…” ’3
Those who have assumed the difficulties of this way and know - God willing - the secret behind the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah will never deviate from truth, good deeds and da’wah until the Ummah is re-established and all humanity is under the banner of Allah. We carry on the way of Allah, expecting His reward for whatever we endure, ‘Allah has purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His Cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the law, the Gospel and the Qur’an …’4
This book is for all those martyrs who have gone before us, a token of our love, gratitude and promise that we are still on the way. It is also for all those who have a grain of goodness in them, in the hope that Allah makes them benefit, and guides them, ‘But you will not, except as Allah wills …’5
Zainab al-Ghazali al-Jubaili
References
1. Al-An’am: 153.
2. Al ‘Imran: 110.
3. Al-Kahf: 29.
4. At-Tawbah: 111.
5. Al-Insan: 30.
Jamal ‘Abd al-Nasir:1 Hatred and Vengeance
On my way home one afternoon, on a wintry day in early February 1964, my car suddenly turned upside down after colliding with another vehicle. The sheer force of the collision sent me into a state of semi-consciousness, and despite the severity of my pains the only thing I could comprehend, from all that was happening around me, was the panicky voice of someone calling my name. I can only assume that I then passed out for when I woke up I found myself in Heliopolis. Hospital surrounded by my husband, brothers, sisters and some of my colleagues in da’wah. As was evident from the expression on their faces they were all acutely distressed but within seconds I passed out again.
I can recall mumbling: ‘Thank God, thank God!’, as if enquiring about what happened. It then all came flooding back, and I could hear my husband’s relief as he said: ‘Praise be to Allah, He has saved her. Thank Allah Hajjah.’2
I enquired about my driver who, I was told, was well - praise be to Allah - and receiving treatment in hospital. I found out later that he was suffering from cerebral concussion. As for myself, I was taken to the X-ray room where it was established that my thigh bone was broken. As a temporary measure my leg was placed in an iron cage ready for my transferral to Mazhar ‘Ashur Mustafa Hospital, where surgeon Muhammad Abdullah was to operate on me. The operation itself took three and a half hours and even then my condition remained critical for some time. Once I did begin to recover it did not take me long to establish both from what I overheard and what was reported to me that the accident was no accident at all. It had been planned by Nasir’s secret agents, with the express intent to kill me.
Up until these events, a group of Muslim youth used to visit me on a daily basis. First among them was Brother ‘Abd al-Fattah Isma’il. Clearly now with Nasir’s ambitions for me, I could no longer allow these visits to continue and therefore informed my respected brother of my decision. He informed me that he had already requested just that of the youth but they were insistent that nothing should change. Their visits would go ahead as usual.
On another occasion, the Muslim Ladies Group’s administrative secretary tried to give me a file which she wanted to show me in my capacity as President of this group. Both my husband and the wife of Hasan al-Hudaibi, the supreme guide (al-Murshid al-‘Am) of the Muslim Brotherhood3 (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun) were in my room at this time. I watched helplessly as my husband quickly guided my visitor away and I overheard him reminding the secretary that he had already forbidden her giving me any work-related documents. My husband’s explanation, when I tried to find out what was going on, was that Doctor Abdullah’s permission was necessary before I undertook any kind of activity. The doctor later, and after an examination of my leg, confirmed that it was he who had ordered that none of the group’s documents or news should reach me. I protested, claiming that it was a simple matter of signing a few documents, but he was adamant. The days passed by slowly and again I begged the doctor to allow me to do some of the group’s work. My requests were met with the same refusal. By now though I was certain that there was something which everyone was trying to hide from me.
In what seemed like weeks later, and after mustering great courage, the secretary again came to inform me, in the presence of my husband, of the decree to close down the General Headquarters of the Muslim Ladies Group. I could hardly believe my ears and almost snatched the papers from her only to read its confirmation in black and white.
‘Alhamdu Lillah, but the government has no right to do this, we are an Islamic group.’
‘No one can say to this government it has no right. We have tried everything, but Nasir is adamant about dissolving the group. Worse still, he hates you personally, Hajjah Zainab! for he can’t stand the mentioning of your name in his presence. If anybody does make reference to you he immediately stops the meeting with whoever has done so.’
‘Praise be to Allah that he fears me and detests me. I too detest him, for Allah. Nasir’s despotism only serves to increase our persistence to please our consciences and live for the fulfilment of our mission, the mission of tawhid. We will triumph, insha’ Allah, and the least that we can give for that is to be martyred for its sake.’
‘Hajjah’, she said with tears in her eyes, ‘the matter is very serious, I pray also to Allah that it won’t end with the banning of our Group. But perhaps the very words you say now are being recorded, they may have bugged the room.’
The secretary whispered these words into my ear as if she were afraid that what she said was true, and she carried on whispering: ‘Hajjah, I request you to do a small thing, please sign this paper. If you do, the decree to ban our group will be reversed.’
I asked her to hand over the piece of paper. It was a membership card for the Socialist Union.
‘No, by Allah. May my hand be paralysed if I ever sign that which will incriminate me, in front of Allah, with acquiescing to the despotic rule of Nasir who killed ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Awdah and his colleagues. Those who have soiled their hands with the blood of the faithful, are adversaries of Allah and of all believers. It is more honourable for us to let the Muslim Ladies Group be dissolved.’
She kissed my head, and with tears in her eyes, asked: ‘Do you trust that I am your daughter?’
‘Yes!’
Then leave this issue.’
‘We will leave it, and I won’t sign this paper. Our signature implies allegiance to a despot, which is an impossible thing for us to do. Allah will do that which He chooses for His Servants.’
Several more days passed in hospital, and then to my relief it was decided that I could continue the treatment at home.
