(1)
On his Instagram page, Hamid M. Khalafallah wrote in August 2023:
"While the world I know above the surface has been turbulent and unsettled over the past few months, I'm grateful that the world beneath the water continues to offer me peace and joy. As I dived into the warm waters of the Red Sea in Hurghada, I kept imagining the fish swimming toward the Sudanese coast, carrying with them my love and my prayers. What a comforting thought."
What a kind vision!
Glory be to God, my beloved…
The thought of living in a world without your extraordinary tenderness, kindness, and tireless striving—which filled us with pride and reassured us that life is beautiful, and that even the hardest battles become bearable through your remarkable passion—is truly painful, cruel, and frightening.
Hamid "Ab Asatan Seif" a true warrior who fought for freedom, justice, peace, and rights for his people, did so across all his networks fiercely, rightfully, and with dignity, devotion, and love. This tender love made him send his greetings home with the creatures of the sea, and his devoted integrity made him stop working on his research when the tragedy of Al-Fashir unfolded. He wrote to his academic supervisors explaining that he could not continue while death and suffering overshadowed the sons and daughters of his homeland.
How did you transform such immense grief into action, with all the positivity in the world—moving forward with unwavering courage, never retreating?
Glory be to God, my beloved…
Whoever knew you encountered life itself—light, radiance, and beauty.
It was not only people who were blessed by your presence; even the places that knew you will miss your brightness and the light you brought with you.
How unfortunate we are, my beloved… how unfortunate.
But as for you:
"The birds seek out the light,
And are named by its name.
If you were to see one in the darkness,
A bird speaking a single word…
Ink would flow through every bird,
And sorrow would pass through every bird,
Wherever it journeyed.
Its ascension would carry light,
Against every bat
That poisoned the air." (Atif Khairy)
So, it is no wonder that the birds came to rest upon your soil.
No wonder at all.
(2)
Once, when Hamid was returning from Nairobi, I asked Al-Wathig (my husband) to send me some small, colourful little animal figurines with him. Al-Wathiq told me, "I couldn't find exactly what you described, so I sent you what I could find with Hamid."
When Hamid arrived in Manchester, he handed me a bag and said, "Uncle Al-Wathiq sent this for you."
I opened it and found a huge black ebony elephant and rhinoceros. Well… I sighed, muttered "Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel" ("God is sufficient for us"), and could only laugh at the situation. Hamoudi burst into that beautiful, contagious laugh of his, and we laughed deadly.
The next time he travelled to Nairobi, he returned with another bag and said,
"Ummi Zannouba, I brought these for you—I hope you like them."
😍🤍♥️
This wasn't a one-time incident, nor was it something he did only for me.
It was a way of life: a method.
(3)
Alongside his profound sensitivity, unwavering principles, commitment to justice, and astonishing integrity, there was a gentleness beyond reproach. Among the signs of his blessed character was a universal joy and an overflowing happiness in the way he treated every human being.
Hamid: a son who carried within him something of motherhood.
Among Hamid's countless endearing qualities was the way he spoke—with passion, warmth, and those delightful, intelligent expressions that so resembled his mother, Saloum, while remaining uniquely his own. Hamoudi had been nourished by his mother's tenderness and remained forever faithful to it. And his mother is a woman of truth.
Hamid crowned the women of his family—his mother and his sisters Rahma and Ghufran—with honour and dignity. In doing so, he expressed a genuine commitment to women's rights—not as slogans, but as a way of living. And always, with tenderness. ♥️
(4)
Hamid grew up rejecting oppression and illegitimate power. From an early age, he developed a profound political consciousness, dedicating himself to defending democracy and justice.
Perhaps his early revolutionary awareness was shaped by the family in which he was raised, or by belonging to the courageous generation that Imam Sadiq al-Mahdi once described as "the generation that grew up under the Ingaz regime as Moses grew up in Pharaoh's palace." But Hamid added something uniquely his own: his characteristic diligence, his brilliant and inquisitive mind, and his deeply sensitive heart.
He cultivated for himself a truly authentic revolutionary path—marked by extraordinary selflessness, wise perseverance, and unwavering sincerity in every cause, whether great or small, public or private. He never tired, never became complacent, and never relaxed his principles. He rejected injustice and defended rights with uncompromising integrity, without double standards or selective outrage.
When the December Revolution came, Hamid became both its son and one of its fathers. For him, the slogans of the revolution were not mere words; they were articles of faith, expressed through a commitment to a dignified life, freedom, peace, and justice. He stood fearlessly with those whose rights had been denied.
So, when the devastating war broke out, he confronted it with the true spirit of December, holding fast to its principles without compromise. He rejected both the war and the abuses committed by every party to it— "those who killed us in the streets and made us taste their cruelty, without exception."
His allegiance was always to the people and to justice. Neither violent storms nor shifting political currents could shake him. Balanced in judgment, he neither deviated from justice nor claimed neutrality in the face of wrongdoing.
