Prison Memoirs and the Honor of Companionship (Parts 1 and 2) PDF

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim Excerpts from the Prison Memoirs and the Honor of Companionship With the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, the Eminent ‘Alim, Sheikh Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah (Parts 1 and 2) https://www.al-waie.org/archives/824 (Translated)...

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim Excerpts from the Prison Memoirs and the Honor of Companionship With the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, the Eminent ‘Alim, Sheikh Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah (Parts 1 and 2) https://www.al-waie.org/archives/824 (Translated) Al-Waie Magazine received some of the memoirs of the respected brother, Salim al-Amr. We are publishing some of them, for in them is a lesson and benefit, insha’Allah, for those who take heed. We extend our recognition and appreciation to Brother Salim for these poignant and expressive memoirs, and we ask Allah (swt) to grant what came in their end, and that He keeps him safe from all evil. Prison Memoirs and the Honor of Companionship (1) The beginning starts from the Sawaqa Desert Prison in Jordan. That day I did not know about Hizb ut Tahrir except that which made me hate and ridicule the Hizb. May Allah forgive the one who was the cause for this! On the morning of that, day news came to the prison that a prisoner by the name of Ata Abu al-Rashtah [Abu Yasin] will be transferred from Juwaideh Prison to the Sawaqa Desert Prison. It 1 did not matter to me as much as it mattered to the Shabab (members) of Hizb ut Tahrir, who were in the room opposite to ours. I witnessed their cheerful faces, when they heard of his coming. I found out from them that he was the official spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir. But who from us knew of him? “How come you don’t know who this man is; he is one of the very few who wrote about Islamic economics!” exclaimed my friend (Ahmad al-Sa’oub, a brother of my cause - resistance against the Jews). Of course, it was Ahmad who avidly read the newspapers such that we used to say that we buy the newspaper for twenty cents and he reads it for one dinar! Even the small ads would not miss his attention. At that time I was in a room with the so-called ‘Afghan Jordanians’. The case was a complicated one in which many had been unjustly imprisoned, many of whom were there by no fault of their own. We were named at the time as the case of Wadi Mujib. Our case was in short a martyrdom operation against Jewish tourists who were coming to Jordan, conducted on the first anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre of 24/02/1995, but the operation did not succeed, and I was sentenced to death, later reduced to life imprisonment with hard labor. My mentality at the time was closer to the Salafi jihadi one; hence there was a major difference in opinion between me and Hizb ut Tahrir. I admit that I was intellectually immature at the time. I did not care about thought (fikr) or know what it meant. We did not know the terminology that we heard from the Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir and did not care about knowing to the degree that we used to make fun of the word thought (fikr), when we saw Abu Yasin and his followers move between rooms. One of our friends used to say sarcastically, “This is the leader of them 2 who thought them thought (fikr)” (playing on the Quran’ic verse, “This is the leader of them who thought them magic (sihr)”) and we used to naively laugh! While we were busy with our internal problems and searching for news of general amnesty that we heard from time to time, hoping to get out of jail, the Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir were busy absorbing from the knowledge of Abu Yasin. They were, as described by the writer Abdullah Abu Rumman when he was imprisoned on the issue of bread, “writing a book each week.” Their reality was described by Professor Hamza al-Aneed, at the time of his family’s visit to him in the prison. He used to say that we have with us Abu Yasin, who gives us between every two lessons (dars) a lesson! Therefore, news of the general amnesty did not concern them. They believed that the prison was qadaa’ from Allah, and there were rarely any internal issues worthy of mention among them. Sheikh Ata used to busy them with research, writing, and teaching them Arabic and usul ul-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence). When we would go to sports many of them used to go to the prison’s library to live in the shadows of tafasir (translations) and borrow books to research and complete what he assigned to them. Prison Memoirs and the Honor of Companionship (2) Sometimes we were exposed to conflicts, as a result of side fights with the prison administration which we were in no need of. This was usually because of the Salafi Jihadi brothers (the state called their case the case of ‘allegiance to the imam’). Their view towards the police, their describing them as tawagheet and what resulted from that of ahkam, resulted in this hostility, which made us live in a state of conflict within the prison, due to the 3 likes of running battles between them and the prisoner guards and police. Whereupon, the prison administration sought to repress us by throwing tear gas to divide us. It decided to divide us into small rooms, scattered over two floors, and was thus able to alleviate a lot of problems with this step. The situation then was as described by the writer and journalist Abdullah Abu Rumman in an article he wrote when he was released from prison under the title, “Leaders in the Prison” (wa fi al-sujoon ‘umara’). I was in charge, I used to serve a group of prisoners from different movements: Afghan Jordanians, those from different movements, and from Hizb ut Tahrir, because some of them were in my cell, among them Tariq al-Ahmar, as well as the engineer Laith Shubeilat. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was also a leader of a group. Walid Hijazi was leader of the Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir in the cell including Abu Yasin, because the latter refused to be leader. He used to seek to make leaders of the Shabab instead, guiding them where needed. During Friday prayers, we used to pray in the rooms. We would hear the Khutba (Friday prayer speech) at times from Sheikh Ata and sometimes from Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. This was before we were divided into small rooms. The sermon of Abu Yasin used to be remarkable to the point that it had affected some of the Salafis. This made their leaders concerned and they manufactured some problems, in order to rupture them from the Shabab of the Hizb, and this is what happened in fact. Abu Yasin used to give a regular lesson in our room on usul ul-fiqh and it used to be attended by some of the Shabab in the room. Another regular lesson was given by Brother Shabeita, also from Hizb ut Tahrir, on Arabic. But we did not pay great attention to these lessons, unfortunately. 4  Abu Yasin would seize any opportunity that allowed him to communicate with the others in the different rooms, whether in cases of illness or a funeral; despair never found a way to his heart. He used to advise his companions as the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to advise his companions, « ‫صل من‬ ْ ‫عمن ظلمك‬ّ ‫واعف‬ُ ،‫“ »قطعك‬Make ties with those who cut them off from you and forgive those who treat you badly”. He used to ignore abuse against him by others from other movements and not respond except with kindness. َ ‫ََْ َ َََْ َ َ َ ََ َ ي‬ َّ َ َ ْ َ َ َّ ْ َ ْ ﴾ْ‫لْح ِميم‬ ْ ‫هْْأح َسنْْف ِإذْاْال ِذيْبين‬ ْ ِ ِ ‫كْوبينهْْعداوةْْكأنْهْْو‬ ِِ ْ‫ت‬ ْ ِ ِ ‫عْ ِبال‬ ْ ‫﴿ادف‬ “Repel evil with that which is best, and the one with whom you have enmity will became as if a close friend.” [Fussilat: 34] We used to mock the Shabab of the Hizb and at the same time we used to love them. Some of us would tease them saying, “You Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir, when you go for coffee you ask the waiter to bring you one tea and two people to discuss with.” I saw Abu Yasin laugh at this statement, coming from my friend Eid al-Jahaleen (from the ‘Afghan Jordanians’ case), who had lost both his feet in advancing to blow up a cinema – may Allah give him health. Dr. Ali al-Faqir, who used to sit in the circle of Abu Yasin and learn Usul, would say to us, in being fair, when we were alone: brothers, if there was a person worthy of our respect, it is Abu Yasin. After two years in prison, the picture began to become clear to me little by little. I became to see things objectively. I especially saw our internal problems increase for trivial reasons, which made me waste time. I then wrote a request to the prison administration to send me to the second floor; the room where the Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir were. The application was approved, only to be rejected a few hours later! So I remained there only a night, then returned to where I came from. 5  From time to time, we would bid farewell to the released Shabab, and it was custom to celebrate when they were released. I organised with the guard on the night of the release of some of them to sleep in their room, in order to provide some anasheed to celebrate the occasion of the release. Then the day came that Allah (swt) honored me to meet the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir and his Shabab in one cell, when we were transferred to the prison of Salt (in north-west Jordan) which was divided into cells on which “the Sun would not shine”, as it was said. The cell contained a concrete two-story bed and each cell had four stories, that is, eight prisoners to a room. Salt prison compared to Sawaqa Prison was harsher. The atmosphere changed, our conditions were more constricted, humidity problems multiplied, and the problems increased; but I do not exaggerate in saying that I gained the most because of this transfer, even though they took me twice the distance away from my family, as I am from the city of Karak. By the grace of Allah, this move turned the adversity of prison into a blessing. Prison Memoirs and the Honor of Companionship (3) Every prison has a different atmosphere. Despite the lack of services and the small cells in Salt prison, we started to become familiar with the place. Imprisonment is not about walls. A man can turn the adversity of the