Ayoub’s life in prison🏢
There are many strange stories about escaping from prison(Jailbreak), but one of the strangest is Ayoub’s escape from a fortified prison, He used his intelligence and managed to escape from the prison in broad daylight.
The prison escape story revolves around a man named Ayoub, who worked as a blacksmith and was unjustly imprisoned.
Due to his blacksmithing skills, the prison administration wanted to benefit from his expertise.
They made him work in the prison workshop during the day and return to his cell in the evening.
The workshop was responsible for crafting doors, windows, and steel locks.
While working in the workshop, Ayoub managed to familiarize himself with the prison’s entrances and exits because the workshop was located separately from the cells.
One day, the project at the prison’s primary entryway, went with a jail official, who came to the workshop, looking for a few gifted laborers to settle the outside entryway.
The severe winds had damaged the locks, and they needed repair, especially during the winter season.
The supervisor of the workshop chose some workers, including Ayoub, to go and repair the gate.
After removing the old locks, they took Ayoub back to the workshop to repair and replace some parts.
Planning the Prison Escape📜
Ayoub seized this opportunity and learned how to pick the lock by making a copy of his key without anyone noticing.
He concealed it in the workshop among the old and malfunctioning tools.
The workers installed the repaired external prison gate, and Ayoub continued to move between his daytime work in the workshop and his nighttime return to his cell.
Ayoub contemplated escaping from the prison at night, but three obstacles stood before him:
first, how to exit the locked cell; second, how to move from the cell to the external prison gate without being seen; and third, how to evade the guards at the gate and open it.
Ayoub carefully and skillfully planned the escape operation.
He began by taking the prison gate key and some tools from the workshop, concealing them in his clothing.
Once back in his cell, he tampered with the lock on the cell door, making it impossible to open without breaking it.
The guard came the next morning to take Ayoub to the workshop, but he couldn’t open the cell door.
Other guards were called in, and they eventually broke the lock and took the door to the workshop to replace the lock with a new one.
In the workshop, the workers installed a new lock on the door, and Ayoub managed to make a copy of the new key before it was installed.
Ayoub decided to escape on a dark night, with heavy rain and strong winds.
The only sounds were thunder, wind, and the movement of windows and doors due to the force of the wind.
Escape from the Cell🚪
In the middle of the night, Ayoub used the copied key to partially open the cell door, then stood nearby, carefully observing the guard’s movements in the corridor.
As the guard approached the door, Ayoub leaped at him and delivered a powerful blow to his head, rendering the guard unconscious.
Ayoub dragged the guard inside the cell, donned his clothes, and locked the cell door.
Now disguised as the guard, Ayoub ventured out, covering his face and mouth with his hand whenever he encountered another guard, citing the severe cold as the reason for his muffled voice and obscured features.
He made his way to the distant external gate, which was far from the other prison facilities.
Stealthily, Ayoub attempted to open the gate with the key he had crafted, but the strong winds pushed the gate back, making it difficult for him to open it alone.
He realized he needed someone else’s help to hold the gate steady while he tried to unlock it.
Time was running out, so Ayoub decided to seek assistance from guards hiding from the wind and rain.
He threw a rope he had brought with him over the gate and began shouting, calling out to the guards,
“One of the prisoners has escaped! You were all sleeping while he climbed the gate and got out!”
Two alarmed guards rushed to the scene.
Ayoub shouted at them again, “If you don’t catch the prisoner, you’ll be punished! Open the gate and catch him before he gets away!”
The two guards believed Ayoub’s story when they saw a fellow guard in front of them and noticed the rope hanging over the gate.
They opened the gate, and Ayoub instructed them, “We should each go in different directions to catch the prisoner.”
And so, the guards split up, each searching in a different direction, as Ayoub made his escape from the prison.
Escape from the Prison (Jailbreak)🌄
Ayoub managed to walk in the opposite direction of the two guards, fleeing the prison.
He traveled for two consecutive days, sometimes running and other times walking.
