LETTER FROM THE HEREAFTER
A. C. S. Hameed Writes from the Gardens of Eternity to Ali Sabry
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
From:
A. C. S. Hameed
(Former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka)
Residing, by the Grace of Allah, in Jannatul Firdaus
Beyond the Veil of this Temporal World
To:
Mohamed Ali Sabry, PC, MP
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Assalamu Alaikkum
My dear Brother Sabry,
I am writing to you from a place beyond your mortal sight—a place where the veils of this world have been lifted, where position and power mean nothing, and where truth stands naked before the throne of Allah.
You may be surprised to receive a letter from a dead man. But death, Sabry, is not the end. It is merely a transition. I am more alive now than I ever was in that world you still inhabit. I see things clearly now—things that were hidden from me when I walked among you.
I see you, Sabry. I see your struggles, your ambitions, your fears. I see the path you have chosen and the path you have abandoned. And I write to you today because I care about your soul—because I care about the fate that awaits you on the other side.
A View from Eternity
Let me tell you something, Sabry. When I was Foreign Minister, I thought I was important. I walked through the corridors of power, I met world leaders, I signed treaties, I shaped policy. I thought I was building a legacy.
But now, from this place of eternal truth, I see the insignificance of all of that. The titles, the honors, the respect of men—none of it matters when you stand before Allah. What matters is what you did with the trust that was given to you. What matters is how you served the people, especially the weak and the oppressed. What matters is whether you stood for justice or remained silent in the face of injustice.
And Sabry, my dear brother, I must tell you with all the love and concern I possess: you have much to answer for.
On Nepotism and the Trust of Office
I was known, during my time in this world, for one thing above all: I never appointed a single member of my family to any state position during my entire tenure as Foreign Minister.
This was not because I was a saint, Sabry. It was because I understood something fundamental about power. Power is a trust from Allah. Every appointment you make, every position you fill, every rupee of public money you spend—you will be asked about it on the Day of Judgement.
You gave your brother Mohamed Uvais- the Chairmanship of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited. You gave him access to millions of rupees, to power, to influence. And you did this while the people of Sri Lanka were suffering—while Muslims were being cremated against Islamic law, while the economy was collapsing, while families were going hungry.
I see from here, Sabry, how you justified it to yourself. You told yourself he was qualified. You told yourself it was good for the country. You told yourself everyone does it.
But I am telling you, from this place where no excuses can hide: you knew it was wrong.
You knew that a Muslim leader does not enrich his family. You knew that the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us that the position of leadership is a trust, not a gift to be given to relatives. You knew that the greatest of the Prophet's companions—Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali—never used their positions to benefit their families.
And still, you did it.
Sabry, I am asking you—and more importantly, Allah is asking you—what will you say when you are asked about this appointment?
On the American Citizenship and Your Role in Bringing Gotabaya to Power
From this place, I see history unfolding differently than you do. I see the chains of cause and effect, the ripples that spread from every action.
You were the legal advisor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa. You stood before the press and told the people of Sri Lanka that Gotabaya had renounced his American citizenship. You gave them your word as a lawyer, as a man of honor, as a Muslim.
Because of your assurance, Gotabaya became President of this country.
And Sabry, from here, I see the consequences of that action clearly:
By bringing Gotabaya to power, you helped bring about:
The destruction of the economy—the worst economic crisis in Sri Lanka's history, the suffering of millions of families
The forced cremation of hundreds of Muslims—against Islamic law, against human dignity, against everything we believe in
The persecution of Muslims—innocent Muslims branded as terrorists after the Easter Sunday attacks
The destruction of the rule of law—cases against the Rajapaksa family withdrawn by the government while ordinary people were thrown in prison
The corruption that has become endemic—the looting of public funds, the appointment of relatives to state positions
You were the Justice Minister, Sabry. The Justice Minister. The word "justice" was in your title, and yet you presided over one of the most unjust periods in Sri Lanka's history.
On Forced Cremation—The Sin That Cries Out to Heaven
Brother Sabry, I am coming now to the matter that grieves me most. And when I say it grieves me, I mean that it grieves me in this world and in the next.
The forced cremation policy.
Sabry, do you understand what you did? Do you understand the gravity of the sin you participated in?
In Islam, we believe that the body is a trust from Allah. We believe that the body must be treated with dignity, even in death. We believe that burial is not just a custom—it is a religious obligation, a right of the deceased.
When you sat in that Cabinet room and the decision was made to forcibly cremate Muslims, you were violating the most sacred rights of your own community. You were participating in a policy that treated Muslim bodies as waste to be disposed of, not as the sacred remains of human beings created by Allah.
You say that you raised the matter with the government. You say that you "engineered" the Prime Minister of Pakistan to make representations. You say that you tried.
But Sabry, from here, I see the truth: you did not try hard enough.
You did not resign. You did not walk out of that Cabinet room and stand with your community. You did not say to Gotabaya, "Mr. President, I cannot be part of a government that commits this sin against my people."
Instead, you remained silent. You remained seated. You remained in power.
And then, Sabry—and this is what will haunt you on the Day of Judgement—when your own mother died, she was buried in Dehiwela.
Your mother was buried according to Islamic rites, while the mothers of other Muslims were burned.
Subhanallah! What kind of justice is this? What kind of leadership is this? What kind of Islam is this?
Sabry, I am telling you as someone who now stands in the presence of Allah: this is a sin that will not be forgiven easily. This is a sin that cries out to heaven. This is a sin that will follow you into the grave.
