Loosing My Heart in Egypt

Loosing My Heart in Egypt: Amr Kassem 1987-2013

By Sister Asmaa Hussein
17th August 2013

“Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounty and rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind (not yet martyred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in a Grace and a Bounty from Allah, and that Allah will not waste the reward of the believers.” (Al Imran;169-171)

My husband, Amr Mohamed Kassem who was 26 years old, returned to his Lord on Friday after Asr. He was shot through his chin and the bullet exited the back of his neck. He was at a protest in Alexandria, calling for justice for all those who had been killed mercilessly by the army in the previous days and weeks all over Egypt.

Yesterday morning I went to the morgue at a nearby hospital in Alexandria to see Amr before he would be washed and buried in the next few hours. When I arrived, there were many people waiting outside the doors to see their own family members as many people were killed the same day as Amr. Some of Amr’s friends and relatives were there, too. After waiting for a while, I entered the room where his body was lying on a table, covered by a long blanket. I stood beside him and uncovered his face, and there he was, my love, lying there cold even though I had seen him strong and happy and smiling less than 24 hours before that moment. I stroked his beard, part of it was still soft, but part of it felt hard because of the dried up blood. His nose was bloodied and he had a cut beside his eye but he was beautiful, even in death – silent as though sleeping. I touched his lips and his cheeks, they were cold.

I stood there for some time looking at his face, feeling as though my heart was being repeatedly run over by a truck. I refused to cry loudly but tears were streaming down my cheeks, and I told him “I love you Amr, I know that you always wanted to die for the sake of Allah, and you got what you always hoped for inshaAllah, and I’m so proud of you. Ya Allah forgive his sins and accept him as a shaheed and reunite me with him in the hereafter. Ya Allah make me patient in knowing that it was his appointed time and that, by Your will and Grace, he is alive with his You as a shaheed.” I didn’t leave him until I was ready, I’m not even sure how long I was standing there. At the end, I kissed his cheek and told him that I would see him later inshaAllah, then covered his face and left the room.

The janaza was after Asr, there were hundreds of people there – his friends, his colleagues from school, extended family. He was a very beloved person to many. There was no dry eye, but everyone was speaking only good words and saying Alhamdulillah that Allah took him in the best way anyone can die in this world. We prayed on him, and I went outside to see a crowd of hundreds of men carrying his shrouded body towards the cemetery. The women didn’t follow, we were waiting until he was buried to go to his grave and make duaa. After some time, his mother and I and some female relatives walked towards to cemetery and were making our way to where he was. Suddenly I notice all the men around me yelling for us to go out the side door, to run. I didn’t understand what was happening but I started hearing loud bangs behind me, rocks being thrown at us and all the men telling the women to run. So I ran and ran without looking behind me, I was hit on my cheek by a large rock while I was running, but alhamdulillah, some of Amr’s friends saw me and told me to run ahead of them so they could be behind me and make sure nothing happened to me. The people who attacked us were thugs who had heard there was an “ikhwani” funeral (although my husband was not from the ikhwan, he was just a religious man who believed in something called right and wrong). Many people were injured, some with stab wounds, but as far as I know, there were no casualties alhamdulillah.

Even in death, Amr’s enemies hated him and all those around him! But their hate means nothing to me, after all if an enemy of God hates you, then that is a sign that you are, God-willing) on the right path.

Dear friends, my heart aches in a way I never knew a heart could ache. I miss him whenever I am awake and dream about him when I’m asleep. He was the best kind of husband a woman could ever hope for, kind, generous, soft and loving, but also strong and brave. His clothes are still hung up on the hooks in our room, as though he’s going to walk through the door and change into his pyjamas before he sleeps. His friend gave me Amr’s wallet and cell phone at the janaza, but his wedding band was missing, we still don’t know where it is…I wish that I had it.

But through all this, I can’t say anything except innalillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un, and continue to make duaa for him. I refuse to dishonour him or myself by asking God “why” he took him or thinking “if only he hadn’t gone to the protest on Friday, he would be alive.” No, it was Amr’s time to return to Allah, I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt. And although I wish I had more time with him in the dunya, I sincerely look forward to reuniting with him and being his wife, if God allows me, in paradise. In jannah time does not end, there is no fear of being separated from your loved ones. I believe with every inch of my that our love was truly a love that can last from this world to the next.

Ya Allah, You reunited Musa’s mother with him after she put him in the river, ya Allah You reunited Yaqoub with his beloved son Yusuf after many years of painful separation. Ya Allah You are the Only One who can reunite me with my beloved in the hereafter, so Allah I ask you to not prevent me from being with him again.

