Was your entry into Damascus, al-Sham, with your father a result of persecution?

Al-Hawini: Okay; so, the story of your entry into Damascus, al-Sham, with your father, was it a result of persecution, for example, or what?

The Shaykh : It was not that there was any persecution, but there were signs of domination in the air, because the situation had not yet stabilized before he began to impose laws on the people—and peace be upon you—and began to control the women, and imposed a grip on the police and the army. It was a sign of evil, in my opinion... (may Allah have mercy on him). And so he decided... to move my family to Damascus, to al-Sham in general, and to Damascus in particular. This was because of the many hadiths he read that were reported regarding al-Sham in general and Damascus in particular, as is known, or as became known later, that among these hadiths there are weak ones, authentic ones, and good ones on this matter. But the general idea is correct, and it was dominant in his mind—(may Allah have mercy on him)—and so he decided to migrate when he saw those signs. This is the reason for the migration, and there was no direct pressure.
Yes.