Torture practices include beatings such as jumping on the victim’s stomach; falacca or falanga, which involves beating the soles of the feet with rods; telephono, where the torturer claps flattened palms over the victim’s ears rupturing the tympanic membrane in the process; the use of electricity, including tying victims to a metal bed before applying a current and the use of pointed electrodes placed on the victim’s genitalia; burning; submarino, the submersion of the victim’s head in dirty water until the point of suffocation is almost reached; rape and forced sexual assault; suspension in mid-air with knees bent over a rod and tied tightly to wrists; deprivation of water; fake executions; the forced witnessing of the torture of the victim’s family or children; being held incommunicado; sensory deprivation; the forced injection of psychotropic drugs or ‘faecal matter’.
Tortured in Syria by Italy
Mohammed Majid Shakir was tortured by the Syrians under the command of the Italians. He explains the torture methods used upon him by the Syrians.
“Their instruments of torture were :-
a. Blasphemy. They insulted Allah(swt), his messenger(saw), and tore up the Qu’ran
b. Beating with sticks. They attacked me with a hard stick, and if I tried to defend myself they attacked me harder. Whilst this was happening, I could hear the screams of the other brothers, and they haunt me still to this day.
c. In the winter, in the cell of torture the brothers were tied to a chair by their hands and feet, and into a cell that was freezing. They put an electric fan on us in our faces from morning to afternoon” (Help the Prisoners, 2010)
Tortured in Baghram
Moazzam Beg narrates his experience in Baghram prison, he states, “One particular month in May, I was subjected to some extremely harsh interrogation techniques, which included being – or having my hands tied behind my back to my legs like an animal, as they call in America ‘hogtied’, with a hood placed over my head so I was in a suffocating position, kicked and beaten and sworn at and spat at, left to rot in this position for hours and hours on end and taken again into interrogation, and this lasted over a period of over a month. That wasn’t the worst of it, of course. The worst of it for me was the psychological part, because all of this time I had no communication with my family at all. I didn’t know what happened to my wife or my children. For all I knew they could have done terrible things to them. And that was my biggest fear. (Moazzam Begg, quoted in Democracy Now!, 2006)
Torture in Abu Ghraib
In 2004, the world witnessed the shocking institutionally sanctioned torture of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison. The vile images of grinning American soldiers standing over shackled, naked and hooded Iraqi men in demeaning, sexually humiliating and contorted positions stunned the liberal conscience of the Western world. Rather than the aberrant behaviour of an isolated few, it became clear that the nine soldiers who were court-martialled for the crimes were indeed responding to orders issued from the highest levels of military government.
Death at Camp Delta
On June 9, 2006, three detainees died while in custody at Camp 1 of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility. Yassar Talal Al Zahrani, Mani Shaman Turki Al Habardi Al Tabi, and Ali Abdullah Ahmed were reported to have been found hanging in their cells at approximately 00:20 on June 10. According to descriptions from the guards, medics, and autopsy reports, all three detainees were cold to the touch, bluish in colour, and in a state of rigor mortis, indicating that each had been dead for more than two hours at the time of discovery. Their eyes were rolled back in their sockets and they had no pulse. Rigor mortis locked their jaws and impeded resuscitation attempts. In the case of one detainee, his jaw had to be pried open with a metal instrument that broke his teeth. At that time, medical personnel discovered that he had a cloth deep in his mouth and down his throat. The same condition was discovered in the other two bodies. The investigations did not explain why the detainees had rags in their throats (Death in Camp Delta, 2009).
Guantanamo Bay
Binyamin Mohammed recalls his experience of prison in Guantanamo Bay, “It is still difficult for me to believe that I was abducted, hauled from one country to the next, and tortured in medieval ways – all orchestrated by the United States government…There are thousands of other prisoners held by the US elsewhere around the world, with no charges, and without access to their families. And I have to say, more in sadness than in anger, that many have been complicit in my own horrors over the past seven years. For myself, the very worst moment came when I realised in Morocco that the people who were torturing me were receiving questions and materials from British intelligence (BBC News, 23rd February 2009)
Implications of Torture
There are a significant amount of detention centres around the world, specifically designed to torture victims. Cruel and callous methods of torture render the victims as helpless and in many cases, ultimately causing their deaths. The victims of torture are owed one thing above all else: justice. The perpetrators of torture must be exposed for who they are, and for what they have done. There is no statute of limitations on inhumanity. Those who designed and implemented the torture and illegal rendition programmes must be punished for their crimes or the laws forbidding these activities will be recognised as meaningless. These inhumane acts were committed against real people. Only the victims can forgive those who violated their human rights and stained the moral consciousness of humanity.
Exclusive testimony of ‘Abu Umar‘ from the CagePrisoners Saudi Torture Project.
Background
Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be on the Messenger Muhammad.
My name is Abu Umar. I was resident in Saudi Arabia lawfully and did not contravene any law of the country. I was arrested in the Prophet’s city Madinah by the Mabahith Security Service of Saudi Arabia in 2007 without reason.
