Alsalaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatu Allaahi wa barakaatuhuu,
"Subhaanaka Allaahumma, Yaa Rabbee!
La-ka al hamdu kamaa yanbaghee li-jalaali wajhika wa li-'atheemi sultaanika.
Allaahumma salli 'alaa sayyidinaa Muhammad wa 'alaa man ittaba'a al-hudaa."
[Part 1] 26 December 2011
The following is a wonderful account from the perspective of a friend of Ziyad Yaghi and Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan.
It was Friday, July 24, 2009 (or at least how I recalled it three days later and since then),
after jumu'ah [Friday] prayers at the Subway at the intersection of Method Road and Western Boulevard in Raleigh.
It was Omar Hassan, Ziyad, and myself.
Some may wonder, what were we doing there?
Others may reply, "getting something to eat."
It started as me walking into Subway and seeing Omar and Ziyad sitting there, eating.
They had a carton of orange juice with them from a grocery store,
an extra step they took towards eating healthy, alongside the subs they were eating.
Naturally, upon seeing me, they invited me to join them.
When I sat down to eat with them, they offered me some juice,
and then the discussion started about the differences between "not from concentrate" and "from concentrate" juices,
and which one was a healthier option.
[For our reference: http://www.floridasnatural.com/juices/not-from-concentrate]
In this sitting, I was reminded of some, and made aware of others,
of the mesmerizing qualities of my two Muslim "brothers,"
as every human being that sincerely declares her/his faith
(via the Muslim declaration of Faith,
"there is no god worthy of worship except Allaah ['God' in Arabic])
becomes a sister/brother in the larger Muslim Family (i.e., The Ummah).
In this brief encounter,
they not only invited me to join them and insisted that I have some of the juice,
they also maintained and displayed utmost sincerity in their manner of speaking and interacting with me throughout.
We had discussed workouts, healthy eating,
and the then-upcoming IAR Open House and the possible benefits that entailed in opening our doors for others to learn about what Islaam was,
among other things.
In fact, at the end,
they insisted that they would drop me off at the Islamic Association of Raleigh (IAR) thereafter,
as I had walked from there earlier.
Three days later, as I recalled it, on Monday, July 27, 2009, both of them were arrested.
Brother Omar was on his way to meet Sonya, his wife,
both of whom were students at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) at the time,
when some people stopped him, claiming there were reports on his car.
The agent extended his hand to shake hands, and when Brother Omar extended his,
he was handcuffed.
Brother Ziyad was at his apartment complex's pool when the armed assault team (SWAT) came and surrounded the area and took him.
The stories of the arrests of the others are a bit more gruesome.
The Boyd Family, three of which were co-defendents in this case,
had a more painful experience, physically and emotionally.
Upon the arrest of the three eldest males (in somewhat similar manners),
the mother and her daughter-in-law, from what has reached us,
were visited by armed officials that informed them that Daniel, Dylan,
and Zakariya were all involved in an accident.
Why was that painfully gruesomel?
The Boyds had only very recently lost their son Luqman Izzudeen Boyd in an accident.
On Monday, September 19, 2011, more than two (2) years after the arrests,
their trial finally started.
The whole time, all seven of the co-defendents were sitting in jail awaiting their trial,
including in solitary confinement, which shall be discussed later, inn shaa'a Allaah.
The commencement of the trial brought some relief to the mothers and fathers and siblings
(and children) of those on trial.
However, the setting of the trial may have put back some weight that was otherwise lifted with the commencement.
But why?
What lead to this "Series of Unfortunate Events?"
What was even the background of these brothers?
Let's reminisce, or at least allow me to.
It was the summer of 2007 when I came to NCSU for the New Student Orientation.
Naturally, during the student organization fair,
I looked for the Muslim Student Association (MSA) booth.
MSA was very important for me throughout high school,
possibly due to the family-like environment it helped create between Muslims,
including the broader Muslim community (and other MSAs).
But it was also a means by which we all get closer to our Creator, together,
and in the best of ways.
Al hamdu liAllaah Al-Hameed! [Praise, in totality, is for Allaah, The Most Praiseworthy!]
