Sharon Baron, a lovable, quirky being, who after her conversion to Islam also became known as Afnaan Mizaan, had been involved intermittently, yet passionately with Wisdom In Nature (WiN). Two core members of WiN write a legacy piece following her passing last year.

The Most Mystical of People

By Valentina Maccario

It's difficult to describe Afnaan, an individual who's stories, experiences and light interweave like a kaleidoscope, with radiant pieces of mismatched colourful fragments combining together to create something truly beautiful, mystical and unique. Each glimpse, shift or new part revealed creating an abundance of ever-changing patterns and perspectives - moments where you think you can recognise the pieces there, and moments where you wonder if you're looking through something in its entirety different.

My friendship with Afnaan takes the same form, the privilege of being in the presence of an individual overflowing with kindness, strength, wisdom and grace, woven alongside her remarkable resilience to life's tests, dedication to her beliefs, and humbling generosity.

Many evenings I spent in her home blessed with glimpses into her life; hearing snippets of stories from guerilla gardening in parks, surviving on foraging, dedicated activism, living on a kibbutz in her early adulthood and driving herself on her motorcycle during labour to the hospital. Often interlaced with humour and the most beautiful and articulate way of storytelling, were experiences of truly testing times which Afnaan always described with a humbling strength, submission, lightness and trust in Allah swt.

Afnaan is often, for me, the human form of Rumi's words that "the wound is the place where the light enters you". I cannot begin to fathom what she withstood, but mashAllah at the radiance she emanated through it. 

Always in her signature black clothing, her black cap, black vegetarian shoes and yet the odd green scarf, Afnaan needed no colours to light up a room.

The last days of her time on this Earth, we met a stream of loving visitors, old and new connections, glimpses of more stories and parts of her that we did not yet know but that she had undoubtedly touched deeply.

The most mystical of people, she taught me what it means to be strong in your beliefs, to give no matter what situation you are in, and to show continuous grace and strength at the journey Allah swt take you through.

We cannot control what is destined for us, yet many of Afnaan's unique ways continue to show me how to spin gold from it, weaving from hardship threads of wisdom, humbleness, love, mercy, kindness and light.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un - To God we belong and to God we return.

Straddling the Earthly and Celestial

By Muzammal Hussain

I experienced Afnaan as someone who was highly intelligent, yet humble. Listening to her eloquent words was a delight. She was acutely perceptive and refreshingly curious, with attention that percolated deep. 

One of the many things I loved about Afnaan, was that she would speak her truth, while listening to yours. It gave room to a conversation that could and would evolve, opening to fresh insights.

There was a mystical quality that often emanated from Afnann, such that I experienced her as someone who straddled the earthly realm and the celestial. The Imaam, at Afnaan’s Janazaa (funeral) prayer, passionately described her as the most dedicated convert to Islam he had ever met. She was sincerely dedicated to knowing the truth, to living her life infused with Divine guidance.

Afnaan’s commitment to the spiritual life was mirrored by her commitment to justice in this world. She had been in a core group in the Occupy Movement, stood for justice for Palestinians, for a rejection of the destructive capitalist system, for animal welfare, climate action, food that was taiyub (pure/organic) and while having little financially, she donated generously.

A Life of Challenges

Not everyone was aware that Afnaan had lived a life with immense challenges. This was not something she generally shared, more concerned with how others were coping.  

For instance, shortly before moving to Brighton, Afnaan had been homeless for a number of years. She had mentioned that she had lived in a tent for at last a couple of years, or perhaps much longer than that.

While she had a son (I had contact with him later - I found him very perceptive, compassionate and kind-hearted), personal challenges she had had in her life came in the way and had led them to growing apart. She continued to nonetheless hold much love for him.

Few knew that Afnaan had wrestled with hearing voices for much of her life. The voices were sometimes hyper-intense and over-powering leading to several admissions into hospital. I learnt much about this aspect of her, in particular because she had a distaste for pharmaceuticals (as well as environmental chemicals). My experience in both psychiatry and non-pharmacological healing approaches contributed to her having trust in me. Several times, I had the honour of being welcomed to support her as she engaged with mainstream mental health services.

Hand-writing and Story-telling

Afnaan lived a very simple, graceful life. Her quirky, thoughtful and most wonderful insights were matched by her exquisite handwriting. Here’s an example, taken from her noting down the translation of a Qur’anic verse.

Afnaan had also been very supportive and involved with Wisdom In Nature - WIN - our Islamic eco-social activist and training group. During the start of the pandemic, in 2020, she joined in our consensus-decision-making process where we collectively identified how WiN would move forwards given that, with lockdown kicking in, face-to-face events would be impossible.

The process led to the emergence of an online event, in which Afnaan eloquently narrated a story she had written specifically for that occasion. She called the story ‘’The ‘Children’ of the Estate”, and in it Afnaan touched on the collision between modern day progress and impoverishment.

An unexpected touched heart

In her last few days as an inpatient at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, while Afnaan’s grace was no less, her physical health rapidly deteriorated.

During that time, a medical student working part-time on the ward, noticed Afnaan, took a breath and began to cry. She had recognised Afnaan from the time she was on a mental health ward several months earlier. The student had been on a placement there, when on meeting Afnaan, had been so moved by her life story that, with Afnaan’s permission, she presented it as part of her studies. Now, a few months later the same student was working part-time on a medical ward, and on noticing Afnaan end-of-life on that very ward, was moved to tears.

Physical Health decline

Afnaan’s passing to the next world occurred within the space of a few weeks. She had been physically unwell, experiencing abdominal discomfort and a worsening appetite. Doctors told her the pain was due to excessive acid and prescribed anti-ulcer medication. Although the medication made no difference, they persisted with the diagnosis. However, the lessening appetite led Afnaan to lose weight and become very weak. I felt increasingly concerned, as Afnaan, living alone and normally very active and energetic, was now barely able to walk down the stairs from her first floor flat.

Both myself and my wife, Shumaisa, spent two hours encouraging, almost pleading with her, to visit A&E. We were having to negotiate with both her lack of faith in the medical profession and deep patterns of being fiercely independent and self-sufficient. To our relief, she eventually did agree, and I accompanied her in a taxi to the hospital.

The medical input she received after being assessed was reassuring. The doctor took her symptoms seriously. She arranged an MRI, which showed a cancer, and Afnaan was later admitted onto a ward. Being very strong in her beliefs, she declined any active treatment, and her care was thus palliative, ensuring she was comfortable and pain-free as possible.

Despite the inevitable, she maintained her wit and sharp mind right up to a few days of her passing. As well as core members of the WiN team: Shumaisa, Valentina and myself, she was visited by kind friends, a few of whom we had never previously met.

A month after coming to hospital, Afnaan passed away peacefully at the Louisa Martindale wing of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. It was Wednesday 26th July 2023. Myself and Shumaisa were honoured to have been by her side, reciting prayers, as she took her final breaths. It was the same day as the passing of another inspiring Muslim figure, Sinead O’Connor.

We are in gratitude to all those who have supported Afnaan in her life and last days.