PETALING JAYA — Receiving her Primary School Achievement Test results was a moment Nur Aqilah Afiah Muhammad Firdaus would have loved to share with her mother.

But as her mother had died two years ago, the Standard Six student from Sekolah Kebangsaan Permatang To’ Kandu in Permatang Pauh, Penang went to her mum’s grave on Thursday (Nov 21) to read out what she scored for each subject.

The poignant story was shared by Aqilah’s grandmother Aishah Mat Akat in a Facebook post which has since gone viral.

In an interview with mStar, Mdm Aishah said her granddaughter was usually a cheerful person but was overcome with emotion when she received her exam results.

Aqilah had asked her grandmother to accompany her to school to collect the results.

“She said ‘Grandma, come to school to replace mama. If you don’t come with me, my friends will have their mums with them and I don’t have a mum to accompany me’,” the 63-year-old said.

But her eldest grandchild refused to open the envelope which contained the results.

Instead, Aqilah asked her grandmother to accompany her to the Permatang Pauh Muslim cemetery located in front of the school to visit her late mother.

“She said she isn’t strong. She wanted to share her results with her late mum.

“Aqilah said she feels her mother’s presence each time she goes to the grave,” said Mdm Aishah.

Aqilah’s late mother Ariani Amir died in November 2017 at the age of 35 while giving birth to her third child.

The eldest of three siblings now lives under the care of her grandmother.

When she got to her mother’s grave, the primary school student recited what she received for each subject in front of her mother’s tombstone.

“She was crying despite trying to hold back tears,” said Mdm Aishah.

“I just kept quiet to let her do what she needed to do. She always speaks to her mum while praying at her grave.”

A former headmistress, Mdm Aishah said her granddaughter would visit the graveyard every week since her mother’s passing.

She described her grandchild as a responsible person, a quality she inherited from her mother.

“She has taken over the duty of caring for her siblings,” said Mdm Aishah.

Hopeful that Aqilah will come to terms with her mother’s death, Mdm Aishah often tells her granddaughter to study hard to become successful.

“However, her mum’s Singapore-style bee hoon is something Aqilah and the family can never forget,” said Mdm Aishah. MALAY MAIL