SINGAPORE, Dec 26 — Nur Aisyah, 39, a Singaporean who died after falling 30m down a cliff in the United States, has been remembered as a woman with a lot of love to give, whether to her dozens of adopted stray cats or numerous godchildren.
Abdul Rauf Mohd Said, 41, Aisyah’s widower told TODAY: “I honestly lost count of the cats that she adopted (because) she sometimes hides them from me and I will only notice a new cat three months later.”
At last count, they had roughly 40 cats and two dogs.
Last Friday (Dec 22), the couple were at the Minnewaska State Park Preserve in the US state of New York, when Aisyah lost her footing on icy ground and fell 30m from a cliff.
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“She fell roughly 100 feet and did not survive,” Abdul Rauf wrote in a Facebook post on Dec 23.
The couple had co-founded Noble Sky International, a real estate investment company with a focus on the US market.
“My heart is broken into pieces and I don’t know how to piece them back together. I’ve been crying non-stop for the last 12 hours and (have) been really distraught by myself now. You’re my wife, best friend and soulmate,” he wrote.
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‘Loved unconditionally’
In an interview conducted by text message with TODAY today, Abdul Rauf said that being in nature was something they both enjoyed.
He clarified that they did not intend to hike at the park last Friday, as has been suggested in some media reports, but said that it was “more of a walk to find a spot to discuss future plans and goals”.
He described Aisyah as “the kindest, gentlest, and most faithful wife” he could ask for — adding that her “unconditional” love extended beyond animals to caring for those around her.
The couple do not have any children of their own, though Abdul Rauf has two children from his first marriage whom Aisyah “loved like her own”.
“(Aisyah) loves unconditionally those around her. She treats all animals with so much love and care,” he said, adding that she also had a great love for children.
“We have so many godchildren, I am unable to count and they will all be devastated by the news.”
He also said that they treat their nieces, nephews and the children of their good friends “like our own”.
Abdul Rauf was speaking to TODAY while on a flight back to Singapore accompanying Aisyah’s body.
He also spoke about a Facebook post he had published on Monday night about public “suspicions” that foul play was involved in Aisyah’s death.
“I understand there will always be trolls who will question everything behind a screen and, most of the time, fake accounts. It’s part of being in this social media era,” he said.
“They were trying to find every single hole they could possibly think of, and even after you have given whatever account of the matter, they will go even deeper to find more holes to spin into a conspiracy story.”
Last night, Abdul Rauf published a “clarification” on Facebook, saying that he would “take the opportunity to give loved ones, friends, keyboard warriors and the public the necessary information to put (their) minds at ease”.
“Hopefully, this will allay your ‘suspicions’,” he wrote in his post, which addressed questions such as what the couple were doing at the park at the time.
He also dealt with queries on why he was not with his wife after she fell, and why he had published a Facebook post including pictures and videos of his wife — which some had dubbed as “suspicious and insensitive”.
In the post, he wrote that he had surrendered his phone’s contents, including pictures and videos, to the New York State Police.
“As there was trauma that happened to the body, the police will have to treat it first like as if a potential crime has taken place, thus why when I was ‘questioned’, the line of questions was trying to uncover if a crime was committed or not.
“They brought in a special computer to extract the pictures and videos on my phone and ensure the data integrity was not compromised in any way,” he wrote.
“I showed the police the pics and videos that happened in the split second right before she fell and when I rushed forward after I saw her slip. These videos and pictures have already been examined by the detectives, and it was obvious there was no foul play or ‘murder’ that took place.
“It did not take the police long to rule the death (as) an accident after seeing all the footage.”
Abdul Rauf said that with temperatures at zero in the park, the ground had been icy. After Aisyah fell, he moved forward but slipped and fell on his bottom.
He added that his shoes were not suitable for the icy conditions, which meant that he was unable to make his way down to where Aisyah had landed.
Asked how he felt about having to publicly address such accusations in the midst of his own grieving, he said: “Yes, it can hurt… I’m still broken right now. I have been tearing and grieving by myself many times and the (Singapore Airlines) flight crew has been amazing to give me the care and service.
“I had to do it mostly by myself before a good friend of my wife joined me in New York to render support. (Now) I’m just resting in the plane and texting my sisters who have been amazing at giving me the support I needed.”
Hope to ‘recover, find a way to live again’
On his and his family’s plans ahead, Abdul Rauf said that they would heal, “recover, and find a way to live again without (Aisyah’s) presence, which is a huge part of our lives”.
“We didn’t expect the media to want to pick up this story and were hoping for it to remain private. However, when friends started posting on social media that she has passed, things got a little out of control with the virality, especially after national news picked up the story as well,” he said.
“That was when we realised this can’t be avoided any longer and we chose to embrace the media to help spread the word that she was a very beautiful person especially on the inside.”
In a separate Facebook post, Abdul Rauf said that Aisyah’s body would arrive in Singapore tomorrow morning.
Those who wished to pay their last respects may visit 157Z Jalan Loyang Besar from 10.30am tomorrow.
Abdul Rauf said: “It was meant more for her loved ones that she touched before, but from the publicity, those that she never met are also asking if they can pay respects. We will not turn anyone away if they attend.” — TODAY