Torture
I was arrested arbitrarily, through deception. I was arrested without being shown the identity of those arresting me and without being shown an arrest warrant. As soon as I was arrested I asked to be allowed to appoint a lawyer but they did not allow me to do that. On being detained I was placed in an old solitary confinement cell similar to a dungeon. I spent a few weeks there before being moved to another solitary confinement cell that was located beneath the ground. I remained in these isolation cells for approximately four months. I was not provided with even my basic rights; sanitary necessities, enough clothes and neither had I seen the sunshine during this period.
During my time in solitary confinement I was being interrogated day and night and tortured in various ways.
I was interrogated during this period by of four interrogators. I came to know their names later. There are other interrogators the names of whom I do not know:
1. Lt. Yusuf al-Barakaty
2. Lt. Bandar al-Hazmi
3. Captain Ghazi al-Husseini al-‘Awfi
4. Major Bakr al-‘Awfi
Note that Yusuf al-Barakaty is the individual pictured at the head of this statement. I am able to confirm that he is the interrogator I refer to Yusuf al-Barakaty.
During the interrogation sessions which lasted for more than 5 years I was exposed to various kinds of physical and psychological torture, especially during the first four months of my detention. I am able to confirm the names of two interrogators who in particular participated in torturing me physically; Yusuf al-Barakaty and Ghazi al-‘Awfi. There were others on whose hands I was tortured, but I do not know their names.
I will mention below what interrogators did with me;
What (Ghazi al-Husseini al-‘Awfi) did:
First: He left me without sufficient clothes. Clothing is provided on orders of the interrogator in charge of the case Ghazi al-‘Awfi was primarily responsible for interrogating me and it was he who ordered that I should be deprived of clothing and he in doing this robbed me of the simplest of my rights. This continued for a period of four months. I did not have enough clothes and was left in this condition throughout the severely cold winter months.
Second: Summoning for interrogation at random times at deliberately irregular intervals to cause mental and physical fatigue. At times I was taken from my sleep for interrogation in the middle of the night.
Third: The interrogator Ghazi al-‘Awfi ordered the military guards to stand me against the wall while I was blindfolded, handcuffed and bound in leg irons, for long periods of time; up to six consecutive hours. He was threatening to beat me severely if I tried to sit or move from where I was or did not follow his orders. My feet were swollen from periods of forced standing.
Fourth: he hung me by my hands with a chain fixed to a high place such that only the toes of my feet would touch the ground. He left me in this position for long periods of time and for a number of hours.
Fifth: He beat me with the following tools of torture:
1. Baton (also known in Arabic as ‘Khaizrana’). (This is well known tool in the Middle East specifically made for torture.) It is approximately 1.2 meters long and approximately 2 cm wide. It is round and light brown in colour. He beat me with this baton at full strength on my hands until they swelled and on my back. The bruises from this torture would remain on my body for long periods of time ranging from days to weeks.
2. Hose, similar to a water hose; Ghazi Al Awfi repeatedly beat me with this tool on a number of occasions. I was laid face down on the ground, with my eyes blindfolded, my hand and feet shackled. I am unable to describe the tool in further detail because I have not seen it, but I remember that the beating was very severe. I would scream in pain however he did not have any mercy and instead increased the beating because he enjoyed hearing my screams.
Sixth: Depriving me of sleep and at times allowing me very minute amounts of sleep. He would summon me for interrogation in the day and at night. Each interrogation lasted for several hours and often I was forced to stand during the sessions. When I was returned to my cell I could not sleep except very minute amounts. The sounds made by the military guards were very disturbing. This continued for a period of fifteen days and I became extremely exhausted both mentally and physically. I began to utter inappropriate words due to losing my senses.
Seventh: Ghazi al-‘Awfi always insulted me and treated me in the most degrading way. He would verbally abuse me and utter obscenities like ‘Oh bull’ and other terms which I do not remember.
What Yusuf al-Barakaty did:
First: He summoned me for interrogation day and night in a random manner without any predictable routine with the aim of causing me mental and physical fatigue. He did this at least 30 times or more.
Second: Yusuf al-Barakaty beat me without the use of any particular instruments; by using his hand and striking me with maximum strength on my back and my neck whilst screaming in my face “I am teaching you manners” and “I am rectifying your attitude”. He, al-Barakaty, then made me stand facing the wall with my eyes blindfolded and any hands and feet shackled for two hours. I remember very well that he would often enter the interrogation room while I was being tortured and would find it entertaining to stand and watch me being tortured. He would join in by hurling degrading verbal abuse in the worst forms at me. This occurred a number of times.
The first few months were the harshest times of my life. It was then that most of torture took place, those were dark days. On being returned to my cell following interrogation sessions I would find wounds on my body and my clothes would be stained with my own blood. During those months I was in a very bad psychological state. After being returned from interrogation sessions I would find pains in the places where I was beaten; for example in my stomach, in my thighs, legs, hands, fingers and even fingertips. I developed a phobia of interrogation and the interrogation officers. Whenever I came back to my cell my constant worry would be about when the next interrogation session might be. Not knowing when it would be caused enormous psychological distress and increased the effect and severity of my phobia of the interrogation sessions and the interrogator. I find it impossible to describe that period justly and words can hardly express those feelings.