Hamid's work in civil society was distinguished by two defining qualities: his deep academic understanding, which gave every contribution exceptional depth, and his political courage. While many work in civil society from a position they describe as "neutral," Hamid did something different. He transformed his profound grief over the state of his country into extraordinary perseverance. He spoke with clarity and eloquence, with a determination that never faltered, and he never feared criticism when standing for what was right.
Among the causes he championed was exposing the shortcomings of international justice in its treatment of Sudan and its failure to recognise the magnitude of the country's humanitarian catastrophe. He sought attention for his people—not pity. He also argued forcefully against the false choice between security and democracy, insisting that presenting security as an alternative—or even a prerequisite—to democracy was pure nonsense. He tirelessly defended grassroots systems of organisation as the only genuine foundation for democracy.
This refusal to be neutral on matters of justice shaped his courageous discussions wherever he worked. Hamid never hesitated and never compromised.
He will always remain like wheat scattered for the birds and for every traveller to share, and... a revolution. ♥️
(5)
His honesty was so entirely free of hypocrisy that everyone bore witness to it. He never boasted of status or lineage, nor did he pridefully flaunt his parents or ancestors—he never told people that he was the grandson of Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, even though he carried his vision and was infused with that astonishing spirit of positivity that no storm could ever dampen. Conversely, he never spoke to us, his family, about his achievements or his brilliant struggle. He has left us now bewildered, yet full of praise and gratitude... What a remarkable young man!
Hamid: The Researcher, The Just, The Advisor, The Anchor of Balance, The Saint, The Optimist, The Elegant, and The Handsome—sweet to embrace, wonderful to be near, fragrant, pure, and honourable: Radiant
زاهي في زيو في وسامتو، نحن عايشين على ابتسامتو
♥️
(6)
He maintained his family ties without a hint of laziness; his feet always rushed to visit, his hand was always extended to help, and his heart and tongue always proclaimed love. He remained ever connected, embracing life, travel, and exploration. He visited countries, beaches, mountains, wildernesses, shrines, and museums with passion: a global citizen, a son of this entire earth, a son of Sudan, and a son of his honourable family.
The son of Murtadha Kamal Khalafallah Khalid, and the son of Um Salama Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi—his mother who gave birth to him on April 5th, 1990, for the people... And so he will remain until the end of time, for virtues never die:
إن المكارم لا تموت!
(7)
To my immense good fortune, I accompanied this righteous son and precious joy, who also became my friend, teacher, and guide. He was ahead of me by a year in our academic journey, but light-years ahead in awareness, intellect, and commitment. I came to the UK in 2018 just as he was graduating, so we spent a lot of time together. Later, God blessed me when I applied for a PhD at several British universities; Manchester's offer suited me best, so I was accepted into the very same institute, and we shared the same supervisor.
Hamid does not need my testimony; many from his numerous circles of belonging, work, and diligence have testified to his character and continue to do so. But I will bear witness to Hamid on an ordinary, familiar day when he enters "the office"—the open workspace where we stayed every day. He would walk in exactly like the sun rising, his face bright with a smile that felt like the ultimate "good morning." That smile never faded from his sweet face, nor did the laughter in his eyes beneath beautiful, well-defined eyebrows, as if delivering a manifesto to the whole world: tenderness, compassion, humanity, and love, all anchored by a strict moral and political stance that feared no blame when it came to the truth—precise, clear, and radiant!
Hamid would arrive with his distinct elegance and refined taste in every detail of what he wore and did; he was a true joy to the eyes. He would sit at his desk near the window, where his light mixed with the sunlight. I swear by God that the luminous, positive energy that shone from him would simply radiate.
Sometimes, while deeply immersed in work, if something exhausted me or felt impossible, I would raise my eyes and look over to where he was working; my heart would find reassurance, and my mind would calm. I used to say, "I feel safe and reassured in Manchester because of my Hammoudi, but he just travels so much..."
And though my beloved has been chosen by God, and we were devastated by the news of his passing on April 29th, God honoured him by letting him rest right beside the embrace of Mama Ferial whom he loved, in the soil that knew his footsteps and his devotion—in the land to which he dedicated his short, full life, serving it with mastery, selflessness, and giving, holding nothing back:
"A homesick sparrow
perches on the heart's window.
with longing eyes,
It cranes out to glance at the houses,
at the distant skies,
waiting for a cheerful morning,
with promises laden,
to land like a turban,
on the shoulder of the homeland." (Mahjoub Sharif)
Hamid, the witness and the martyr, will be happy, surrounded by light and joy. He will carry with him the immense love that he spent with rare generosity and received from everyone who met him and crossed paths with his wondrous radiance, even if only once
أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
As for you, my beloved and the light of my eyes: we, along with countless people, will continue to celebrate your enduring, ever-renewing life. ♥️
We will miss you so much, O light of life. We will lose your presence—you upright, just, righteous, and luminous soul, the very face of goodness and beauty. And I will continue, my beloved Hamoudi, whenever my chest tightens, to look toward your place near the window, seeking light and reassurance; though my peace will only come on the day I meet you in your high, exalted place.
Peace and blessings be upon you, my love.
