By Captain Sana B. Sabally
WISDOM IS KNOWING WHEN TO SPEAK YOUR MIND AND WHEN TO MIND YOUR SPEECH. And there is a famous saying: “Speech is silvery but silence is golden.”
“Bismillah-ir--Rahman-ir--Raheem, Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil-‘Alamin.
Allah!-Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Lord of the Supreme Throne!”
“As-Salaamu ‘Alaikum WA Rahmatullah WA Barakaatuhu,
A “TRIBUTE” TO Captain SHEIKH SADIBOU SHERIFFO HYDARA ( DECEASED):
“IT DOESN’T TAKE GREAT PEOPLE TO DO GREAT THINGS--- JUST
UNSELFISH ONES.”
DEDICATION: TO HIS FAMILY:
To his widow: AJA Hassanatou Saneng, and two boys: PA Ba Sheriffo Hydara and Momodou Lamin Hydara ( Boy), family and friends; I say:
“Laa tazan ‘innal-laaha ma’anaa…”-[“Be not sad (or afraid), surely, Allah is with us…” (Holy-Qur’an: Surah 9: V40)]
VICTORY DAY…
You’ve been experiencing immeasurable suffering since the untimely departure of your dearest-father (and complaisant hubby). But all is not lost! With Allah, we know that another Victory Day is coming. Allah will lead our armies of Truth and Justice to do battle with the hordes of the devil. The battle will be short and decisive.
We don’t know when this will happen. But we can be confident that the Almighty Allah will someday bring about ultimate Justice; and Truth will reign over our entire broken world. Our Victory Day is coming! “And Allah will judge with (Justice and) Truth.”
And Justice will be done in the full glare of absolute Truth.
Our Victory---Justice, Truth, and Righteousness---will be established.
A glorious day of victory is nearing,
When Allah the Captain of the ultimate Truth and Justice appears!
He said that, “…For the Mercy of Allah is (always) near to those who do good.”(Surah 7: V56). “So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief: Verily, with every difficulty, there is relief.”(Surah 94: V5-6).
Our great anticipation through the years!
SOMEDAY THE SCALES OF JUSTICE AND TRUTH
WILL BE PERFECTLY BALANCED.
There’s a saying:
“TO GET TO PARADISE, YOU MAY HAVE TO PASS THROUGH HELL…”
Jail is a “Hell on Earth…”
I write this “TRIBUTE” more in sorrow than in delight. We feel great sorrow at somebody’s death. I was enormously sympathetic and lonely when Sadibou HYDARA died [10 years ago this month…in his prison cell!]
Verily, to Allah belongs what He took and to Him belongs what He gave and everything with Him has an appointed time. Allah’s Statement: “And no person can ever die except by Allah’s Leave and at an appointed term…” (Surah 3: V145)
I went to jail with Captain Sadibou HYDARA [then Minister of Interior] for an alleged treason [Friday 27th January 1995]. There is not a scintilla of truth in that statement. We were only victims of vicious calumnies and envy!
How did I feel when he died leaving me alone?
“Inna lillahi wa inna illaihi Rajeoona…” [i.e. Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to him we shall return.] I wish the month of “March” had ceased to exist [within the calendar months] with the departure of Sadibou HYDARA [from this world] ---One sorrow brings up the memory of another and a greater one.-for ‘memory itself is pain.’ Even sorrow is intensified by memory: as the saying goes: “A sorrow’s crown of sorrows is remembering happier times or things.” Sadibou HYDARA is now gone! Oh but Sadibou HYDARA! Captain Sadibou HYDARA’s untimely death----It’s one of the most unfortunate things that I have ever had happened to me and it’s a bitter disappointment. I try to be philosophic (about it) but it is very hard. In a nutshell, my grief is indescribable. If I could but weep! Tears might give relief! At the very moment when Sadibou HYDARA breathed his last in my arms…at exactly 16:49 P.M. (11 minutes to five ‘O’clock), [(he had said, “We will all die someday. The keys of life and death are in Allah’s hands. Neither Life nor Death are fortuitous things. Behind them both is Allah and only He,” and continuously testifying that “Laa ilaaha illallah wa Anna Muhammad-ur-Rasuul Allah” (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad (Sallallaahu ‘Alaihi Wasalaam i.e. Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah)]. When he finally closed his eyes (from this world), darkness seems to cover (my) everything. So it was in the whole jail. So it was in my (own) mind. My grief was unshared, unexpressed, and uncomplaining. Who could share it? Who could understand it? I bore my sorrow in total silence and prayer. Yet my Faith was undimmed, and I trimmed the lamp of patience, that sovereign virtue for those who have Faith. [Just as in this Biblical saying: (Rom: 12:12) “Be joyful in hope, patience in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”] (See also Holy-Qur’an: Surah 2: V200) “O you who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that you may prosper.”
