Imam Anwar al-Awlaki

[Khalaf]

Cageprisoners has confirmed that Imam Anwar al-Awlaki has been released from prison in Yemen. “The time I spent in detention was a great blessing from Allah. They were moments of contemplation and study which I was greatly in need of. Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed me during that time of solitude with tranquility and peace to the extent that at most of the time I was preferring detention over freedom. Now that I am free I ask Allah to enable me to thank Him for his blessings.

 

“I am greatly moved to know that many of my brothers and sisters have been asking about my situation and praying for my release. I thank them all. May Allah reward all of you with Paradise.”

 

May Allah bless the Sheikh. and help the rest. His lectures you can find here. Take the time and listen to him, promise you'll benefit from him greatly.

 

peace out!

[Warrior of Light]

Alhamdullilah, that is great news.

[Seekknowledge]

Why was he arrested?

[Fabregas]

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cageprisoners has confirmed that Imam Anwar al-Awlaki has been released from prison in Yemen. “The time I spent in detention was a great blessing from Allah. They were moments of contemplation and study which I was greatly in need of. Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed me during that time of solitude with tranquility and peace to the extent that at most of the time I was preferring detention over freedom. Now that I am free I ask Allah to enable me to thank Him for his blessings.

 

“I am greatly moved to know that many of my brothers and sisters have been asking about my situation and praying for my release. I thank them all. May Allah reward all of you with Paradise.”

 

 

Mashallah!

[Khalaf]

Indeed! This is great news. Very happy for the Imam, may Allah bless him in this dunya and in the next life.

 

SK, there doesn't need to be reason to be arrested. Uncle Sam ordered it, Yeman obeyed her master. There was another Professor Florida Unv, cant recall his name, and his video is on Youtube, him reciting the Ibn Tamiya's (RA) what can they do with me, my paradise is in my heart. i believe he is still under custody? God bless him.

[Ameen]

This is great news and maybe a beginning for another stage.

 

A stage where fear wont cause anyone to conceal the Truth.

 

May Allah have mercy on Imam Anwar and the rest of us (Aameen)

[Seekknowledge]

SK, there doesn't need to be reason to be arrested. Uncle Sam ordered it, Yeman obeyed her master.

Usually Uncle Sam makes up charges. Even in Guatanamo US came up with "Enemy combatant" :confused: . So what were the charges against this poor man? What did he allegedly do?

[Ameen]

....

[Ameen]

SeekKnowledge, I'll tell you what he did.

 

Come closer so that you can hear it clearly without any misunderstandings...

 

HE SPOKE THE TRUTH.

 

Imam Anwar spoke about matters that "regular" shieks shouldnt go near because its not "politically correct" to discuss.

 

In reality, what he really did was cause fear to enter the heart of Uncle Sam. See what you may not understand is, Uncle Sam doesn't want the next generation of Muslim youth to hear the truth behind Islam and decide to embark upon that same path. If such youth were to hear it, that would cause much "future" problems. So the way to solve such a problem is by locking down all the means to find the truth. Which in this case was our beloved Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki.

 

 

I hope, I answered your question.

[Fabregas]

They said he was apparently training some Danish.converts and smuggling weapons to the Islamic Courts, which was convenient givent that he teaching/studying in Yemen. Of course the whole thing was probably organised by the Yemeni security forces.

[Seekknowledge]

Thank you GJ_Goate.

 

Ameen You didn't answer my question on the contrary you made me more confused and wanted to know more about the charges. Insha Allah I'll try to listen to his lectures.

[Fabregas]

This is a good site if you want a to listen to his lectures. Although I dont agree with many things he says on current issues, i hear that his in depth series on hereafter and the ashaba are clearly good.