prison into a blessing, by his will, despite all the obstacles. At the time Abu Yasin was about to bid farewell to most of the Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir in prison. No one remained from them but few, all of whom were soon to be released as their sentences ended. I remember from them Walid Hejazi, Suhaib 6 Ja’ara, and Abdul al-Rahim Abu ‘Alba. This is what happened; within weeks they were outside the prison walls, breathing the air of freedom. No one from the Shabab was left in the room except Abu Yasin. How painful and sad to leave a man in isolation, without a companion in the room. Here I decided to transfer to his room, especially since it had now become easier. There were many reasons for this decision of mine: the mental peace in the room of Abu Yasin; serving the man who was now moving on in the years with white hair appearing on him. He deserved being served - it is from the reverence of Allah (swt) to honor an elder Muslim and a companion of the Quran. He also had a unique forbearance, a vastness of heart. One day I saw him abused very much by one of the other prisoners, but he was above responding in any way with the like. Rather, he overlooked and forgave. Having moved to his cell, I began to watch the man closely; how he ate, how he drank, how he performed ablution, how he worshiped, and how he dealt with people. I saw Islam manifest in reality in that cell. It was a blessing from Allah (swt) that He gives to whom He wills. Abu Yasin was the object of everyone’s respect. He always greeted you with a smile. When he performed wudu’ he did not waste water; he would close the tap several times during the wudu’ as he moved from one body part to another. I would ask him, “Abu Yasin, are you afraid that the water of the prison will run out?” “It is public property”, he would reply, “which must be preserved and not unduly wasted.” He used to greet everyone with the salam, but some of the inmates from other movements would not reply to his salam, a 7 matter that saddened him. He would say to me, “How will such mentalities be handled upon the establishment of Islamic state?” He would remain silent for a while and then say, “There’s no solution for these, upon the establishment of the Khilafah, except that they be on the frontiers of war fighting the enemy.” There was only one television in the prison, for everyone. It was always on in the dining hall. Abu Yasin used to go only to watch the eight o'clock news and then would return to his cell. One day one of the other prisoners, from the Tahhan family, someone not from the Shabab of the Hizb (he was imprisoned for carrying a weapon) said to me, “My brother, you don’t know how much I respect this man (Ata). I have seen him more than once break down in tears upon listening to the news bulletin, especially when he heard the painful news of Algeria and the killing taking place there.” Due to me being from the well-known ‘Amr clan of city of al- Karak, some of the officers from the south used to be affectionately close with me; we used to go to the yard for a break in the back of the prison. Sometimes the guards would go out with us. One day an officer from the al-Shabtat clan of al-Tufayla said to me that he had spent a period of his service in the Preventive Security Service, before being transferred to the prison. After a degree of familiarity and friendship developed between us he said to me, “Salim, in your opinion, who is the most dangerous for the Jordanian regime from those present here?” My answer was quick: the ‘allegiance of the Imam’ (i.e. the ‘Salafi Jihadis’) then the ‘Mines of Ajloun’. He laughed a bit and then said, “All of these do not pose us with difficult challenge.” Then he said, “Do you see that man (meaning Abu Yasin) walking there all alone to 8 whom none of you pay any attention.” “Yes,” I replied. “He is the most dangerous of you for the Jordanian regime.” I realised then that the reality is not as it seems. Some of the officers used to come stealthily to the cell to sit with Abu Yasin, when they were sure of the absence of the Preventive Security Service. I then realised that achieving the nussrah (material support) was possible, that many of Firawn’s family conceal their iman. At the time, I used to be not able to distinguish the subject from the predicate in Arabic grammar. Abu Yasin said to me one day, “Why do you not take advantage of your time and learn the Arabic language?” I said, “It is a difficult subject which I do not understand, forget it.” “All you have to do is bring with you a copy of the Quran, a notebook, and a pen, and leave the rest to me. You will learn it, Allah willing”, he replied. I challenged him that he would be wasting his time in the wrong place. However, he insisted to teach me the Arabic language. Any why not, it is the language of the Qur’an and the key to understanding it. I convinced some of the other inmates to study Arabic, and we started on the method of the old Qur’an schools (katatib). We started to distinguish between the noun, the verb, and the particle, and that the sentence is beneficial expression, which benefits complete meaning. Most of the examples he used were from the Qur’an, likewise the assignments he would give us. At the end, after several weeks