A Great Epic Against Deprivation and Inhumanity (Part Two)
Dear students:
After the great officer M. Amin had spent a whole night appealing to the Almighty God and thinking to find a complete solution for the issue of those seventy repentant criminals, he got the solution; a complete plan ready to be accomplished, then he felt relief and his noble face became more delighted and full of happiness…. and he said to himself, ‘I have got it… I have got it… it is the solution by God’s Leave.’
He remembered that a few days earlier he had noticed a report issued by the sultan’s palace on behalf of the commander of the gendarmerie of al-Sham[34] to the effect of recruiting a large number of security guards because of the general disorder, and the great number of crimes committed in most areas of al-Sham.
Many men were eagerly dreaming of being appointed to that position because gendarmes, guards and officers received a high salary at that time; and later when he retired he would also receive a big pension which would ensure a life of plenty and opulence for family however large it was. Furthermore, he would have a prestigious social position. At that time, the police-man (gendarme) was held in high esteem and respected by all people because he received certain entitlements from the government and other authorities that most people did not have.
Officer M. Amin proceeded straightaway to the commander-in-chief (the commander of the army) of Greater Syria and knocked at the door of his office. When he heard the words ‘Come in’, he entered the office and gave the customary military salute, ‘Greetings, Sir.’
On seeing him the commander-in-chief gladly stood up due to the affection and appreciation he held for him. He returned the greeting saying, ‘Welcome, Aslan, [35] come in and have a seat.’
‘Might I ask you something, Your Excellency? But before that, please let me give you some details.’ Our officer said after he sat down.
The commander said, ‘Please, let me know what is in your mind.’
‘God forbids… God forbids… God forbids!’ Our officer said.
The commander fixed his eyes on our officer in amazement; ‘This must be a matter of some importance, he thought.’
Our officer continued, earnestly and steadily, to paint a graphic picture for the commander. ‘God forbids… God forbids that one day the Sultan might prefect be angry with you and dismiss you from the service for some particular reason… Of course, you would have to leave your position of authority and become a civilian again. Then you would live like any man here in Damascus and use up all your savings and any spare money collected from your previous salaries… until eventually all that you possessed had been used up. You were formerly a policeman and chief of the army, and you have no other job or profession to practise in order to earn a living and provide your family. Of course, you are a person of considerable social rank known to all the people in al-Sham so you could never work in any mundane job such as a blacksmith or a carpenter…
‘And then it happens! Your money has run out, there’s no suitable work for you and your children are crying from the griping pains of hunger and deprivation, their beautiful eyes sunken from lack of sleep. There’s no more food in the house not even a morsel of bread, and you stand completely powerless watching this desperate scene and you are smitten by its harshness. What would you do then? How would you behave? Would you leave them to die?’
The commander’s eyes opened wide, his nerves were stretched and he trembled in every limb, then he shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Aslan, do you want me to steal?’
Our officer replied, ‘Far be it from you, God forbid… but I have a strong reason for giving you this scenario.’
The high commander, still flabbergasted, cried out, ‘I?… steal?… and kill?’
Then our officer continued in a forceful voice, ‘Your Excellency, High Commander, seventy families are suffering this bitter and painful situation. Seventy men who are trying to provide their families have repented and turned away from their lives of crime and now due to the dire state of the country they can’t provide even a single morsel of bread: their children weep from hunger and deprivation… cold and pain, and so their fathers are obliged to steal in order to feed them. Inevitably these men become felons and we arrest them, beat them and put them in prison.’
The commander-in-chief calmed down at these words and a look of amazement appeared on his face… as he said, ‘But would my salary be enough for seventy families? Of course not, Aslan! I have no way to provide sustenance for seventy families. Surely they need far more than I can provide for them.’
Our officer added saying, ‘Your Excellency, High Commander, I do not ask you to give them charity from your own pocket, but you know that there is an official order published by the sultan’s palace on behalf of the gendarmerie of al-Sham by which they are looking for a number of security guards and gendarmes, and I think that those seventy would be enough to fulfil that order.’
The face of the high commander was again overcome with all kinds of emotions… amazement, anger, astonishment… and he shouted, ‘Are you going to deliver the souls of good human beings to the hands of mere felons?’
Our officer replied in a voice that was equally heated, ‘Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, those are criminals for precisely the same reason that would make you steal and kill. They stole only because of necessity. Now they have repented that crooked course. You know that no sooner had I taken over the leadership of the two sectors of al-Salihiya and al-Akrad than I brought peace and stability to those areas. Along with my men, I left no stone unturned in my mission to purge the district of all crime and its associated dangers. My men and I did not rest until I had achieved my aim.
