My Dear Grandchildren

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

Know, all of you, grandsons and granddaughters, that I strove and struggled in the way of God, in defense of the nation and for its advancement and elevation. And I struggled for the liberation of Palestine and all Arab and Islamic countries from the yoke of injustice and enslavement. Perhaps some of you will look back on some of what I wrote, said, and did. My word was courageous and strong, and I feared none but God. Injustice had spread across the lands of the Arabs, but I remained firm in my positions and in speaking the truth, and neither prison, nor bullets, nor the threat to my livelihood ever deterred me.

I always believed that lofty character is what saves its possessor in the end, and is what drives progress at both the personal and public levels. The base person remains among the pitfalls even if his wealth grows, and remains contemptible before himself and in the eyes of others. As for nations without character, they remain a mount for others to ride, enslaved and feeble, at the mercy of their enemies. I saw among the leaders of the Arabs examples of baseness and the chasing of appetites, and so they bent the nation to the will of others and led it toward defeats on every front — military, social, economic, and cultural. For this reason I was bold in speaking the truth. And if I fell short, it was because people were, for the most part, cast in the mold of their rulers, and lacked the will to defy.

His Majesty, glory be to Him, wants you to be brave, strong, truthful, faithful, charitable, and people of knowledge and deeds. Do not lean on ritual observance alone while asking God for forgiveness. Forgiveness comes only through work and commitment, and rights are restored only through strength — whether strength of muscle, of wealth, of mind, or the like. Those who enter Paradise are those who believed and did righteous deeds. Deeds are bound to faith, and there is no true faith without deeds.

Truthfulness is the shortest path to success and to good dealings with others. Be truthful with yourselves, with others, and with your nation. Do not butt your heads against problems; treat them with deliberation, wisdom, and reason. And if you are among those seeking a dignified livelihood, then nothing lies before you but work and activity. But if you are among those seeking wealth, then balance your worldly life with your afterlife. Earning money is lawful, but in a way pleasing to God, not as an immersion in appetites. And beware of subjecting yourselves to your own desires, for in that lies your degradation. Be proud and dignified by governing yourselves with reason and by seeking enlightenment through God’s guidance. God does not love the weak or the cowardly, and neither do I.

And to my granddaughters I say that I sense your beauty from across this barrier between worlds. Your beauty is completed by your poise, and know that a woman is a being worthy of respect, and that she must preserve that respect through her wisdom and soundness of mind. As for trading on the body, it is a hollow thing that yields nothing but enslavement. So do not become instruments for others to control your social conduct, your dress, and other such things. Be women of decision, not women of caprice, and act according to your own moral convictions, not according to the wishes of others.

I ask God to let us meet in the gardens of eternity, your faces radiant and your heads held high. Your prayers for us ease the pain of our sins and draw us, together with you, closer to God, exalted be He in His heights.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “أحفادي/حفيداتي الكرام والكريمات” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.