1st Letter From Brother Tarek

26th of Dhu al-Qa'dah, 1430 / 14th of November, 2009

In the Name of Allah, I praise Allah and invoke peace and blessings on the Messenger of Allah.

as-Salamu 'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh;

First of all, I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your immense support. Each and every person who is praying for my family and I, who has written a letter, and who attended a hearing or raised general awareness of what is going is known to Allah, and I ask that they each be rewarded with the good of this life and the next, and that Allah relieves each of you of trials and calamities just as you have helped to relieve my own.

Literally ,there were times when I would be laying in my cell and would begin to feel some distress coming about, and out of nowhere and without doing anything, it would suddenly be washed away, and I would be overcome by a feeling of relaxation and happiness that I cannot describe. I am 100% certain that this is the direct result of the du'a' of some of you. What a wonderful gift...

I cannot speak in detail about the charges and accusations against me, but suffice to say that nobody who truly knows me would for a second believe the utter lies and sensationalist garbage that has been peddled around in the media since my arrest. I am not the first person the government has played this game with, and I certainly won't be the last. regardless, that's OK because {"Indeed, Allah defends those who believe..."} [Surat al-Hajj; v. 38]. And the Prophets themselves were targets of slander and lies by their opponents. So, who am I to be spared?




First of all, it is clear that the prison system here is inept. they call this place a 'correctional facility', but I see very little correction of anyone going on around me. Most of the prisoners I've had the chance to speak to are repeat offenders, meaning they were previously jailed here, released, committed more crimes (often the same one), and were brought back. Some have been brought back so many times that they consider this home, and they consider release to be a temporary visit to some strange place. I can't deny that some are beyond hope, but the point is that people are pulled off the streets and brought in here, and nobody makes a single serious effort to get them to change their ways or give them hope of an alternative lifestyle. For example, I was in the prison van yesterday on my way back from court and struck up a conversation with a guy next to me who was losing it. So, I calmed him down, and told him to stay positive, and use his time here to clean his heart and mind, get stronger, and learn more about himself and his purpose in life, and that way he could gain more from prison than he ever would outside. he just looked at me and said: "That's the first time anyone has said something like that to me since I got here," and my words were quite simply and easy...

There are roughly 1,700 prisoners here. The only rehabilitation programs here take 50 prisoners every four months--combined! So, the remaining 1,650 are being "corrected" by people who for the most part are just here to finish an 8-hour shift and go home without a headache, and couldn't care less about the futures and interests of those they are responsible for. It's a real shame, because the way I see it, a lot of good can be done by just passing each prisoner's cell and sitting down for a short chat to let him know that he can make better choices in life, he should keep his head up, etc. Such simple, brief exchanges can go a long way in changing someone's life, if only this was the purpose of such a facility. Society in general would become much better if this approach were taken by prison staff. If you've ever seen the movie 'American History X', the turn of events there is a good example of how this can come about.

Another concept that has been reinforced in my mind is tha tno matter how bad things may be going for a given person, there is always someone worse off. There is always that one person you meet who gives you a reality check that reminds you that even though you are in prison going through hardship, etc., there are still things that you can take for granted. Case in point: a fellow prisoner I learned of who was just moved into the isolation unit a few cells down from me, who I had a chance to speak to when he was being moved. He told me his story, and I asked him how often he called his family, to which he replied that his mother literally told him to never contact her again until he was out. He was nearly in tears--a grown man--while questioning how a mother can turn away from her son in such a manner at his greatest time of need. After, I spoke to him, I tried to put myself in his shoes, and I came to realize that despite whatever I'm going through, I never once had to worry about my family forsaking me or abandoning me. In our culture, it's generally unfathomable. However, it is these reality checks that clarify that what might be guaranteed for some isn't guaranteed for all, and we should thus realize at all times that no matter how bad you may have it, you have things that grown men will cry for. So, thanks and praise to Allah for giving us what we have.

Another example that just popped into my mind is something I read in the newspaper today. It was about a woman who had been attacked by a chimpanzee weighing 200 lbs coming on TV and showing what the chimp had done to her face: her eyes were so severely attacked that she is now blind. A flap of skin now sits where her nose used to be. Her cheeks are a series of tears, gashes, and scars. She is unrecognizable, and can only eat through a straw. I just read that, shook my head, and realized that something as basic as having an intact face, having a nose, being able to see--these were luxuries I have that this woman is now deprived of.

