BY UTHMAN BADAR
This has been reproduced from Dr Badar’s Facebook page.
Many are the heroes who’ve recently been released from the dungeons of Assad in Syria. Allah knows them all; we are honoured to know about some.
This week, the people of Hama honored one of them by gifting him a golden sword—a symbol of his unmatched bravery and enduring sacrifice.
Know the name: Ragheed Ahmad al-Tatari
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
وَدِدْتُ أَنِّي لَقِيتُ إِخْوَانِي قَالَ فَقَالَ أَصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَوَلَيْسَ نَحْنُ إِخْوَانَكَ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ أَصْحَابِي وَلَكِنْ إِخْوَانِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِي وَلَمْ يَرَوْنِي
“I wish I could meet my brothers.” The companions of the Prophet said, “Are we not your brothers?” The Prophet said, “You are my companions, but my brothers are those who have faith in me yet they never saw me.” [Musnad Aḥmad 12579]
Born in Damascus in 1954, Ragheed served as a pilot in the Syrian Air Force. In 1980, at the age of 26, he faced a decision that would change his life forever. During the infamous military crackdown in Hama by the sorry excuse of the human being, Hafez al-Assad, he was ordered to bomb civilian areas. He refused. He chose to stand against the killing of innocent people, even as it meant turning against a regime known for its brutality. A true stand of true courage.
This cost him dearly, of course, in worldly terms. Stripped of his military position, he was forced to seek asylum abroad, but his attempts were unsuccessful. Upon his return to Syria in 1981, he was arrested at Damascus Airport. Convicted in absentia by a military court on nonsense trumped up charges, he was imprisoned.
He spent the next 43-years in the dungeons of the Assads: Mezzeh, Tadmur (Palmyra), Adra, and ten years in Sednaya concentration camp. Yes, you read that right: 43 years! By some accounts, this makes him the longest-serving political prisoner in the world!
In these dark corners of oppression, Ragheed faced the unimaginable—torture, isolation, humiliation, and the relentless passage of time cut off my family, friends, and society. Yet, he became a beacon of hope for his fellow prisoners. Known for his artistic talents, he crafted sculptures from bread dough and organized chess games, bringing moments of relief where possible into the harshest conditions.
His sacrifice extended beyond the prison walls. Ragheed’s imprisonment meant decades apart from his family. His son Wael was born shortly after his arrest, but Ragheed did not see him for the first two decades of his life, meeting for the first time in 2005.
Ragheed al-Tatari was finally released on December 8, 2024, on the back of the blessed revolution and the fall of the despotic regime. He is now honoured among the slaves of Allah. But the real honour, and the real reward of a momentous sacrifice, awaits him in the next world, in sha’ Allah!
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
يُؤْتَى بِأَنْعَمِ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيُصْبَغُ فِي النَّارِ صَبْغَةً ثُمَّ يُقَالُ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ هَلْ رَأَيْتَ خَيْرًا قَطُّ هَلْ مَرَّ بِكَ نَعِيمٌ قَطُّ فَيَقُولُ لَا وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ وَيُؤْتَى بِأَشَدِّ النَّاسِ بُؤْسًا فِي الدُّنْيَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَيُصْبَغُ صَبْغَةً فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَيُقَالُ لَهُ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ هَلْ رَأَيْتَ بُؤْسًا قَطُّ هَلْ مَرَّ بِكَ شِدَّةٌ قَطُّ فَيَقُولُ لَا وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ مَا مَرَّ بِي بُؤْسٌ قَطُّ وَلَا رَأَيْتُ شِدَّةً قَطُّ
“The most privileged people in the world from among the people of Hellfire will come on the Day of Resurrection to be dipped in Hellfire, then it will be said: ‘O son of Adam, did you see any good? Did you get any blessing?’ He will say: ‘No, by Allah, my Lord!’
Then, the most miserable people in the world from among the people of Paradise will come on the Day of Resurrection to be dipped in Paradise, then it will be said: ‘O son of Adam, did you see any hardship? Did you have any distress?’ He will say: ‘No, by Allah, my Lord! I did not once see hardship or distress.’” [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2807]
Islamic Civilization 