Egyptian actress Wafaa Amer recalled one of the most difficult periods of her life, when she lost her sister Hala and then her father within just 33 days, stressing that the grief was too deep to be expressed through tears.

Wafaa said: “The hardest kind of crying is crying without tears. After my sister Hala passed away, my father died 33 days later. I had to stay strong, and I asked my mother not to wear black because it’s not part of the Sunnah. I took responsibility for my siblings, especially Ayten, who was still a child at the time, and tried to protect her from the feeling of loss.”

She revealed a dream she had just four hours before her sister’s death: “I saw her dressed in white as if she were going on pilgrimage, carrying a bag, and I too was carrying a black bag. Forty days after her passing, I found the exact same black bag in a store, bought it, and still keep it.”

A prayer that summed up the end Wafaa recalled a special moment they shared before her sister’s death, when they prayed together at the Sayyida Nafisa Mosque and she overheard her sister saying: “Lord, let me feel that I am pregnant and then die.” She explained that her sister was indeed pregnant with twins when she passed away.

A philosophy for handling conflicts Wafaa Amer said she does not believe in revenge, even in the most severe disputes: “An honorable person goes through many tests in life. They may be able to retaliate, but they choose to walk away with grace. Disagreements are no excuse for injustice or hurtful words.”

Ingratitude hurts the most She expressed her pain over experiences of ingratitude: “The thing that hurts me most is ingratitude. Anyone who wrongs me or spreads rumors about me will face me before God, and I do not forgive in such matters.”

A friend’s betrayal With tears in her eyes, she spoke of a close friend who betrayed her trust: “I never expected the treachery, but I don’t respond to harm with harm. I do good for the sake of God and leave judgment to Him.”

A heroic act to save her neighbor Wafaa also recounted a courageous incident when she saved her neighbor from an armed intruder: “I used a starter pistol to scare him at the right moment. Her apartment was next to mine, and if he had attacked me, I would have fought back fiercely… I have a heavy hand.”