I will always remember him as “Good Sadibou HYDARA---a fountain of knowledge and honour”: with whom I went to jail and made great friends in adversity and with whom I always lived and ate and prayed with [and read the Holy-Qur’an and the Holy-Bible (He’s a Hafiz Quran---Allah knows Best)] ---was ‘taken’ [returned to the Creator…] and this took the pleasure and exultation out of the whole affairs, as far as I was concerned. Our togetherness (bond) was one of [Gambian] history’s most amazing true friendships and military comradeship:
A true friend is one to whom we can tell everything and who will never betray a confidence. A true friend will never say anything that injures us.
A true friend is one who knows all about us and loves us just the same. Sadibou HYDARA is somebody who sticks to you after he has found you out.
A true friend is one in whose presence we can be ourselves without the fear of being misunderstood. That person will not talk behind our back but is one to whom we can bare the secrets of our heart, knowing that we will not be betrayed. Such a true friend is Sadibou HYDARA, the one who perfectly fulfills King Solomon’s words: “A TRUE FRIEND LOVES AT ALL TIMES.” [Holy-Bible: Prov.17: 17]
THE BEST FRIENDS ARE LIKE SADIBOU HYDARA---
THEY STICK WITH YOU.
Captain Sadibou HYDARA had lived his whole life of purity and virtue amongst his people [The Gambia Armed Forces in particular], and we [all] knew and acknowledged it before he died. Sadibou HYDARA was a Mount Everest personality. We knew he loved his nation and was loyal to it. He discharged his duties with skill and dedication to both God and the people. Sadibou Hydara’s virtues, the magnanimity of his exemplary character, and his love for The Gambia were fully recognized even in his lifetime--- [his selfless-service to the nation and mankind], and his name stands highest among the heroic leaders of mankind.
I want Captain Sadibou HYDARA to be always remembered as a Martyr in the cause of Truth---Martyrdom is in itself an honour and a privilege: how glorious is the fame of Sadibou HYDARA the Martyr? He is the fountain of all honour. He’s a man of simplicity and humility. He’s a very brave gallant military officer---very religious and who feared God! He’s a cheery friend. The courage of Sadibou HYDARA was as notable as his wisdom, his gentleness, and his unwavering trust in Allah. [He likes quoting “On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns…” (Surah 2: V286) and “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Holy-Bible: Prov: 17:17)]. “PRAY FOR THOSE WHO SPITEFULLY USED YOU.” (Holy-Bible: Matthew: 5:44) Nothing depresses him. He has an infectious ebullience and an exemplary character that inspires all (those) who (know and) work with him. He’s a very good confidant. He’s a man of great compassion. He has a very good magnetic personality. And he’s very affable.