we had a test which I never dreamed of ever being able to complete in the past - to do complete i’rab (grammatical analysis) of Surat al-Anfal, and I was able to do it… may Allah reward him the best reward for that! 9  Prison Memoirs and the Honor of Companionship (4) There was not much time left. In but a few weeks Abu Yasin would have had finished his sentence and be released. His sentence was three and a half years, and with the joy of his release to be among his family, his beloved ones, and his party that was waiting impatiently for him, I was also sad to part with him; he was like a father, brother, and a friend. In an impulsive act, some of the Shabab decided to attempt to remove the previous ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, this news that some diseased selves may tell him that he split with the leadership of Sheikh Abdul-Qadeem Zallum (May Allah have mercy on him), devastated Abu Yassin found solace in the depths of night in Allah (swt). Many more visits came bearing sad news of this, he remained strong before us and did not reveal his suffering before us. At the time I was not part of Hizb ut Tahrir. I gave the matter much thought and made istikharah about joining the party. After that I spoke with him and I asked him to allow me to join. A radiance appeared on his face and his smile returned to him anew. He was keen to finish my basic studying in the party before he was released, even though only a week remained. However, I refused it due to the difficulty of the curriculum and the lack of books. So he started teaching me some of the broad principles and ideas and some administrative matters. This was in 1998, a time I consider myself to have been re-born on count of the honor of joining Hizb ut Tahrir. My gratitude for this, after Allah (swt), is to Abu Yasin, may Allah preserve him. Abu Yassin used to admire very much the personality of Muhammad al-Fatih, may Allah be pleased with him. I recall that once he drew on a piece of paper, within two minutes, the map 10 of the world and showed me where the commander Muhammad al-Fatih reached with his conquests. When I used to seek his permission to leave a sitting to go to sleep, he would say to me, “May it be a good sleep,” and he would often say, “To a bright and honorable tomorrow by the leave of Allah”, before he went to bed, in bidding us farewell for the day, with a certainty filled with hope of honor, victory and empowerment. Abu Yasin was a poet. He would sometimes write a few verses for those who were blessed by Allah to leave the prison. He had a diwan (collection of poems) of his poetry, however it was confiscated from him. On the night of his release, he wrote some lines bidding farewell to those from other groups who came to congratulate him on his release. When I went to meet him, he reminded me that I had been good to him in companionship and service, saying, “You have been extremely good to me. I ask that Allah gather us in other than this place.” The reality of the matter is that had I been good to him my entire life, I would not repay even part of what he done for me. He had no idea that I used to enjoy serving him, and Allah is my witness. Abu Yasin was released from the Salt prison leaving behind a profound void. It was painful for us for months, until we were transferred to the Jafr Desert Prison in South Jordan. Prison Memoirs and the Honor of Companionship (5) The situation was beginning to reach a boiling point in Salt prison as a result of the so-called assassination of Khaled Meshaal 11 and the swift release of the Zionist Mossad who carried out this operation without being brought to trial as the Jordanian saying goes: the Jews are our most precious possession. As a result of this turmoil in the prison, many political prisoners begin to seriously contemplate escaping from prison especially those with long sentences, especially since some of Firwan’s clan who concealed their faith were willing to facilitate their escape, believing in the justice of our cause. After the prison administration suspected something they decided to transfer us to Jafr Desert in the far south of Jordan. Indeed, in the darkness of the night, we were transferred after they bound covers over our eyes, and under heavy guard took us to Jafr Prison, and this was at the end of 1998. Jafr Prison was one of the oldest prisons, hardly fit to live in, but Allah made it easy on our hearts, giving us tranquility and serenity. When the prison administration noticed that we were at home with the place, they added to our room more than 15 prisoners arrested in cases of drugs, violence and like criminal cases. The prison administration thought that we would start fighting with them, but instead we took them in as brothers, treated them well and started influencing them. There was no one from the party’s Shabab in prison at the time except me and being there alone amongst members of groups who adopted armed struggle, was a test. We made good relations with the prison guards and found out from them that new prisoners will be transferred tomorrow to the prison. I looked at the list of names present with one of the guards, only to find that Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah was on it. I did not know that Abu Yasin