Last night after we came home, we received a call from a friend of a relative – someone who had witnessed first hand what happened to Amr after he was shot. She told us that he didn’t die right away, he was alive for a few moments. His left hand was holding his chin where the bullet had entered, and his right index finger went up, and he said clearly “ashhadu anna la illaha ilAllah, wa ashhadu ana Muhammadun rasoolullah” and he had a huge smile on his face, as though it was his wedding day. When I heard this, I couldn’t help but cry that Allah had honoured me just by letting me know this wonderful person and allowing me to have his child.

My friends, your words of encouragement have not gone unnoticed. I have nothing but love and respect for you all, and I know now so much more than before that as Muslims, although we have many faults in our community, when we come together we are truly a force to be reckoned with. Your support and love and duaa have touched me greatly. I will undoubtedly need your continued duaa and support when I return to Canada inshaAllah.

I ask Allah to let me never stray from His path, for my own sake and my daughter’s, and also for Amr’s sake – to honour him in the way that Allah chose for him to die.

Ya habibi ya Amr. Ya habibi ya Amr. Ya habibi ya Amr. I hope that right now your soul is in a green bird, and you are flying through Jannah, eating and drinking from its provisions and are close to the throne of Allah, where you will never shed another tear or ever feel any sense of loss or suffering. You are my love in this world and the next inshaAllah, you are in my heart always, you are in my prayers always.

-Sister Asmaa Hussein

Asma Beltaji

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WJskoQ70zjI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWJskoQ70zjI
17 year old Asma Beltaji was the beloved daughter of Mohamed Beltaji, one of Egypt’s first ever democratically elected leaders. She was shot and killed by the Egyptian security forces

http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/7007-letter-from-dr-mohamed-beltaji-to-his-martyred-daughter

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#R4BIA SIGN

โ€œRabaa signโ€ done by raising four fingers has become the symbol of the massacre in Egypt and Rabaa al-Adawiya Square where the anti-coup protests take place.

โ€œRabaaโ€ meaning four or the fourth in Arabic has become the sign of anti-coup protests in Egypt. Just a few hours before the massacre on August 14, anti-coup protesters in Egypt tried to voice their demands to the world by raising their four fingers.

Rabaa al-Adawiya Square, being as famous as Tahrir Square in Cairo due to resistance of hundreds of thousands of anti-coup protesters going on for more than two months, has witnessed one of the gravest massacres of recent years. Besides being a grave for hundreds of people of whose has not been clarified yet one of the less known peculiarities of the square also came out.

The Square was named after a religious woman called Rabaa al-Adawiya. Since Adawiya was the fourth child of the family the Arabic adjective โ€œrabiaโ€ is told to be affixed to her name. The fame of the name is said to come from her challenge for freedom all her life.

Together with the anti-coup protests the meaning of this name gave birth to a new symbol. The anti-coup protesters in Rabaa al-Adawiya raise their four fingers making โ€œrabia signโ€ both in order to refer to the name of the square and in order to distinguish themselves from the pro-coup protesters in Tahrir Square making victory sign by raising their two fingers. The rabia sign has gradually become common in Egypt during the protest and has come to be used as common as victory sign.

The anti-coup protesters stated that the rabia sign, besides being the symbol of anti-coup, carries some other implications as well.

One of the protesters stated that rabia sign refers to the name of the square, distinguishes them from the supporters of the military coup in Tahrir Square and it also refers to the fact that Mohammed Morsi is the fourth president of Egypt after Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters were shouting slogans, and making rabia sign to the Anadolu Agency objectives. However, unfortunately just a few hours after these pictures taken by Anadolu Agency the harsh intervention of army took place and hundreds of people were killed.

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Egypt massacre video links

Quite extensive videos and resource list on Egypt massacre. 1. http://youtu.be/zAcaTBza4w0 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePc_9mWGYtQ 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJaATY3TFaM 4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJcIQ7swxpw&feature=youtu.be 5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvVVb3R-sro&feature=youtu.be 6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MayBDQ1N6zw 7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_PT06vdKuM 8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptcZZINmZF8&feature=youtu.be 9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh2ZBsNY5pw 10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRHqOoQ_w7Y 11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0c8Ml5qA5M 12. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arabic/multimedia/2013/08/130814_egypt_clashes_rabaa.shtml 13. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=561305350597517 14. http://youtu.be/4MGl0Ad8sNY 15. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151866653959048 16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXqv6Z_ac54&feature=youtu.be 17. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEbyrhDTVzc 18. http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=RLUsZNUOxrY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRLUsZNUOxrY%26feature%3Dyoutu.be 19. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fe1t5j9YEM 20. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DtglCeeCBOg 21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujYFzNz898Q&feature=youtu.be 22. http://arabic.cnn.com/video/# 23. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEI-4qkwjfs&feature=youtu.be 24. photos: 1. https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/944779_577093305701116_1050653116_n.jpg 2. https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/p526x296/1170650_10152598870153475_1353858847_n.jpg 3. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=674072299289296&set=a.654547214575138.1073741830.654514894578370&type=1 4. http://ara.reuters.com/article/topNews/idARACAE9B2GV820130814 5. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=502029399883657&set=a.129614373791830.35163.129536550466279&type=1 6. https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQA5BBrKxtdO9hr4&w=526&h=345&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FBRni_f4CMAAjqQ3.jpg%3Alarge 7. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.708410279186063.1073741888.691858730841218&type=1 8. https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p526x296/933967_526477357429282_1513252621_n.jpg 9. https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q71/1185456_627282200638744_1418158355_n.jpg 10. https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p526x296/1151045_577078165702630_1073564352_n.jpg