Perhaps because of my journey to get closer to my Creator, Allaahu Al-Khaaliqu,
and because of this bond of Family-hood that I had developed with the other Muslims,
for better or worse,
I felt obligated to look out for each of them in the ways that seemed appropriate for each.
Because, as I see it, Islaam is the umbrella under which all affairs fall,
whether al-salaah (the payer) or microbiology or al-hajj (the pilgrimage) or statics or al-akhlaaq (the character),
I decided to get to it with the help of a dear brother of mine, Brother Yazan,
without whose support and watchful eye (in terms of looking out for my affairs),
I may not have been able to do much (not to say I did much at all to begin with, of course).
Down this road, Allaahu Al-Hakeemu (The Wise),
had a plan wherein I was to see the realization of the bond of this Ummah as One Single Body,
"ka-al-jasadi al-waahid."
My backpack (with my engineering books, class materials, mushaf, laptop, etc.) was stolen.
After realizing it was not a prank by friends, I felt a huge relief.
I mean, doesn't that mean an excuse from quizzes and tests that were just around the corner?
Who wouldn't be relieved.
So, again, naturally,
I went to the prayer area in the D.H. Hill library and took a nice nap.
Al hamdu liAllaahi Al-Hakeem!
Then it hit me that I had to get up and move on.
When the calamity hits,
that is the last straw the addition of which breaks the back of the camel, so to speak.
But the getting back up and moving forward is where things get more difficult.
I mean, in my case, that means no notes, no books (at least in the beginning),
no laptop (and all the work stored on it),
no supplies, and a lack of all the other things in the backpack.
And then it happened.
Something humbly magnificent!
Something so precious that we may be of a fortunate few if we ever witness it even once in our lives!
Something indescribable by even the most profound and comprehensive words in any language known to us!
It was a majestic event,
something so striking that it brought the tears of Abu Bakar
(radhiya Allaahu 'anhu, may Allaah be pleased with him) to my heart, and then my eyes,
and soon we shall see why, inn shaa'a Allaah.
And the mark the experience left on me significantly affected my perception of my Family thenceforth.
So we may truly appreciate the nature of that event,
I feel obliged to describe this Family of mine, of which Brother Omar, Brother Ziyad,
and the others were integral members,
including some factors that may have helped develop such a bond of Family-hood.
Al hamdu liAllaahi Al-Shaakir [Praise, in totality, is for Allaah, The Most Appreciative]!
As I recall it,
I was in my Video Production I class in 7th grade at "LeRoy Martin Gifted and Talented Middle School"
[
http://martinms.wcpss.net/modules/info/?tac=about_us
]
in Raleigh, NC, when something happened.
A friend from 8th grade told me the news, but I didn't really understand what it meant.
It was September 11, 2001.
I had no idea where the World Trade Center was,
let alone what its purpose and importance was.
As such, it did not noticeably affect me, at least not as I could see it then.
Subhaanaka Allaahumma Yaa Raqeebu [Glorified and Perfect You are, O Allaah,
O Watcher / Observer over everything]!
But it did affect us all.
We just didn't see it at the time.
It changed how we were perceived, how we were interacted with,
and how were to perceive and interact with each of our own Family members.
Perhaps it was a call to establish the fundamentals that we may have overlooked as we strove to achieve the height of everything we could.
The mutual rivalry towards abundance, in everything (refer to Suurah Al-Takaathur,
Chapter 102, Al-Qur'aan), may have lead us to skip crucial steps,
resulting in our diversion away from sufficiently focusing on our fundamentals.
The rat race had drowned us away from our Lord,
Al-Kareemu [The Most Generous] (refer to Suurah Al-Infitaar, Chapter 82, Al-Qur'aan).
Subhaana Allaahi Al-Kareem [Glorified and Perfect is Allaah, The Most Generous]!
Post-9/11, there were many conspiracy theories and speculations,
and due to many strange occurrences and claims,
initially it was hard to determine what preceded, lead to,
and happened during the shocking incidents on 9/11.
Perhaps due to our defensive nature as human beings,
there was a sudden state of widespread fear, paranoia, hatred, disgust,
and extreme anger towards the enemy, my Family,
although to different extents and depending on various factors.
