In his own words:

In the Name of Allah who deserves all Praise. Peace and Blessing upon the Messenger of Allah and whoever supports him. I was born in 1378 A.H. (1959 A.D.) in the province of Nablus, Palestine, and I left the city with my family when I was about 3 or 4 years old and settled in Kuwait, where I completed my high school studies. My ambition then was to study Shari’ah at the Islamic University in Madinah. However, to please my parents, I went to study science at Al-Mawsul University, northern Iraq. It was during this period that I found my Islamic orientation, and I came into contact with many groups. I can not for get the favours the brothers and Sheikhs bestowed upon me.

I traveled about Kuwait and Hijaz where I had good affiliation with students of knowledge and Sheikhs who taught me the keys of understanding Islamic knowledge. However, they did not quench my thirst about the answers which the Muslim youth demand, such as the insight into the true state of affairs, how to implement the correct legal rulings upon the state of things as they are, what is our true stance regarding the rulers of our time, the clear-vision of the path that will change the reality of the Ummah etc. Thereupon, I devoted myself to study the books of Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibnul Qayyim.

Furthermore, during my visits to Al-Madinah, I was attracted to the books of Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab, his students, sons and grandsons, the Imams of the Najdi Da’wah, which enrich the public and private libraries over there. I dedicated myself for quite a long time to the study of these books. These books had tremendous influence on my direction later on.

I traveled several times to Pakistan and Afghanistan and there I met many brothers and Islamic groups who came from various regions of the Islamic world. I was involved in some educational and Da’wah activities there. While there, I wrote a book called “Millat Ibrahim”.
I also had debates with the Mukaffirah which led to the compilation of some work that remains unpublished to date. I had debates and encounters with some Irjaa’i groups as well, yielding some books, such as “Delighting the Sight with Unveiling the Scepticism of Contemporary Murji’at”.
I finally settled in Jordan in 1992, two years before my arrest. I found the country swarming with Irjaa’i groups who wander about it in joy. I began this blessed Da’wah by teaching in three various places, two of the lessons were public and the third was private. The lessons emphasised the concept of Tawheed with its implications and obligations; La ilaha illallah with its conditions, what nullifies it and what are its strongest bonds. The lessons also dealt with refuting the scepticism presented by Irjaa’i groups and other important topics that many people are ignorant of.
These lessons happened to be during the elections of the Legislative Council. Consequently, discussions were flared up between my students and the supporters of Democracy and elections. This issue needed clarification and accordingly I took the initiative to write an essay relating to this issue and refuting the most prominent suspicions presented by those people. I entitled the hastily prepared essay “Democracy is a Religion, and whoever Seeks a Religion other than Islam, it will Never be Accepted of Him.” We printed this essay and distributed it. Furthermore, I delivered a Jumu’ah Khutbah in which I explained the Da’wah to At-Tawheed, and I openly invited the people to denounce man-made laws, to disbelieve in the Legislative Councils and not take part in it.

I was keen to spread the scope of our Da’wah, so my brothers and I embarked on a number of travels to the North and South of the country. We visited some of our brothers who participated in the Afghani Jihad and have a good Da’wah approach. We supplied them with our writings and urged them to excel in and emphasise the Da’wah.

Despite the young age of this Da’wah, it caught the attention of the Security Officials. It was also unbearable to the Irjaa’i groups and the servants of the Government. Hence, every faction has dealt with this Da’wah in its own cunning way. The servants of the Government were eagerly engaged in deforming the image of the Da’wah and accusing our brothers with titles such as ‘Takfeeris’ and ‘extremists’ which are customarily used by the Irjaa’i groups to abuse the people of truth.

The Intelligence then began to search for and arrest our brothers one by one. They questioned the brothers about the Da’wah, myself, the nature of the lessons which I deliver and the ideals which I call for. These incidences were quite ordinary to me and I was awaiting and expecting it any moment since this is the nature of this Path. The enemies of Allah acknowledge any organisation or group as long as it is based on the Irjaa’i belief, as they used to ask some of our arrested brothers: “Why don’t you seek your learning at Ali Al-Halabee, Abu Shaqrah or Al-Albanee and others? You forsake these Sheikhs for a terrorist?”
A Da’wah which follows the path of the Prophets, establishes the creed of Ibrahim and unearths At-Tawheed can not be left alone. The confirmation for this claim is the saying of Waraqah bin Nawfal to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) at the dawn of Prophethood: “No man (ie. Prophet) before you has conveyed (the Revelation) without being opposed and treated as an enemy.” Hence, he who is not opposed by the enemies of Allah, has not conveyed the message and must have certain deficiencies, aberrations or deviations in him.

