Sharjah: Every morning, Obaid Mohammad Al Beloushi wakes up thinking his two brothers will walk into their father’s house in Kalba to join the huge family gathering that is a routine feature of their everyday life.
Recalling the old days, he talks of how his older brothers Hamed Mohammad Al Beloushi, 39, and Rashid Mohammad Al Beloushi, 40, would lecture him on his habit of smoking.
Holding back tears as his childhood memories rushed back, Obaid, 30, said: “Hamed had a firm hand — every time he caught me smoking [during my teens], he would beat me, but I never used to say anything because I knew how much he cared for me. He cared for everyone and wanted the best for them, this was him.”
Obaid, who is an Air Force officer like Hamed and Rashid and has also served in Yemen, wishes God had taken his life instead of his brothers’. At the same time, he believes there’s is no bigger honour than attaining martyrdom.
“I still remember Hamed, may his soul rest in peace, when he sat in my car two weeks before he was to leave for Yemen and listened to the recording of an Islamic sermon about death and the afterlife. I think he had a premonition that he was going to be a martyr and make his country and all of us proud,” he said.
Despite just weeks having passed since the martyrdom of his brothers, Obaid still makes a conscious effort to hide his grief in front of his siblings, 13 in all, and his mother but he admits it’s especially hard when they come across his brothers’ photographs.
“We remember them every day as we come across things they loved and enjoyed. The other day, my mother was looking through old photo albums and she saw a picture of Rashid. It was heartbreaking to see her cry,” he said,
Both Hamed, who is survived by five children, and Rashid, who left behind four children, were popular in the community and known for their charity.
“Rashid in particular was always in the forefront to help others. He would enquire about people and their welfare. Every time he came home, he would make sure to share a meal with our mother and feed her,” Obaid said.
The overwhelming grief in the community at his brothers’ martyrdom proved how beloved they were to many and of the charitable works they undertook, Obaid said.
Another memory that of his two brothers that Obaid recalls is their fondness for cars and quad bikes. Hamed, Obaid said, was extremely fond of four-wheel Nissan cars and Rashid was a big fan of quad bikes.
“Rashid had always wanted to buy a quad bike. After he got married, he bought one and started taking it to the desert for a ride with his kids.
“Some of Rashid’s children are too young to understand their father’s death, but they always say he is in heaven,” said Obaid.
The brothers last spoke to the family over the phone from Yemen just a day before they died.
“They always called to check on us and speak to their children about being obedient and focusing on their studies. They would then promise to take them out when they were back,” he said.
Both Hamed and Rashid had similar ambitions — to secure their children’s future.
“Their dreams came true,” said Obaid. “We thank the government for their support and for financially securing the lives of the martyrs’ children.”