With Sadibou HYDARA, whether in military uniform or civvies, his integrity permeated everything he did. There was no conflict between his walk and his talk. When you worked (and / or befriended) with Sadibou HYDARA, you got all of him---virtue, kindness and principle. His motto was: “Integrity Can Be Communicated.” He used to say, “Integrity can be communicated---when we are true to the All-Mighty Allah, everywhere, all the time.” And he always had prayed, “O Allah! Lord of the Supreme Throne, the Most Powerful of all rulers, help me put away deceit and live a life that’s always true and honorable---and may there be integrity in all I say and do.” Life’s truest heroes never carve their name on marbled columns built for their acclaim; they build instead a legacy that springs from faithful selfless service to the State and mankind. Captain Sadibou HYDARA was (The) Gambia’s true hero---he stayed true to his convictions and (eventually) paid with his life. On the day Sadibou HYDARA died, I wrote a short tribute [on the wall of his [2 x 2 x 2m] one-man-cell---cell No: 9, Maximum Security Wing: Confinement No: 1] titled: “ THERE IS NO LEGACY AS RICH AS INTEGRITY: A VOICE OF INTEGRITY IS SILENCED, BUT IT’S MESSAGE WILL FOREVER LIVE ON.”
“Wonderful!” If there’s anyone who deserves that name, it’s Sadibou HYDARA. In Sadibou HYDARA I have a true love that can never be fathomed, a true friendship that can never die, a peace that can never be understood, a joy that can never be diminished, a hope that can never be disappointed, a glory that can never be clouded, a light that can never be darkened, and a spiritual resource that can never be exhausted.
Sadibou HYDARA is a complaisant good father and a hero, a stalwart giant of the 22nd July (1994) revolution---in The Gambia---for all Gambians!!! Sadibou HYDARA was a Gambian patriot whose heroism, humility and good leadership earned him the respect of the whole Gambia National Army and the many of The Gambian population---even those to be born. The Gambia has lost a true formidable leader who had given his life to bring about true democracy and a just dispensation in The Gambia. Sadibou HYDARA has always told me: [“Man proposes, but God disposes. Allah tries us both by prosperity and adversity: in the one we should show humility and kindness; and in the other patience and Faith.” O yes! SABS! [So he addresses me] We are very tolerant and long-suffering! But we are for our country and Truth. Time is always in favor of Truth.”] Sadibou HYDARA was a hero of heroes whose life truly shines brightly likes the stars [and was himself a very bright star], and who sacrificed everything, and was ever prepared to die so that his fellow Gambians will live in total freedom, peace, security and dignity…. Thank God he achieved that---before he departed!! ! Captain Sadibou HYDARA has always reminded me:
“These things I ask of you, O SABS; do not refuse me before I die:
To show partiality in judging is not good: For administrative efficiency in Good Governance; Justice and Fairness matter most. And always, apply your own motto: “Be just, without fear or favour.”” In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. By words and by deeds---that’s how to be a good leader.”
“TRUTH HURTS, VIOLENCE KILLS!
We’ve both got responsibilities…
To the world. To (The) Gambia.
But there’s another responsibility---to what we “FEEL”
Right or Wrong.
To speak up for the Voiceless… who had been stripped of their civil rights.
This is the time for us to stand up and defend the true democracy that we believe in where each man is created equal in the eyes of the law.
“Like the German pastor / theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) in the years before World War II [who resisted the Nazi regime and was executed for treason]; we must also (always);
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
For the rights of all who are destitute?
Speak up and judge fairly;
Defend the rights of the poor and needy.” [Holy-Bible: Prov: 31:8-9]
[Allah knows Best what is right]. Sadibou HYDARA was truly among “Those who are faithfully true to their ‘Amanaat’ (all the duties which Allah has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts) and to their covenants; and those who strictly guard their (five compulsory congregational) ‘Salawaat’ (prayers) (at their fixed stated times / hours).” Allah’s statement: “These are indeed the inheritors; who shall inherit the ‘Firdaus’ (Paradise). They shall dwell therein forever.”
O Most Merciful of all shows him Mercy! Make his death a total rest from all evil and admit him to the Highest ranks in the Garden of Paradise. Through the gateway of peaceful death, may he enter, the true real Life of Paradise [Al-Jannatul-Mawwa / Al-Firdaus…] My Lord! Build for him, in nearness to you [Al-Bait Al-Ma’muur (i.e. Allah’s House) a mansion in the Garden of Paradise.