Of course, when threatened, it is natural for us to react in ways we may not normally,
especially when the perceived enemy seems to "live among us!"
[That is an intended allusion.]
Baaraka Allaahu lanaa [may Allaah bless us]!
This is the fact of the matter, not a blame on one side or another.
History of people throughout, minus, perhaps, the earliest history of Islaam,
tells us of many similar trends in interaction due to similar small or large events
(e.g., Japanese-Americans during WWII, Jews in Germany post-WWI, etc.).
In all cases, there was a common after-effect.
Whenever an in-group perceived injustice from an out-group, on any side,
it developed a sort of bond that entailed looking out for one another against the members of the out-group.
And that bond helped the groups patiently persevere
[i.e., practice Al-Sabr, patient perseverance]
(refer to Suurah Al-'Asr, and last verse of Suurah Aali-'Imraan, Chapters 103 and 3,
respectively, Al-Qur'aan).
Fast forward to my early high school days.
I still had not really felt direct "persecution" from others,
perhaps because we were still young or involved in other things,
at least in my immediate vicinity.
(In my later days in high school, I did personally experience some level of persecution,
although not physically, al hamdu liAllaah Al-Haafith [The Guardian].)
I joined the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) [http://scouting.org/] via a Christian troop,
wherein, as requirement for advancing through ranks,
we were to hold positions of leadership within the troop.
One such position of mine was Chaplain Aide of the troop,
which was perhaps a means for me to learn of a starkly different reality.
Subhaana Allaahi Al-Baseer [The All-Seeing], there was so much going on around me,
near and far, that I was not aware of, in terms of both verbal and physical persecution,
or "hate crimes," towards members of my Family.
Of course, given the nature of human beings, that was to be expected under the circumstances;
if we had learned from history, that is.
Since the Message [i.e., Al-Islaam] to our ultimate Parents, and thence passed down to us,
involves and requires optimism, perhaps there was some good in all that happened,
a silver lining, a glimmer of hope,
a rare diamond from the depth of all the surrounding dirt and darkness.
There had to be!
During the early high school days, I started feeling increasingly close to my Family,
especially due to being constantly surrounded by my Muslim Family members.
The Muslim Student Association (MSA) only strengthened the bond of this Family-hood
(i.e., "Ummah-hood").
I say this to differentiate between the bond developed under "persecution" and the bond developed under otherwise normal circumstances.
Those days were also the days when us youth really started getting involved with attending and volunteering at youth events at the local masjid
(Mosque) [http://www.raleighmasjid.org/].
For example, on Youth Day,
we would come together with hundreds of other youth from the community at large,
participating in pick-up sports games, making videos,
and joining in on the myriad of other activities.
Summer camps, Friday Night Youth Program (FNYP),
and weekly halaqaat (study circles of sorts) would ensure continuous fortification of this Family bond between us youth,
in particular,
as well us between us and the broader community
(including our beloved masjid, which was our collective home, really).
It was during such events and activities that I was exposed to and befriended many uniquely inspiring and amazing youth members of my Family,
of which Brother Omar was one of the first that I met.
Later, we met some of the others in this conspiracy case, including Brother Jude,
Brother Ziyad, and the Boyds.
And this is where the real story begins.
Yep.
It is the story of the case of the "Raleigh Jihad Group," as it has come to be known.
It is the story of members of my Family,
the Family that was directly involved in that majestic event we alluded to earlier.
Now fast forward again, but just a little (and we shall soon see why only a little,
inn shaa'a Allaah).
Now we're back at the MSA booth during my NCSU New Student Orientation in the summer of 2007.
At this point, my sense of Family was at a considerable high.
After all,
I had just graduated from a boarding high school with perhaps a Muslim population of 1-2%.
Subhaanaka Allaahumma Yaa Qareebu [Glorified and Perfect You are, O Allaah, O Near One]!
Perhaps as would be expected, I became very involved in the affairs of my Family, our Ummah,
starting with the members immediately around me at NCSU,
and then slowly expanding to the ones at UNC-CH, Duke, WTCC, ECU, and others.