I was cut off completely from the outside world. I was not allowed to contact my family, my sick mother or my pregnant wife. I was not allowed to appoint a lawyer to defend me legally or allowed to request my rights. I felt I was between life and death, and I was wishing that I had been dead and forgotten long before that time, than to have been subject to all this. I was either in a cell where no one could listen to me or I was in an interrogation room where it was even worse; I would scream, cry and shout in pain and agony but no one would have mercy, instead they would continue torturing me even more because they were beasts who found pleasure in that.
They prevented me from contacting my family for six months and I did not seen my family for the duration of my detention which lasted more than five years, except on approximately four occasions. I only saw my sick mother once during these years. I would not wish for anyone to go through such an ordeal. Whenever I remember it, it only increases my grief and sorrow.
It is worth noting here that I was not produced before any Court or charged with any offence throughout that period and I was not allowed to instruct a lawyer as stipulated in their code of procedure. The following are injuries and damages I suffered due to my detention:
Physical and psychological damage:
1. Severe pain due to severe physical torture
2. Deterioration of muscle due to forced inactivity resulting in lack of exercise over the years.
3. Deficiency in the level of vitamins due to a lack of adequate exposure to sunlight and poor nutrition throughout the years.
4. Irritable bowel syndrome
5. Weight loss due to malnutrition
6. Intense fear of the future and being constantly preoccupied with it.
7. Remaining very distant from the upbringing of my son throughout all these years, and him being brought up as a orphan without a father.
Material loss:
1. Huge material losses due to a complete halting of all business activities throughout the years.
2. The accumulation of debt as I am the only breadwinner for my family and I did not have a source of income during those years.
3. The loss of my property because my sudden disappearance from society.
4. Failure to return my possessions which had been confiscated when I was detained by the Mabahith in Saudi Arabia.
I was released in 2012. I was not compensated for the losses I incurred. I was not tried nor was I given any official or unofficial document explaining the reasons for my detention.
I ask everyone who reads this testimony to assist in taking legal action on behalf of the prisoners particularly those who were tortured at the hands of the mentioned interrogators. Indeed the majority of prisoners who were imprisoned at the Madinah Mabahith Detention Centre will have been tortured by the said interrogators. Those who are not able to do that may forward this to anyone who is able to raise complaints against these criminals. I also advise anyone who has suffered like myself not to remain silent and to raise complaints against their interrogators and to try and obtain arrest warrants against them via, for example, the international police – Interpol.
Exclusive testimony of ‘Abu Umar‘ from the CagePrisoners Saudi Torture Project.
Background
Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be on the Messenger Muhammad.
My name is Abu Umar. I was resident in Saudi Arabia lawfully and did not contravene any law of the country. I was arrested in the Prophet’s city Madinah by the Mabahith Security Service of Saudi Arabia in 2007 without reason.
Torture
I was arrested arbitrarily, through deception. I was arrested without being shown the identity of those arresting me and without being shown an arrest warrant. As soon as I was arrested I asked to be allowed to appoint a lawyer but they did not allow me to do that. On being detained I was placed in an old solitary confinement cell similar to a dungeon. I spent a few weeks there before being moved to another solitary confinement cell that was located beneath the ground. I remained in these isolation cells for approximately four months. I was not provided with even my basic rights; sanitary necessities, enough clothes and neither had I seen the sunshine during this period.
During my time in solitary confinement I was being interrogated day and night and tortured in various ways.
I was interrogated during this period by of four interrogators. I came to know their names later. There are other interrogators the names of whom I do not know:
1. Lt. Yusuf al-Barakaty
2. Lt. Bandar al-Hazmi
3. Captain Ghazi al-Husseini al-‘Awfi
4. Major Bakr al-‘Awfi
Note that Yusuf al-Barakaty is the individual pictured at the head of this statement. I am able to confirm that he is the interrogator I refer to Yusuf al-Barakaty.
During the interrogation sessions which lasted for more than 5 years I was exposed to various kinds of physical and psychological torture, especially during the first four months of my detention. I am able to confirm the names of two interrogators who in particular participated in torturing me physically; Yusuf al-Barakaty and Ghazi al-‘Awfi. There were others on whose hands I was tortured, but I do not know their names.
I will mention below what interrogators did with me;
What (Ghazi al-Husseini al-‘Awfi) did:
First: He left me without sufficient clothes. Clothing is provided on orders of the interrogator in charge of the case Ghazi al-‘Awfi was primarily responsible for interrogating me and it was he who ordered that I should be deprived of clothing and he in doing this robbed me of the simplest of my rights. This continued for a period of four months. I did not have enough clothes and was left in this condition throughout the severely cold winter months.
Second: Summoning for interrogation at random times at deliberately irregular intervals to cause mental and physical fatigue. At times I was taken from my sleep for interrogation in the middle of the night.
Third: The interrogator Ghazi al-‘Awfi ordered the military guards to stand me against the wall while I was blindfolded, handcuffed and bound in leg irons, for long periods of time; up to six consecutive hours. He was threatening to beat me severely if I tried to sit or move from where I was or did not follow his orders. My feet were swollen from periods of forced standing.
Fourth: he hung me by my hands with a chain fixed to a high place such that only the toes of my feet would touch the ground. He left me in this position for long periods of time and for a number of hours.