had been arrested once again; particularly given that he was only out of prison for around four months or less. 12  My heart was filled with joy, as if I read about my own release – perhaps, as the Arabs say, in this (apparent) bad there is some good. We were to meet Abu Yasin the following night - the best prisoner and best guest (for me)! In all honesty, everyone was pleased with his arrival. He is a person who commands respect and it is rightly deserved. That day I started preparing for study whilst inside the prison; my father and mother – may Allah shower them with His mercy – brought all the necessary books. They were amused at how I was thinking about studying, when I was sentenced to life imprisonment. I paid the costs and began to study. Fortunately, Abu Yasin came to raise my spirit. He taught me some subjects with the best techniques! He would simplify the content in unexpected time. What normally required months, he would get through in less than a month - may Allah (swt) reward him abundantly. I was not convinced in the people of nussrah much, and I discussed this matter with him, so he gave me a practical lesson in this matter. From one of the days that soon followed, he called me said, “Read.” It was a new leaflet from the party! But who gave it to him? I realised that there was goodness in the people of nussrah, and that it was possible. After the passing of a few months, news about the general amnesty was everywhere in the prison after the death of King Hussein, and it was only a few days thereafter and we were outside the prison walls - glory be to Him in whose Hands are the keys for everything. The story of my release from prison is an amazing and strange one. How come I was released whilst being sentenced to 13 life, and excluded from the amnesty law (‘terrorists’ are excluded from it). But because of a loophole in the amnesty law, I came out whilst I was the prisoner with the longest sentence (life sentence). In contrast, my friend, Ahmad al-Sa’oub, remained in prison. He was convicted to 10 years and due to his connection with King Hussein through the latter’s family, he was moved to Sawaqa Prison in preparation for his release by King Hussein. But then the King died and the King of kings remained! I was released and Ahmad remained in Sawaqa Prison. Here I recalled the words of Abu Yasin that, “No matter is determined on Earth, except that it had been determined beforehand in the heavens.” During that period, Abu Yasin was fasting most of the days. Whenever he prayed a fard he followed that by another fard as qada’ (compensation). When we asked him about this practice he said, “In the days of my youth, my prayers were not as perfect as they should have been; therefore, I want to make up for that.” I saw Abu Yasin happy in those days and wondered why. He said the party had returned stronger than it was before the event of the defection, which many thought would be the end of the party. He added that he had also married his son Yasin during his few months of release. Yasin had refused to marry while his father was in prison. A few days later we were both out of prison, by the grace of Allah. I went to visit Abu Yasin at his home in the city Rusaifa and what a beautiful meeting it was! I arrived late in the evening, and I thought - with my Karaki mentality - that I was looking forward to a great dinner feast! After hours of a warm welcome, he asked his children to bring dinner, and to my surprise it was but olive oil, thyme, eggs, and potatoes, but I swear by Allah that I have never seen a better dinner in my life, notwithstanding its simplicity. Had he anything 14 better he would definitely have served it. He taught me from this that goodness is from those present, not from the material luxuries. He displayed no pretense to demonstrate anything more than what he was or had, and by doing so, gave me a practical lesson that I should be who I am and that honoring the guest is in the good meeting and welcome before all, as the saying goes, “Meet me, don’t feed me”. I spent that night with Abu Yasin and it was the most beautiful night. He bid me farewell in the morning, after we prayed Fajr in the masjid. He had led the people in the prayer as imam. I have not seen Abu Yasin since 1999 till this day. I ask Allah Almighty to bless us with the Khilafah after he has blessed us with this noble scholar, the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, and to liberate Jerusalem and conquer Rome at his hands. Indeed, the matter is in the Hands of Allah and He is Able to fulfill it. https://www.al-waie.org/archives/824 (Translated) Al-Waie magazine received some of the memoirs of the respected brother, Salim al-Amr. We are publishing some of these for in them is a lesson and benefit, insha’Allah, for those who take heed. We extend our recognition and appreciation to brother Salim for these memoirs, and we ask Allah to grant what came in their end, and that He keeps him safe from all evil. Prison Memoirs and the Honor of Companionship (6) I used to ask Abu Yasin(Sh. ‘Ata) about the cause of the shiver which afflicted his side when he used to lead us in prayer. I found out that it was the result of torture he underwent in the prisons of the intelligence agencies in Jordan, Libya and Iraq - electric 15 shocks and other forms of torture. I recall him telling me that the shabab would be tortured in those prisons to the point that they would be tied to gas cylinders so that they would move in circles around themselves at times of extreme cold in the torture chambers whilst whips would hit them from all sides. Here I will suffice with the mention of some testimonies about the shabab of the Hizb I heard from brothers (not from the Hizb) who we knew inside and outside the prison. 