And this is when and how I came to really meet and get to know some of my earlier close friends.
Brother Yazan, Brother Mohammad, Brother Naji,
and Brother Minhaj were four of the first of those friends
[note: for the purposes of this narrative,
these names used as placeholders may or may not be their real names,
but they do represent real individuals, so please keep that in mind].
The other close friends (the other Family members), of which there were and are many,
were not by any means unimportant, and so I hope none of us perceives otherwise.
And I cannot forget the others,
because each of them is directly related to that majestic event we mentioned earlier.
We didn't forget about that event, right?
I haven't forgotten either, and, inn shaa'a Allaah, I won't...ever!
But what is that event?
We're so close!
We are.
Really.
And I'm restless to tell us all.
And I will, inn shaa'a Allaah.
Do we remember the "real story" earlier?
When I mentioned those four close brothers of mine, Brother Mohammad, Brother Minhaj,
Brother Naji, and Brother Yazan,
it was because they are very important in really understanding at least two of the brothers in this case,
Brother Omar and Brother Ziyad (and the others, indirectly).
And when I was at NCSU,
these four brothers exemplified a truly deeper meaning of what a Family is supposed to be.
I would not have to ask them for anything and they would offer it.
In fact,
they would go out of their way to make my life easier in every way they felt they could.
When there were conflicts between some of my Family members,
as shaitaan wishes to disunite us with anything and everything he can,
these brothers would help me remain patiently steadfast.
[For the nature of shaitaan, Al-Rajeemu, The Most Accursed Outcast,
refer to Suurah Ibraaheem, Chapter 14, v. 22; Suurah Al-Israa', Chapter 17, v. 53;
and Suurah Al-Baqarah, Chapter 2, v. 268.]
And why was their advice welcomed and weighty?
Because they seemed to have the same goals as I had for myself,
at least in relation to my Family.
Very shortly after my bookbag was stolen,
Brother Mohammad gifted me with a beloved Mushaf [a copy of the Qur'aan] of his,
a bottle of a very nice ‘atr [a special fragrant oil],
a few thawbs [those long "shirts"] (as I recall), his calculator, and a few other items.
Why?
Because I had lost those things.
And because this is part of looking out for each member of the Family.
These brothers would volunteer
(actually, they would insist) in giving me rides at any time of the day, literally.
For example,
Brother Naji would come in the middle of the night so we could go for the qiyaam
(the voluntary night "standing" or prayer) at UNC-CH.
And when we would go out to eat somewhere, they would always rush to pay for my part,
not preferring that I pay for myself and/or them.
Speaking of food,
because my choice of meat was dhabeehah [cut according to Islaamic guidelines]
and meat of the People of the Book [as allowed in Suurah Al-Maa'idah, Chapter 5, v. 5],
the decision of a place to go eat at was dependent on whether those places offered such meats.
Once, in Ramadhaan, at D. H. Hill Library,
I had a random and sudden corneal abrasion
[http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/corneal-abrasions] in one of my eyes,
and it felt like I had a chipped piece of a glass rod
[http://www.tykchina.com/Upload/201091317432510.jpg] that was trying to find its way out.
Brother Yazan and Brother Rahat guided me (as I couldn't open my eyes from the pain)
to Brother Yazan's car,
and took me home (with a detour to buy me the best eye-rinsing solution they could find).
Another time,
Brother Mohammad went out of his way to buy me eye drops when I felt my eyes dry due to lack of sleep or something.
Al hamdu liAllaahi Al-Rahmaan [Praise, in totality, is for Allaah, The Most Merciful].
Brother Minhaj and Brother Naji would look out for me in terms of classes
(because we had similar classes), also.
Brother Naji would share with me his collections (tens of gigabytes) of the best murattal
(normal-paced) and the best mujawwad (the slower, and more preferred by me)
recitations of our precious gem, Al-Qur'aan,
a guide to keep the Family united and patiently steadfast.
The classic reciters were introduced to me, and became my favorite,
and I have yet to hear recitations like theirs (at least from my perspective).