 

http://nadeem.lightuponlight.com/indexaudios1.html#Anwar_Al-Awlaki

 

 

I see that some ppl are trying are trying to abuse the good name of Ulema like Imam Anwar. For example in the link Khalaf provided some person took it upon themselves to write:

 

quote: Salahuddin Ayyubi(rahimahullah) started out by uniting the Muslims around the Holy Land and he decided to do what many of the Ameer`s before him were too afraid to do and that was to start a war with the Crusaders. The Crusaders had occupied the entire coastal land along with Jerusalem and some important areas and al-Shaam

 

And

 

quote: quote They might be in jail, they might be killed, they might be underground or they might not be famous because no television station will broadcast their Khutbah but they are `Ulema.

 

 

quote:In the video:

Sheikh Ahmed Yasin

Sheikh Abdullah Azzam

Sheikh Nabeel Al Awady

Sheikh Abdul Majid Al Zindani

Sheikh Musa Al Qarni

Sheikh Yousef Al Qaradawi

Sheikh Feiz Muhammed

Sheikh Ali Al Tamimi

Sheikh Abu Hamza Al Masri

Sheikh Omar Bakri Sheikh Anwar Al Awlaki

Sheikh Khalid Al Rashid

Sheikh Abu Bakr Bashir

 

 

 

I think it is actually disgraceful that they mentioned ppl like Abu Hamza and the former leader of AlMujahiroun in the same breathe/sentence as the heavyweight of the Ummah sheikh Abdullah Azzam. There is a great difference between the ideology of Abdullah Azzam which never Ever called for the targeting of innoncent civilians and the the fighting of peaceful secular Muslim governments, unlike the modern day ppl that follow Osama Bin Laden and claim the one can target all Western civilians. Indeed, there is a great difference between the methodology of Imam Anwar and some of the people in that list. Imam Anwar was always against and condemned attacks against American civilians, which the current Almujahiroun leader referred to as the act of the "magnicifent 19". Many young muslims are being confused into believing that the manhaj of Alqaeda is the one that Abdullah Azzam followed, which is very far from the case...

[Seekknowledge]

After listening to some of his lectures I don't find any thing new in his speeches that other muslim and non muslims alike are already saying openly so I don't understand why they would single him out? Anyway glad his out.

[Khalaf]

Originally posted by GJ_Goate:

Although I dont agree with many things he says on current issues,

i hear that his in depth series on hereafter and the ashaba are clearly good.

Examples Geelow? if you dont mind. Thanks

 

SK, and rest this new interview and following transcript may shed more light:

 

Transcript of the interview from CagePrisoners (Imam Anwar’s words are bolded):

 

Moazzam Begg: When were you arrested? On what grounds were you held? Were there any charges made against you?

 

Anwar Al-Awlaki: Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem

. I was arrested in mid-2006. Initially I was held because I entered as an arbitrator in a local issue here, a tribal issue. I was an arbitrator in that issue and I was arrested until that issue… because the government wanted to solve that issue rather than have it solved tribally.

 

MB: Right.

 

AA: After that, they began asking me questions about my local Islamic activities here, and later on it was becoming clear that I was being held due to the request of the US government. That was what they were telling me here, and that the Americans wanted to meet me.

 

MB: Subhan Allah[ii]. Well, that’s something that we can share together. I’ve also been held at the request of the Americans for quite some time.

 

The other question is that the media reported that your incarceration was due to having some knowledge, or some people who were involved in 9/11 at your sermons. Could you clarify any of this at all?

 

AA: That was one of the issues that the Americans asked about but I don’t know if I was held because of that, or because of the other issues that they presented. But it was one of the issues that they enquired about.

 

MB: Can you describe a little bit about what your prison conditions were like? What was your individual cell was like?

 

AA: For the first nine months, I was in solitary confinement in an underground cell. I would say that the cell was about 8 feet by 4. It was about 12 feet high. It was clean. No interaction with any other prisoner was allowed for the entire nine months. After that, they moved me to the upper floor. The same thing, it was solitary confinement, although the restrictions were less, and the room was larger, it was about, maybe three times the size of the initial room, the initial cell. I spent there the remainder of my period, which was one and a half a years.

 

I was allowed for the last month and a half… they moved another person into this room, for the last month and a half. So for a year and a half, minus this month and a half, I was in solitary confinement, with the exception of the last month and a half.