1. The Azhari teacher, Sh. Ahmad al-Farkh (Abu al-Amin), from the residents of al-Karak (Jordan). He died in 2006 after living to reach beyond 80 years. I asked him about the ideas of the Hizb. He said, “Praise be to Allah who made for me in Hizbut- Tahrir a clear criterion between truth and falsehood, O Salim. I bear witness that Hizbut-Tahrir is on the haqq.” He related to me a story about one the communists in Anabta (Tulkarm, Palestine) who used to always be arguing with the shabab. He had a respected daughter whom many of his friends in the Communist party asked for in marriage but he refused. But when one of the shabab of Hizbut-Tahrir with whom he was at ideological odds asked to marry her, he agreed instantly. When he colleagues asked him, “Why did you agree to marry your daughter to a tahriri who will argue with you all day and does not agree with us, instead of us who are from the same party as you (communist party)?! “They will look after her and respect her; you will not,” was his answer. 16  He said to me one day that one of the brothers from Anbata who used to hate the Hizb decided one day that he will meet ShaykhTaqi al-Din al-Nabhani by whatever means possible in order to debate him on his ideas. He reached Lebanon by way of the shabab and remained some time in the hospitality of Sh. Taqi. When he returned from Lebanon he was asked him about the shaykh so he said, “I will summarise what I witnessed about this man in brief by saying that had not the Qur’an been revealed upon Muhammad, Allah bless him and grant him peace, I would have said that it was revealed upon him.” May Allah have mercy on Sh. Ahmad al-Farkh, the noble scholar. All who knew him from the people of al-Karak attested to his character and knowledge. The shabab remained in contact with him until he decided to join the Hizb a mere three days before he passed away. 2. The famous poet and engineer, Dr. Ayman al-‘Atum, a companion of mine in prison. The following is what he writes about the shahab of the Hizb in his book O Companions of the Prison [YaSahibay al-Sijn] on pp. 192-197: “In cell no. 12 and the two opposing rooms sat the shabab of Hizbut-Tahrir. They were about ten prisoners. I went to them as a guest given the similarity of the cases for which we were accussed, namely, ‘lengthening the tongue’ (i.e. speaking out against the regime). When I reached them the amir of the cell, Walid, welcomed me. Walid was a man in his late thirties. He had a long beard and strong, sharp voice. His smile would almost 17 never depart his face. The top half of his torso inclined to the right slightly when he walked such that it seemed he was strutting or doing a dance of some sort. Sh. ‘Ata, the leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Jordan, was one of these ten prisoners. He was a revered and dignified man in his fifties, grey of head, of little words, amiable, blue eyed, with a white beard of moderate length etching his face. He attracted the overwhelming reverence of the other prisoners of his party, who would rush to serve him, to fulfill his tasks, and to attentively listen to every whisper emanating from him. And why not, given he was the leader of Hizbut-Tahrir not only of these ten but of every member of the Hizb in all of Jordan and perhaps even Palestine, and he may – one day – became its leader at the global level. Walid prepared for me a distinguished bed. Hizbut-Tahrir had great appreciation for those imprisoned on the like of my case (speaking the haqq), and they had heard about his stance and my poems. Thus Walid, as the leader of the cell, made my bed distinguished by putting for me a new, clean mattress and plenty of covers. It was also distinguished in its position, being right next to the bed of Sh. Ata. Sh. Ata was a man in whom the ideas of Hizbut-Tahrir saw practical and real manifestation. The main and central idea for which the Hizb works is the Khilafah. They link everything they do and strive for and everything they suffer for in the path of realizing this objective, namely, the establishment of the Islamic 18  Khilafah on Earth. As to how, where, when, by what means, in what time period…every member of the Hizb had answers to these questions. Often would the saying of Allah, the exalted, be repeated on ُ َ ُ ْ َ َ َّ َّ َ َ their tongues in discussions, ْ ‫﴿ َوعد ْاَّلل ْال ِذين ْآ َمنوا ِْمنك ْم َْوع ِملوا‬ َ ‫َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ ْ َ ْ ْ َ َ َ ِّ نَ ن‬ َْ ‫ََ ْ َ ْ َ ْ ن‬ َ ْ‫ن ْله ْم‬ ‫ض ْكما ْاستخلف ْال ِذين ِْمن ْقب ِل ِهم ْوليمك‬ ِ ‫ْف ْاْل ْر‬ ِ ِ ‫ات ْليستخ ِل ْفنهم‬ ِ ‫الص ِالح‬ َ ُ ْْ َ ‫َ ن‬ َ ً ْ َ ْ ْ َ ْ َ ْ ْ َ ِّ َ َ َ ْ َ َ‫ْ َ ن‬ ْ ‫اْي‬ َّ َ ْ‫ْب‬َِِ ‫ون‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ش‬ِ َْ‫ْي‬ ‫َْل‬ ‫ت‬ِ ‫ون‬ ِ َ َُ‫د‬‫ب‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬‫ْأ‬ ‫م‬‫ه‬ِ ‫ف‬ ِ ‫و‬ ‫ْخ‬ ‫د‬ ِ ‫ع‬ ‫ْب‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ْم‬ ِ ‫م‬ ‫ه‬‫ن‬ ‫ل‬‫د‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ْو‬ ‫م‬ ‫ه‬‫ْل‬ ‫ض‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ْار‬ ‫ي‬‫ذ‬ِ ‫ْال‬ ‫ِدينهم‬ َ َ َ َ َْ ََ َ ْ َ َ ًْ َ ﴾‫ون‬ْ ‫اسق‬ ِ ‫“ شيئاْومن ْكفرْبعدْذ ِلك ْفأول ِْئك ْهم ْالف‬Allah has promised such of you as believe and do good work that He will surely make them to succeed (the present rulers) in the earth even as He caused those who were before them to succeed (others); and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and will give them in exchange safety after their fear. They serve Me. They ascribe no thing as partner unto Me. Those who disbelieve henceforth, they are the miscreants.” (al-Nur: 55) They were content in that the promise of Allah in this ayah would eventuate, and would mention with it another ayah, َ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َ ‫َ ْ َ َّ َ ي‬ ْ ‫ْاَّلل ْحق َْوَل ْي ْست ِخفنك ْال ِذين‬ ْ َ ﴾‫ون‬ ْ ‫وقن‬ ِ ‫َْل ْي‬ ِ ‫“ ﴿فاص ِ ْب ِْإن ْوعد‬So patiently persevere: for Verily the promise of Allah is true: nor let those shake Thy firmness, who have (themselves) no certainty of Faith.” Sh. ‘Ata would give in the week three lessons in tafsir and three in Arabic language (lugha). Thus the week of the Hizbut- Tahrir inmates was distributed into two days: a day for tafsir followed by a day for language. ‘Ata, knowing that I was a poet, 19  would encourage me more than others to attend these lessons and to contribute and interact in them, and thus I did. I have never forgotten till this day his explanation of the saying of Allah, َ ْ ُّ ُ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َْ َّ the exalted, ْ ‫اب‬ ِ ‫﴿ه َوْال ِذيْأنز َل ْعل ْيك ْال ِكتاب ِْمنه ْآيات ْمحك َمات ْهن ْأم ْال ِكت‬ َْ ْ َ ْ ْ َ َ َ َ َ َ َْ ُ ‫َ َ َّ َ ن‬ َ َ َ ََُ ْ‫وب ِه ْم ْزي غ ْف َيت ِبعْون َْماْتشابه ِْمنه ْاب ِتغ َاء ْال ِفتن ِة‬ ِ ‫ل‬‫ْق‬ ‫ْف‬ ‫ين‬‫ذ‬ ِ ِِ َ ْ َ َ‫اْال‬‫م‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ْف‬ ‫ات‬‫ه‬ ‫اب‬ ِ ْ َ َ ‫وأ‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ْم‬ ‫ر‬ ‫خ‬ ْ ‫ُ ي‬ َ َ َ ُ َ ْ ْ ‫َ ن‬ َ َّ ْ َ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ‫ل ِْمن‬ْ ‫اْب ِه ْك‬ ِ ‫ْف ْال ِعل ِم ْيقولون ْآمن‬ ِ ِ ‫اسخون‬ ِ ‫واب ِتغاء ْتأ ِو ِيل ِه ْوماْيعلم ْتأ ِويله ِْإَل ْاَّلل ْوالر‬ َ ْ ْ ُ ُ َّ َ َ َ ِّ َ ْ ﴾‫اب‬ْ ِ ‫اْو َماْيذكر ِْإَل ْأولوْاْلل َب‬ ‫“ ِعن ِد ْربن‬He is the One who has revealed to you the Book. Out of it there are verses that are muhkamāt (of established meaning), which are the principal verses of the Book, and some others are mutashābihāt (whose definite meanings are unknown). Now those who have perversity in their hearts go after such part of it as is mutashābih, seeking (to create) discord, and searching for its interpretation (that meets their desires), while no one knows its interpretation except Allah; and those well-grounded in knowledge say: “We believe therein; all is from our Lord.” Only the men of understanding observe the advice.” (Aal-Imran: 7) The shaykh spent a long time on the particle waw (and) in “waw al-rasikhuna fi al-‘ilm” (“and those well-grounded in knowledge”) on the question of whether it was a waw of conjunction (‘atf) or a waw of resumption (isti’naf). This issue has been discussed at length by the classical exegetes and linguists. The shaykh first presented, at length, the various views on the issue, and then explained his position which went counter to the majority position. The position of the overwhelming majority of exegetes is that the waw here is a waw of resumption but he held that it was a waw of conjunction. 20  The students in the lessons from Hizbut-Tahrir would hold copies of the Qur’an and writing folders and would write behind the shaykh that which Allah opened for him of knowledge. I saw myself, and in the handwriting of the shaykh, three folders full of the tafsir of surat al-Baqarah. These folders would move between the students of the shabab as if they were priceless treasures. They sought to protect them from damage or loss. One of them would hold it close to his chest while reading it. In conveying a trust, I should mention that I saw the shaykh in these lessons diligent and bold in his interpretation of the ayat and what they contained of legal rulings, and the folders containing his tafsir had a mysterious glow. The students would transfer them among themselves as a jeweler moves gems and pearls. The shakyh has begun writing a tafsir of the Qur’an in the prison, till that point resulting in the compilation of these three folders of material. At that time he continued in this pursuit. I do not know today whether he completed the tafsir of the Qur’an or whether his occupation in leading Hizbut-Tahrir prevented him from doing so. As for the lessons in the Arabic language, I still recall the lessons I attended in which the shaykh explained the metaphor (majaz) and its various relations (with the literal meaning). I recall his mentioning the saying of Allah, ًََ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َْ َْ ‫﴿أنز َل ِْمنْالس َم ِاء َْم ًاءْف َسالتْأ ْو ِدية ِْبقد ِرهاْفاح ْت َم‬ َْ ‫لْالس ْْيلْزبد‬ [‫اْر ِاب