The thing is, even though they had different backgrounds,
the bond of Family-hood in them had become stronger than any bond of color or nationality or blood or present circumstances
(e.g., "persecution," as mentioned earlier)
or anything else that others had and still embody [refer to Suurah Aali-'Imraan,
Chapter 3, vs. 102-105, and Suurah Al-Hujuraat, Chapter 49, vs. 10-13].
Our Family had first priority in terms of our looking out for them. Of course, here,
the Family meant the entire Muslim Ummah.
And how many others have taken the look-out for even their close friends as a responsibility upon themselves,
let alone of such a giant group?
I mean, when it came to speaking the truth about "unalienable rights,"
[another intended allusion] they were of the first to stand up,
and they never feared the blame of the blamers [refer to Suurah Al-Maa'idah,
Chapter 5, v. 54, Al-Qur'aan].
In the ways they saw necessary and appropriate,
they stood up for the support of the oppressed, the weak, the poor, and all others in need,
all while supporting those that were doing the right.
And they did it all because they must have understod that The Truth (and The Justice)
lies not with people intrinsically, but, rather,
it is with those that have chosen to submit to The Universal Standard, Al-Islaam,
that is from our Creator, Al-Khaaliqu,
The One that knows and defined what True Justice really is [refer to Suurah Al-Nisaa',
Chapter 4, v. 135; Suurah Al-Maa'idah, Chapter 5, vs. 40-50; and Suurah Al-Teen,
Chapter 95, vs. 1-8].
Subhaanaka Allaahumma Yaa 'Adlu [Glorified and Perfect You are, O Allaah, O Most Just]!
And this list does no justice to all they did for me and for our other Family members,
as well as for what they taught me via words and, most importantly,
through actions (i.e., "walking the talk," as I say it). Of course,
we are not taking the live among us as role models,
because the state we die in is what we are known by on The Day of Ressurection
[refer to Suurah Aali-'Imraan, Chapter 3, v. 102, and Suurah Al-An'aam,
Chapter 6, v. 162.].
And as is our nature as human beings, we may make mistakes,
but so long as we sincerely repent, no blame is on us,
and Allaah replaces the bad deeds with good deeds in our Records
[refer to Suurah Al-Furqaan, Chapter 25, vs. 70-71].
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"By the One in Whose hand is my soul,
if you did not commit sin Allaah would do away with you and bring people who would commit sin then pray for forgiveness"
[Saheeh (Authentic) of Imaam Muslim, 2749].
And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Every son of Aadam [Adam] sins,
and the best of those who sin are those who repent,"
[Collection of Al-Tirmidhee, 2499; classed as hasan (good)].
Therefore, our Family's role models are not the live among us, but, instead,
are the "Righteous Predecessors" ("Salaf Al-Saalih"),
who died as examples of the desired end [refer to Suurah Aali-'Imraan, Chapter 3, v. 102].
In essence,
they were like my older brothers from a Family whose bond results in superior generosity and ultimate sacrifice,
all to ensure a comprehensive look-out for each member of the Family,
while maintaining the Highest Standard of Justice with each creature on the face of this earth!
[Refer to Suurah Al-Maa'idah, Chapter 5, v. 42.]
It was an experience that may not be understood by the reader via mere words,
but perhaps only through the realization of said Family bond within the reader in relation to the Family around.
And this brings us to how Brother Omar, Brother Ziyad, Brother Jude,
and the others came into my life, directly or indirectly.
But before we continue, remember when we were in pre-Algebra (or sometime around then),
we learned the Transitive Property of Equality?
It goes like so: if A = B, and B = C, then A = C.
"Subhaanaka Allaahumma Yaa Khabeeru [O The All-Acquainted One]!"
At this point, we have introduced this Family of ours,
and we have described the outstanding qualities that characterizes it overall.
But what does any of this have to do with the brothers in this case,
a.k.a the "Raleigh Jihad Group?"
What does this have to do with eating subs at Subway, or with the majestic event?
Let us proceed and see, bi-ithni Allaahi ta'aalaa [with the permission of Allaah, Almighty].
[The following is a lengthy summary, meaning devoid of much supporting details,
of the background of these brothers.