Another benefit of being here is that you come to realize that the Muslim's relationship with Allah is one of give and take, and good and desirable things don't come easy. If you want something valuable, you have to be able to come up with money for it. We sometimes will wish for something, make du'a' that it comes to be, have high hopes, but our level of faith, worship, and attachment to Allah isn't changed at all, because we don't tend to these while making the du'a' for what we want. As a result, we don't achieve the desired outcome. In the Hadith Qudsi, Allah says: "Whoever shows hostility to a Wali of Mine, I will declare war on him." So, we often pay attention to the entire sentence except for the 'Wali' part, as well as what comes next. A person reaches this level of closeness to Allah by performing so many nawafil (extra) deeds--praying more, fasting more, giving more charity--that Allah becomes his hearing, seeing, etc. Instead of just praying his normal twelve extra rak'at, he prays twenty. Instead of praying a third of the night, he boosts it up to half the night. He makes his sujud longer. He reads two azja' a day instead of his regular one juz! he fasts four days a week instead of two. He makes his way through a series of adhkar that is twice as long as what he would normally do--basically, he puts in more of his time and energy to worship Allah, and shows Him that he truly wants to become close to Him, truly wants His wilayah, truly loves Him, truly sees himself as a slave who is broken, humbled, weak, and is simply manifesting the reason he exists. Such a person wants to dig deeper into the treasures of faith, worship, and attachment to Allah. He knows that attachment to Allah is of levels, and he doesn't rest and is not satisfied with himself until he reaches the highest level that he can of this attachment. Only then can we complete the hadith and say: "if he asks Me, I will give him what he wants, and if he asks for My Protection, I will Protect him."

Reaching this level isn't easy. It takes sincerity, persistence, resolve, conviction, true certainty that Allah will give you what you want if you reach the finish line, and it requires consistency. We can't be like the people Allah describes in verse 12 and verses 22--23 in Surat Yunus, who reach this level of humility and need before Allah, get the relief we want, and then go back to the way we were before we needed relief from Him.

The point is that the deeper you go in these levels of servitude to Allah, the more evident and swift your need will be met. The level of certainty Prophet Musa had standing before the Red Sea splitting, the level of humility and need Yunus felt when he was released form the whale's grasp, the lengthy du'a' the Prophet Muhammad made before the Battle of Badr--all of these are examples of a deep level of attachment to Allah that went beyond what would exist on a daily basis while we're living in comfort, ease, and security, and this is part of the reason the response to their distress was quite literally miraculous. We can achieve the same to some extent if we reach deep enough into those treasures. And we can do that now, whether or not we are in dire need of something from Allah at the moment. And we are all in need of Him...

These are just a few of the thoughts that have occupied my mind lately. I would like to close this letter by mentioning an incident with Babar Ahmad that I have heard shortly before I was arrested. In it, he says that a fellow prisoner was about to be released. So, Babar said: 'I want to apologize to you before you leave." The man asked: "For what?" Babar replied: "When I was free, I saw your story on TV. However, it meant nothing to me, because I never thought it could happen to me. So, I did nothing for you. Now that I am in prison and it has happened to me, there are people who heard about my story and will think nothing of it, thinking it will never happen to them. Once it happens to them, others will think nothing of it and do nothing, etc..." So, if you feel that you can just sit back and read about all these cases and do nothing to repel this injustice and that it can never happen to you, think again.

Was-Salamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh.

Your brother,

Tariq Mehanna

Ye Qaidy Fi Sabeelillah Qaidy

Waswasah | The Whispering of the Shaitan | Ibn Qayyim

Was Was Ah

Am I Sincere? Am I Sincere?

Once ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Azîz (rahimahullâh) was advised,
“O ‘Umar, beware of being the ally of Allâh in open, while being
His enemy in secret. If one’s nature in open and secret do not
equate then he is a hypocrite, and the hypocrites occupy the lowest
level in the Hellfire.”