Fifth: He beat me with the following tools of torture:
1. Baton (also known in Arabic as ‘Khaizrana’). (This is well known tool in the Middle East specifically made for torture.) It is approximately 1.2 meters long and approximately 2 cm wide. It is round and light brown in colour. He beat me with this baton at full strength on my hands until they swelled and on my back. The bruises from this torture would remain on my body for long periods of time ranging from days to weeks.
2. Hose, similar to a water hose; Ghazi Al Awfi repeatedly beat me with this tool on a number of occasions. I was laid face down on the ground, with my eyes blindfolded, my hand and feet shackled. I am unable to describe the tool in further detail because I have not seen it, but I remember that the beating was very severe. I would scream in pain however he did not have any mercy and instead increased the beating because he enjoyed hearing my screams.
Sixth: Depriving me of sleep and at times allowing me very minute amounts of sleep. He would summon me for interrogation in the day and at night. Each interrogation lasted for several hours and often I was forced to stand during the sessions. When I was returned to my cell I could not sleep except very minute amounts. The sounds made by the military guards were very disturbing. This continued for a period of fifteen days and I became extremely exhausted both mentally and physically. I began to utter inappropriate words due to losing my senses.
Seventh: Ghazi al-‘Awfi always insulted me and treated me in the most degrading way. He would verbally abuse me and utter obscenities like ‘Oh bull’ and other terms which I do not remember.
What Yusuf al-Barakaty did:
First: He summoned me for interrogation day and night in a random manner without any predictable routine with the aim of causing me mental and physical fatigue. He did this at least 30 times or more.
Second: Yusuf al-Barakaty beat me without the use of any particular instruments; by using his hand and striking me with maximum strength on my back and my neck whilst screaming in my face “I am teaching you manners” and “I am rectifying your attitude”. He, al-Barakaty, then made me stand facing the wall with my eyes blindfolded and any hands and feet shackled for two hours. I remember very well that he would often enter the interrogation room while I was being tortured and would find it entertaining to stand and watch me being tortured. He would join in by hurling degrading verbal abuse in the worst forms at me. This occurred a number of times.
The first few months were the harshest times of my life. It was then that most of torture took place, those were dark days. On being returned to my cell following interrogation sessions I would find wounds on my body and my clothes would be stained with my own blood. During those months I was in a very bad psychological state. After being returned from interrogation sessions I would find pains in the places where I was beaten; for example in my stomach, in my thighs, legs, hands, fingers and even fingertips. I developed a phobia of interrogation and the interrogation officers. Whenever I came back to my cell my constant worry would be about when the next interrogation session might be. Not knowing when it would be caused enormous psychological distress and increased the effect and severity of my phobia of the interrogation sessions and the interrogator. I find it impossible to describe that period justly and words can hardly express those feelings.
I was cut off completely from the outside world. I was not allowed to contact my family, my sick mother or my pregnant wife. I was not allowed to appoint a lawyer to defend me legally or allowed to request my rights. I felt I was between life and death, and I was wishing that I had been dead and forgotten long before that time, than to have been subject to all this. I was either in a cell where no one could listen to me or I was in an interrogation room where it was even worse; I would scream, cry and shout in pain and agony but no one would have mercy, instead they would continue torturing me even more because they were beasts who found pleasure in that.
They prevented me from contacting my family for six months and I did not seen my family for the duration of my detention which lasted more than five years, except on approximately four occasions. I only saw my sick mother once during these years. I would not wish for anyone to go through such an ordeal. Whenever I remember it, it only increases my grief and sorrow.
It is worth noting here that I was not produced before any Court or charged with any offence throughout that period and I was not allowed to instruct a lawyer as stipulated in their code of procedure. The following are injuries and damages I suffered due to my detention:
Physical and psychological damage:
1. Severe pain due to severe physical torture
2. Deterioration of muscle due to forced inactivity resulting in lack of exercise over the years.
3. Deficiency in the level of vitamins due to a lack of adequate exposure to sunlight and poor nutrition throughout the years.
4. Irritable bowel syndrome
5. Weight loss due to malnutrition
6. Intense fear of the future and being constantly preoccupied with it.
7. Remaining very distant from the upbringing of my son throughout all these years, and him being brought up as a orphan without a father.
Material loss:
1. Huge material losses due to a complete halting of all business activities throughout the years.
2. The accumulation of debt as I am the only breadwinner for my family and I did not have a source of income during those years.
3. The loss of my property because my sudden disappearance from society.
4. Failure to return my possessions which had been confiscated when I was detained by the Mabahith in Saudi Arabia.
I was released in 2012. I was not compensated for the losses I incurred. I was not tried nor was I given any official or unofficial document explaining the reasons for my detention.
I ask everyone who reads this testimony to assist in taking legal action on behalf of the prisoners particularly those who were tortured at the hands of the mentioned interrogators. Indeed the majority of prisoners who were imprisoned at the Madinah Mabahith Detention Centre will have been tortured by the said interrogators. Those who are not able to do that may forward this to anyone who is able to raise complaints against these criminals. I also advise anyone who has suffered like myself not to remain silent and to raise complaints against their interrogators and to try and obtain arrest warrants against them via, for example, the international police – Interpol.
How can we even know if this is authentic?? I am not trying to dehumanize or make this case seem small - it is not.. But anyone could just write this. :/
This is outrageous.
Last edited by Serinity; 03-05-2017 at 11:11 AM.