 

MB: Subhan Allah. Did they place any restrictions on you in terms of what you were allowed to have in your cell, how you were allowed to interact with other prisoners, or in any way, other than you have already stated?

 

AA: When I was in the underground cell, there were restrictions on family visits, restrictions on any food that my family would send me, there were restrictions on books. I was not allowed pen and paper, and no exercise whatsoever. I hadn’t seen the sun for the entire period. What else… No interaction at all with any person except with the prison guards.

 

Later on, when I moved to the upper level, even though I was still in solitary confinement, but the restrictions were less. Visits from the family were more frequent. They would allow me food from home twice a week, and I was allowed more books. So things were better during the last period of the time I spent in detention… I don’t want to say sentence, because there wasn’t any sentence.

 

MB: That’s one of the questions I was meant to ask you. You were never charged with a crime, is that correct, and you were never put through any legal system?

 

AA: I wasn’t charged with anything. I was held for interrogation. When interrogation was over, I was released.

 

MB: Did any foreign interrogation take place? Did any Americans or any other foreign nationals interrogate you?

 

AA: Yes, the US did interrogate me. Officials from the US.

 

MB: And do you know if that was the FBI? Did they identify themselves as FBI, CIA, NSA or anything?

 

AA: Yes. They were FBI.

 

MB: Okay. And how was their attitude towards you… how did they deal with you as a person, how did they regard you?

 

AA: There was some pressure, which I refused to accept and that led to a conflict that occurred between me and them, because I felt that it was improper behaviour from their behalf. That led to an issue between me and them during the interrogation. That was solved however, later on, and they apologised.

 

MB: Al Hamdulillah[iii]. Were you able to have contact with your family at all, during the imprisonment, of course you’ve already said that they restricted from you letters, phone calls, and so forth, for the first nine months, I think you said. But afterwards, did they allow you this contact?

 

AA: Yes, towards the latter period of my imprisonment, I was allowed visits from my family, once a week.

 

MB: How often were you interrogated, by either local officials or foreign officials? Was it something regular, or was it something sporadic?

 

AA: The interrogation was on and off for a year.

 

MB: Is there any truth in the rumour that you were placed under house arrest prior to this and that you were banned from speaking in public?

 

AA: No, no that’s not true. I haven’t been placed under house arrest, nor have I been banned from speaking publicly.

 

MB: There was also something that said that you were being punished in prison because you were teaching some of the other prisoners. Is this true also, or could you elaborate on that?

 

AA: No, I didn’t have a chance to deliver any lectures because I was in solitary confinement for the entire period except the last month, which was only me and another person, so I wasn’t in touch with other prisoners.

 

MB: Are you allowed to travel outside the Yemen? Obviously, many people want you to come to the United Kingdom and elsewhere, to come and give lectures, and you’ve only been out a few days! I think this is based on a question from a lot of your supporters, subhan Allah. Are you allowed to travel outside the Yemen to give lectures?

 

AA: Well, I would like to travel. However, not until the US drops whatever unknown charges it has against me.

 

MB: Yes, and that would be my advice to anybody who would be in that sort of situation is to be aware of that.

 

Can you tell us any of the lessons that you’ve learnt from being incarcerated that you would like to share?

 

AA: In sha’Allah[iv] this is something that I plan to do in a lecture or more, and I would leave it to that point.

 

MB: In sha’Allah… and is that one of your plans for the future? Do you have any other plans for the future that you’d care to elaborate upon, or is it something that you’d wish to wait and see how time evolves?

 

AA: You mean, in terms of lectures?

 

MB: Lectures, and just life in general. Not just lectures but generally, in the future – what does the future hold?

 

AA: I have a few opportunities open at the moment and I haven’t chosen yet among them. I’m still sort of studying the situation at the time being.

 

MB: What was your response to the outpouring of support and concern, the campaigns, petitions, Facebook groups and the messages that you’ve received since your release – what was your response to this? How do you feel?