Undoubtedly, a Da’wah like ours is still in its infancy in this country; subjecting it to examination and purification will benefit and strengthen it and will stabilise it by distinguishing the impurity in it from the pure.

My brothers and I decided not to surrender ourselves. At the same time, we dismissed the confrontation alternative as an unmeasured reaction that we could be drawn into and time-fixed by the enemy.

My house was broken into seven times seeking my arrest, breaking the door and searching my house, confiscating many books, documents, writings, and whatever belongings appealed to them. In every raid, they used to demand that I must turn myself in.

Finally, I was arrested along with a group of brothers, some of whom have previously asked me for a fatwah regarding them going across the river (to Palestine) for a covert operation using some explosives which I had saved. Even though I did not mind such operations, I still say that the Da’wah to At-Tawheed at this stage and maintaining patience and striving for its cause is more deserving in this country. The reason being is that there are many supporters of such operations (against the Jews), especially in this country due to its geographical location with Palestine. Whereas there are few supporters of the Tawheed Da’wah, those who are getting ready with arms to fight the Imams of Kufr. These traitors are in reality the guards of ‘Israel’ and those who implanted it in the heart of the Muslim World, and made it possible for the Kuffar of the East and West to drain our wealth and fortune.

Verily, Allah has Said the Truth:

وَأَرَادُوا بِهِ كَيْدًا فَجَعَلْنَاهُمُ الْأَخْسَرِينَ

“And they wanted to harm him, but We made them the worst losers.” [al-Anbiya 21:70]

For it was this arrest and slyness by the enemies of Allah in magnifying this issue and the media uproar created by their institutions, that served in disclosing our Da’wah and quickening its growth and spread by the Grace of Allah. Indeed, there is much good in Allah’s Patterning during bad times that do not exist during good times.

Allah has guided us and made our hearts firm right from the first moment of our arrest. We declared our innocence from the ruling Taghuts and from their laws, without any flattery nor dodgery. Our stance has progressed while in prison and courtrooms by regular Khutbahs, writings and lessons, effectively angering the enemies of Allah, who amplified their spite towards every one who knew us, read our books or was linked to us.

As a result, our brothers dwelled in the solitary confinements of the secret service, isolated from the outside world for periods unmatched by prisoners before them in this country except for a few. Some of them dwelled there for a complete year, the rest for at least six months, experiencing a range of mental and physical torture crafted by the authorities, who were forced to hide many brothers from the occasional visits of international organisations. Nevertheless, this was a unique and blessed experience that strengthened many of the brothers.

We were then taken out from the confinements and placed in prison cells. I was sent North to ‘Qafqafah’ jail, while most of the remaining brethren were sent South to the central jail, ‘Swaqah’. This plan was part of their craving for separating and weakening us,

وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ

“they were plotting and Allah too was planning, and Allah is the Best of the planners” [al-Anfal 8:30].

From the moment I stepped foot in that jail, I eagerly began my Da’wah. So I began writing some literature as part of a series I named “O Two Companions of the Prison! Are Many Different lords Better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible?” (derived from the verse 12:39). I included in it various subjects relating to Tawheed, Ibrahim’s way, Worship, Polytheism etc. I tried to circulate this booklet between the prisoners.

In fact, some of the prisoners took this booklet out with them when they were released. They published this booklet outside the prison with my name imprinted on it. This obviously angered the enemies of Allah, while some of the released brothers were constantly trying to communicate with those imprisoned in order to obtain my writings. Later, Allah destined for those ex-prisoners to play a part in an armed attack on one of the offices of the Jordanian Intelligence, some of whom were arrested and admitted to have known and met me in theprison, and some of my writings werefound with them. Allah the Almighty made this incidence a cause for reuniting me with my brothers, since I was transferred South to the central jail immediately after this incidence.

After we were reunited in the central jail, we began to organise our activities inside the jail. The first thing I called the brothers to was to hold Al Jumu’ah in the wing so it can become a resort for the prisoners and a platform for our Da’wah. The purposes behind holding Al-Jumu’ah were to uphold the Da’wah and to provide the alternative over the jail’s mosque, who’s Khateebs are from the regime. We also prayed Eid prayers in the wing and its hall. The number of prisoners who used to pray with us were multiple-fold the number of those who prayed in the jail’s mosque.