From amongst the most difficult things one can acquire is sincerity and because of this, the pious predecessors ( as-salah as-salih) would try to block off all their acts of worship from riyaa (showing off) by hiding their good deeds just as they would hide their evil deeds.

They would advise each other with words such as “Do not be an enemy to Shaytaan in public and his friend in private”; or in other words, make sure you are the same person in public as you are when in seclusion. Because of this, they loved to be alone and busy in acts of worship wherein only Allah could see them.

As for those deeds which were public, then the following story would suffice: a student of Abdullah bin Masoud once hosted a blind man for a meal and decorated his meal as if he could see. When the people inquired as to why he was decorating the food to for a man who couldn’t even see, he replied by saying “But Allah can see!”

Because of this, one of the best definitions of sincerity is to forget about the creation by constantly looking at the Creator (in terms of gaining admiration for your deeds); thereby not caring whether or not the people see any single act of worship. So when a man gets up to worship, he does not think about the people’s thoughts and does not care whether they praise him, or if they criticize him because he only sees Allah in front of him, thereby reaching the level of ihsan.

…Then he (the man) said, “Inform me about Ihsan.” He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, “It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, and even though you cannot see Him yet He sees you.” - Muslim

So when one reaches ihsan, he does not become like those who Ali bin Abi Talib said regarding the insincere: “The one who shows off has three characteristics: he is lazy when by himself, he is lively and energetic when with others and he increases in his actions when he is praised and decreases in them when he is criticised.”

Because of the difficulty of sincerity, they (as-salaf) considered themselves to be hypocrites as it was said that a Tabi’e met thirty companions of the Prophet (saw) and all of them feared hypocrisy for themselves. These were the companions of the Prophet, those men and women who Allah was pleased with and who were pleased with Allah, so how about someone lower than them, people like us who act as if we have been granted Paradise while living on earth. And what is even more astonishing than this is Umar bin al-Khattab’s asking Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman if he (Umar) were among the hypocrites!

So one can never be sincere if he thinks himself to be sincere; since sincerity is to lose the vision of sincerity in oneself. And because of the greatness of sincerity, they (as-salaf) would say “whoever had a single instance in his lifetime which was purely and sincerely for the sake of Allah will be saved” since it has the capacity to purify you from all your sins. One of the salaf once remarked on how happy he would be if he only knew Allah accepted even two rakaat of salaah from him!

Because of their sincerity they lived a pure life, free from anxiety and grief since it was to Allah that they turned to in both good and bad times. And perhaps ibn al-Qayyim reflected on this when he said: Ikhlaas and Tawheed are a tree in the heart, its branches are good actions and its fruits are a good life in this world, and eternal comfort in the Hereafter; and just like in Paradise where the fruits whose supply is not cut off, nor are they out of reach, likewise are the fruits of Tawheed and Ikhlaas in this world. [Ibn al-Qayyim – 'al-Fawaid' 292]

So be sincere O servants of Allah and leave the inner cravings for attention for indeed the short-term pleasure attained from people’s admiration is not worth the anger and wrath of Allah and He is not unaware of what you do. And if you were to reflect on the people of insincerity, you would realize how pathetic their situation is, for indeed the one who is insincere cannot see anything except for what is in front of them, thereby unable to have high aspirations and unable to undergo hardship for anything worthy.
{30:7} They know only the outside appearance of the life of the world (i.e. the matters of their livelihood, like irrigating or sowing or reaping, etc.), and they are heedless of the Hereafter.

And if they could see beyond the outside appearance of this world, they would know with certainty that the only thing that separates them from looking up at the face of Allah is death; and they would never risk insincerity for a miserable gain such as fame in this world for how quick is the passing of this world and how forgetful do people become of each other and finally how useless is the deed that is bereft of sincerity; for indeed the only one Satan is able to lead astray is the one who is insincere.

82: [Iblees] said, “By your might, I will surely mislead them all
83: Except, among them, Your sincere and chosen servants.”