Please bear with us,
and we ask Allaah to help us as we attempt to take it upon ourselves to let the public know about the background of these brothers of ours.
Baaraka Allaahu lakum (may Allaah bless you all).]
We may remember that the youth used to meet and greet, and befriend,
during the events at the local masjid (mosque; here, Islamic Association of Raleigh [IAR]).
[In fact, this tradition has continued, and, inn shaa'a Allaah (if so wills Allaah),
will continue to strengthen the the bond between the younger members of our Family and the broader community.]
Thus, more members of this Family, as we perceived it, were introduced to each other,
including the four aforementioned brothers, Brother Omar, Brother Ziyad, the Boyds,
and myself.
As it is in the respective schools' records (and as they are pictured in the yearbooks),
in the beginning,
Brother Omar and Brother Ziyad attended Al-Iman School at the IAR [http://elimanschool.org/],
after which Brother Ziyad went to Athens Drive High School [http://athensdrivehs.wcpss.net/]
and Brother Omar went to Cary High School [http://caryhs.wcpss.net/].
In fact, Brother Omar was on the wrestling team at Cary High,
and this sort of passion continued thenceforth, as we shall see, inn shaa'a Allaah.
[Wrestling team with Will Ferrell (2005):
(http://teams.ncmat.com/cary/photos/04farrell/index.html),
(http://sports.webshots.com/album/280276338NpuNgh),
and (http://good-times.webshots.com/album/326032547nbaiVR).
In the first link, Brother Omar is left above Will's left shoulder,
in the white shirt and black hair, making faces.]
The youth that grew up, played, attended schools,
and participated in programs with these brothers are in the hundreds in this community of ours,
within and without our Family.
And most of the closest of these youth (in addition to the leaders of community)
were subpoenaed (i.e., as witnesses) during the duration of the trial (although, strangely,
were never brought to the stand throughout the trial, and, as witnesses,
were not allowed to attend or discuss, with anyone, the trial of their beloved brothers,
as will be discussed soon, inn shaa'a Allaah).
As we mentioned earlier, the youth used to not only participate in, but also volunteer at,
the youth events and programs at the IAR and elsewhere.
The Youth Day, Summer Camp, Friday Night Youth Program (FNYP),
and Saturday Night Halaqah were some of the regular programs that attracted thousands of youth throughout the past two
(and some) decades in the history of the IAR.
And that meant that the "creme of the crop," or the best of the best,
and the most representative youth (in terms of desired qualities to pass on to the younger Family members)
would be selected to positions of responsibilities, at least as the organizers,
the leaders of the community, perceived them, directly or indirectly.
Consequently, Brother Omar, for example,
was an IAR summer camp (volunteer) counselor over some of the presently brightest and most amazing personalities,
as I perceive them, among my younger Family members.
And I say that as someone who is presently involved in organizing youth activities at the IAR involving those younger members of my Family.
[It must be noted that they have also written letters to the judge,
referencing the character of the brothers.]
Brother Ziyad used to, regularly, help at Al-Ma'idah Kitchen and Cafe during the FNYP,
which is arguably the most attended weekly youth program by far.
Al-Ma'idah is a food service, offered by the IAR to its members and guests,
venue that is attached to the IAR gymnasium, which is used for the FNYP.
[About Al-Ma'idah: http://www.raleighmasjid.org/services/almaidah.html]
So, Al-Ma'idah remains, to this day, busiest during the FNYP.
And I remember a few times when I would meet him as he walked in the gym doors
(from the IAR main lobby), far in advance of the FNYP, to help prepare.
And this is important in understanding Brother Ziyad as a person.
How many people would consistently give up their time from playing sports and games to instead volunteer to serve their peers by preparing food for them,
while the peers got to enjoy the activities?
Perhaps only the rarest among us.
Perhaps only the most generous and patiently perseverant,
seeking only the utmost pleasure of their Lord, Al-Waduudu [The Most Loving]!
"Subhaanaka Allaahumma Yaa Waduudu [Glorified and Perfect You are, O Allaah, O The Most Loving]!"
In fact, Brother Ziyad would also help people move, Muslims and non-Muslims.
Why?
