KUALA LUMPUR: After a year of dedicating herself to nightly tahajjud prayers, a mother's heartfelt commitment was rewarded when her son decided to quit using drugs.
Noor Saleza Abdullah, 57, mother to Mohd Radzi Md Salleh, said her eldest son started to change when they started living under the same roof in 2020.
"When he was younger, Radzi lived on his own because of work. When he came back to live with me during the movement control order, I saw that he had changed and kept to himself in his room.
"I heard that he was taking drugs, but I did not know he was addicted until he kept asking for money to buy drugs," she said.
Saleza, a massage therapist, said she had reported her son to the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) twice.
"We used to argue when he asked for money to buy drugs. I know it was wrong (to give him money), but I did it because I couldn't bear to see him getting so angry.
"I once tried to convince him to enter a rehabilitation centre, but he saw it as being cast out from the family.
"That's why I chose to understand his feelings, even though his siblings have already looked down on him," she said.
She said she runs a side business to earn money, half of which she gives to Mohd Radzi to buy drugs.
"I noticed that he was becoming increasingly irrational and often terrified as if someone was chasing him.
"I couldn't bear to see him like that, so I prayed tahajjud for a year, asking Allah to soften his heart.
"When he said he wanted to enter a rehabilitation centre, I was grateful because my prayers had been answered, and I saw my son change," she said.
She said would visit her 38-year-old son at the Sungai Besi Narcotics Addiction Rehabilitation Centre every month to check on his progress.
"I want him to feel loved and supported in his recovery. I always hope he will remain free from drugs.
"As I grow older, I want to rely on him to take care of the family, especially since Mohd Radzi is the eldest of ten siblings.
"I treat whatever that happened to him as a test because no matter how bad they are, they are still my flesh and blood," she added.