Martyrs of Rabaa al-‘Adawiyyah.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dE3HIrORPDs&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdE3HIrORPDs

By Shaykh Abu Eesa

I spent many a day during my studies in Cairo with hundreds of some of the best people I’ve ever met in the Masjid below: Masjid al-Iman, off Makram Obaid in Nasr City.

Subhanallah today we see that this Masjid was given a name that hundreds have truly died for – iman – and that this Masjid *still* right now has hundreds of the best people on Earth: the martyrs of Rabaa al-‘Adawiyyah.

Wallahi I am humbled by these awesome awesome Shuhada’ who stood up like lions against the munafiqeen and criminals of the military coup. As they all lay there in their shrouds, I pray that we might meet a death even half as honourable as theirs. Ya Allah accept our Shuhada’, keep us all firm on iman, let these heroes be witnesses for that iman against all the oppressors in Egypt, and may the eyes of those coward transgressing scum never sleep. Ameen.

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The true faces of Muslim secular fundamentalists

In the last six months the world has witnessed the blatant double standards of those who claim to be Muslims, secularists and liberals, all at the same time. The problem with such people is that they are not confident Muslims, they are not true secularists and certainly they are not liberals at all. They claim to believe in democracy but in truth they are more violent than the Al-Qaeda inspired terrorists. They mercilessly order the execution of their political opponents.

From Egypt to Bangladesh these Muslim secular fundamentalists have caused indescribable massacres from extra judicial killings, mass execution, abduction, imprisonment, torture, running kangaroo courts and total destruction of civil society institutions. They find their best support in Washington, London and Tel Aviv. These Muslim secular fundamentalists are liars and hypocrites.

The Egyptian security services have massacred more than 2000 Mursi supporters in the last twenty-four hours. The Mukhabarat dogs from the Mubarak era are back and in full control of Egypt. I call them dogs because they have demonstrated their true colour by their brutal repression over the last sixty years. The Egyptian people barely elected a president but the Muslim secular fundamentalists had an allergic reaction to a Muslim Brotherhood victory. They could not secure a win through the ballot boxes so they resorted to the dirty old trick of orchestrating a military takeover. These Muslim secular fundamentalists should never be trusted.

The Egyptian military removes an elected president, restricts the press and media, rolls its tanks on the streets but the US government did not have the spine and Barak Obama did not have the audacity to call it a coup. Mr Obama you are a coward and disgrace! US government should be held directly responsible for the massacre in Egypt. The Egyptian military junta has killed thousands of Mursi supporters only after receiving approval from Washington.

I am disgusted that the UK government that has not taken an immediate action against the Egyptian military. Egyptian Ambassador should be thrown out of Britain immediately. UK should never provide space for bloodthirsty military rulers. I am appalled at the other Western governments who are behaving like Ostriches, waiting for the storm to be over! The Muslim secular fundamentalists have yet again pulled wool over the eyes of the western leaders. They have sold it as struggle between Muslim extremists and secular liberals. What a load of nonsense!

The truth is there has been only one extremist in the Muslims world who has been in power and plundering the wealth of the Muslim countries for decades. They are the Muslim secular fundamentalists. They have two faces; they lack moral principles and strength of character. They are neither good Muslims nor good secularists; they are just opportunist thugs. From Bangladesh to Egypt the story is the same. Let us be honest here, some of our governments in the West have given these two faced Muslim secular fundamentalists and their brutal regimes the full support, as these killing machines are perceived as a better choice than the Islamist governments, whether they are from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt or any other Islamic parties.

The Saudi rulers unashamedly have bankrolled General Sisi of Egypt to end Muslim Brotherhoods presidency. The Saudi king knows his days are numbered too. No illegitimate rulers can remain in power forever. The people will rise and topple them one day. Al-Saud family’s reign would have been over long time ago if the western countries withdraw their support. But that day is not that far away when all dictators and despots would be toppled.

