A Poem by Al-Maqdisi on the Occasion of His Father's Death

On May 29, 2007, an Islamist website posted an Arabic poem written by Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, the mentor of Al-Zarqawi and a spiritual leader of the jihadist salafist movement who is currently imprisoned in Jordan. In the poem's preface, Al-Maqdisi explains that he wrote the poem after the Jordanian authorities refused to let him either visit his dying father or speak with him on the phone. The poem, which was composed after his father's death, is titled "A Return Forward." In it, Al-Maqdisi describes his refusal to accept a purported offer made to him by the authorities:

"They said: 'Renounce [your views]; many sheikhs [already] have... What was appropriate for years no longer pleases our enlightened generation. Renounce [your views], and you will be generously rewarded with material [benefits]. In return, you shall [also be granted unlimited freedom to] speak [publicly]. Media... Internet, and TV will broadcast it... and if [you do] not, prison cells and affliction [shall be your reward]. Your father is sick and you shall not see him, and if he dies, it [shall be] your crime."

Al-Maqdisi's alleged reply was: "Prison is sweeter to me, and his darkness is light [for me]... My suffering for the sake of religion is sweet... [Though] my duty towards my family is dear [to me], [my] duty towards religion takes priority..."