 

AA: Al Hamdulillah, it was very moving to know that there were brothers and sisters out there who were making du’a[v] for me. Al Hamdulillah Rabbil-Alameen[vi]. I believe that I was released due to the du’a of a certain righteous person who was making du’a for me, because RasulAllah (salla Allahu alayhi was-salam)[vii] says that when a person makes du’a for his fellow brother, an angel makes du’a for him, and RasulAllah (salla Allahu alayhi was-salam) says that the du’a for your brother Muslim is an accepted du’a. So I believe that it was due to these people, who were making dua for me, that I have been released, and I would like to thank them very much and say jazaakum Allahu khairan.[viii]

 

MB: In sha’Allah, and I pray that the du’a that they made for you is also made for all the other Muslim prisoners around the world, in sha’Allah, and that they will all be released.

 

Could you please give some words of advice, to the other prisoners and the prisoners’ families in terms of your experience, and how they might benefit from your words?

 

AA: My advice to them is the saying of Allah, azza wa jall[ix], “You might dislike something but there is a lot of good in it for you”.[x] And the hadith[xi] of RasulAllah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was-salam), Whatever decree Allah has decreed for the believer it is good for him. So if Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala[xii] has decreed that a certain person should be in prison, and that if Allah azza wa jall has decreed for a certain family that one of their members is in prison, we, as believers should believe that this decree is good and there is a hikmah, there is wisdom in it, and we should all have the trust and faith in whatever Allah azza wa jall has destined for us; because RasulAllah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was-salam) used to say, in the du’a, ‘As’aluka ridha fil-Qadhaa’, I ask You to make me satisfied and happy with what you have decreed for me. This is the first word of advice.

 

The second word of advice is this is a test for your sabr, patience; and patience is the one deed in which Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has promised an open reward. “Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning.”[xiii] There is no limit on their reward that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala gives for the Sabireen, the patient.

 

Finally, one should always believe that the strongest weapon that they have is du’a. They should never underestimate the power of du’a. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab[xiv] used to say, I’m not worried about Allah not accepting my prayers but I am worried about the way I pray to Allah azza wa jall. Allah will accept the du’a, Allah will respond to the it, it’s just that we have to do it properly, with sincerity.

 

MB: SubhanAllah, jazaakAllahu khair. One of the things that we used to do in Guantanamo, one of the things that I learnt, was Surat Yusuf[xv] used to be the most often, the most resonating surah that I used to read, and contemplate on, simply because Yusuf (‘alayhis-salam) was thrown in prison for something he didn’t do. And when I read that, in prison, it was totally different, my attitude towards it, and I began to cry in a way that I never would have thought was possible. Did you feel any particular verses from the Qur’an, any particular aayaat[xvi] or sahaba[xvii] stories, were relevant to how you were faring your time in prison?

 

AA: Well, the feeling I had when I was reading Qur’an – every surah, every ayah was totally different when I was reading it in the cell, compared to when I was reading it when I was outside.

 

MB: Yes, absolutely, ma sha’Allah[xviii].

 

AA: That was particularly true with Surat Yusuf but I can say that this has been the case with every single ayah and every surah in Qur’an. It was in a totally different light when I was reading it in prison.

 

MB: It’s quite amazing, because in prison, for us, in Guantanamo, they took everything away from us, our clothes, our families, our food, our life, everything and the only thing that we had that was familiar to us was the Qur’an, even though it was a different version or a different print, but it was the only thing that we could look at that was familiar. Everything else - the land, the area, the prisons, even the accents of the people that were speaking were totally unfamiliar except the word of Allah.

 

AA: Subhan Allah, and because they took everything away and gave the Qur’an, that is why the Qur’an had this different meaning. ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan[xix] used to say that if our hearts were clean and pure we would never satisfy our thirst from Qur’an. It is because of the distractions that are going around us, that we don’t get the most benefit from Qur’an. But when a person is in that solitary environment, all of the distractions are taken away and his heart is fixed on the word of Allah azza wa jall, the ayaat of Qur’an open into a completely different – they give a completely different meaning.

 

MB: Absolutely. Do you have or have you had interaction with people who have been in Guantanamo, in prison or after release, have you been able to speak to them or see how they’ve fared since their release at all?