Source

Conditions for the Acceptance of Actions

Source : Six Conditions of Ibaadah , By Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-`Uthaymeen


Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (d.1421H) - rahimahullaah - said, “Sincerity (ikhlaas) towards Allaah means that the person desires by his worship closeness to Allaah the Exalted and reaching His Abode of Nobility (i.e. Paradise), such that the servant must be sincere towards Allaah the Exalted in his intended purpose. He must be sincere towards Allaah the Exalted in his love. He must be sincere towards Allaah in his exaltation. He must be sincere to Allaah the Exalted outwardly and inwardly. He does not seek anything with his worship, except for the Face of Allaah the Exalted and reaching His Abode of Nobility.” [1]

Stated al-’Allaamah Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-’Uthaymeen (d.1421H) – rahimahullaah, “And in order that it will be known – O brothers – that al-mutaaba’ah cannot be actualized, except when the action is in agreement with the Sharee’ah in six affairs:

The First: as-Sabab (reason, motive); So when the person worships Allaah with act of worship that is accompanied by a motive that is not legislated by the Sharee’ah, then it is an innovation that is rejected back to its doer. An example of that is when some of the people commemorate the twenty-seventh night of Rajab under the pretence that it was the night in which the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) ascended. So tahajjud (the night Prayer) is worship. However, when it is accompanied with this motive, it becomes an innovation. This is because this action of worship is built upon a motive that has not been confirmed in the Sharee’ah. And this description – the conformity of the worship to the Sharee’ah in motive – is an important affair that clarifies many innovations from amongst those that are thought to be from the Sunnah, yet they are not from the Sunnah.

The Second: al-Jins (type); so it is inevitable that the act of worship be in conformity to the Sharee’ah in its jins (type). So if the person worships with an act of worship whose type is not legislated, then it is not accepted. An example of that is if a man were to slaughter a horse, then this sacrifice would not be correct, because it has opposed the Sharee’ah in the type. So the blood sacrifices cannot be done, except with cattle, grazing livestock, camels, cows and sheep.

The Third: al-Qadr (quantity); so if the person increases in the Prayer that is obligatory, then we say that this is an innovation that is not accepted, because it opposes the Sharee’ah in quantity. With all the more reason, if the person prays the noon Prayer for example as five units, then his Prayer is not correct by agreement.

The Fourth: al-Kayfiyyah (manner, mode); so if a man performs ablution, and he begins with washing the feet, then he wipes his head, then he washes his hands, then his face, then we say that his ablution is null and void, because it opposes the Sharee’ah in manner.

The Fifth: az-Zamaan (time); so if the person slaughters in the first days of Dhul-Hijjah, then his blood sacrifice will not be accepted due it opposing the Sharee’ah in time. And I have heard that some of the people slaughter sheep during the month of Ramadaan in order to draw closer to Allaah with blood sacrifice. So this action in this manner is an innovation, because there is nothing with regards to drawing closer to Allaah with slaughtering, except for blood sacrifice, gifts and the ’aqeeqah. As for slaughtering in Ramadaan along with the belief that one will attain the reward of slaughtering, such as the blood sacrifice in ’Eedul-Adhaa, or slaughtering for the sake of meat, then this is permissible.

The Sixth: al-Makaan (place); so if a man performs i’tikaaf in other than a mosque, then his i’tikaaf is not correct. And that is because the i’tikaaf cannot occur, except in the mosques. And if a woman says, ‘I wish to perform i’tikaaf in the musallaa (place of Prayer) in the house,’ then her i’tikaaf is not correct due to opposition of the Sharee’ah in place. And from the examples of that is if a man desires to perform tawaaf. So he finds that the area of tawaaf has become too confined and he finds that whatever is around it has become too confined. So he starts to perform tawaaf from behind the mosque, then his tawaaf will not be correct, because the place of the tawaaf is the house.

So the act of worship cannot be considered a righteous action, except if two conditions are fulfilled with regards to it, the first is al-ikhlaas (sincerity) and the second is al-mutaaba’ah (following the Prophet). And al-mutaaba’ah cannot be fulfilled, except with the six affairs that have been previously mentioned.” [2]

Footnotes:

[1]: Refer to Majmoo’ul-Fataawaa (7/112) of Ibnul-’Uthaymeen.

[2]: Refer to Majmoo’ul-Fataawaa (5/253-254) of Ibnul-’Uthaymeen.

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