I am grateful to God, the Lord of all creation, for being rescued from the rubble as one of the first survivors.
In those few minutes, I experienced the overwhelming weight of emptiness and the suffocating feeling of being unable to catch my breath.
I felt like a heavy stone, unable to move without causing further injury, even from the slightest motion.
We thank God for His mercy as we were awake when the earthquake struck. As usual, we thought it would be over soon, but my husband and I were engrossed in conversation and didn’t notice it intensifying. I said him it is shaking harder, and he would reply that it was getting stronger. Then suddenly, a terrifying sound reverberated, and before we knew it, we were trapped under the rubble of the building.
Amidst the rubble of stones, I struggled to catch my breath. I kept taking deep breaths for a while, hoping to relieve myself. However, as time passed, I realized that no one was coming to our rescue, and I was trapped. In desperation, I uttered, “Hey people, what now?”
I came back and took a breath with difficulty, and then I said, O Lord, if you want to take your Amana (my soul), do not torture me…
O, Lord…Be kind to your servant; take my soul!
At that time, I testified (I bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God), and I felt that there was no hope that someone would save us… Suddenly, I heard a conversation between my daughter and her father, saying: Where are you, Dad?
And he said to her: I am here under the stones!!
Take away the rocks from me. I tried telling them I was by their side but could not.
Glory be to God. I felt that my subconscious mind put me in temporary death to the point where I could not move, speak, or feel.
For a while, I struggled to breathe as heavy stones weighed down on my body. Despite my attempts to take a deep breath, I felt suffocated and helpless.
My husband called out to me, but I couldn’t respond. He began to shout for help, worried that I wouldn’t be able to lift the stones off of us.. Thankfully, a kind man heard our cries and came to our aid. He lifted the stones and helped us catch our breath.
My husband had one hand free. He said to the man, “This is my phone. It’s mine.” They opened the phone, and a message was sent to our family to come help us. No one thought the buildings would be destroyed.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, the first drop of rain that fell on my face was enough to bring me back to speak better, and I came back to feel the weight of the rubble…
I was reassured about my older daughter, but the younger one did not know anything about her condition. Is she still alive or dead???
When they carried my daughter, I wasn’t aware. I didn’t feel them until I was in the hospital. I asked my brother and my mother, where is Huda? How is it? They said: We do not know. They transferred her to Bab Al-Hawa Hospital.
I was terrified and kept thinking about her until they told me that her uncle had brought her from the hospital after she had bruises on her head and wounds on her face, but she was safe, thank God…
Praise be to God, my Lord.
The important thing is that after they transferred me on a stretcher to Aqrabat Hospital, the pain began to return to me, and I began to feel an unbearable pain that I had never been I feel it under the rubble. It was a feeling of heaviness on my body, and all I needed was breathing.
Thank God they took X-rays, and I was admitted to the ward.
Alhamdulillah, my injury was not too significant. I have a fracture in the right pubic ramus, two fractures in the left pubic bone, a fracture in the sacroiliac joint, and a lacerated wound to the scalp with material loss and various bruises on the body.
Praise be to God! Thank God! Thank God!
I was unaware of the magnitude of the disaster we were about to face. The devastating tragedies seemed to be even more severe in Harem, Salqin, and Jandiris, as our only building and a two-story house were destroyed on the main road in Atma. I could not get the latest news as I didn’t have a phone. It was only when our roommate in the hospital informed us that many buildings were destroyed in Jenderes, including her family’s homes, that time I learned of the extent of the damage. Thankfully, her family was unharmed, and they are safe now.
I said this means that the situation is good, God willing.
Not many people are hurt.
I mentioned that the situation was good, thankfully, as there weren’t many injuries. However, soon after, cries and screams could be heard from the hospital. People from our building, as well as from Harem and Jandires, began arriving at the hospital.
(Allah) is all I need. he is the best guardian. ḥasbunā alllahu waniʿma alwakīlu.
Dear God, please protect everyone, as everything is within your control. We ask for your mercy and kindness upon us.
After being brought home and witnessing the magnitude of the tragedy, I became even more grateful to God. While some remained under the rubble for hours, days, and nights, we were fortunate to be rescued within the first hour after the earthquake.
It’s a tough feeling to suddenly go from serving others in a hospital to needing help yourself. However, I am grateful for the people around me, who are a great blessing from God. Whether near or far, there is good in the world, and I hope for relief soon. Thank you, Lord of the Worlds.
There is hope for relief, God willing.
Or do you think that you would enter the Garden while yet the like of those who have passed away before you has not come upon you; distress and affliction befell them, and they were shaken violently so that the apostle and those who believed with him said: When will the help of Allah come? Now, surely the help of Allah is nigh! (2:214)
“أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِن قَبْلِكُم ۖ مَّسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَاءُ وَالضَّرَّاءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ “
May God heal me and heal every injured person, O Lord, and have mercy on the martyrs and give patience to their families.
God spares me to serve people worldwide, Islam and Muslims, O Lord.
Dear God, please help me to be of assistance to those around me without becoming a burden. May I remain a reliable helper to them and serve them with kindness.
At 4:17 am, #February 6th earthquake