He is the virtuous brother and beloved preacher, Waleed Abdullah Al-Ghanim (Abu Khaled), may God have mercy on him, who passed away last Wednesday, Shawwal 8, 1445 AH / April 17, 2024 AD. He was that virtuous educator and one of the founders of the Youth Center of the Society for the Revival of Islamic Heritage in Cordoba.

Given the extensive and positive media coverage by his loving friends, I preferred to write about him in a somewhat different manner. Our known approach is to highlight the good deeds and beautiful legacies in his life through the distinctive marks in his blessed journey, including:

The First Distinctive Mark

This distinctive mark, among the remarkable characteristics of the late preacher Waleed Abdullah Al-Ghanim, may God have mercy on him, is narrated by his student and later friend, Mr. Fahad Muhammad Al-Aloush. He was one of the youths of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Youth Center, and his relationship with the late brother Waleed, may God have mercy on him, evolved from being one of the young individuals he nurtured from a young age to becoming one of his close friends later on. He says: "I cannot convey to you the extent of this man's sincerity in his seriousness and diligence, and his zeal for his religion and his country. This is in addition to his great dedication and wonderful efforts in the cause of calling to God Almighty and his positive influence on hundreds of young people."

The distinctive mark that we wish to highlight here is the extension of this positive influence to dozens, even hundreds, of homes of these young people. What is even more beautiful is its transfer to the homes of the youth and then to the new families formed by these young individuals later. Over time, the youth grow, and with them grows this commitment and love for religion and upright conduct, which in turn influences these new families, resulting in a blessed legacy passed down from generation to generation.

The Second Distinctive Mark

This distinctive mark, among the remarkable characteristics of the late preacher, may God have mercy on him, is narrated by Mr. Adnan Al-Saleh (Abu Turki), one of his colleagues at work since 2005. He says: "The refined treatment of the preacher Waleed Al-Ghanim, may God have mercy on him, towards the employees under his administration was remarkable. Even more astonishing was his intense love for the simple workers of other nationalities in the workplace and his keenness to comfort them, bring joy and happiness to them, and preserve their status and respect among the employees. This was one of his beautiful qualities and his good companionship, may God have mercy on him."

The distinctive mark in this regard is his concern for the sense of job satisfaction and comforting the feelings of all employees working with him. One of his female employees experienced an unwanted transfer, as narrated by her manager. Abu Khaled, may God have mercy on him, learned of this action and went to her to comfort her and return her to her beloved and most suitable position considering her son's health condition. Another female employee whose child suffered from a heart condition was transferred at her request to work near the hospital where her son was staying, so she could be close to him. He diligently sought to disburse bonuses and financial benefits to the administration employees and did not rest until this was accomplished. He also strived to provide daily nutritious meals for the security staff during their stay at the center amidst the "Coronavirus circumstances and during those exceptional measures in the country, and he succeeded in that. These are just some of the many compassionate touches from a distinguished leader who carried the spirit of brotherhood and affection for all those working with him and a sense of responsibility towards them.

The matter becomes even more beautiful when we learn that this distinguished leader and responsible figure refrained from benefiting from any of the advantages and incentives that he demanded for his employees. On the contrary, we find him to be a pious, pure, and devout man who did not accept any benefits provided to him by his position due to his noble feeling that he did not deserve them. This is from his integrity, piety, and God-fearing nature, may God have mercy on him.

The Third Distinctive Mark

This distinctive mark, among the remarkable characteristics of the brother Waleed Al-Ghanim, is narrated by his nephew, Mr. Abdulaziz Ahmed Al-Mulla, to convey to us another distinctive mark from the life of the preacher Abu Khaled, may God have mercy on him, from a close perspective, which is the family aspect. He says: "I know that my testimony about my late uncle Waleed, may God have mercy on him, might be considered biased, but God Almighty knows that it is a truthful testimony about a man who was sincere with himself before being sincere with others. One of the signs of his sincerity with himself was that he did everything he said and adhered to it personally out of conviction in what he presented and what he called for."

The distinctive mark in this regard is sincerity in heart and word. I was one of the youths of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Center, and my uncle was our supervisor in the center, as everyone knows. At the same time, I had a family relationship and kinship with him. Therefore, I accompanied him in all his circumstances, and I bear witness before God Almighty that he was sincere in everything he called for in terms of morals, values, and high ideals, and in what he urged the youth towards religiously, morally, and educationally. I found him applying what he taught the youth at the center completely in his home and with his large and small family. If he spoke about honoring his parents, you would find him to be the most devoted person to his parents, especially his mother. She passed away, may God have mercy on her, while pleased with him, and this is what everyone testifies to. If he spoke about maintaining kinship ties with the youth, you would find him present on all family occasions, never absent. His presence was not ordinary; rather, may God have mercy on him, he was the source of our joy and happiness with his kind smile, his beneficial stories, and his tolerant spirit. If he spoke about giving, then he was that generous giver.

Finally, I find no better words than the beautiful, tender phrases and the kind prayer that the virtuous brother Dr. Nayef Al-Ajmi dedicated to him in his eulogy, a beautiful tribute that I summarize as follows: "Yesterday, the social and da'wah circles were struck by the setting of a star from our society's stars and a luminary from our da'wah's luminaries. He had such a positive impact, devotion to the homeland, education and teaching, guidance and rectification, good example and noble role model, that he filled hearts with love for him and inclined them towards his affection."

O star, how short was its life!

And such is the life of dawn’s stars.