Dear brothers who dwell in these prisons..
To you I write with distresses..
If to ALLAH you hold fast,
Then what harm will a misfortune do to you?
Beware dear brother
Of making you corrupting your thoughts,
Regarding the promise of the Deity, Mighty and Strong…
Verily He has promised the believers with salvation..
As He saved Yunus
From the dark depths of the belly of the fish
Dear Brother,
Before you passed the ancient ones..
These prisons are but like those prisons,
Did not Yusuf dwell in there for a phase??
And Musa,
The Tyrants threatened him with it and such was the Messenger
Of the Generous Deity to imprison him..
…..The Pagans plotted so my Lord saved him through his hijrah in the company
Of that trustworthy friend..
And in their footsteps…
The believers traversed..
Like Ahmad, that firm Imam,
And likewise Ibn Taimiyah was blessed with it
In the fortress of Sham, as prisoner he dwelled.
Hundreds of thousands of the true faithful dwelled for a time in these prisons.
Be not weak, dear brother..
Nor lose hope, when your time comes nor submit
Strengthen yourself by remembering the Deity, Most Supreme
And hasten in memorizing the Manifest Book.
That is for your heart a secure stronghold and
This is for your spirit an assisting provision.
These are hardships soon they will all cease and remaining form it will be various
Fruits of benefits, so if they intimidate you and they threaten you
Never weaken nor soften to them
And even if they insult you and they torture you and if
They beat you, submit not
You are not the first to be tortured for a mighty religion and a Manifest Legislation
Nor are you alone on this path for there are countless caravans throughout the years and if an Eid passes by
and a son is born and months rotate, while you are imprisoned, do not
Grieve O brother of the Righteous Ones
Of departing from family and losing children
And if they forbid you from their visits and likewise, their letters never appear,
So if this is for a Lord and Religion, then where is the patience, where is the
Certainty and where are your past speeches regarding the (height of the) Millah of That Trustworthy Messenger?
That intimate friend went willingly to slaughter his son, a clear trial on a magnificent, noble day like today without any anxiety, he put him down upon his forehead.
So my Lord saved him through His Good Will and ransomed
him with a fat sheep, but you..
Your sons are in a carefree life and diversion and
amusement and a secured home
Yet you have not been asked to slaughter them,
Rather merely for patience of a temporary separation for verily, they are in the care of a Merciful Lord and your are in solitude with Him and Faith..
For the pleasure of a Lord and assisting a religion,
Life and all children become insignificant..
For the pleasure of a Lord, the Mighty and Generous,
The Prisons come perfumed and the bitter come sweet
For the Pleasure of My Lord
The Prisons Come Perfumed
Written By:
Shaykh Abu Muhammad Al Maqdisi