I cannot sleep when I see these evils taking place in the world. How can you sleep with a clear conscience? Here are some questions for your conscience:

Why is it wrong to choose an Islamic political party through democratic means?

Why is it OK to arrest, detain, torture and kill members of Islamic political parties?

Why are the Western media so shy in exposing the truth about these people?

Why are the Western governments colluding with these brutal illegitimate regimes?

Why are you silent about these double standards?

I believe the Muslim world is finding its true identity away from postcolonial hegemony and western imperialist interference. Unfortunately they are paying a very heavy price for liberation and democracy. What we are witnessing is the true struggle for freedom. I believe the Muslim secular fundamentalists will run and hide with the stash of cash and wealth they have looted; they will take shelter in a despot loving country in the West and assume a normal life. Never trust a Muslim secular fundamentalist as he or she will not hesitate to sell your for a small fortune and fame!

I have bad news for the Muslim secular fundamentalists. The freedom loving Muslim masses will free their country from these scums and parasites and when they free it, they will come looking for these Muslim secular fundamentalists. They will be brought to justice and their rotten legacy will stand as a stark reminder for hundreds of years.

Egyptians should rise against the military and the Bangladeshis should wise against the nasty party led by the lady Hilter. Dictators and despots will never win the hearts and minds; peaceful and morally sound people will win it. Bangladesh to Egypt will be free soon.

ยฉ Ajmal Masroor August 15, 2013

#PrayForEgypt

Heart wrenching what they are doing to our brs & srs. Inshallah, they’re alive with Allah swt rejoicing & waiting for others to join.

What truly died was the standing of every secularist/nationalist/liberalist/coup-lover. Every bullet in Egypt was a bullet to the heart of the ummah. Don’t ever forget that.

The hearts of believers are one. Feel their pain, follow what’s happening, act, share and increase in dua. Allah swt will purify & look after them- their imaan + fortitude is plain for the world to see. We have to do our bit.

To anyone inside Egypt now who reads this, including close brs & friends:

ุฃูŽุณู’ุชูŽู€ูˆู’ุฏูุนููƒูู€ู…ู ุงู„ู„ู‘ูŽู‡ูŽ ุงู„ู‘ูŽุฐูŠ ู„ุง ุชูŽุถู€ูŠุนู ูˆูŽุฏุงุฆูุนูู€ู‡

“I place you in the trust of Allah, whose trust is never misplaced.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/cairo-massacre-after-today-what-muslim-will-ever-trust-the-ballot-box-again-8762021.html

Confusing ijtihadi matters with non ijtihadi issues

One of the reasons why many people fall into condemnation is due to them confusing ijtihadi matters with non ijtihadi issues. Most of the shariah is ijtihadi, in fact according to scholars around 80% (and more) is predicated upon ijtihad. We need to acknowledge and understand that in matters of ijtihad it is not permissible to condemn or shun anyone because they hold opposing views to us. This is a principle in and of itself as mentined by Imam al Suyuti:

Below are some statements by the scholars on this:

1. Imam Sadr al Din Ali Ibn al Izz al Hanafi: ”If the dispute between the Ummah in both fundamental and subsidiary issues was not referred to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, the truth would not be clear. Rather the disputants would not be upon clear evidence regarding their matter. If Allah gave them mercy, they would acknowledge each other’s (evidence), and no one of them would wrong the other, as was the case with the Companions at the time of Umar and Uthman when a dispute in some of the issues of ijtihad arose. They would acknowledge one another without any oppression. But if they were not given mercy, the dispraised kind of dispute would happen.” (Aqeedah at Tahawiyah, p 288)

2. Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah: ”Praise be to Allah: In the issues of Ijtihad, the one who acts upon the saying of some of the scholars should not be condemned nor deserted; and the one who acts upon one of the sayings should not be condemned. If there are two opinions about the issue and one could see the preponderance of one of them, he should act according to it. Otherwise he should follow one of the scholars who are trusted in showing the more preponderant of the two sayings.” (Majmu’ al Fatawa, 20/207)

3. Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab: ”Since some of the scholars allowed Tawassul (to Allah) with the righteous people, and some considered it to apply in particular to the Prophet and the majority of the scholars forbade it and disliked it. Therefore, this question is one of the issues of fiqh. Although the correct position, in our opinion, is the saying of the Jamhur that it is makruh, we do not deny and condemn the one who dd it, and there is no denial and condemnation in the issues of Ijtihad.” (Al-Sheikh’s publications, Division 3, Fatawa: 68)

Al that is summarised in the famous axiom among the scholars:

ู„ุง ุฅู†ูƒุงุฑ ููŠ ู…ุณุงุฆู„ ุงู„ุฅุฌุชู‡ุงุฏ

‘There is no condemnation in matters of Ijtihad’.

-Imam Abdullah Hasan