May his blessed soul rest in perfect peace?
[Aameen! Aameen! Aameen!]
Oh, there is such a lot to tell [about him…] that it is difficult my trying to say it all now as I am in tears… To me, Sadibou HYDARA was virtually a Saint! [Few days before he “departed,” he came to me and talked to me of God’s dealings, of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave! (And on the eve of the very day he passed away, late in the night; he woke me up from sleep and said: “SABS! How deep does it wound you when others despise your labour of love? Don’t despair---It’s then that you must view them with Spirit-filled eyes and love your offenders with prayer. SABS, by God’s Grace, we can pray sincerely for those who may not value our best efforts. [SABS! Open your Holy-Bible to Matthew: 5:44) Jesus’ words: “PRAY FOR THOSE WHO SPITEFULLY USED YOU.”] I was moved. I was comforted. [But when (in the afternoon, barely an hour before he “departed” from this world,] while we chatted, [just out of the blue…] he said “SABS! Please, By Allah, take care of my family: My mother, wife and children. Enjoin prayer on them, and be constant therein. We should not be afraid of death, for it only brings us back to Allah. If death is certain, as it is, and this life itself in no way satisfies our instincts and expectations, we may be sure that the agency which separates our soul from our body will bring us into the new world.” [“And I’m already into that new world! Faith sees things that are out of sight”] He then very strongly reminded me of Allah’s Statements in the Holy-Quran-‘an: “Verily, Allah, with Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour…No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things)” (Surah 31: V34). “And We granted not to any human being immortality (permanent life) before you…Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good. And to Us you will be returned.”(Surah 21: V34-35), “Say: “The Angel of Death, who is set over you, will take your souls. Then you shall be brought to your Lord.” (Surah 32: V11)] I hated to see him go. I just stared…I prayed…
Prison offers “good” prisoners one precious commodity: Time to think and reflect. The prison was a school: the last university in the world---at least to us.
We were able to learn and teach ourselves among lot of things; and we came up with this ‘Philanthropic / Patriotic Anthem’:
“WHY I LOVE (THE) GAMBIA”
(The) Gambia! Our Mother country of Good People and Blessing.
You’re so full of the milk of human kindness!
Wherever I went I found your sons and daughters very dedicated, affable and compassionate.
You have an infectious ebullience that inspires all who visited and lived with you.
Oh, (The) Gambia! I’m thinking of you very much,
And hoping you know it’s true
The love that’s in my heart
Will always be for you--- (The) Beautiful Gambia!
Of all the gifts on earth that there could ever be…
The one I cherish most of all is the love I have for (The) Gambia and (The) Gambians.
I LOVE (THE) MOTHER GAMBIA!
That’s never changed, nor never will.
It’s deep in me, like something I were born with,
that I can’t cut out no more than I can’t cut out my own heart.
I LOVE (THE) GAMBIA!
That can’t be denied, just so much as all other things.
(The) Gambia! (The) Beautiful Gambia! (The) Gambia is all to me sky and air and earth and water, all that life is.
There’s no denying that.
(The) Gambia! (The) Gambia! The most Beautiful! The most Blessed Country!
Who does not love You- (The) Gambia! My heart is full of love for you-our Beautiful Mother Gambia!
(The) Gambia! You are dearer to me than any place in the world.
And I love (The) Gambia of ours so much that I can’t think of living elsewhere than in (the) Gambia.
I was born here- (The) Gambia! I pray to die here-(The) Gambia! And be buried here-(The) Gambia!
I LOVE (THE) GAMBIA!
But separation from (The) Gambia I cannot endure.
I don’t mind any trouble I may go through,
I don’t give a damn if the whole world turns against me because “I love (The) Gambia!”
I won’t blink if I’m being persecuted because of the love I have for (The) Gambia.
I’m in love with (The) Gambia-head over heels!
A day without thinking about (The) Gambia is incomplete in my life.
I LOVE (THE) GAMBIA!
Oh, (The) Gambia!
