First Grain of Sand — Page 47
TRANSFER TO ASHGABAT 31 began their third attempt at my execution, then with a loud thun- der, the earth split open and swallowed up all of them. I was left standing outside with beddings in my hand, and the loud voice emerged again, saying, ‘Leave the land of the wicked and go to Karbala [in present-day Iraq]. This dream turned out to be quite true and foretold a sequence of events which followed thereafter. It is important to note here that in Artyk, Ashgabat, and any- where else I was incarcerated, I met many Turks, who developed a bond of love and devotion with me when they saw me offer prayers in the prison, including Tahajjud, and recite the Holy Quran, and maintain my humble, modest, and loving attitude. I could genuinely see the love they held for me in their hearts and that they wanted what was best for me. While incarcerated in Ashgabat, I once attempted to get rid of the lice that had infested the waistline of my shalwaar [loose-fitting trousers with a drawstring waist] because I had been wearing the same shalwaar for the last three months. They had seized the rest of my clothes and hadn't afforded me any opportu- nity to even bathe yet. My shalwaar was so infested with lice that I simply could not get rid of all of them despite trying my best to scrape off as much as I could with my hands. In the end, I had to just put my shalwaar back on.