Roghayeh Salari was a second-grade student. She was named after Lady Roghayeh, a name her mother chose through a vow to Imam Hussein. She was deeply attached to Imam Reza and had been eagerly waiting to return to Mashhad after two years away.
On the morning of the attack, Roghayeh woke at eight. Her mother told her it was late and suggested she sleep again. Roghayeh replied, “You woke me up, and I miss my friends,” and decided to go to school. As she closed the door, her mother suddenly felt an unfamiliar urge to call her back.
After the first explosion, Roghayeh’s brother, Mohammad Hossein, repeatedly called her name, refusing to accept that she might not answer. Her mother ran toward the school, where the destruction made it almost impossible to enter. She could only hope that her daughter was somewhere else.
Roghayeh was eventually found and taken to the hospital, with burns to her skirt, legs, and hair. Her mother remembers Roghayeh’s love for Imam Reza and her excitement about returning to Mashhad. Roghayeh once described the shrine simply: “It is very big and beautiful… and you can play.” If she could speak to Imam Reza, she knew exactly what she would say:
“I would tell him that I love him.”