A letter from Islamic leader, Dr. Salah Sultan on completion of one year in Egyptian jails
And why should we not put our trust in Allah while He indeed has guided us our ways. And we shall certainly bear with patience all the hurt you may cause us, and in Allah (Alone) let those who trust, put their trust.” Surah Al Ibrahim (12)
I was lucky enough to spend many beautiful months and years under the shower of mercy from Allah and today a year passed inside the jails of Leeman and Aqrab. The year that passed within the walls and barriers gives me the feeling of many hindrances; I feel deprived of Mosque where I would have offered prayers, delivered Khutba (religious speech of Friday prayers), taught lessons and offered Aitekaaf (praying in the Mosque for days without coming out). I feel deprived of free travelling as it is among my hobbies to travel around the world and perform the duties of Dawah. I feel deprived of my wife and children who are parts of my heart. I feel deprived of relatives and dear ones as they are a source of energy and strength to me. I feel deprived of my intelligent, decent and visionary students who are my most precious wealth. I feel deprived of Ulama; when I sit with them, I feel like sitting in the garden full of flowers and fruits. I feel deprived of my true and pure friends whom I love due to my love for Allah; they are the source of complete relief against all stress. I feel deprived of the sight that reaches in the heights of sky, hides in the greenery of trees and swims in the pure and clean water of ocean; these things are dream in the jail. I feel deprived of putting my hands on the head of an orphan and of paying a visit to a patient.
When I entered into the land of jailers who are shorn of mercy and kindness, I first promised to Allah that I would truly repent for all my sins and mistakes that I committed in my lifetime and first I would purify my heart and then would start the mission of decorating it with good deeds. When I was put in the confinement of Leeman, I gave it the name “Received Irfaan (Wisdom/ Knowledge) of Rehmaan in Leeman” and when transferred to the jail of Aqrab, I gave it the name “Became aqrab (near) to Allah in Aqrab”.
The Qur’ān is no doubt the main source of closeness to Allah, so I took the pardon of my jail mates that rather than spending time in discussions, I would recite full Qur’ān in prayers so that the evils run away from this place and this narrow room gets wider and my heart becomes stronger. Then I decided that instead of normal speed, I would complete the process in a faster speed of ‘Fafirru ilallah’ to get close to Allah. So I started running. I rushed with my full energy towards the happiness of Allah and success of heaven and I started running away with full speed from the displeasure of Allah and fire of hell. I spent my days and nights in prayers, studies and writing.
What I saw as a result: what people call trouble turned into rewards, what is considered narrowness came up as wideness, what seemed hindrance till now became advantage. I started spending my days and nights under the shadow of hopeful verses of the Qur’ān:
“Verily, my Wali (Protector, Supporter and Helper) is Allah who has revealed the Book (the Qur’ān), and He protects (supports and helps) the righteous.” Surah Al Araaf (196)
“Say: “Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Maula (Lord, Helper and Protector)” and “in Allah let the believers put their trust.” Surah Al Taubah (51)
“Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they gave their Bai’a (pledge) to you (O Muhammad) under the tree, He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down As-Sakinah (calmness and tranquillity) upon them, and He rewarded them with a near victory.” Surah Al Fatah (18)
“Let the rich man spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allah will grant after hardship, ease.” Surah Al Talaq (7)
My mind and consciousness started receiving the heights of the meanings, like the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) “what a beautiful is the matter of true believer, he is enriched with wellbeing all the time and this is specific to him only; he pays thanks when gets blessed and feels happy doing that and when he feels deprived, he keeps patience and it is also a matter of wellbeing for him.” Hakeem Ibne Ata says, “Somebody who in spite of getting the blessings from Allah, doesn’t pay heed to him is brought to Allah bound in the cords of trial” and that “when a person is deprived of blessings and he understands the logic of being deprived, he starts considering it as reward.”
My Lord enlightened me in the jail to complete the journey of strong patience, contentment and acquiescence and I also got ready and with the blessings of Allah, this is how I proceeded in the purification process.
During this year of imprisonment, I completed the Qur’ān more than hundred times in the prayers. The recitation was so that the mind was busy in deep analysis, the heart ready to welcome the impact, and the personality ready to get adjusted accordingly. I found such meanings of the Qur’ān during this year that I couldn’t get in the last six years. I had a very longing wish to study full Sahih Bukhari and my wish was fulfilled this year. I read so much of Tafseer, Fiqh, Usoole Fiqh, Languages, Literature, Poetry, History and Philosophy that I had never ever read in five-year time. I got the chance during the year to write enough on the topics of Logics of the Qur’ān, Methods of Tafseer, Belief, Ethics, Principles of Fiqh, Fatwa and Training. I also wrote stories on fifty incidents that happened during my world tour for Dawah. These activities inside the jail provided me the best times in the company of Allah.
