In Memory of My Brother Julio

إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ

"Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."

[2:156]

My beloved brother Julio’s life was heinously taken on April 15th. He was only 25 years old, with the rest of his life ahead of him. This sudden tragedy has deeply impacted my family and me. He was the most loving, caring, and noble brother, son, and friend anyone could ever wish to have in their lives. Unfortunately, just as there are people like him with beautiful souls in this world, there are those filled with wickedness driven by ill intent. Devastatingly, my brother ended up being a victim of a horrific crime carried out by one of those evil beings. We are incredibly heartbroken, we trust that God will rectify this situation and grant divine justice. In the meantime, we kindly ask that you keep my dear brother in your prayers. Due to the sudden nature of this calamity, we’re left with many expenses that we are having trouble covering. We’re hoping that with the collaboration of the community, we can gather enough funds to cover these expenses, insha’Allah (God willing). May this be an accepted sadaqah (charity) for those of you who generously support us in these troubling times.