First Grain of Sand — Page 106
90 FIRST GRAIN OF SAND With the Quran now in my hands, I addressed all my cell- mates saying that God Almighty sometimes puts a servant of His through difficulty to remove their sins. And He allows oth- ers to witness such a person's steadfastness and patience to teach and inspire them on how to be willing to sacrifice one's life for the Quran. I love this Quran so much that I consider it a source of pride and blessings to lose my life for its cause. My cellmates already believed that I was a great scholar of the Quran and Hadith. When it was time for me to leave, I met with each of them individually and personally asked them to forgive me if I made any mistakes. I was then transported by horse carriage at 1 a. m. to the new prison building, where they put me in a small cell alone. Eventually, all the other prisoners were also brought to the new building after me, but they were lodged in a separate area while I remained isolated in this small room. The prison cells for inmates were all underground, whereas the government rooms and offices were upstairs above ground. I was no longer allowed my daily walk around the prison grounds. Prisoners were permitted to leave their cells to use the lavatory twice a day. Meals were pre- pared inside the prison, and each prisoner had to leave their cell to collect their food and fill their water cup every morning and evening. I was not, however, allowed to leave my cell. For me, the sol- diers brought the food and water to my cell. They also told me to relieve myself inside my own cell instead of being allowed to use a lavatory. I was surprised by their strictness and wondered what they planned to do to me. There were two small swivel windows located high on the wall in my room for ventilation, each with