I prepared a series of lessons for the brothers who kept busy in the Da’wah of prisoners convicted in different cases.
Some of the brothers who recently embraced this Da’wah were inevitably making few mistakes due to their enthusiasm or hastiness and extravagance, which usually disappear by seeking knowledge. I anticipated these events by writing a number of essays which expose the reality of our Da’wah and presents it in its glittering face that pleases Allah.

I addressed some of those essays, to the prisoners. I also addressed other essays to the jail’sguards, officers and managers who used to condemn us for disagreeing and declaring our innocence from them and their laws.

Hence, I wrote essays addressed to them. I also addressed other essays to the Defensive Security, the spies of the regime within the prison, in which I exposed the reality of their work, and illustrated that it is more vicious than the crime of the Arab spies for ‘Israel’ who serve their sentence in this jail, since the latter spies for ‘israel’ against apostates, while the former spies for apostates against Muwahhideen!

I also wrote a number of treatises to refute many deviant thoughts and raised in jail. This is natural because every Da’wah has opponents and enemies who “inspire one another with adorned speech as a delusion.” [al-An’am 6:112]

These were the counsellors of the jail, whose presence was being boosted when at one stage they were almost absent. That was planned so they can cast scepticism in defence of the regime, to warrant its falsehood and assault our Da’wah. Unfortunately, some prisoners belonging to Irja’i groups got involved. As usual, they dissent and betray the Da’wah Tawheed and give precedence to thoughts and ideas over Sacred Texts. So we engaged in debates with the former and the latter.

I then wrote a few essays to preserve and defend the Da’wah to Tawheed. Hence, I refuted the pretence of some in that the Creed of Ibrahim is not part of our Shari’ah. I refuted others in issues relating to the categories, specificities and obligations of Eeman according to Ahlus-Sunnah.

We also produced a magazine called “Majallat At-Tawheed”. The brothers used to write its articles and make copies of it to distribute to the prisoners around the jail.

Occasionally, members of parliament would visit the jail in pretence of reviewing the condition of the prisoners. Thus I wrote, “Unveiling the Falsehood in the Provisions of the Constitution”. This book scrutinizes the Jordanian Constitution and debunks its contradiction to the Law of Allah, the Most High. It exposes the explicit Kufr and corruption found in the Legislative Councils with evidence from Sacred Texts and the intellect. We offered this book to a number of parliamentarians who visited the jail.
I have also written refutations to the articles propagated by those M.P.’s in local newspapers to slander our Da’wah and accuse its youth of extremism, Takfir and other fabricated lies. By Allah’s Grace, most of what we wrote used to escape the jail.
During the prosecution period, which the regime intended to extend, Allah has helped us utilize that time in showing the enemies of Allah stands and refutations not witnessed in the courts of this country before. We used to stand in almost all the hearings and deliver an address to the present officers, attorneys and judges, in defiance of the lords of the court who were forced to wait in fury till we finished. In our speeches, we used to explain to them the reality of our Da’wah and why we are accused, and prove the Islamic ruling regarding these tyrannical regimes and mention the Kufr oftheir courts and laws. We also called all the officers, jurists, attorneys and others to denounce the Kafir regime and its laws and avoid its support.

Furthermore, I prepared an essay for the Head of the Court and his servants in the form of a ‘Bill of Indictment’ wherein I put the regime and its lords in the dock. I named it “The Prosecution of the National Security and its Judges According to Allah’s Law”. I handed them the essay after they handed us our bill of indictments.

Allah, Ta’ala, has blessed these efforts and stands, in that this Da’wah had tremendous effect inside and outside the jail. All grace be to Allah alone. Many prisoners from different cells and convictions were keenly obtaining our papers and booklets, which had an evident effect inside the jail. The brothers were active in Da’wah and consequently guided many prisoners who later became soldiers for Tawheed.

During the days where visits were allowed, we used to be visited by groups of brothers from all over the country. At that time, we did not know most of these brothers, but they’d heard about our Da’wah or received our writings. Some of them used to consult us on certain issues or ask from us Fatwah regarding specific problems. Accordingly, I gave them many of the writings, which I wrote in jail as well as other special responses to their queries. They then took part in publishing these outside the jail. As a result, the enemies of Allah were furious and delirious with this Da’wah, for they did not sentence nor jail us to spread, manifest and publicize our Da’wah, but instead to deter us from it.