Because he cared for everyone, as human beings.
His mother recalls instances, and she narrated to us,
where he would give what he had to those he would see in need, even on the streets.
What is more amazing is that he would often bring those people home for food and/or whatever it was that would fulfill their need.
And once, when the apartment complex manager was ill, someone knocked on her door.
To her amazement, it was our beloved brother standing there to check on her,
because such check-up visits were extremely rare, if at all, from her experience.
This has reached us through this manager,
as she also explained in a letter to the judge in this trial.
Moreover, if one of us youth needed a ride to these events,
these close members of our Family would rush to offer rides to the event and back to your home.
Why?
Because, according to them,
they hoped for earning good deeds in their record of deeds through earning the pleasure of their Lord,
Al-Waduudu [The Most Loving], by looking out for His beloved worshippers,
our Family members.
And for no other reason.
[Please note that I have tried to cite my sources (for) as much as possible.
And as with my sources from the Qur'aan and ahaadeeth ("hadiths"),
I mention only that which I can back up or trace back to people that have, and still do,
narrated something, including about the brothers' background and character.
For purposes of this narrative, listing each person,
of which there are many in my mind and in records with us,
and narrating from each individually, of each incident,
would make this (hoped for) brief review longer than it already is.
With the tawfeeq (ability or opportunity) from Allaah, and with the people's permission,
at the end, I will try to compile such a collection as an appendix (as a reference)
to this narrative.
We are NOT a people (i.e., Family) that lie, deceive, cheat,
or otherwise fabricate what is not true,
so this appendix will allow me to have some peace of mind in front of my beloved Creator,
Al-Khabeeru (The All-Knowing), Al-'Aleemu (The All-Knowing),
Al-Haseebu (The All-Reckoner) inn shaa'a Allaah.]
Thus, given the nature and size of these events, the youth, overall,
had direct interactions with these brothers, and the others.
A lot.
And they had to.
Other organizers, independent of me, (will) attest to this,
and state this (upon their discretion).
Naturally,
those youth still remember the positive experiences from their interactions with these two brothers,
and they have personally narrated to me some of the those wonderful recollections throughout my work with them
(those youth).
And they continue to do so up to this day (or at least until within the last few days).
In one of such events, Brother Omar and I decided to grapple [submission wrestling,
like in the recent MMA fights].
I didn't know the techniques or the rules of grappling (as opposed to basic wrestling),
but I went ahead.
A few moments into it, I had him in a "lock," as I saw it,
and I was very excited to have gotten him in this "lock" in my very first grappling match.
And who wouldn't be excited, right?
Of course,
I didn't really pay attention to the fact that the kind of hold I had him in was preventing him immediate mobility,
but not any discomfort such that he would "tap" out (or "submit").
As such, his focus was not disturbed and he found an opening,
after which he got me in a real arm-lock (as I recall), and that was that.
There was another brother with us,
and we decided that we should do this together more often,
as a way of "chilling" and working out with each other.
Thus began our journey, or mine anyway, with them in my life.
Allaahu Akbaru [Allaah is The Greatest]!
"Subhaanaka Allaahumma Yaa Khabeeru [O The All-Acquainted One]!"
Being guys who loved working out whenever they could,
we thought we should all do workouts together,
sort of like "spotters" and personal trainers for each other.
The other brother, the third during grappling,
and I began our workouts not too long after that,
and Brother Omar would join us when he could, although not as much as we had hoped.
You see, Brother Omar, who attended NCSU with me, was usually very busy.
He liked to keep himself both busy and in shape.
It was mentioned that at one point he would attend NCSU while having a few part-time jobs in his schedule,
along with intense workout regimes.
Brother Ziyad would also workout with the other brother and others,
and one of his favorites was boxing.
In fact, up to this day, his heavy bag, often mended with silver duct tape,
sits in living room of the apartment where his beloved mother, Sister Laila, resides.
Remember when I described Brothers Mohammad, Brother Yazan, Brother Minhaj,
and Brother Naji earlier?
Brother Omar and Brother Ziyad, at least,
were already close with these four and others around them.
Imagine "chilling," or hanging out, with them a lot.
