Son asked for forgiveness days before river tragedy, says mother
It would turn out to be an emotional farewell.
Azim, a security guard, had visited Nazirah Ismail, 67, at a religious study centre in Kampung Palas, Kodiang, on June 27.
During the visit, he hugged her tightly and asked her for forgiveness.
"He told me to forgive him for every drop of milk I fed him."
"He hugged me for a long time and apologised. He said he couldn't make my life easier, that he had only caused me trouble
"At the time, I thought it was strange. He had never said anything like that before."
The retired teacher said today that Azim had stepped out of his car a second time to hug her once more before leaving.
"I didn't think anything of it. But now, looking back, the way he held me, it was like he didn't want to let go," she said at her home in Taman Seri Aman in Jitra.
Nazirah described Azim as a devoted son, brother and loving father.
"He was close to his siblings. The night before the incident, he even fed his youngest sister, Shuhada."
What struck her even more was a strange dream recounted by her granddaughter, Putri Qisya Nur Izzat, 12 — Azim's only remaining child.
"She woke up crying, and told me her father appeared in her dream and said, 'Kakak, stay strong. From now on, we will only be watching you from far away'.
"I told her (Qisya) to be patient, to be strong. I'm hurting too. I carried her father in my womb for nine months."
Nazirah said her grandson, Putra Rayyan, 8, had become unusually affectionate with her in the days leading up to the incident.
"He was very clingy, always wanted to be close to me. It's like he sensed something," she said.
The family was found inside their Proton Iswara after it was pulled out from Sungai Korok near Jitra on Monday.
The victims were Azim, his wife Nurul Hidayah Khadijah Razman Efendi, 31, and their children: Putra Rayyan; Hawa Adriana, 8; Annayla Humaira, 7; and 6-month-old Tuah Haydar.
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