LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Two people were killed, and three were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a car accident on Tates Creek and Turkeyfoot Roads early Saturday morning, according to Lexington Police.
It's every parent and loved one's worst nightmare. When they receive the call that their child or family member has died.
Ahmade Shalash knows that kind of pain all too well. In less than 24 hours, he found out his two cousins 13-year-old Omar Shalash and 18-year-old Hasan Mohammad Hasan were killed in a car crash.
"Today we had to bury my brothers and you just never know when that day will come," Shalash explains. "It's hard you know. It's hard especially with... It feels like two young lives snatched away from us. They were two vibrant young boys. I saw Omar growing up, I knew Hasan as well he was — both of them were — just amazing to be around. They were just great personalities."
In the Islamic community, it is tradition to bury a person within 24 hours of their death. Everyone in the community gathers at the mosque for prayer, followed by an open burial in the Muslim Cemetery: "In the Islamic tradition, one of the most rewarding things that you can do. It's an impactful moment. It's a moment to realize that our time here is short and you can make the most of it by being good to your neighbor, being good to your family. Being a positive energy for those around you."
Shalash says the last time he saw his cousins, was at his wedding.
"I don't think I believed it until I saw them put their bodies down in the grave and right now I think I'm still trying to process it as a reality. You see them one day, and you're smiling and laughing, and then the next, they're gone," said Shalash.
Shalash says in the Islamic tradition, death is not permanent, and he finds comfort in knowing he will see them again: "You don't question the fate of God."
"Leave the mark that you can on people; you never know when it's going to be your last moment. So every smile make it count, every interaction with your family. I can say with Omar and Hasan, I have nothing but good memories," said Shalash.