‘Of course, the same cannot be said of the rest of al-Sham. However, you know that these two sectors were the most violent and dangerous and the situation there was chaotic. At any rate, there would be a further guarantee because if these seventy men remained in this present state of lack and deprivation, they would have to violate the law however severe the punishment might be because their condition of poverty and starvation which would drive them to this demeanour is more severe than the punishment itself. It is lack of food; yes, they will return to their life of crime if we do not provide them with the means to earn their living… ’
Our officer went on saying, ‘What’s more, I think that they would be the best possible security guards because, having been criminals they would know all the ins and outs of the criminal’s mind and how they go about planning robberies and killings. Nothing would escape them on their watch especially once they are appointed as guards, a position that they could never have dreamed of, nor of the salary they would receive, and the retirement pension which would surely provide security for their families. Thus, on taking up that post they would do their utmost to keep it; and for fear of losing it, they would be the most courageous and the best security guards: they would never be afraid of death and would face all situations however great or small.’
During the conversation, the high commander appeared to pay full attention to the words of our officer the like of which he had never heard before in his life. It must be added that while listening to the ingenious ideas of this noble and honest man all the signs of stress and excitement had finally left him.
However, our officer continued explaining his humane ideas adding, ‘Oh your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, I expect that the following things will be achieved: First, we ensure their repentance; second, we raise their families up to a better level and good reputation and so we save them from misery and deprivation; third, we ensure safety throughout Damascus and its people. There will be no more disorder, robbery or crime after we entrust them with this job, or rather, to tell the truth, this task. What do you think?’
The high commander became confused and said, ‘But you know Aslan, I have no control over this matter. It’s under the authority of the prefect, do you have the way to get an appointment to meet him and convince him?’
Our officer replied, ‘Well, I’ll speak to him; why not?’
The commander-in-chief added, with signs of astonishment and wonder on his features, ‘Aslan, what do you say? Are you definitely going to talk to the prefect about their case?’
Our officer said, ‘Yes, I’ll do it. I shall explain the situation to him in full, exactly as I did to you.’
At that moment, the high commander stood up abruptly, put on his military hat, adjusted his clothes and walked out of his office; saying, ‘If you are prepared to speak to the prefect, then follow me; let us go to him now.’ Aslan stood up immediately and set out behind the high commander. He was determined to meet the prefect and complete this humanistic and ingenious action which he had started.
Meeting the prefect was not easy for he was equal in status to the president who ruled over Greater Syria that comprised: Iskenderon Province, Cilicia, al-Mussel, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. This was the personage he was about to meet. A personage that held such an exalted position of power which commanded great reverence, and meeting him would be deadly serious. The headquarters of the prefect was in the same place as those of the commander-in-chief; that is, in the government palace.
The high commander entered the office of the prefect to tell him that our officer, by the name of Aslan, would like to meet him on a matter of extreme urgency. A few moments passed, when he came out to tell our officer that he could go in. The commander-in-chief went back into the prefect’s office and Aslan followed him with firm, steady steps until he came face to face with the prefect. Aslan had the appearance of a brave lion, courage radiating across his features… as he gave a firm military salute.
The prefect said, ‘Welcome… welcome to you… welcome to the lion, your excellent reputation and brilliant deeds precede you and are held in high esteem by us. Please have a seat… what do you wish to discuss?’
Our officer sat down and began saying, ‘Your Excellency, the Prefect, I have an important request for you but first of all I would like to give you an example to clarify what I will be asking of you.’
The prefect said, ‘Please, continue.’
Our officer said, ‘God forbids… God forbids… God forbids!’
Officer M. Amin continued his speech with similar words to those he had used to address the high commander. He repeated the conversation without any sign of hesitation. But he started with the words: ‘God forbids… God forbids if the Grand Vizier [36] were to be angry with you… ’
At these dramatic words all the senses and emotions of the prefect were entirely focused on what our officer was saying. Then, his eyes glowed as keenly and directly as the dark eyes of a rapacious falcon as he stared straight into the eyes of Aslan as he continued to deliver his speech steadily and firmly. He asked the prefect what he thought would become of him if he became an ordinary civilian in Damascus with no salary or financial resources. Our officer asked how he would fare once he had spent all the money he had saved during his working life… and there was nothing left to provide sustenance for his family. He also reminded him how he would no longer be a statesman and politician of the highest rank. What could he do to earn his living? ‘Oh your Excellency, it would be impossible for a person such as you to work in any lowly job.’
Our officer then explained the raw truth of desperate hunger: he described how the day would come when his children would weep from the pain of hunger and the harshness of their life; unable to sleep for the spasms in their bellies and not even a morsel of food in the house.
‘Oh Excellency, you would see the suffering of your children with your own eyes… their pain would be your pain too… in this case, what would you do?… leave them to starve to death?’
The prefect reacted as the commander had done earlier… he became nervous, began to tremble from head to foot, and then he shouted in a thunderous voice, ‘Aslan, do you want me to steal?’
Our officer replied firmly and strongly, ‘Certainly not! God forbid! You misunderstand my words.’
The prefect added in his firmest voice, ‘Yes I would steal… I would steal and kill.’
Then Aslan continued with logic and stupefying ingenuity that crystallized his deep humanistic feeling, ‘Your Excellency, seventy families are suffering this bitter unchanging situation. The heads of seventy families are sorry for their crimes and prepared to work to provide their children, but right now they don’t have even a crust of bread and those children are crying from hunger and cold.’
A kind of confused wonder spread over the prefect’s face, ‘But… Aslan! Would my salary be enough for seventy families? Would it support the daily life of seventy families? Of course not, Aslan. I couldn’t possibly provide seventy families.’
How strange that his reply is exactly the same as the high commander’s!
Aslan added, ‘Excellency, I am not asking you to do that, but an official order has been submitted by the sultan’s palace on behalf of the gendarmerie of al-Sham. They have positions for a large number of security guards. I think that the seventy men I have mentioned would be enough to fulfil that order.’
Again, the prefect’s reaction was similar to that of the commander: his eyes opened wide and he shouted ‘Aslan! Are you going to trust felons and criminals of the safekeeping of human beings and their souls?’
Our officer replied, ‘Excellency, those men are not criminals by nature, but because of hunger and poverty. They turned to stealing simply because they were unable to provide basic sustenance for their families. If these seventy men were to remain in this state, they would surely break the law however serious the punishment might be, because they would be motivated by hunger and not because of a wish to commit crimes. If we fail to support them, or find work for them, they will turn to crime out of necessity. What is more, I think that they would be the best possible security guards, for once they have secure jobs there will be no further disorder, robbery or crime, Your Excellency.’
After the prefect had heard these irrefutable proofs and sound logic, he shook his head, filled with admiration and appreciation for the ingenuity of Aslan. He had heard more and more about, this officer’s work, his ideas and plans… mere criminals were to become guards! What an innovative idea! This was something which he had never seen or heard about! Those felons were the most suitable and no-one else would match their competence for this job! Needless to say, this was an amazing idea and showed great ingenuity!
But in spite of all that the prefect had heard, and despite his confession and submission of those proofs and that sound logic, he was still not fully assured that the plan could succeed; he had to be completely sure because the responsibility was his, and his alone. However, he was afraid that the reality of the matter was not in accordance with the theoretical evidence however convincing it might be. For this reason, it was his duty not to commit himself to this plan before looking into it in more deeply.
The prefect asked, ‘Who would ensure that those seventy men would follow the proper path and be able to save people’s souls?’ The prefect looked at the commander-in-chief and asked him if he would assume the responsibility for them. With no hesitation at all, the high commander replied that he accepted the responsibility because the works, achievements and the wonderful successes he had seen from our officer during his lifelong convinced him that Aslan could be trusted completely to accomplish every mission or deed. When the prefect heard the confirmation of the commander-in-chief, he said, ‘I agree Aslan, you may have what you want. We shall issue our order to appoint the seventy men.’
No sooner said than done! Our officer took an application from his pocket, opened it and handed it to the Pasha. He had been so hopeful of success that he had already prepared it! The application included an order for appointing the seventy men listed individually by name to the position of security guards. The prefect took the application, read it, signed and stamped it with the official seal. It had now become an official order to be executed. The prefect added, ‘Take it Aslan and use it as your authority to complete the rest of the procedures.’
Aslan thanked the prefect, and asked for permission to take his leave; he saluted the prefect and set off in a hurry, followed by the high commander who was speechless and dazed by the officer’s boldness, strength and ingenious planning. As soon as they reached the stairway of the palace, Officer M. Amin stopped suddenly. The high commander asked him, ‘What is the matter with you, Aslan?’
Our officer replied, ‘I forgot a very important thing and I must go back at once to speak to the Pasha.’ The commander-in-chief soon turned around and rushed back to the office of the prefect and asked for permission to be brought again into his presence. The prefect smiled, and seemed quite bemused – a few moments ago he had seemed to say, ‘You (Aslan) turned us into thieves and criminals and now what will you make of us?’ – and said, ‘What is the matter, Aslan?’