I came in contact with some youths who proved themselves as the rocks of ethics, character, knowledge and vision. My company with Allah was a heaven for me and then the company of those youth was another heaven.
My love towards my wife and children got doubled this year when I found them in great need of myself and my son Mohammad and when they faced the assay of diseases but proved themselves strong and patient. I wrote a long story of more than one hundred pages on my marriage and love with the title ‘Salahbi Asma’. I found such a high character in my brothers and relatives during this trial which is worth high praise and it becomes obligatory to keep thanking Allah for this. Also Allah rewarded us a lot during this period of trial; my wife’s health got better; my daughter was blessed with another son, Ilyas after Ameen; my third son, Engineer Khalid got married; my fourth son Umar got selected in the prime university of USA for studying Political Science; my youngest daughter Bushra stood first in her class; my five nephews got engaged and then married; my nephew Hamza Azoor got freed from the jail; Allah saved his brother Mohammad from being killed at the hands of criminals and my nephew Hana got position at the national level in Intermediate examinations and many more members of my family entered into the list of Hafiz of Qur’ān.
People of high magnitude visited me and wrote letters to me; they are towers of light in the darkness of barbarity and are symbols of bravery and loyalty. Allah made my heart inside the jail that it becomes soft like that of father and friend for victim companions and turns hard and sharp like a sword against the atrocious. I repeatedly prayed to Allah that He punish these atrocious people for their barbarities.
On being imprisoned I promised to Allah that I will keep fast everyday so that I don’t miss the opportunity any day to have the holy times of prayer’s acceptance at Sehri and Iftar and use this opportunity to pray especially for bad end of the atrocious and for strength and victory of the chaste.
I used to pray every night before going to bed that I get those affluences in dreams from which the atrocious have deprived me by putting me in jail. I swear to Allah that I kept receiving everything in the dream that I may have received outside; prayers in the mosque, visits to religious centres from east to west, programmes and conferences, training and guidance camps, workshops on Shari’ah education, Dawah tours to Europe, America, Japan, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan and Arab nations, almost to the whole world, until I was not deprived of the greenery and water that I love.
This year I took full care of my fitness; with the blessings of Allah, I prepared such a strong exercise plan that would be difficult even for the youths to follow. People who threw me in the jail wanted to put me on trial of fire but rather than feeling the heat of the fire, I felt the softness of patience. They arrested and imprisoned my eldest son and my dear friend, Mohammad and didn’t allow me to meet him for months. Protesting against the brutality of the atrocious, my son went on hunger strike and today he has completed 240 days on hunger, his healthy body has turned into the skeleton of bones. This youth has made everybody surprised with his dedication through such a long hunger strike. Many a time, I put my ears close to his lips and nose to check if he is still breathing and what I hear from him is recitation of the Qur’ān and Dua. When I sit with him, I feel that we are not sitting on the earth, rather on some heights of sky and when I get down from that height, I don’t get the test of any food. Somebody whose son has been hungry for months, doesn’t take food rather dies with sorrow at the time of every meal. In spite of this, our ambitions are getting stronger each day, passion to sacrifice our lives in the way of truth is getting stronger. Mohammad is in jail today because he is the son of the leader, Sultan Salahuddin. If Allah wills we would come out and then people would know me as the father of a great man, Mohammad Sultan.
My brothers and sisters, my sons and daughters, I give you good news; the future is shinning; freedom is very close. I swear to Allah that I have prayed for you so much in my prayers and meditations that I couldn’t do in ten years. Be happy on this and you also keep praying for us and along with the prayers don’t forget that it’s my right upon you that you give wings to my words and you have to handle the mission of Palestine and Mosque of Aqsa. If you do not have the capacity to free my old body from the jail as it’s only in the hands of Allah, do remember that my strength is in my message and this is the only reason of my imprisonment. My books, my articles, my speeches, my educational and training plans and the unique programme to prepare the God-fearing leaders, it’s all available on my website (www.salahsoltan.com) and web pages. It is my humble request that you give wings and freedom to my message, if you become bearer of my messages and help it reach to the corners of the world by translating it, you would come in the circle of my prayers which come out many times a day from the deep of my heart for my true students, for those who are trying hard to spread my knowledge and vision which is blessing to me from Allah, for those who are working hard for the freedom of Aqsa Mosque and helping Palestine and Ghaza with their words or actions.
Please understand that the best way to challenge the brutality of the atrocious people who have imprisoned me and kept me from you is by wide spreading my message. Though I can’t come before you, Allah with his special mercy keeps blessing me with your meetings in my dreams and he will not deprive me from your company.
“Then, they will shake their heads at you and say: “When will that (Victory) be?” Say: “Perhaps it is near!” Surah Al Isra (51)
DR. SALAH SULTAN
A prisoner in the way of Allah, with pride, patience and strength
Translation: Salahuddin Ayyub ([email protected])