As Allah Said:

وَلَا يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَن دِينِكُمْ إِنِ اسْتَطَاعُوا ۚ وَمَن يَرْتَدِدْ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

“And they will never cease fighting you until they turn you back from your religion if they can. And whosoever of you turn back from his religion and dies as a disbeliever, then his deeds will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter, and they will be the dwellers of the fire. They will abide thereinforever.” [al-Baqarah 2:217]

For that reason, they began to react and take various actions inside and outside the jail.

Outside the prison, their role was to defame our Da’wah through the press by fabricating lies or exploiting the oblivious statements of some youths who recently embraced this Da’wah. Allah has aided us in refuting their claims as mentioned above.
I also wrote a number of essays for the youth pertaining to the principles and criterion that standardize many topics, for fear of their deviation to extremism or negligence under the agitation of the dissenter or the pressure of jail.

They then began to restrict the visitation hours, imposing new measures, or even dismissing them completely. They used to carefully inspect the brothers before entering and after leaving, as well as searching them and referring their names to the security bodies. These security bodies would later arrest these brothers and investigate the motives behind their visits, inquire about our writings and how they used to come out of jail. In addition, they would threaten to punish them if they were to visit us in the future. In fact, they arrested those who repeatedly came to visit us, and perhaps put some of them under house arrest after taking assurances that they would never visit us again.

As for their plots within the jail, the management isolated all the prisoners from us and prohibited them from communicating or praying with us. They punished everyone who prayed Friday Prayer with us, or was caught any of our essays or writings in his possession. These punishments were usually either by beating up the person, or by enchaining him to the bars, so that he would remain suspended upright in the air for long periods, or by solitary confinement, etc. We used to encourage our brothers, especially those who found guidance inside the jail, to remain patient and steadfast, and we explained to them that this is Allah’s Patterning for those who follow this Da’wah.

However, if the matter was related to someone’s Deen, such as the cursing of the brother’s religion or shaving off his beard, we used to react immediately by congregating at the doors of the prison, disobeying orders, refusing to follow the daily timetable and refusing to enter our cells at night. We would then send verbal or written messages to the managers to remind of Allah and frighten them with His Punishment, and to warn them from disdaining or interfering with our Deen. We used to hold talks and agreements regarding this issue. When negotiating with them, we used to always emphasize on the fact that we are not concerned with solitary confinement as a method of punishment. However, we will not accept or tolerate their interference with our Deen, because we were imprisoned for the sake of our Deen and we are prepared to die for its cause. After hearing this from us manifold, the jail’s management acknowledged our demand and did not interfere with any of our brothers’ Deen, even if that brother was from those convicted in other cases.All of this took place after numerous clashes with the guards, who sometimes used to use gas against us and try to break into our cells. In every time, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) used to turn their cutaway from us and grant us honor. This is all due to the Grace of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى‎) Who plants in the hearts of His enemies the fear from His supporters.
Finally, about five months to date, I was surprised to be transferred to the jail of the main secret service. While there, I was questioned about our activities in jail, our writings and how it used to be smuggled out of the jail, and about many other matters related to various events in the prison, and to our brothers inside the country and abroad.

They sometimes used intimidation by saying that I will spend my jail sentence, which is fifteen years, in this prison, and that they will not return me to the central jail. At other times they would offer to release me if I was to denounce my books and caution the youth about my Da’wah! I was not sure whether they were serious about their offer or whether they were just testing my reaction. In any case, by Allah’s Bounty we were steadfast and rejected their offer and yelled out that despite imprisonment and restrictions upon our belief, we still declare Al-Baraa’ towards them for Allah’s sake. I was returned to the central jail after spending fifty days there. Less than a month later, my brothers and I were surprised to be transferred to a small jail in the suburb of Al-Balqaa’, hence all of those indicted with Islamic cases were isolated from the rest of the prisoners.
Nevertheless, despite being isolated from the whole world, by Allah’s Grace we are engaged in seeking knowledge and spreading it, by passing through their bars, fences, jails and barricades, to the outside world, as is the case of this interview.

وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ

“But Allah will complete His Light even though the disbelievers hate (it).” [as-Saf 61:8]

We ask Allah Almighty to grant us and fellow Muwahhidin guidance, fortitude and righteous ending.

— Excerpt Taken From This is Our Aqidah 2nd Edition, at-Tibyan Publications, pp. 4-12 —