The sun plunged beneath the skyline🌙
Just before dawn on the third day, he found himself facing a massive mountain stretching far to his right and left, its end obscured from both sides.
Exhausted, Ayoub wanted to rest and noticed a cave ahead.
He cautiously approached the cave, fearing that a wild animal might be inside.
The darkness inside the cave was intense, so Ayoub proceeded carefully, feeling his way.
He spotted a faint glimmer of light between two rocks inside the cave and proceeded slowly, stumbling on the rocks.
After some effort, he reached the rocks and lifted the first one, then the second one.
To his delight, Ayoub found a long tunnel.
Hope surged within him; he believed he had escaped and would find a way out of this massive mountain.
However, the tunnel was long and sometimes narrow, forcing Ayoub to crawl on his belly at times and then widening enough for him to walk hunched over.
He continued through the tunnel until it was nearly midday, and he encountered an opening in the middle of the mountain.
Ayoub looked down and saw a deep valley beneath him, then looked up but could not see the peak of the mountain.
Fear and despair overwhelmed Ayoub once again.
He sat near the opening, contemplating his options.
Should he descend into the valley without knowing what lay at its bottom, or should he climb to the top of the mountain without knowing when or how he would reach its summit?
Perplexed, Ayoub kept alternating his gaze between the valley below and the mountain’s peak.
Suddenly, a small rock fell from the top of the mountain, catching his attention.
He looked up and saw a mountain goat grazing and skillfully climbing from rock to rock.
Ayoub observed the mountain goat’s movements and how it navigated between the rocks without falling, and he began to identify areas and rocks he could use to climb to the mountain’s summit.
Determined, Ayoub started his ascent.
When the mountain goat noticed him, it fled upward to higher regions and other areas.
Help from the Mountain Goat🐐
Ayoub followed the paths that the mountain goat had taken, walking on the same rocks it had climbed.
Exhausted, he sat on a boulder near the mountain’s summit.
There, he heard some movement and quietly raised his head to see two men carrying spears and arrows.
He recognized them as hunters.
The hunters had no chance to catch any mountain goats since they fled upon seeing Ayoub climbing the mountain.
They left the area without success.
Ayoub waited until the hunters were gone, then emerged from his hiding spot.
He decided to track their movements and followed them from a distance, hoping they would lead him to a village, town, or settlement where he might find food.
He hadn’t eaten in days.
The hunters descended from the top of the mountain and entered a narrow mountain slope.
Ayoub followed them until they reached the bottom of the mountain and walked along a side valley with dense trees.
Peering through the trees, Ayoub saw smoke in the distance, and his spirits lifted. He knew that he was getting closer to human habitation.
As he continued, the rocks surrounded the valley from all sides.
Ayoub Kills the Snake🐍
Suddenly, Ayoub noticed a strange movement among the rocks.
He squinted but couldn’t identify the source of the movement.
Slowly, he climbed higher to investigate further.
To his surprise, he found two children playing inside a cave.
As he approached them, he noticed a snake dangling from a rock above the cave, attempting to enter.
Without hesitation, Ayoub climbed higher and surprised the snake from behind, striking it with a rock on its back.
The snake fell lifeless and writhed in front of the terrified children.
Ayoub quickly descended, finding the children trembling with fear.
He embraced them tightly, comforting them, and leaned against a rock, falling into a deep slumber.
Ayoub woke up to some commotion outside the cave.
He quickly got up, peering through the rocks to see a woman approaching cautiously.
She glanced behind her and to her sides, fearful of being seen.
As she neared the cave and the children saw her, they jumped into her arms, and Ayoub realized she was their mother.
Seeing the snake, the woman raised the stick she was holding, intending to protect herself and her children.
When she saw the snake lifeless, she calmed down.
Ayoub, however, froze with fear, afraid that she might strike him with the thick stick in her hand or the dagger tied to her waist.
The mother looked at her children, and they moved their hands and heads, signaling something Ayoub couldn’t understand.
But from her reaction, he understood that they were telling her about the snake and how he killed it.