Meaning of Shirk according to The Qur'an
" Worshipping anyone or anything besides Allah " or " distributing anything exclusive to Allah, to anyone or anything else "
Meaning of Tawheed according to The Qur'an Worshipping none but Allah. Affirming whatever is exclusive to Him, Him alone.
How can we even know if this is authentic?? I am not trying to dehumanize or make this case seem small - it is not.. But anyone could just write this. :/
This is outrageous.
You know what the most horrific thing is - when you endure something as nasty as this - and no one believes you.
I can assure you though brother Serinity, this was taken from Cage. Cage is an advocacy/human rights organisation which focuses on injustices against Muslims in the name of 'The War on Terror'.
It's not made up, and neither is it something someone concocted for the mere 'fun' of it.
You know what the most horrific thing is - when you endure something as nasty as this - and no one believes you.
I can assure you though brother Serinity, this was taken from Cage. Cage is an advocacy/human rights organisation which focuses on injustices against Muslims in the name of 'The War on Terror'.
It's not made up, and neither is it something someone concocted for the mere 'fun' of it.
Astaghfirullah. I didn't mean to sound cold hearted. But I did.
Sorry. may Allah free them. Ameen. Even if none believed their suffering, Allah is the Witness. So even if all of mankind was ignorant, none caring, etc. Allah would. And Allah is not ignorant. He knows everything. Nothing is hidden from Him and None can hide from Him
Meaning of Shirk according to The Qur'an
" Worshipping anyone or anything besides Allah " or " distributing anything exclusive to Allah, to anyone or anything else "
Meaning of Tawheed according to The Qur'an Worshipping none but Allah. Affirming whatever is exclusive to Him, Him alone.
Astaghfirullah. I didn't mean to sound cold hearted. But I did.
Sorry. may Allah free them. Ameen. Even if none believed their suffering, Allah is the Witness. So even if all of mankind was ignorant, none caring, etc. Allah would.
Allahu alam.
It's okay. You don't have to apologise to me brother.
You've highlighted an important point - something like this is clearly unimaginable, and living in the West, safe from all this, we tend to question its authenticity. Unfortunately, the reality is - this does happen. Not just in the Non-Muslim countries, but Muslim countries too.
Watch the above video by Shaykh Ahmad Insha'Allaah. It's enlightening.
It's okay. You don't have to apologise to me brother.
You've highlighted an important point - something like this is clearly unimaginable, and living in the West, safe from all this, we tend to question its authenticity. Unfortunately, the reality is - this does happen. Not just in the Non-Muslim countries, but Muslim countries too.
Watch the above video by Shaykh Ahmad Insha'Allaah. It's enlightening.
Seems like a blessing in disguise to be in prison. Especially when you can teach Islam.
Although I am not in prison. I still feel "limited". Because, I want too for myself to be taught tawheed. Like I have never in my life, sat down to read about Tawheed, and ask my questions.
Alhamdulillah, Allah granted me the understanding in my heart. But still, I want to learn more lol.
Meaning of Shirk according to The Qur'an
" Worshipping anyone or anything besides Allah " or " distributing anything exclusive to Allah, to anyone or anything else "
Meaning of Tawheed according to The Qur'an Worshipping none but Allah. Affirming whatever is exclusive to Him, Him alone.
Seems like a blessing in disguise to be in prison. Especially when you can teach Islam.
Although I am not in prison. I still feel "limited". Because, I want too for myself to be taught tawheed. Like I have never in my life, sat down to read about Tawheed, and ask my questions.
Alhamdulillah, Allah granted me the understanding in my heart. But still, I want to learn more lol.
Akhi, my suggestion is that you watch the full "Tawheed Series" by Shaykh Ahmad Jibril. It's in 37 videos, each one approximately an hour long. It's the best series available on Tawheed in audio or video form in the English language. You would benefit a lot from it, In Shaa Allaah.
format_quote Originally Posted by Huzaifah ibn Adam
Akhi, my suggestion is that you watch the full "Tawheed Series" by Shaykh Ahmad Jibril. It's in 37 videos, each one approximately an hour long. It's the best series available on Tawheed in audio or video form in the English language. You would benefit a lot from it, In Shaa Allaah.
you know, I have no trouble in understanding Tawheed. my problem is, I many times obssess over words to the point I "forget" their meaning.
overthinking is bad. JazakAllah khayr. Is it on Youtube? Btw, I will probably take 1 video at a time. No need to rush it. Like 10-20 minutes, and then a break (while thinking about the lesson)
Meaning of Shirk according to The Qur'an
" Worshipping anyone or anything besides Allah " or " distributing anything exclusive to Allah, to anyone or anything else "
Meaning of Tawheed according to The Qur'an Worshipping none but Allah. Affirming whatever is exclusive to Him, Him alone.
you know, I have no trouble in understanding Tawheed. my problem is, I many times obssess over words to the point I "forget" their meaning.
overthinking is bad. JazakAllah khayr. Is it on Youtube? Btw, I will probably take 1 video at a time. No need to rush it. Like 10-20 minutes, and then a break (while thinking about the lesson)
Invest in a new Notepad, and whilst listening to the lectures, write down the main points Insha'Allaah.
Don't rush it.
I Will Never Forget You.