Our officer replied, ‘Your Excellency, those men are not criminals by nature but because of deprivation. Because they committed crimes they are now wanted men as they have been convicted of various crimes. Even though they are appointed to an official position, they will be arrested, brought to trial and convicted. For this reason, would you kindly add an article of general amnesty for these men. This should include all their previous convictions Excellency… so that they do not encounter any problems after their appointment.’
The prefect agreed and added an extra article of general amnesty including all their previous convictions and stamped it with the official seal. Again our officer thanked the prefect for his cooperation and asked him for permission to leave, saluted him and left with an air of great victory surrounding him..
Officer M. Amin sent for the seventy men telling them to gather at a specific time that afternoon in the square of al-Juma market near the Sheikh Muhyiddin Mosque. They were all there waiting for him at the appointed time. Our officer arrived and began to give them the details of the plan and then read out to them the official order for their appointment. He made sure to point out that the amnesty order included all their previous crimes and had been signed and sealed by the prefect himself and now it was to be executed.
They were stupefied on hearing this news which would save them from the humility of want and disgrace and turn their lives into ones of affluence, happiness and plenty which they could never have dreamt of in their entire life. Their hearts were instantly overwhelmed with joy and their happiness was tangible: they all began to speak at once, almost unable to believe their good fortune, but celebrating anyway. They threw their hats and headbands into the air… and leapt up to begin frenzied dancing… Could they believe what they had heard? Was it true? Was it reasonable? In one strike they would be saved from all the complications of life. Even their previous convictions were included in the amnesty. They were about to get official positions which no one could have ever dreamt of. They would certainly be loyal guards, they would become respected and adorned with reverence and known for their steadiness by all people. Hunger and deprivation would be things of the past and their children would now be able to live safely and peacefully, and become respected by their neighbours. Finally, they would have every reason to receive all their rights in society.
While the seventy men were celebrating with unbridled merriment and the sound of their laughter filled the place, the voice of our officer rumbled above the hubbub saying, ‘Listen men… Listen!’ The clamour died away immediately and the men stood motionless on the spot, looking at him with awe and appreciation. His voice rumbled again, saying, ‘Listen to me well: you will be responsible for protecting the souls of people that will be entrusted to your hands; and I must tell you that this will never come to pass unless you all perform your prayers. If you do not persevere in your communication with God, you will neither be appointed to these positions nor get your amnesty; do you understand? In the past you have committed atrocities and crimes which prevented you from praying and standing in God’s Presence, but now you have repented these transgressions. So if you do not perform the daily prayers, how could I deliver the souls of people to your safe keeping? How could humanity be entrusted to your hands to keep them safe and protect them from all evil?’
Then, their voices resounded in unison saying, ‘We promise you that we will pray… Yes, Sir we will definitely perform our prayers.’ Our officer said, ‘Then we will all gather today at the evening prayer in the mosque. Soon you should go to your homes, have a bath and wear clean clothes as far as possible, and then you must be at the mosque on time… understood?’ They all replied, ‘Oh Sir, we’re all ready; we understand.’
Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Mosque is well-known in all the cities of the state of al-Sham At that time, al-sheikh Amin Kharbutli was the preacher and imam of this well known mosque. He used to recite a daily religious lesson to his murids[37] between sunset prayer and evening prayer. On that particular day, while they were listening to the lesson after sunset prayer sitting around al-sheikh Amin Kharbutli, he noticed that the four doors of the mosque were crowded with men whose features and appearance indicated that they had a deep connection to the shady world of crime… between five and seven men trailed through each door, and were soon followed by seven more… and so on. Of course the sheikh was sitting at the pulpit with his face to the north, facing the four doors of the mosque, whereas his pupils were crowded round him with faces pointing to the south and looking at him attentively.
When the sheikh saw those men, he was shocked and filled with horror at their criminal appearance especially as he recognised and knew some of them. He was overcome at the scene before him, to the extent that he was struck dumb, he was unable to move and remained in that position, his eyes fixed on the doors and the men passing through them.
A terrible feeling of dread overwhelmed the sheikh and he became afraid for the safety of his pupils around him for he was certain that they would be killed by the hands of those villains… surely those felons would attack his group and steal all the fine carpets of the mosque and the expensive pieces of furniture. These were the initial thoughts that passed through his mind from the very first moment he saw them. He was in an unenviable strange situation… his tongue was silenced, his eyes were fixed on the doors and he appeared to be overcome by such terrible fear that his mouth stayed open and fixed, unable to speak except to make an occasional sound.
