to many as ‘Mollik Bhai’, although expected, was somewhat premature. He had been unwell for sometime and became gravely ill in last August. The years of relentless and insistent pressure on himself had finally taken a toll on his health. He was not neglectful to himself but he always prioritised the needs of others above his own requirements. More importantly, the demands of the Organisation continually took precedence over all his other commitments or responsibilities. Consequently, the price he paid was with his health and eventually his life. A number of dysfunctional organs made him bedridden for more than a year… and the rest probably tomorrow will become history to everyone. Since he became ill, people who knew him personally or through his work have been keen to see a speedy recovery. People far and near had prayed to Allah (swa) and ensured that arrangements were made for his treatment. Any news of progress or otherwise was circulated through various means of communication. I received an email at work on 11 July stating ‘I've received contradictory messages about Mollik bai's health. Does anyone know what's happened to him....?’. Some feared the worst and assumed he had passed away. It transpired that it was a false alarm! – Alhamdulillah he was alive following a cardiac arrest lasting for more than half-an-hour. Eventually when he did leave the world and made the journey to the Hereafter, it was difficult for many to accept that he was gone. Perhaps some of us experienced the same emotion that Umar Ibn Khattab (r felt when the beloved Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) left the world. And the ‘Word-soldiers’ that he has left behind need not be reminded of the verses in Surah Al-Imran that Allah will swiftly reward them who serve Him with gratitude. It is natural for people to be saddened when a loved one passes away. The question posed is what is it about Poet Mollik that touched so many hearts in such magnitude? It is not only people who knew him personally who been upset and affected by his death. People who had never met him have been touched by his death as though they have lost a significant other. I feel that there are three key factors that have the answer to this question. Firstly, his unique personality. Secondly, his work – mainly his lyrics and poems, and thirdly his uncompromising devotion to the struggle to establish the rules of Allah on earth. These factors warrant a through discussion which will not be possible in this scope but the temptation to do so is too strong. The synopsis below perhaps can be exemplified further at a later time. The personality of Poet Mollik Poet Motiur Rahman Mollik was a truly remarkable individual. Like his well known song ‘How exquisite You must be – if such beautiful is your creation’ (Thumar shirti jodi hoy atto shundor naa jani tahole thum koto shundor) there is no doubt that Poet Mollik was a magnificent creation of the Lord Almighty Allah. Allah (swa) bestowed upon him an amazing collection of qualities that are very rare to be found in one individual. For me, his first quality was his resounding conviction and unqualified loyalty to leadership. People who did not know him personally were attracted to him by what they heard from others about his conduct. Anyone who had the pleasure of meeting him instantly knew that he was the genuine article. The thing that he feared most was ‘fame’. He did not want acknowledgement and praise – instead he wanted a return in the Hereafter. I heard him more than once saying: ‘I don’t see myself as a poet and have limited education unlike others. However, if Allah accepts whatever little I have done than that is enough for me’. The needs of others were always on the top of his list. Once someone told me that he had presented a top quality tape recorder to Poet Mollik. The next day it was gone. He asked Poet Mollik what happened to the take recorder. He replied ‘I gave it to someone who had more need for it than I’. When Poet Mollik was in the UK, he made a request for the cost of producing an audio album – not for himself but for a member of Saimum who was injured during a demo. He was absolutely certain that the truth will prevail no matter how much opposition is in the way. He was always positive and realistically optimistic. He was very hopeful about the future of Islam and of Bangladesh and Bangla language. When I last met him in person his last words were ‘… you must do something to preserve and promote Bangla language and its history to the next generation in the UK…’. He adored Bangladesh and Bangla language very much. I spoke to him briefly when he was in hospital. He seemed unusually weak and frail but absolutely determined. There were no frustrations or worry. He was not at all, troubled by his illness. His affection for Bangladesh was as strong. He said ‘people are thinking about sending me out of the country but I want to be treated in this country – that is my wish’. The writing of Poet Mollik ‘Mollik Sangeet’ is probably one of the most powerful additions to Bangla literature. Mollik Sangeet is very different from ‘Nazrul Geeti’ or the works of Farruqh Ahmed, Jashim Uddin, Abul Hussain or Gulam Mustafa. One of the distinctive characteristics of Mollik Sangeet is that it has developed a huge range of work around itself, which is now commonly referred to as ‘Bangla Nahseed’ or ‘Islami Sangeet’. The work of Poet Mollik has become the trunk with hundreds of branches sprouting in all directions. The nourishment for all these branches, essentially, derives from ‘Mollik Sangeet’. The contributions that Poet Mollik has made to the development of lyrics and their composition is of historical significance. He was the pioneer who led the work to break the misconception that ‘songs’ and ‘tunes’ have no role in Islam. He forged a link and merged heart throbbing tunes to words that had meaning and great significance. He wrote: “I will sing - yes I will Only if you can give me your word To establish the deen of Allah You will commit yourself and move forward”. His words were soft as flower petals but at the same time as hard as meteorites. His words touched people’s hearts and posed questions to their minds. His lyrics were not a source of mere entertainment but space for deep contemplation and reflection. An example of this is reflected in the following verses: “So many martyrs given blood Yet why still; Why your conscious doesn't speak So many tears in so many eyes And still why; Un-melted your stone-heart it’s a freak” Poet Mollik’s writing has a certain unmistaken flavour. Those who are familiar will know his writing without any references. His use of techniques from others before him is such that sometime people mistakenly attribute some of his work to other like Kazi Nazrul Islam and Farruqh Ahmed. A typical example are the lyrics below. I remember about twenty years ago I tried to persuade someone that these lyrics were written by Poet Mollik, however, this distinguished person was adamant that this was the work of Nazrul: Keep moving forward O’ Mujaheed There’s still miles to go Forget your worries and the pain To the tears just say ‘no’ The unique quality of his nasheeds are that they engage people from the inside. I know people who cannot understand Bangla but love his nasheeds. I need to conclude this as Iftaar time is approaching fast. I would like to do this with the words from a text message that went round when Poet Mollik had the heart attack on 11 July… “O Allah forgive him, accept his efforts and reward him with the best of rewards. Reward him for every person he has touched, inspired and lifted the hearts of – for every word he wrote and sang, fore every word he gave life to as they effortlessly flowed from his tongue. For me he was the humblest giant – who was the tallest, the biggest, the richest, the closet – but not in the way commonly known. Though I knew him only a little and spent not a long time with him but he has been more of an inspiration than many with whom I have spent a lot of time. He has, is, and will be unforgettable. He leaves behind unparalleled sadaqa Jaariay and we pray it is accepted by our Lord. His live was in his own words an andoloon”.