[Please DO NOT like or rep my posts, Jazakumullah Khairan]
Seems like a blessing in disguise to be in prison. Especially when you can teach Islam.
Although I am not in prison. I still feel "limited". Because, I want too for myself to be taught tawheed. Like I have never in my life, sat down to read about Tawheed, and ask my questions.
Alhamdulillah, Allah granted me the understanding in my heart. But still, I want to learn more lol.
That video is really uplifting, the respected Shaykh is a real inspiration.
You know when a person says 'Alhamdulillaah 'ala kulli haal' - but they say it with a sigh, and a frown?
It's meant to be said with optimism and certainty. For there is wisdom behind everything.
But it's not to say we don't help our brothers and sisters who need our help.
I Will Never Forget You.
[Please DO NOT like or rep my posts, Jazakumullah Khairan]
For those who make prayers for their brothers and sisters to have ease and thrive in success. I forward these lines.
The Honourable Supplication [to Allah (SWT)]
Zooming across the sky
Reaching to the Most High
Your prayer and cry
To the All-Mighty whose sky
To ignore or nullify
Your plea and try
I felt surely included
Never doubted or deluded
The gravity of a well lauded
With sincerity uncoded
Your prayers which unloaded
Many burdens, and rewarded
The oppressed and secluded
May Allah reward you best
And succeed you in every test
Not to flip nor twist
Not to the east nor the west
On His Path till you rest
Among the Honourable not the rest.
Ameen.
Abu Hamza al-Misri
I Will Never Forget You.
[Please DO NOT like or rep my posts, Jazakumullah Khairan]
As I listened to NPR the other day, a routine statement triggered a memory. The guest on the show was a novelist from a Muslim country. For one of the questions, the host began by stating: "Many concerned Americans are saying that Trump's rhetoric is radicalizing Muslims who would otherwise be pro-America" - the implication being that either you're pro-America (the proper term for this is 'Americanism') or something is wrong with you. The guest seemed intelligent and was well-spoken. But his response was the standard reassurance that non-pro-America radicals constitute "only a fringe minority" of Muslims, everyone else is a moderate, and so forth. While routine, this particular exchange triggered in me the memory of a young man I once lived with in another prison. I'd watch as he robotically paced the unit - back & forth, all day & everyday. He'd go weeks without showering or changing his clothes. Each day, he'd recklessly consume massive amounts of sugar despite being predisposed to diabetes. Anytime I'd try to intervene & advise him to snap out of it, he'd stare back at me as if I was the crazy one. What made it all the more bizarre was that I also knew him to be very intelligent & well-educated. He had studied to become an engineer. In fact, he once spent five minutes reciting to me from memory a very eloquent poem that he'd heard just one time in one of his dreams. After a few conversations & attempts at reciting the Qur'an over him, I came to understand that he was suffering from the effects of black magic that he'd been afflicted with since childhood. The scholars explain that the effects of black magic generally continue so long as the object through which the spell was cast remains intact. During that time, black magic can muddle your mind and rob you of reason, even if you're otherwise intelligent. The NPR interview reminded me of that young man because this is exactly how many minds are affected by the dominance of a taghut. Once that dominance ends, the spell is broken. Example after example of this is scattered throughout the Qur'an, throughout history, and in the present day: Read the story of Qarun to see how people's view of him completely changed between one day & the next: {"Those who desired the life of this world said: "Ah! If only we had what Qarun has been given. Indeed, he owns a great fortune!" But those who were given knowledge said: "Woe to you! Allah's reward is better for those who believe & perform good deeds..." So I caused the ground to swallow him & his home... And those who wanted to be in his place just the previous day now said: "Don't you know that Allah widens & restricts provision for those of His servants He wills? If not for Allah's grace, He would've caused the ground to swallow us! Don't you know that the disbelievers will never prosper?""} (28:79-82) So once the taghut vanished, his spell over people was broken and they suddenly snapped out of it. And long before Qarun, only after Prophet Ibrahim smashed their idols to bits did people snap out of it long enough to hear him out, and they even {"turned to each other and said: "Indeed, you are the wrongdoers!""} (21:64) And long after Qarun, only after he found his idol thrown headfirst into a pile of filth with a dead dog tied to it did 'Amr bin al-Jamuh snap out of it and thank Allah for guiding him by composing poetry which included: He is the One Who saved me * Before I could become imprisoned in the darkness of the grave... And in modern history, only after the Soviet Union collapsed did many in the Ummah snap out of it and realize how delusional they'd been attempting to harmonize between Islam & socialism. But today, many claimants to Islam don't yet realize their delusion in attempting to harmonize between Islam & Americanism. And when the "fringe minority" points this out and advises them to snap out of it, they stare back at them as if they're the crazy ones. As I mentioned above, the scholars explain that the effects of black magic generally continue so long as the object through which the spell was cast remains intact. The scholars explain one more thing: the practitioners of black magic themselves realize that they're only truly effective against people with weak hearts, not those whom Allah has fortified with knowledge & Iman. This is why while those who were deluded about Qarun did eventually snap out of it, it was "those who were given knowledge" who never had to snap out of anything. Why? Because their knowledge & Iman protected them from the magic, allowing them to see Qarun for what he was long before he was swallowed into the ground. Written by: Tariq Mehanna
Sunday, the 13th of Jumada al-Akhirah 1438 (12th of March 2017)
United States Penitentiary - Marion
I Will Never Forget You.
