Baraka’s Open House

It is with great pleasure we announce that the fourth Baraka’s Open House was held on 30th July. On this occasion, Lynda Thomas, CEO of Macmillan Cancer, gave a short talk, along with Mr. Yaqub Yousuf, a long time family friend. Mr Yousuf ran the 2016 London Marathon in Baraka’s honour and in support of the cause of Macmillan Cancer.

During her talk Lynda shared the launch of a new powerful campaign from Macmillan, revealing that every day 889 people will be told they have cancer in the UK. The campaign emphasises how no one should have to face cancer alone. For Baraka this sentiment was very important, choosing to fundraise for the charity, as on the day of her diagnosis a Macmillan nurse was on-hand for emotional support. During treatment she stocked up on leaflets on how to cope with fatigue and eating problems. Fortunately, she always had the support of her family and friends, but realising that not everyone is equally fortunate, she hoped nobody would ever be alone in their fight with cancer. Baraka was always grateful for the friends and family that stood by her, for all the doctors and nurses who helped her, and for what independence she was able to have until the end.

Mr Yousuf, in turn, discussed the lasting impact Baraka had on the life of so many, inspiring everyone around her to do good in the world. He also remembered how emotional it was to complete the marathon in her honour, and how Baraka ran her own marathon every day with grace and humility, inspiring him on a daily basis, and having promised to be there for him at the finishing line when he completed the marathon.

The family was touched and honoured to have both Lynda and Mr. Yaqub at the event that saw many in attendance, not least as Baraka was so committed to the cause of Macmillan. We trust that the event inspired many to continue to support important causes such as Macmillan in ensuring that nobody faces cancer alone.
We are thrilled that we can continue the good work she did in her lifetime for the cause, celebrating the legacy she left behind. The day was also blessed by the presence of Mr Sanjiv Mehta and Mrs Mehta, Ustadh Moustafa and his wife Silma, as well as Atilla Kurama and his wife Nehad, along with Baraka’s dear Aunty Yasmin and her husband Armoghan, who all spoke kind words of Baraka on the day.

Please note that the next Baraka’s Open House Event will be held on 27th August, celebrating her 25th Birthday, with the esteemed Professor Tim Winters speaking on the occasion.

We will leave you with the poem that Lynda shared with us on the day, ‘You’ll never walk alone’ and look forward to seeing you next time.

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‘You’ll never walk alone’:

When you walk through the storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of the lark

Walk on, through the wind

Walk on, through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone

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Yours sincerely

Shaista and Iqbal Khan

The latest and third Baraka’s Open House event on 4th June from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm. On this occasion, we are delighted to announce that Sarah Joseph, OBE, held a beautiful talk. Sister Sarah has long been a friend to our family, and was a very dear to Baraka.Should you wish to receive a short summary of the talk, please get in touch at info@thebarakakhanfoundation.com
Yours sincerely

Shaista and Iqbal Khan

The second Open House in Baraka’s honour was held on 30th April, 2016, marking the continued gathering of our beloved daughter’s family and friends. We were most honoured that this time, Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said, Scholar in Residence & Head of Education at Harrow Central Mosque, delivered a short talk on the occasion. Shaykh Faid reminded the audience of the enduring value of Baraka’s legacy, and how one cannot count the blessings she left behind.
We would like to offer our heartfelt thank you to those of you in attendance on Saturday and to those who were there in thoughts and prayers.
We look forward to celebrating the legacy of Baraka with you on the next occasion.

Yours sincerely

Shaista and Iqbal Khan

We are pleased to announce that the first Baraka’s Open House took place on March 26th 2016, and was attended by several of our beloved daughter’s family and friends. The presence of all those dear to Baraka and her causes made the occasion very special.
The event was further honoured by the first guest speaker, CEO of National Zakat Foundation Mr Iqbal Nasim. Mr Nasim gave a truly inspiring speech on the topic of Zakat, highlighting the ways in which all of us can do further good in our communities by giving back. It was commonly agreed that the topic of Zakat was close to Baraka’s heart, as was showcased in the way in which she fundraised for many a valuable cause, including the Cambridge Eco Mosque project and Macmillan Cancer Support. Providing further insight into how fitting the opening speech was, the audience was moved to learn that the word ‘Zakat’ is repeated in the Qur’an 32 times and the number of repetitions of the word “blessing” (Barakah) is also 32, each word also meaning the other. To find out more about the good work the National Zakat Foundation does, and to support their efforts, kindly refer to http://www.nzf.org.uk/.
During the Open House, family and friends also shared their stories of Baraka and the memories they shared with her, reminding us of how she touched and had a positive impact on so many lives. The occasion received wonderful support over the past few weeks, and we hope and pray it continues to do so in the future, inspiring us to do good in Baraka’s honour.
We look forward to seeing you during the next Open House which will take place on April 30th.
With heartfelt gratitude for all the kindness and support, we would like to assure you of our continued best wishes and prayers.

Until next time.

Yours sincerely

Shaista and Iqbal Khan