First Grain of Sand — Page 153
MOSCOW CONDITIONS WORSEN 137 'My friend, please give me my coat. I am very cold. However, he did not listen to anything I said. After spending the entire night in the basement, I was taken back to that cramped isolation room in the morning. At that moment, I thanked God Almighty for this tiny and lonely room because at least it was better than the basement. The city of Moscow was mostly foggy and cloudy, and there was no sunshine for months. So much so, that when there was sunshine, it felt very strange. I remember it well that an entire year had passed without being allowed to get a haircut. The hair on my head and the nails on my hands and feet had grown so long that I began to feel dis- gusted by myself. After being left in isolation in this tiny room for four months, I was moved to another room where other Russian inmates were also held. Entering this room, I couldn't hold back my emotions and sobbed uncontrollably. Seeing my condition, my fellow prisoners felt sorry for me and called for a barber to come visit our room. After an entire year, I was able to get a hair- cut as well as a trim of my nails. While staying in this room, an opportunity was given for a daily walk to all inmates from my room as well as three to four other rooms. So, all twenty to twenty-five of us were taken out to go on a stroll. That day, I was wearing a long Bukhari-style robe made in Qadian that I had brought with me. I tore a part of a white sheet and made two or three small handkerchiefs, one of which I wore around my neck, and the other I put in the cuff of my sleeve.