You mentioned in some of your books, in general terms, your entry into Oman and then your return to Syria under compelling circumstances, so we ask you to clarify that for us?
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The questioner : Okay, there was in some of your books—I don’t know the name now—you mentioned in general terms your entry into Oman, and then your return to Syria under compelling circumstances that you had no choice but to face, meaning we just know that, right?
The Shaykh : This is well known. I was living here in a modest, small house while I was looking for land to build a house on. So my choice fell on this land, and I started building. Naturally, my brothers were very keen for me to give them lessons, as I had done before. Before I settled here, I would come every one, two, or three months depending on my circumstances, and I would deliver some lessons at the house of Shaykh Ahmad Atiya here. We also used to visit Zarqa and deliver some lessons there, and perhaps in al-Suwaylih.
The questioner : al-Buq‘ah.
The Shaykh : Ah, al-Buq‘ah, yes. The point is, this was my habit before I settled here. When I settled, I was occupied with building the house. They were urging me, and I promised them that after finishing the building, if Allah wills, we would head toward teaching. We built and moved in, praise be to Allah, and they renewed their request.
The questioner : Request?!
The Shaykh : Teaching.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We delivered the first lesson on the roof of Shaykh Ahmad’s house here, not the previous house where I used to give lessons. The roof filled up to its capacity. The second week, it was probably Tuesday, Abu Abdullah, right?
The questioner : Tuesday.
The Shaykh : Tuesday.
The questioner : Yes, Tuesday.
The Shaykh : The point is, the second week was the same. The lesson was in *Riyad al-Saliheen*, lasting perhaps three-quarters of an hour, followed by questions and answers. The third lesson had not yet come—yes, that’s right—when the intelligence service came after me. I had just prayed the midday prayer in a mosque here called Masjid al-Nur. I was with my older brother, whose name is Muhammad Naji Abu Ahmad, and my son, the photographer, who now resides in Jeddah, was visiting. I was going up, followed by my brother, then my son. Suddenly, a man was coming up wearing... He said, "Peace be upon you." I said, "And upon you be peace." He said to my brother, "Are you so-and-so?" I said to him, "I am so-and-so." He said, "We want you for a little while." The car was right there in the passage. So, in short, they took me immediately to the intelligence office. From room to room, we reached a room where the man who had come and taken me was. "Your ID." We gave the ID. It was a routine matter, a standard procedure. "What do you do? What is your job?" and so on.
And as the conversation was going on, an employee entered who appeared to be a senior officer, tall and wearing glasses. He turned to me and said, "Shaykh, your presence here in this country is not welcome." I said to him, "Why? I did not come today, or yesterday, or a week ago, or two weeks ago. I have been a resident here for a year. And not only that, but I bought land with the permission of the state. They do not allow foreigners, as they call them, to buy and own property unless a petition is submitted, and this is forwarded to the intelligence service and to the Prime Minister. He must sign and approve. So I point to this fact that I bought land with the permission of the state. Not only that, but I built a house on it with the permission of the state. And not only that, but I married one of their women. So they were deaf to me. He turned his back, and I don’t know what he whispered to the employee, and he left.
He had said to me, "It is not my wish." When he said it was not his wish for me to stay here, he told me to choose any of the Arab countries. But when I gave him this response and he withdrew, they moved me to another room and began to interrogate me. Then, as if it were a play, he acted as if he had forgotten something and then remembered it, and he left. A police officer came and took me to another place, took my ID, and I don’t know what he was recording. Then they took me down with a soldier and put me in a military Land Rover.
The Shaykh : This is well known. I was living here in a modest, small house while I was looking for land to build a house on. So my choice fell on this land, and I started building. Naturally, my brothers were very keen for me to give them lessons, as I had done before. Before I settled here, I would come every one, two, or three months depending on my circumstances, and I would deliver some lessons at the house of Shaykh Ahmad Atiya here. We also used to visit Zarqa and deliver some lessons there, and perhaps in al-Suwaylih.
The questioner : al-Buq‘ah.
The Shaykh : Ah, al-Buq‘ah, yes. The point is, this was my habit before I settled here. When I settled, I was occupied with building the house. They were urging me, and I promised them that after finishing the building, if Allah wills, we would head toward teaching. We built and moved in, praise be to Allah, and they renewed their request.
The questioner : Request?!
The Shaykh : Teaching.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We delivered the first lesson on the roof of Shaykh Ahmad’s house here, not the previous house where I used to give lessons. The roof filled up to its capacity. The second week, it was probably Tuesday, Abu Abdullah, right?
The questioner : Tuesday.
The Shaykh : Tuesday.
The questioner : Yes, Tuesday.
The Shaykh : The point is, the second week was the same. The lesson was in *Riyad al-Saliheen*, lasting perhaps three-quarters of an hour, followed by questions and answers. The third lesson had not yet come—yes, that’s right—when the intelligence service came after me. I had just prayed the midday prayer in a mosque here called Masjid al-Nur. I was with my older brother, whose name is Muhammad Naji Abu Ahmad, and my son, the photographer, who now resides in Jeddah, was visiting. I was going up, followed by my brother, then my son. Suddenly, a man was coming up wearing... He said, "Peace be upon you." I said, "And upon you be peace." He said to my brother, "Are you so-and-so?" I said to him, "I am so-and-so." He said, "We want you for a little while." The car was right there in the passage. So, in short, they took me immediately to the intelligence office. From room to room, we reached a room where the man who had come and taken me was. "Your ID." We gave the ID. It was a routine matter, a standard procedure. "What do you do? What is your job?" and so on.
And as the conversation was going on, an employee entered who appeared to be a senior officer, tall and wearing glasses. He turned to me and said, "Shaykh, your presence here in this country is not welcome." I said to him, "Why? I did not come today, or yesterday, or a week ago, or two weeks ago. I have been a resident here for a year. And not only that, but I bought land with the permission of the state. They do not allow foreigners, as they call them, to buy and own property unless a petition is submitted, and this is forwarded to the intelligence service and to the Prime Minister. He must sign and approve. So I point to this fact that I bought land with the permission of the state. Not only that, but I built a house on it with the permission of the state. And not only that, but I married one of their women. So they were deaf to me. He turned his back, and I don’t know what he whispered to the employee, and he left.
He had said to me, "It is not my wish." When he said it was not his wish for me to stay here, he told me to choose any of the Arab countries. But when I gave him this response and he withdrew, they moved me to another room and began to interrogate me. Then, as if it were a play, he acted as if he had forgotten something and then remembered it, and he left. A police officer came and took me to another place, took my ID, and I don’t know what he was recording. Then they took me down with a soldier and put me in a military Land Rover.