I now stand by you, whatever you ask me to do…
I will not behave like the followers of Prophet Mosses [Musa] who said, “Go you and your God and fight the enemy, we remain here behind.”
If I must fight, I will and I will fight to the right of (The) Gambia, to the left of (The) Gambia, in front of (The) Gambia, and behind (The) Gambia.
True, [if] the enemy wants to get at you…
But I assure you that he will not do so, without first stepping over my dead body.
(The) Mother Gambia, [if] you invite me to fight,
I am ever prepared to do more.
I vow, I will not surrender in any way I promise.
I will not surrender. I will not retreat.
NO RETREAT! NO SURRENDER!
Not far from here is the sea,
If you command me to jump into it, I will hesitate not.
(The) Gambia! (The) Gambia! (The) Gambia! I LOVE (THE) GAMBIA!
GOD BLESS YOU (THE) MOTHER GAMBIA!
To his wife and children, I say:
WHEN GOD FORGIVES, IT’S TIME FOR US TO FORGET.
“We make it all “A TIME TO FORGET: Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” The end of one year and the dawning of a new one provide an excellent opportunity to wipe the slate clean and make a fresh start. We can’t forget our past, of course, but we don’t have to live in it. Any good we may have done is from God, so we can only be thankful. When we confess our shortcomings, they are buried in the deepest sea. Let’s not keep dredging them up. IF YOU KEEP LOOKING BACK, YOU CAN’T MAKE ANY MEANINGFUL PROGRESS.
“We have passed through one more year. One more long stage in the journey of life, with its ascents and descents and dust and mud and rocks and thorns and burdens that wear the shoulders, is done. The old year is dead. Roll it away. Let it go. God, in His providence, has brought us out of it. It is gone…its evil is gone; its good remains. The evil has perished, and the good survives. Those who know the Almighty Allah as their Maula (Creator, Lord, Helper, Guardian, Friend, Patron, Supporter, and Protector) can let go of the past and move ahead with assurance because Allah provides forgiveness and hope. Having confessed their shortcomings, “forgetting those things which are behind,” they can confidently face the future, “reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Remembering God’s Mercy and forgetting past mistakes will make entering the New Year a time of joyous anticipation.
“Yes, we can leave the shortcomings and failures of this past year behind us, accept His forgiveness, and press on to higher ground. As far as our shortcomings are concerned, we can make the beginning of the New Year a time to forget.
“Look not back on yesterday
So full of failure and regret;
Look ahead and seek God’s way---
All shortcomings confessed you must forget.
NEVER LET A DARK PAST CLOUD A BRIGHT FUTURE.”
[As the Germans say:]
“Ub Immer Treu Redlichkeit” i.e. “Be ever true, be ever upright.”
I’d also add that;
My motto: “Be just, without fear or favour.”
For the Good and Truth must ultimately triumph.
We pray:
“In the Name of All, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. May Allah Almighty guide us to His Straight Path in all our activities? May He give us Faith, hope, and trust in Allah, and in His benevolent government of the world. May He give us devotion and service in practical life. May He also give us love and practice of truth, in thought and intention, word and deed; patience and constancy, in suffering and in right endeavor, humility, the avoidance of an attitude of arrogance and superiority and protect us from the misleading trials; the apparent and the hidden ones. We pray Allah to grant us true and firm adherence to Islam and make us die therein.
“Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not into our hearts any Hatred or Rancour (or sense of injury) against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of Kindness, Most Merciful.
“May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Holy-Prophet, Muhammed (S.A.W.) and his family? May Allah shower His blessings upon him.
May Allah the Almighty grant us all, the understanding and the guidance to fulfill our duties and rights to one another, in the manner that has been explained to us by the Holy-Prophet (S.A.W.) and may He create the bond of true and sincere unity between us all.
Aameen!!! Aameen!!! Aameen!!!
By Captain Sana-Bairo SABALLY
… [SABS] ……
[THE GAMBIA, West Africa.]
FRIDAY 18th MARCH 2005