His pupils witnessed his strange behaviour, but they could not see what was happening behind them. However, the predicament of their sheikh amazed them, for they were not aware of the reason: what was the matter with him? Had he had a seizure or could he see something behind them? They wondered what was happening. And so everyone turned around to see what was going on, and they, too, seemed to become fixed in that position, but with their necks twisted backward and overcome with shock as their sheikh had been. They were afraid to take their eyes off the men coming in for they were certain that they would soon be killed.
One question crossed the minds of all who saw what had happened at the inside doors of the mosque: What could bring those men into the mosque? They instilled fear wherever they went and if just one of those felons came into any street of a market, people would soon leave and run off in all directions. So what was about to happen with so many of them in one place? Were they about to attack the place? There could be no other reason for them to enter the mosque except theft and violence..
The sheikh was still in a shocked, miserable state when our beloved officer Mohammad Amin came in from behind that numerous crowed of horrible men whose ugly shapes matched their ugly past. At that moment, al-sheikh al-Kharbutli caught his breath and his soul was revived: he had caught sight of our officer and felt safe and reassured. He stood up at once and asked Officer M. Amin, ‘My son, what is the matter with those aggressive criminals? Why have these dreadful men entered our mosque?’
Officer M. Amin replied, ‘They have repented their life of crime.’
The sheikh was overcome with surprise and wonder and he said, ‘My son, what are you saying? These are repentants? If Satan ever has the chance to repent, these men may then repent too… by God, even if the Prophet Mohammad (cpth) were to come here, they would not repent.’
Our officer said, ‘I’ll say it again. These men are true repentants and have attended the mosque in order to perform the evening prayer behind you.’
When the sheikh called for the prayer, they ranged themselves behind him and some of them had to copy him because they did not know even the formal movements of prayer: they looked right and left, and once they stared in wonder at the others who were praying, and sometimes some of them looked in surprise at the line of feet and noticed how they were upright throughout one line. They continued to observe all that was happening around them until the imam started the prayer with the statement ‘Al’lah is Greater’. They began to imitate him in the prayers and that was possibly the first time that some of them had entered a mosque for tens of years. The only occasion they might have entered a mosque would be when little children were present.
And so, that prayer was one of the great, eternal achievements of Officer Mohammad Amin because it was the key to great good and a path to the Afterlife for seventy human beings and their families. He took them in hand and helped them to give up the life of sin and disobedience and begin again with a pure and honest life. This was the first great step.
For many years they had been disobedient criminals and aggressive, insolent thieves… now they had repented and were ready to perform their prayers at all the appointed times. In the past no-one had been able to control any one of them. No-one could affect their hearts nor turn them away from their frequent acts of violence however much they tried. And now, they had repented their previous life of crime and were thanking their Provider because of the supreme efforts of our great humane man, and there they were together performing prayer in a group at the mosque.
The prayer had finished and our officer went out to the courtyard of the mosque followed by the seventy men who stood around him in the yard which was covered with a beautiful layer of sparkling white snow. Then, he told them about the time and place of their next meeting the following morning where they would be given details of the training course they were to go on. This was for them to learn the principles and laws applicable to their new positions as security guards. They also would receive the essential instructions and basic guidelines of the job, and after that they would follow the security training and finally would receive their military uniforms and weapons.
Our officer then reminded them that it was of vital importance to attend every prayer in the mosque. He strongly urged them to perform their prayers even though some of them had already understood this when they tasted the bliss of prayer after their hearts opened to real life and happiness from Allah. They needed no further encouragement as they, themselves, persisted in their prayer and never wasted it. Furthermore, from that time on they maintained their obedience to all that had been asked of them and abandoned all forbidden actions.
As soon as they finished their training course, they received their arms and were posted to every quarter and street throughout Damascus. Eventually, small guard posts were built for their guard duties and they became brave and loyal guards. As a result disorder, robberies and crime had been wiped out and safety and peace spread throughout the city. If a woman went out at midnight carrying a large basket of gold, nobody would dare to touch her and she was able to walk safely and peacefully at any time, day or night.
This wise and merciful man, M. A. Sheikho, brought security and justice to Damascus after it had been full of injustice and tyranny. As for the actual situation of the seventy families, there was a radical change that was beyond their imagination. How wretched and miserable they had been! The torment they had suffered was beyond one’s imagination! They suffered from cold, hunger, and used to eat stolen food and wear stolen clothes. As for their children