 

AA: There were some brothers who were brought from Guantanamo and handed over to the Yemeni government and spent time in the PSL prison where I was but I didn’t have a chance to interact with them. I heard that they passed through while I was there. However, I never had a chance to interact with any of them yet.

 

MB: In sha’Allah may you interact with them in jannah[xx], insha’Allah

 

AA: In sha’Allah… I would really like to know how it was over there.

 

MB: In sha’Allah. Finally, I suppose it’s a question for Cageprisoners. Do you have any words about your feelings towards organisations like Cageprisoners are; what you think of our work, good or bad?

 

[/b]

AA: The brothers and sisters at Cageprisoners are fulfilling the order of RasulAllah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was-salam) which was stated in Bukhari[xxi], ‘Seek the release of the prisoner’, and they are at the forefront of fulfilling this command of RasulAllah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was-salam) so I ask Allah azza wa jall to reward them and assist them in their efforts.

[/b]

 

MB: Barak Allahu feek[xxii]. JazaakAllahu khairan, ya Shaykh.

 

AA: Wa iyyakum.[xxiii]

 

source

[Fabregas]

I'd rather not bro.I don't assume that those positions he holds are entirely wrong. Firstly, for the obvious reason that he is more knowledgeable than someone like me. Secondly, there are always differences of opinion. But, I believe these days people are quick to give a point of view or understanding and present it (knowlingly/unknowingly) as the only and correct point of view, without clearly stating to the listeners/readers that there are differences of opinion and other stances on the issue, which sometimes leads to young lads taking the words of that Sheikh and claim it must be right since "Sheikh Hebel said so".

 

I'll give you an example, which is unrelated to this particular Sheikh:

 

Sheikh X claims that the Mawlid or commemorating/celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhamad saw is wrong since it is not from the sunnah and the Ashaba never celebrated it. The Sheikh gives various opinions from modern current scholars who he believes are the best of the scholars in Hadith and Fiqh. However, the Sheikh doesn't mention to his readers/listeners that some prominent Ulema during the ages have allowed people to commemorate the birth of the Prophet (saw). He accues anyone that does it of being from the people of bidah. Then he starts to quote promiment Sheikhs about how this sect or group that celebrates it are from the people of bidah. But at the same Sheikhs he is now quoting are the same ones that said it is permissable to mark the Mawlid of the Prophet Muhamad saw. You see the problem there?

 

 

The next day the same Sheikh will be asked if suicide bombing is allowed against enemy troops when one is engaged in pshyical warfare. His answer will be that it is allowed since promiment ulema in this day and age have made it permisable. Next, the Sheikh will be asked, " but Sheikh isn't that killing yourself which is considered haram in Islam"?

The Sheikh willa argue that it depends on the intention behind the action and will then cite the story about the how the companions of the ditch sacrificed themselves as a means of pleasing Allah swt and Allah swt that they earned a great reward in Surah Buruj. Here, the Sheikh fails to mention several things. Firstly, he didn't clarify or explain to the people that this is a contentious issue with various different opinions,rather he gave the opinion of his favoured scholar and presented his opinion as completely daleel. Secondly, he failed to mention that there is a hadith in which a man is said to have killed himself whilst he was severly bleeding in battle and the Prophet( saw) said something to the effect of that individual being one of the companions of hellfire. Thirdly, he didn't tell his audience that this form of a warfare is completely knew to society and Islam, and thus can be considered a new innovation. Again, you see the problem there?

 

 

How can a Sheikh categorically state celebrating the mawlid is 100% bidah(innovation) and wrong and hence has no place in Islam, but at the same time claim that suicide bombing or "martydom operations" are totally and catergorically allowed in Islam, because Sheikh X gave this opinion? Can we not apply the same critrea the Sheikh applied to suicide bombing as celebrating Mawlid, ie suicide bombing was not done by the Prophet Muhamad saw or his companions, thus it is an innovation?

Note that I'M not saying that this particular Sheikh has done or said any of those particular things.