ًيا‬ “He sent down water from the heavens, so the valleys flowed according to their capacity, and the flood carried bulging scum.” 21 (al-Ra’d: 17); and explaining that, “In origin we do not say ‘the valleys flowed’, we say ‘the water in the valleys flowed’. This is a metaphorical usage. As for its relation, it is the relation of valleys with water, the former being the place in which the latter flows; so what we have here is an example of indirect metaphor [majazmursal] whose relation is that of place.” The shaykh would give everyone in the lesson work to complete for the next lesson. For instance, he would say to them, “Find different relations of the metaphor from suratAal-Imran”, or “Extract the various types of (grammatical) abrogatersfrom surat al-Furqan and ascertain their predicates and forms.” His lessons would receive a great response and interaction from the individuals of his party, among whom were the old and young, the educated and uneducated, the doctor and teacher. Cooperation, obedience of the leader and the like were apparent traits of this group of prisoners which I witnessed living among them. And they were bold in expressing their views. I recall one of them becoming sharp in a discussion with one of the military officers, letting loose his tongue against the governing regime of the country. The officer swiftly lodged an official complaint against him as a result of which he was tried in a court of the state security force and sentenced to six months jail, adding to the two years he was previously sentenced to. Thus he was sentenced to prison whilst being imprisoned! For this, he received rebuke from the other prisoners making fun of what occurred to him, saying to him, “You’re staying here 22 is better. You aren’t able to control your tongue for even a second, you and your party. You’re only active in talking.” So he responded to their rebuke with one more severe, accusing them to cowardice and weakness, saying to them that they fear even their own shadows and are not of the level whereby they could raise the word of truth and suffer in its path. He would repeat to them, “The truth wants men and not all people are men.” Hizb ut-Tahrir believed – and continues to do so – that gradual change is a waste of effort and that one must begin from the head of the pyramid, not its base, that one must severe the head of the serpent from its body to finish with its harm for good. As for the means to do this, it was possible to seek the support of those who can be trusted of the military officers to undertake, for instance, a military coup. While they did not believe in using material force to overthrow the regimes, they did justify seeking help from others to make these changes which necessarily required material force. Ikrimah often used to like debating with them, and if he did not find one of them to listen to him he would come to me and give me a headache, as was his habit, by debating their ideas with me. He would say, “The problem with Hizbut-Tahrir is that it is rigid. They want to apply policy suitable for a bygone era in ours. They are people of ready-made templates.” Holding a cup in his hand he would say, “They want to shove the cup into the bottleneck…they don’t want to understand that 13 years in Makkah at the time of the Prophet (saw) is not 13 years in Jerusalem, Amman or Beirut, nor even 100 years…” 23  Sh. ‘Ata was simple without being degrading of his self, humble without being self-effacing. He was wont, for health reasons perhaps, to keep under his bed some cucumbers. Often I saw him extend his hand, grab two or three pieces, wipe them with his hand, and then extend one towards me inviting me to partake in his banquet of cucumbers. 3. A testimony sent to me by brother Muhammad Ali Abd al- Hamid (Abu Bakr) from the shabab of the Hizb, Amman. In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful “A testimony from a fair man” A few days after ‘Ata Abu al-Rashta assumed the leadership of Hizbut-Tahrir, and after our exiting Zamili masjid in Amman after performing prayer in congregation, the engineer Salih Abdullah al-Jaytawi (from Ikhwan al-Muslimeen) came to me and warmly shook my hand saying, “Congratulations, may Allah make it blessed.” “For what?” I asked. He replied, “For our brother, the engineer, ‘Ata Abu al-Rashta assuming the leadership of Hizbut- Tahrir, and by which I am now certain that Hizbut-Tahrir is a sincere party, because it allowed ‘Ata Abu al-Rashta to reach the leadership position. I know this man very well. He was a colleague of mine and a very dear friend.” “I know him since the days of secondary school. I accompanied him to Beirut for the entry examinations for the American University in Beirut. However, Allah did not will that we would enter that university. We then travelled to study 24 engineering in Cairo and lived together there and completed our engineering studies together. I bear witness that during this time that I knew him, he was an exemplary man in his taqwa, morals and refined etiquette. We later used to visit each other in Amman. If you see him, pass him warm greetings from me.” Perfect is your Lord, the Lord of honour, above what they attribute him with, and select peace be upon the messengers, and all praise is for Allah. 25