The administrative measures we have is that every Wilayah mourns the death of its own members, and the Ameer mourns those who pass away of the current and previous members of the office…and because Abu Mohammad (Sabri Al-Arouri) is a significant figure in this pure unblemished Da’wah bi’ithnillah, I saw that he be exempted from these measures.
- Accordingly, the Ameer and his office mourn the death of the great man who was a figure with great passionate energy, he was as strong as a mountain unshaken, he played an essential part in combatting the oppressors, whose resolve never faltered, his strength never softened, and who never feared anyone but Allah… the years of imprisonment at the hands of the oppressors are a witness to this, and I consider him to be of those whom Allah سبحانه وتعالى described:
مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَضَى نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلًا
“Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah. of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least”.
(Al-Ahzab, 33:23)
- Allah Subhanahu wa Taala had willed that we separate for a few years, after we became closest as can be since I moved from the city of Al-Khaleel (Hebron) to Amman due to my work as an Engineer at the Ministry of Public Works in Amman, and the address which I was sent to by the locality of Al-Khaleel to resume my Da’wah work was the address of the strong, pious man, Abu Mohammad. And we ascribe no deity to other than Allah, after which we continued to meet at frequent intervals… then as I mentioned, we separated for years, during which we never met visibly, and we only met occasionally on air…
- One day, four months before he – Rahimahullah – passed away, I saw a Facebook private message from a noble brother, this is what it stated:
“Assalamu alaykom wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu, this is a message from my father Shaikh Sabri Al-Arouri to our Shaikh Abu Yaseen:
Assalamu alaykom wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh my brother and beloved Abu Yaseen… May Allah سبحانه وتعالى accept your acts of worship and may every year bring you goodness, safety and stability… My brother, I pray to Allah day and night for your success, protection, safety, and victory in your actions and opinions… may Allah be with you wherever you are; and may He unite us with you soon in Dar-al Islam… Your brother Abu Mohammad Sabri… September/2016… received in private messages” End.
- It was an honorable letter from an honorable brother, where I responded to him on the Facebook page privately:
“To the honorable son of the beloved brother, our Shaykh Abu Mohammad Sabri Al-Arouri…
“Assalamu alaykom Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh,
May Allah reward you with goodness dear Khalid of goodness, for you have reconnected us with the dearly beloved, our Shaykh Abu Mohammad, reminding us with that fragrant biography of one of the great men who never weakened in the face of hardships he encountered, and they were many… He kept steadfast, even during his illness he was strong, and in his health he was stronger… How much we would love to meet him under the banner of Islam, the banner of Rasoolullah ﷺ, to recall together those good old days when Abu Mohammad was in that ‘shop’, in which he was a beacon for the Shabab from across the country. I remember that gracious meeting with him when I came to Amman, he was helpful to me at the time, may Allah bless him, and I ask Him سبحانه وتعالى to accept his good efforts in carrying the Da’wah, and continues to do so despite his illness – may Allah cure him. I ask Allah to make his actions weigh heavily on his scale the Day on which neither wealth will be of any use, nor children, [and when] only he [will be happy] who comes before Allah with a heart free of evil… I also ask Him سبحانه وتعالى, that if He hasn’t decreed in His Book that we will re-unite in this life, that He Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala unites us together in the next life, around the Prophet ﷺ and his companions, in a seat of Truth, in the Presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent… O Allah! Accept our call, You are indeed the All-Hearer, the Accepter of Prayers.
Wassalamu Alaykom Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh
17th Muharram 1437 AH – 18/10/2016 CE
Your brother Ata’ Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah” End.
Subhanallah… I would love to have met him in this life under the banner of Rasoolullah, but The Most High, the Powerful willed for something else, so I ask Him سبحانه وتعالى to answer the ending of my prayer in my letter above: “I also ask Him سبحانه وتعالى, that if He hasn’t decreed in His Book that we will re-unite in this life, that He Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala unites us together in the next life, around the Prophet ﷺ and his companions, in a seat of Truth, in the Presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent
… Oh Allah! Accept our prayer; You are indeed the All-Hearer, the Accepter of Prayers”.
- May Allah سبحانه وتعالى have mercy on Abu Mohammad, and gather him with the Prophets, Companion, Martyrs, Righteous and the best of their company… I also ask Him سبحانه وتعالى to make his sons, daughters and loved ones of the people He mentioned in this verse:
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ * أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ
“Who, when calamity befalls them, say, “Verily, unto God do we belong and, verily, unto Him we shall return.””
(Al-Baqara, 2:156)
May Allah have mercy on you Abu Mohammad, we are indeed saddened by your passing, but we do not say except that which pleases Allah سبحانه وتعالى…
«لِلَّهِ مَا أَخَذَ وَلَهُ مَا أَعْطَى، وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ عِنْدَهُ بِأَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى»
“To Allah belongs what He took, and to Him belongs what He gave, and everything He has has an appointed term”
To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.
Your brother and friend
Ata’ Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah
08th Jumada Al-Awwal 1438 AH
05/02/2017 CE