Saturday, April 14, 2007

A tribute to my teachers behind bars


Dr. Mahmoud, I know you may not read this but I felt that the least I could do is to write those lines. Dr. Mahmoud Abozeid, a professor of surgery in Cairo University medical school. I learnt a lot from him just by example. For me he was an example of dedication, sacrifice and most importantly decency. When I think of the word decent, he is the first I think of. He was a mentor of the student movement when I was a student at Cairo University. I used to bother him with my visits to his office late by night after he is done with his patients (doctors' private practice opens in the evenings in Egypt). He was so welcoming all the time and would stay for hours even if that meant missing his kids' bedtime. In my last year of school when the emphasis was on Surgery, I had to miss many days at school because of the political turmoil at the time and the conflict the government had with the student movement. He offered to help me with school. I used to visit him in his office around 10:30 PM at "my" convenience to discuss a chapter or more with him. His knowledge in Surgery was vast and his character just stood out. One time I asked him to give a talk and he said that he was busy all Fridays and every three months when the month has a fifth Friday, he has a meeting scheduled. With such a busy schedule he was still willing to give a talk during weekdays in the time slot between his morning work and his private practice in the evening. For an organized person like him and with such a busy schedule, tutoring me must have been way high on his priority list to squeeze it in like that. What was he thinking? I don't know. All I know is that I am so grateful and I am so full of guilt. I am grateful for him and for the movement that allowed me to know such a person. I feel guilty because what he gave me was a trust to carry over. I may not know why he gave me this kind of attention and time but I am sure he was thinking he was investing for the future. I am not sure I gave as much as I took, let alone give more. May Allah forgive us all. During my last visit to Egypt I couldn't find time to visit him and surely, I regret this so much. I pray that his time behind bars won't last for long and that in my next visit to Egypt, inshallah, I will be able to visit him in his office. Let me hope that by then, I would be able to make him feel that his investment was worth it.


Dr. Abdelrahman Saudi is another person behind bars who influenced me so much. Although I haven't had a deep direct relationship with him, I was deeply influenced by his character. He was an icon of generosity. He used to be very rich before the government froze all his assets. His house was hugely humongous and we used to hold meetings there all the time whether he was at home or not. Countless brothers and sisters had keys to his house and at one point they were welcome anytime of the day. He had more than a dozen cars but one day he asked for a ride because all his cars were in use for movement related errands. That was not an exception, that was his daily routine; giving and giving more.
One day I visited him at work and my sister came along. She had never met him before. As we left the office, I noticed tears in her eyes and an extremely delighted look on her face. I was surprised and when I inquired, she said: I have goose bumps, this is the "Ikhwan" I read about not "you". I asked her what did you notice that made you extremely taken by his character. She said: "I don't know, but he is just so kindhearted and extremely decent"

If people like this lose their freedom and their money, what kind of message is the government sending to the youth: "Good is bad and bad is good"
I ask Allah to free all of them, to give them patience and to return their money to them and multiply it for them. I ask Allah to give their families patience and to shower them with peace and tranquility.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ameen ya Rabb.

Anonymous said...

It is what people do with Ikhlas that leaves lasting impressions on others. One does not need to be from any given or special group to be able to give. May Allah accept from all those who work hard and give them the highest of paradise.

Anonymous said...

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
على قدر الإيمان يكون الابتلاء ..
وفي تاريخنا أن سعد بن أبي وقاص اتهمه بعض أهل الكوفة بأنه لا يحسن الصلاة !! ليعزلوه عن الإمارة ..
سعد بن أبي وقاص رابع من دخل في الإسلام ، أول من رمى بسهم في سبيل الله والذي قاتل مع النبي في أُحد حتى قال له النبي "إرم فداك أبي وأمي " ، قائد الجيش الذي فتح بلاد فارس ،والذي حاولت أمه أن تثنيه عن الإسلام وهددته بأن تنتحر جوعا فقال لها : والله لوأن لك ألف نفس فخرجت نفسا نفسا ما تركت ديني هذا لشئ
سعد بن أبي وقاص الذي دعا له النبي :
" اللهم سدد رميته وأجب دعوته"
فإذا كان سعد بن أبي وقاص قد تعرض لهذا الظلم ، فهذا هو حال الصالحين والمصلحين في كل زمان ومكان .
فك الله أسر أساتذتك الأفاضل وأعادهم إلى أهليهم وإلى أدوارهم في الحياة.

Anonymous said...

الحكم ببراءة د.عبد الرحمن سعودي اليوم

لعل الله قد استجاب دعاءنا
اللهم لك الحمد