After a few times, perhaps many of us would start picking up, objectively speaking,
on their exemplary qualities, at least those perceived as good by us.
[It was narrated from Abu Moosaa (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"The likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of one who carries (or sells)
musk and one who works the bellows (e.g., blacksmith).
With the carrier of musk, either he will give you some or you will buy some from him,
or you will notice a good smell from him (and yourself);
as for the one who works the bellows,
either he will burn your clothes or you will notice a bad smell from him (and yourself)."
Saheeh (Authentic) of al-Bukhaari, 5543, and Muslim, 2628.]
[It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"A man will follow the way of his close friends,
so let one of you look to whom he takes as a close friend."
Narrated by Abu Daawood (4833),
and al-Tirmidhee (2378) with a saheeh (authenticated/verified) chain of narrators.]
In (Social) Psychology,
it is known that our behavior and attitudes have a sort of mutual relationship,
and the topic of conformity, more specifically, has many famous experiments, theories,
and understandings on this relationship.
[Refer to the following glossary from the book used for one of my Psychology classes:
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073370665/student_view0/glossary.html]
Now, recall the Transitive Property of Equality [if A = B, and B = C, then A = C].
Let A = the four brothers (Brothers Naji, Mohammad, Minhaj, and Yazan),
and the others with them.
Let B = their associates (i.e., Brother Omar and Brother Ziyad, among others).
Let C = me and other third parties beginning to interact with them.
As we proceed, let us please keep these associations fresh in our minds throughout.
Therefore, as we may have noted above,
the most prominent and most appealing of qualities that a sub-group is characterized by are necessarily embodied,
voluntarily or otherwise, by new members within that group.
The qualities I picked up from Brothers Mohammad, Minhaj, Yazan, Naji, and others,
because of their strong, direct effect on me, were also picked up by
(or strengthened in, because our Family's Standard already required them from us)
those that started being around this sub-group.
We talked about, as I recall from my memory, different workouts for different muscle groups,
proper nutrition and diet, different personal trainers
(and their suggestions, including Ross's [http://rosstraining.com/blog/]),
the sahaabah (companions) [radhiya Allaahu ‘anhum],
politics (at least as related to policies of the masjid, our beloved and precious home,
towards the youth events and programs), as well as other Islaamic topics.
For example,
one of the things that would always be fresh on our minds was the state of the Ummah,
our Family.
We knew very well the situations and injustices, perceived and/or real,
that were happening throughout the world with our Muslim Family,
and we could not simply ignore them, hoping them to go away thereby.
As such, we would discuss the root causes of the apparent problems,
as well as possible steps towards solutions, both immediate and delayed,
especially within the Muslim lands, the lands of our Family.
Because of our exorbitantly intense love of our Family members,
it was only appropriate for us to keep a timeless lookout for each of them,
in the best of ways.
And we were, and are, outspoken against the wrong and for the right, as defined by,
and understood though, our Standard, regardless of whether it was against ourselves,
our parents, our extended families, our friends, our associates,
the associates of our Family members, or anyone else for that matter.
After all, is not justice independent of who is administered it or who administers it?
Is not justice an independent reference for everyone,
unalterable by any human being's wish or desire or self-interest?
It has to be if it is to give us, and then protect for us,
our "inalienable" rights (as was alluded to earlier)!
[Refer to Suurah Al-Nisaa', Chapter 4, v. 135 and v. 75.]
But that wasn't all that occupied our times and minds.
We were also trying to get married.
Not "married." Married.
"Say what?"
Yep. That's right.
Apparently, there is a difference.
"Wait, what? Hold up. There's a difference?"
Yep.
And that, our sisters and brothers,
is one of the very main foundations of this conspiracy case.
[And why on earth have we been italicizing "conspiracy" throughout?]
"And what about the sitting at Subway, eating subs?"
"And the majestic event?!"
"Subhaanaka Allaahumma Yaa Qaahiru
[Glorified and Perfect You are, O Allaah,
O The Irresistible]!"
[End of Part 4b.]
wa baaraka Allaahu feekum,
wa alsalaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatu Allaahi wa barakaatuh