[Please DO NOT like or rep my posts, Jazakumullah Khairan]
One theme which defines prison life is that of opposing forces. From the moment they first slap on the handcuffs, you enter into what's officially known in legal jargon as an 'adversarial relationship' with your captors. This continues in the courtroom, and onwards to prison. Here, guards oppose prisoners, prisoners oppose other prisoners, and guards sometimes oppose other guards. This extends to societies, to governments, and to the entire planet. The world is a series of opposing forces against & amongst one another. It extends to the sky above the planet, in which darkness & light incessantly repel one another at any given place & time. It extends back in time to the moment Iblis first laid envious eyes on our father Adam. It extends inwardly, as opposing forces incessantly battle one another within you. As you read this, just your blood is caught between opposing forces such as acidic & basic pH, systolic & diastolic pressure, glucose & insulin, and others - each hanging in a delicate balance precise enough to prevent disease.
And it extends all the way to your heart, as as-Sa'di wrote that "the sound heart is free of shirk, doubt, love of evil, and insistence on bid'ah & sin. Once you free your heart from these, you'll automatically possess their opposite: sincere devotion, knowledge, certainty, love & attraction towards good, a love & longing consistent with the love of Allah, and a desire consistent with what has come from Allah."
Ibn Muflih wrote that adversarial relationships are "from Allah's wisdom. It's known that when He tests you, He also helps you: He tests you with disease and helps you with the cure; He tests you with sin and helps you with tawbah; He tests you with filthy spirits (shayatin) and helps you with pure ones (Angels); He tests you with prohibitions and helps you by permitting their opposite."
Your heart is constantly caught between these forces of disease & cure, as the Prophet (sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said that "Allah didn't create a disease except that He created its cure along with it." In one narration, he added: "Whoever knows it knows it, and whoever doesn't doesn't."
Allah then scattered those cures about, leaving us to discover them in the most unlikely places: sunlight hits your skin, causing it to produce the vitamin D that metabolizes calcium; the vitamin K needed for your blood to properly clot is produced by bacteria in your intestines; there's even a commercially available diabetes treatment originally extracted from the venom of a Gila monster.
The ruling on treating the body's diseases has always been disputed over by scholars: some practically obligated it, some simply preferred it, some said it doesn't matter either way, and some preferred avoiding it altogether in favor of patience. But because "if it's corrupted, the entire body will be corrupted" in this world, and everyone is ruined {"except those who come to Allah with a sound heart"} (26:89) in the next, no such dispute exists regarding the heart.
So when Mu'adh bin Jabal was asked for advice on his deathbed, he asked to be sat up and then said three times: "Knowledge & Iman are in their places. Whoever seeks them will find them." He was teaching them that like all cures, Allah scattered these about for them to seek. And they went to the ends of the Earth doing so, as Masruq once travelled to Basrah seeking the meaning of a single ayah of the Qur'an. When he arrived, he was told: "The one who knows it has gone to Sham." So he rode from southern Iraq all the way north to Sham and learned it. And 'Ikrimah said: "I spent fourteen years seeking the name of the man referred to in the ayah {"and whoever leaves his home migrating to Allah and His Messenger..."} (4:100) until I finally found it."
These were the best generations of Islam, who saw jahiliyyah as a disease to eradicate from the world through the Qur'an, {"a cure for what is in the hearts..."} (10:57) Explaining this, as-Sa'di wrote that "the cure of the Qur'an means that it cures the heart of doubts, ignorance, corrupt ideas, terrible deviance, and despicable intentions. It contains knowledge that's so certain that it sweeps away all doubt & ignorance. It contains lessons that sweep away every desire contradicting Allah's commands. And it contains a cure for the body's pains & ailments."
Before him, ash-Shawkani wrote that it's a cure "because from it, you obtain the proper beliefs while seeing how baseless the false ones are." Elsewhere, he wrote that "the scholars have two opinions regarding how it cures. Some said that it cures the heart by sweeping away ignorance & doubt and uncovering the matters that teach us about Allah. Others said that it cures physical ailments as a ruqyah, a means of protection, etc. There's no reason why we can't accept both meanings."
Before him, Ibn Kathir wrote that "it sweeps away the diseases of the heart such as doubt, nifaq, shirk, confusion, and inclination towards falsehood. The Qur'an cures all of that. It's also a mercy from which you obtain Iman & wisdom & a desire for good. But this only applies to those who believe in & follow it - only for them is it a cure & mercy. As for the kafir who wrongs himself, listening to the Qur'an will only distance him and increase his kufr. The problem lies within the kafir, not the Qur'an."
