How did Sh. Ayman receive the news of the martyrdom of his family?
(as narrated by @mojhdk "مجاهد خرساني", with slight tweaks to make reading easier)
“I remember we were in Tora Bora in the blessed month of Ramadan, it was Monday the 17th of Ramadan, we had just finished (eating) suhoor and were waiting for the time of fajr.
I was sitting nearby shaykh Ayman in the cave designated for meetings, (when) I heard one of the brothers from another center calling for our brother, the ameer of shaykh Usamah’s guards. I realized the matter was grave, because the brother that had arrived was the one responsible for communications, and most of the times his presence denoted there was something dangerous and of great importance. After half an hour the athan of fajr was given.
We headed to the prayer area, my mind was with those two brothers (the ameer of the guards & the ameer of communications) and I was asking myself what could be the matter. I informed one of the brothers about it and he supplicated to Allah that there wouldn’t be any danger, then he asked me to forget about it and not to think about it, so that I wouldn’t enter the salah with lack of khushoo’.
After we finished praying I looked between the brothers and found the ameer (of the guards) between them. We exited the masjid and the ameer requested that we assemble quickly. This (assembly) was a routine procedure to divide guard duties, necessary work and to give naseeha between ourselves.
The ameer of the guards spoke, he was distraught and couldn’t hold himself together, he burst into tears and told us that all of shaykh Ayman’s family were martyred today. It hit us like lightning, "O Allah what is this catastrophe? All of them without exception?". He affirmed that. So I asked him about Muhammad, the son of shaykh Ayman, whom he would ransom with his soul. He affirmed that he was amongst the martyred.
The ameer told us that they were killed in an airstrike in Gardez. The ameer of the guards then sent three brothers to the ameer of the Tora Bora area, who was Ibn ash-Shaykh al-Leebi, may Allah accept him amongst the shuhada. He was shocked, but managed to control himself, for he was wise and humble.
He (ibn ash-Shaykh) told the brothers that it was necessary to summon shaykh Usamah out of the cave and to inform him regarding the matter. We all looked at each other, and then ‘Uthman the son of shaykh Usamah called out to him to tell him everything was normal. After shaykh Usamah arrived ibn ash-Shaykh al-Leebi spoke to him and informed him, so shaykh Usamah sat praising Allah and crying and said: “How difficult your test is, O my companion”.
Thereafter the shaykh (Usamah) requested some brothers to be brought to him, so we went bringing all those whom the shaykh requested. After we returned we found the shaykh standing outside the trench in the cold weather, he began speaking to these brothers and informed of what happened, he requested them to enter the cave with him where shaykh Ayman was. After we entered the cave (I entered the cave hurriedly to see what the reaction of shaykh Ayman would be). As we entered shaykh Ayman stood up and looked at shaykh Usamah’s face and said to him: “What’s the matter?”, everyone remained silent. Shaykh Ayman said: “O ameer, I know that there’s something grave and it’s apparent from your eyes, inform me O coolness of my eye”.
Shaykh Usamah’s eyes welled up, controlled himself and began talking. He reminded shaykh Ayman in regards to patience, the reward of the patient ones, that their reward is with Allah and that this dunya is an abode of trials and not one of eternity.
Shaykh Ayman found this odd and started looking at us finding our looks strange, so shaykh Ayman asked shaykh Usamah: “Are you all right?”, “Is your family all right?”, he replied: “Yes” and then said: “Your family was martyred in an airstrike”.
The shaykh (Ayman) praised Allah and prostrated to Allah thanking him. Our tears burst out, it was a difficult day on us. After this he got up and began talking to us, he praised Allah & thanked him and said: “O brothers, indeed this dunya is an abode of trials and crossing, I make Allah my witness, I make you all my witnesses that I am pleased with what Allah has chosen for me, that he is the King, he disposes the affairs, all decisions are his, and he is more knowledgeable regarding us than ourselves”. He then looked at our shakh Usamah, who had his hand over his eyes and was crying and said to him: “O our ameer, know that my family aren’t more precious than the families of the Afghans, the Palestinians, or the Iraqis, by Allah, what’s with me (family) is equal (to theirs), so ask Allah for His mercy & forgiveness for them. This war is a war against Islam waged by the disbelieving groups, so let us prepare for that which is to come and all praise due to Allah in every case”. We were amazed at the patience of the shaykh, and the one who named him “the wise one of the Ummah” was right (in doing so).
After four days, on a Friday, while we were cleaning the cave, one of the youth arrived and wanted to tell shaykh Ayman how his family was killed. Our brother sat with the shaykh and began talking about the incident, he mentioned that a B-52 plane was hovering above the centers of the brothers in Gardez just a little before iftar. After circling above them three times, it dropped bombs on the houses and those in them. The brother continued and said that the brothers reached the struck area quickly and attempted to bring out those in the house which had become leveled to the floor.
The brother said that one of the brothers saw a hand sticking out from the rubble, and they went to bring out the person, when they realized it was our mother, Umm Muhammad, the wife of shaykh Ayman. Our brother called out to her and tried to calm her and said: “O mother, I’m so-and-so, don’t be worried”. The brother then said: “She pulled back her hand and refused to be seen by men, so we called out to the women in the area to help us bring out those in the rubble, however Allah decreed that they would die.”
Shaykh Ayman then said: “How pure you are O Umm Muhammad, you were pure & honorable alive, and you died upon that”. His eyes then welled up with tears, his companion (shaykh Usamah) began to comfort him, and remind him with patience and the great reward. So he (Ayman) stood up, performed wudhoo’ and prayed two raka’at, while his companion (Usamah) tried to control himself, hold his tears and to surrender to Allah’s decree & judgement.”
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@s7bhijratain (Saahibul Hijratain)