SHAHEED WALEED SHAALAN Assalamu aleikum.
Innaa lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji'uun (from Allah we all come and to Him is our return). " ... if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind." (Al-Maidah - 5:32) May Allah (S.W.T.) raise the shaheed Waleed Shaalan to a choice place in Jannah, near to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). Ameen. Please note that 2 articles follow: *Waleed Shaalan *How Waleed Shaalan saves a classmate's life --- (1) Waleed Shaalan New York Times April 17, 2007 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/waleed_shaalan/index.html Did you know Waleed Shaalan? Share your thoughts and memories. http://news.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/waleed-shaalan/#comments MSA National Memorial Fund for His Family http://www.msanational.org/finance/vt07donate.html Memorial Site Created by Friends (Registration Required) http://mcgill.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2362356308&ref=mf Waleed Shaalan, a 32-year-old graduate student, came to the United States from northern Egypt last year to study engineering. He lived among other Egyptian students in Blacksburg, Va., and was planning on bringing his wife and one-and-a-half-year-old son to America in May to live with him. He was gunned down on Monday while he was studying in Norris Hall, but witnesses say he died a hero. According to Randy Dymond, a civil engineering professor at Virginia Tech, Mr. Shaalan was in a classroom with another student when the gunman entered and opened fire. Mr. Shaalan was badly wounded and lay beside the other student, who was not shot but played dead, as the gunman returned two times searching for signs of life. Just as the gunman noticed the student, Mr. Shaalan made a move to distract him, at which point he was shot a second time and died. The student believed that Mr. Shaalan purposefully distracted the shooter to save him, Mr. Dymond said. "Waleed was bright, energetic and caring," Mr. Dymond said. "The reason we are in higher education is because there are students who are the bright light to the future. Waleed was one of them." Equally social and studious, Mr. Shaalan was active in the Muslim Student Association at Virginia Tech, and he especially enjoyed participating in the group's community activities. The Egyptian Consul has notified Mr.Shalaan's wife and parents, all of who live in Egypt. Mr. Shaalan's body will be flown back to his country in the near future, the vice consul, Mohamed Elghazawy, said. "This is a very emotional time for his entire family, but especially his mother and father," Mr. Elghazawy said. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/waleed_shaalan/index.html --- (2) For Immediate Release: How Waleed Shaalan saves a classmate's life The Muslim Student Association of Virginia Tech http://www.msavt.org/main/default.asp Story is narrated by Dr. Hesham Rakha, a professor in the Civil Engineering Department. At this time, we DO NOT have the name of Waleed's classmate who survived. "I would like to share with you some additional information that I received from a colleague in the CEE Dept. This colleague of mine is the supervisor of a graduate student who was with Waleed in the class and survived the massacre. I should mention that the description is graphical so I apologize in advance. The student mentions that Waleed saved his life and wants to convey this to Waleed's family. Apparently, the murderer came into Norris 206 and shot Dr. Loganathan and a number of students injuring Waleed. Waleed was sitting in the front row where he always sat. Everyone jumped to the floor after hearing the gun shots including the person narrating the story. The murderer then left Norris 206 to go to another classroom. The student that narrates the story was not shot but pretended to be dead and lay on the ground beside Waleed who at that time was only injured. The murderer then re-entered the classroom and was checking for alive victims. He had approached the person narrating the story who mentions that his heart was pounding out of fear. Waleed at that instant made a movement to distract the murderer's attention and was shot for the second time. At that time Waleed died and the murderer left the narrator to search for other victims." To Allah we belong and to Allah we will return. We ask Allah to forgive Waleed and all of his sins and grant him paradise. For Immediate Release: Brother Waleed Shaalan, a victim of the Virginia tech shootings. Waleed Shaalan, 32 years old, first stepped onto the Virginia Tech campus in August 2006. An international student originally from Zagazig, Egypt, with no family members in the United States, Waleed quickly became an essential member of the Blacksburg Muslim community. Among those mourning his death are his two roommates (Fahad Pasha and Irfan Waseem) to whom Waleed was their loving older brother, cook, academic and spiritual mentor. Waleed initially began his PhD program in Egypt, but when Virginia Tech offered him an assistantship position, he chose to leave his original degree path and continue it in Blacksburg. Following in the footsteps of his father, Waleed was a dedicated and passionate student of Civil Engineering. Though he had a hectic schedule, juggling classes, PhD research and TA responsibilities, he always made time for the people around him. Waleed was known for his broad smile and wave that he gave everyone. "He was the simplest and nicest guy I ever knew.We would be studying for our exams and he would go buy a cake and make tea for us," said Fahad, Waleed's roommate. Fahad was the last person to have spoken to Waleed, he remarked "He was studying late for an exam the morning of the incident; it was about 4 am when I last saw and spoke to him. We were talking about how amazing it would be once he brought his wife and son to Tech after the summer. I could never have imagined that in 5 hours he'd be gone forever." Waleed left behind Amira, his wife for 3 years, and Khaled his one-year old son. As we express our grief and sympathy for the families of all those directly affected by this senseless tragedy, we honor them through memory and reflection; and Waleed will always be smiling in our hearts. We have set up a fund to support Br. Waleed Shaalan's family. Click this link http://www.msanational.org/finance/vt07donate.html to donate. MSA Official Statement about the VT Massacre Monday, April 16, 2007. Peace to all. The Muslim Students Association, along with the wider campus of Virginia Tech, extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of those victims affected by today's events. We are shocked at this senseless loss of life and we feel the pain and outrage of the student body. We open our hearts and ears to anyone wishing counsel or comfort and pray that our collective pain will be eased through patience and sharing. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) tells us, "Patience comes only at the first moment of grief." The Hokie family is in our prayers. http://www.msavt.org/main/default.asp