You have a choice, Sabry. You can continue to justify yourself, or you can repent and seek forgiveness from Allah and from the families whose loved ones you helped destroy.
On the Easter Sunday Attacks
And then there is the matter of the Easter Sunday attacks.
You have said that Gotabaya Rajapaksa did not plan these attacks. You have defended him. You have protected him.
But Sabry, from here, I see the truth—the whole truth, the truth that is hidden from the living.
I will not say to you that Gotabaya directly planned the attacks. I do not know that, and it is not for me to judge. But what I do know is this:
The Rajapaksa family and their allies used the Easter Sunday attacks to turn the nation against Muslims.
They created a climate of fear and hatred. They arrested innocent Muslims. They branded whole communities as terrorists. They used the tragedy to consolidate their power.
And you, Sabry—you, a Muslim—you stood with them. You protected them. You defended them.
The entire Muslim community of Sri Lanka is angry with you, Sabry. They are hurt, they are betrayed, they are outraged.
And from here, I can hear their cries. I can see their tears. I can feel their pain.
And I am angry too.
On Your Conduct as a Muslim
Brother Sabry, I must ask you a question—a question that I ask with love and concern for your soul:
What kind of Muslim are you?
A Muslim who participated in a government that cremated Muslims?
A Muslim who defended the government that persecuted Muslims?
A Muslim who appointed his brother to state positions while Muslims suffered?
A Muslim who was silent when his community was being attacked?
I know you pray. I know you fast. I know you may even give charity. But Sabry, these are outward acts. What matters is what is in your heart—and what comes out in your actions.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; if he cannot, then with his heart—and that is the weakest of faith."
You had the power to change this evil with your hand, Sabry. You were the Justice Minister. You were in the Cabinet. You had the power, and you chose not to use it.
You are a Muslim in name only, Sabry. You are not a Muslim in action.
A Question of Legacy
Sabry, I am writing to you from a place where there are no lies, no deceptions, no justifications.
I see my own legacy clearly now. I served this country for nearly four decades. I was the first Muslim to hold the position of Foreign Minister. I traveled the world as the representative of Sri Lanka. I met world leaders. I signed historic agreements.
And yet, all of this will fade.
What will remain, if anything, is whether I was a man of integrity—whether I stood for justice, whether I served the people, whether I remained true to my faith.
When I leave this world—and I have already left it—I want to be remembered as a man who:
Never betrayed his faith in the pursuit of power
Never appointed his family to state positions
Stood for justice even when it was unpopular
Served the people of this country, all of them, regardless of their faith
Spoke the truth even when it was difficult
What Will They Say About You, Sabry?
When you leave this world—and you will leave it, sooner than you think—what will they say about you?
"He was the Justice Minister who remained silent while Muslims were cremated"?
"He was the man who brought Gotabaya to power and destroyed the country"?
"He was the man who protected the culprits of the Easter Sunday attacks"?
"He was the man who gave his brother a government position while the people suffered"?
Or will they say:
"He was the man who finally stood up and did what was right"?
Sabry, it is not too late. As long as you are alive in this world, it is not too late to change, to repent, to make amends.
My Advice to You—From the Hereafter
I am not your enemy, Sabry. I am your brother in faith, and I am writing to you from the other side because I care about your eternal fate.
From this place of eternal truth, I advise you:
1. Repent sincerely for your silence on the forced cremation policy.
Seek forgiveness from Allah
Seek forgiveness from the families of those who were cremated
Make amends in whatever way you can
2. Apologize to the Muslim community for your failures.
Stand before the people and admit your mistakes
Ask for their forgiveness
Promise to do better
3. Resign from politics - any position that requires you to defend the Rajapaksa family.
You cannot serve both the people of Sri Lanka and the Rajapaksa family
Choose whom you will serve
4. Speak the truth about the Easter Sunday attacks.
Whatever you know, reveal it
Do not protect the guilty
Stand for justice, even if it is politically inconvenient
5. Commit to serving the people, not your family, not your political masters.
Resign from public office if you cannot serve the people
Dedicate yourself to the welfare of the community
Repair the damage you have done
6. Remember death.
Sabry, you will die. I have died. Everyone you know will die.
When you die, you will stand before Allah and be asked about everything.
Prepare for that day while you still have time.
A Final Warning
Sabry, I am writing to you from a place where there is no longer any time for excuses.
I have seen the reality of death. I have seen what happens when a person's deeds are weighed. I have seen the regret of those who prioritized this world over the next.
I have seen people who thought they were powerful, who thought they were important, who thought they would live forever—and now they are nothing but dust, and their deeds are being judged.
I do not want to see you among them.
I do not want to see you among those who are punished for their silence, for their complicity, for their betrayal of their own community.
I do not want to see you among those who cry out on the Day of Judgement, "My Lord, send me back to the world so that I can do better!"
But Sabry, you cannot come back. I cannot come back. No one can come back.
You have one chance—this life, this moment, this breath you are taking right now. Use it wisely.
Conclusion
Sabry, I will end this letter with a prayer—not for you, but for all of us. For me, for you, for every Muslim who has failed, and for every Muslim who has tried.
"Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and do not put in our hearts any resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful." (Quran 59:10)
Sabry, I ask you to remember me. I ask you to remember my legacy. I ask you to remember my advice.
I ask you to remember that one day, you will be where I am. You will see what I see. You will know what I know.
And on that day, Sabry, when you stand before Allah, what will you say?
Wassalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
From your brother in Islam,
A. C. S. Hameed
From the Gardens of Eternity, in the Presence of Allah