Many claimants to Islam today reverse that last sentence, showing a willingness to abrogate as much of the Qur'an as they think will satisfy their masters, who until today demand that we {"bring a Qur'an other than this, or alter it."} (10:15)
Indeed, every cure is opposed by a disease. But despite the forces coalesced against it, the Qur'an will never be altered, Allah has scattered it into the most unlikely places, and He's made it easier than ever to learn. The Salaf would spend years and travel up & down continents seeking out a single piece of knowledge you can now instantly access from your smartphone. Even in prison - in a land 'Ikrimah didn't know existed - it took me seconds to find in a book the answer he'd spent fourteen years seeking: Damrah bin Jundub. He was an elderly man living in Makkah when he heard the ayah threatening those who choose to live amongst the enemy. So he told his sons: "Carry me! I'm not weak, and I can find my way. I won't spend another night in Makkah!" So they carried him and headed to Madinah. But on the way, he realized that he was about to die. So he grabbed one hand with the other while saying: "O Allah! This bay'ah is to You, and the other is to Your Messenger." He died before he could reach the Dawlah in Madinah, but while trying his best to implement the Qur'an. May Allah be pleased with him & everyone like him... Indeed, as one hadith states, "for the one who recites & implements the Qur'an, it's like a pouch filled with musk that spreads its fragrance everywhere."
Ibn al-Qayyim wrote that "fragrances nourish the soul, which is the vehicle of your energy. They expand this energy, benefit the head & internal organs, and bring joy to the heart & soul. They're the best thing for the spirit and illuminate it more than anything else." Anatomy & physiology confirm this, explaining that what you smell is directly connected to how you feel because olfactory receptors at the top of your nasal cavity absorb scents, then convert them into nerve impulses that are carried to the limbic system - the part of the brain governing your emotions.
This effect made fragrances one of few things of the dunya beloved to the Prophet. And like all cures, Allah scattered them about, such that musk is obtained from a musk deer's abdomen, 'ambar (ambergris) from a sperm whale's intestines, 'ud (aloe wood) & kafur (camphor) from their respective plants, and so on.
And because every cure is opposed by a disease, Ibn al-Qayyim wrote that "fragrances possess a special quality: they're loved by the Angels and detested by the shayatin. The shayatin love repugnant odors more than anything else, as every soul inclines towards what suits it." This is why prior to their contact with Muslims, the Crusaders had an aversion to smelling good. In a chapter on the Crusades in his 'History of the World,' J.M. Roberts wrote that "wherever they encountered Islam, whether in the crusading lands, Sicily or Spain, western Europeans found things to admire. Sometimes they took up luxuries not to be found at home: silk clothes, the use of perfumes and new dishes. One habit acquired by some crusaders was that of taking more frequent baths."
Defeating the Crusaders in Sham was itself a cure that served to {"heal the chests of a believing people and remove the fury in their hearts..."} (9:14-15) Commenting on this, as-Sa'di wrote that "this is because their hearts are filled with fury & sadness from seeing these enemies wage war on Allah & His Messenger while striving to put out His light, and these are cured when they're fought & killed. This shows how much Allah loves & cares for the believers, such that He made healing their hearts and removing their fury an objective of the Shari'ah."
Just as this objective is met through bara', it's also met through wala', as Imam Ahmad said that "I never heard anything that strengthened my heart & reassured me during the Mihnah more than what a poor, blind man said to me: "O Ahmad! If you die, you die as a shahid. If you live, you live worthy of praise."" Allah has scattered such people throughout your life. Like every cure, you encounter them in the most unlikely of settings. They somehow float into your orbit, affect you, then vanish, as the Prophet said that "souls are conscripted soldiers: the similar attract one another, and the different repel one another."
And like every cure, this wala' is opposed by a disease that Ibn al-Jawzi warned about: "If you find yourself repelled by the righteous or attracted to the wicked, find the cause of this and remedy it so that you don't end up in the wrong group of souls."
The effects of the bonds you form in this life extend all the way to the next, as al-Hasan al-Basri said: "Befriend as many believers as you can, because they'll be able to intercede on the Day of Resurrection."
Only when you reach the Day of Resurrection will you appreciate this, as you watch everyone else turn on one another: {"Close friends will become enemies on that day, except the muttaqin."} (43:67) Commenting on this, ash-Shawkani wrote that "close friends who loved each other in this life will become enemies once the Hour begins. Their bonds will be severed, and each will be worried about himself. This is because they'll find that their friendships were based on what have now become causes of punishment, and this will turn them against one another. Allah then exempted the muttaqin, who are close friends in this life & the next. They'll find their friendships to be a cause of good & reward, so these bonds will remain intact."
Perhaps those who turn on one another in the next life will then grasp the lesson behind the pattern of opposing forces in this life, as Ibn al-Qayyim wrote that "when you ponder over the creation of opposing forces in this world - how they resist & repel & overpower one another - then Allah's power, wisdom, and perfection in what He does become perfectly clear to you. You'll realize that He's unique in His Lordship & Oneness, that He dominates everything, and that anything can be resisted by an opposing force - except Him."
All the while, those who grasped this from the start will be lined up to enter Jannah - with no opposition against or amongst them, free of disease, and displaying the very cures that gave them the sound hearts to make it to this point, as the Prophet said that "the first group to enter Jannah will resemble a full moon (i.e., in radiance).
They won't spit, blow their noses, or defecate... They'll be burning 'ud, and their sweat will consist of musk... No dispute or animosity will exist between them. Their hearts will be united as if they're a single man. And they'll be glorifying Allah day & night..."
Written by: Tariq Mehanna
Saturday, the 1st of Ramadan 1438 (28th of May 2017)
Marion CMU
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