السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ‎

As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatu llāhi wa-barakātuhu, Peace be upon you as well as God's mercy and blessings.

Inna Lillahi Waa Inna Ilayhi Rajioon “Surely We Belong to Allah and To Him We Shall Return”.

On the 10th January 2023, our beloved father Shahid Razzaq sadly passed away in Manchester Royal Infirmary Hospital and returned to his Lord. May Allah shine the brightest light in his grave and grant him the highest rank of Jannah.

Despite having multiple long term health issues such as Liver Cirrhosis, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, Acute Pancreatitis, Acute Cholangitis and much more, his death came by as a surprise to us. Despite having all these health issues, he lived his life with a big smile and put all his time and effort into charity work in Pakistan.

We are going to use this page to raise awareness about his condition which led to his death to benefit others and prevent this happening to anyone else in the future and then we will discuss about Sadaqah Jariyah and what we are raising money for and how it will benefit others.

Background to his death

Dad was suffering with a condition called Cholelithiasis. This means he had gallstones in his gallbladder. The stones never bothered him for many years, until the year 2022. This condition led to him developing biliary sepsis. Biliary sepsis, also known as cholangitis, is an infection of the bile ducts caused by bacteria. Symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, jaundice, and dark urine. Biliary sepsis can be a serious and potentially life-threatening condition if not treated promptly with antibiotics and other supportive measures. The infection can occur due to the presence of gallstones blocking the bile ducts and preventing the flow of bile, a condition called acute cholangitis.

Treatment for biliary sepsis typically involves a combination of antibiotics to fight the bacterial infection, and supportive measures to manage symptoms and prevent complications. The specific treatment plan will depend on the underlying cause of the infection and the severity of the condition.

Surgical treatment is often necessary if there is an obstruction in the bile ducts, such as a gallstone or tumour. Procedures such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) can be used to remove the obstruction, and in certain cases, a surgery called an open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy to remove the gallbladder may be done.

Other supportive measures: Intravenous fluids may be administered to maintain hydration, and pain medication may be given to manage abdominal pain. In addition, close monitoring of the patient's vital signs and laboratory tests are necessary to assess the effectiveness of treatment and to detect any complications.

Biliary sepsis is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition, so prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential. If left untreated, biliary sepsis can lead to sepsis, a serious complication characterized by a widespread infection and inflammation throughout the body, which can lead to organ failure and death.

It is important to note that biliary sepsis can be difficult to diagnose, as the symptoms can be non-specific and may mimic other conditions. Therefore, it is important to consider biliary sepsis as a possibility in any patient with fever and abdominal pain, especially if jaundice or dark urine is present.

Dad had his first ERCP on the 21st November 2022 which we were informed it went successful. However, the doctors were unable to remove all the stones, so they had put in temporary stents, with the intention of inviting him back 2/4 months after as an inpatient to remove the remaining stones. One week after being discharged, he was looking yellow again and something didn’t seem right. Dad was admitted into hospital again on 7th December 2022 and we were informed that the stents slipped. He was under the care of the hospital for more than 28 days before passing away. Due to his complicated medical history, he required a bed on the high dependency ward to carry out his ERCP. However, we were informed due to the pressures on the NHS and priorities, there was not a bed available, and we would have to wait until something became available. During this time, he developed biliary sepsis which led to multi-organ failure, and he sadly passed away.

Sadaqah Jariyah

Sadaqah Jariyah is a type of charitable giving in Islam that continues to benefit the giver even after the act of giving has been performed. This type of giving is considered to be a form of "ongoing charity" because the benefits of the gift continue to accrue to the giver and our loved ones long after the initial act of giving.

Examples of Sadaqah Jariyah include building a mosque, digging a well, planting a tree, or sponsoring a child's education. These acts of charity provide long-term benefits to the community and continue to generate good deeds for the giver, even after their passing.

It is believed that the rewards for Sadaqah Jariyah continue to accrue even after the death of the giver and are recorded as ongoing good deeds in their record of deeds. This is one of the reasons why it's considered a highly recommended act of charity in Islam.

Dad’s Charity Work

In the country of Pakistan, a great amount of funding is amassed for the sport of cricket. This is prevalent across major cities in Pakistan, such as Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi.

In 1962, the sport of Taekwondo was introduced in Pakistan and was compliant under the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation governing body.

The introduction of Taekwondo aimed to break the stereotypes of popular sports within the country like cricket and badminton. It aimed to equip the young generation with a sense of self-esteem, knowledge of self-defence and heightened physical wellbeing. However, due to the lack of funding within the country, several potential athletes have not been able to self-fund themselves with the correct training to excel in the sport.

As the chairman of the Punjab Taekwondo Association (PTA), my father for the past several years has been heavily invested in bettering and improving the infrastructure so that young athletes can have the opportunities to flourish and make our country proud. He knew that raw talent existed, but he wanted to provide a financial means to push the players to achieve the best.

Over the years, he has donated sporting equipment for gymnasiums, funded charity sports events, organised training, donated to poor families to help their children compete, donated sports clothing, and provided tremendous support to the athletes through the PTA.

For example, he funded two young girls that have suffered financial strains from their families to achieve silver medals within national level tournaments and allowed them to overcome disadvantaged situations. We hope to continue and support his passion for bettering the sport through charitable means and opportunities.

How your donations will be used

Depending on how much we are able to raise, we will use your donations in the following ways:

• Build multiple water pumps/wells in rural villages in Pakistan to provide clean water to the poor

• Plant trees

• Donating religious literature

• Contribution towards building a mosque

• Food packages for poor families

• Donating to dad’s Taekwondo sports charity to keep his dream alive and help kids from poor backgrounds to learn and compete.

Our aims are ambitious and Inshallah we are able to fulfil them so I humbly request everyone to donate generously, however, every little will help so no donation is too little and will go towards a good cause.