The woman carried a bag, which she opened, taking out some food.
She offered a portion to her children and some to Ayoub.
The Secret of Sign Language🤫
Ayoub wanted to speak, but the woman quickly placed her hand over his mouth and gestured for him not to talk.
He was puzzled by her actions and attempted to raise his hand to speak, but she stopped him and warned him that speaking would lead to his demise.
Ayoub’s astonishment grew as he realized that no one communicated except through sign language.
Even the children communicated with each other and their mother using gestures with their heads and eyes.
After being prevented from speaking several times, Ayoub understood that speech was forbidden, but he was convinced there must be a secret behind it.
He stayed with the woman and the children for some time, and the bond of affection between them grew stronger.
Eventually, they agreed and got married, and Ayoub learned sign language, discovering something unexpected.
He learned that sign language was the language of the poor and uneducated in the neighboring villages and kingdoms, while those who received an education and had knowledge held a higher status.
There were several ranks that a person could ascend through in the hierarchy of knowledge until they became a learned speaker.
However, these ranks excluded most of society, particularly the poor and those who couldn’t afford the cost of education, as schooling wasn’t free, even though it was affordable.
Ayoub was educated before arriving in this kingdom, but no one knew about it.
He was skilled in the art of crafting swords and arrows.
He rented a house in one of the kingdom’s cities and built a workshop for crafting swords and arrows.
He worked there, living with his wife and the children.
He was known to be kind-hearted, always willing to lend a helping hand
Ayoub’s major obstacle was using sign language without speaking, as the workshop required many interactions involving buying and selling.
Most people were talkative, and using sign language would make him appear ignorant, despite being a skilled craftsman.
He contemplated ways to surpass the societal ranks set by the king to become a speaker without enrolling in any educational center, but he couldn’t find a solution.
Ayoub Defies the King’s Orders🤴
One day, Ayoub was in his workshop, crafting swords and arrows, and he was singing loudly as he hammered and shaped the iron.
A group of soldiers heard Ayoub’s voice, and everyone in the city knew that Ayoub did not speak due to his fame in the craft of sword and arrow making.
The soldiers approached Ayoub’s workshop and arrested him for violating royal orders by speaking without any academic degree or rank.
Ayoub was brought before the court, and the hall was filled with spectators.
The judge asked Ayoub to explain the reason for his speech in the kingdom, knowing that it was forbidden for someone without an academic rank to speak.
Ayoub used sign language to request a minute to speak and defend himself.
He told the judge,
“Your Honor, may I have a minute to speak?
If I fail to justify the reason for my speech, you can imprison me and pass any judgment you see fit.”
The judge agreed, saying:
“I will allow you one minute to speak, as you requested, but if you fail, you will regret it, and then remorse will be of no use.”
Ayoub continued, “I am a skilled ironworker, who came from afar.
I shape swords as I please, and the knowledge of this craft is not new to me.
However, it requires education, expertise, and dedicated effort.
I am content with my profession.
Do I need a degree from you or any other righteous man?”
The judge looked around the hall and asked:
“Are there any witnesses?”
Most of the people in the hall raised their hands and said in unison
“He speaks the truth, and we stand as witnesses to what he said.”
The judge nodded his head and said:
“Your words are sincere. Return to your home and profession, for you are a unique man!”
Ayoub Before the King🤴
The king learned about the story of the blacksmith Ayoub and summoned him to the palace. Ayoub arrived at the king’s court.
The king asked him:
“How did you enter the kingdom without us knowing about your arrival?” Ayoub narrated his story from beginning to end.
The king inquired, “And what is the story of this woman you mentioned?”
Ayoub replied, “This woman is a widow; her husband was a soldier in your kingdom’s army and was killed in one of the battles against the kingdom’s enemies.
He left behind his wife and two children.
After her husband’s death, their situation worsened, and she couldn’t afford the rent, so she left the city and lived with her children in a cave in the mountains.
When I came across her, we got acquainted, and I married her.
I then started working as a blacksmith, and we rented a house in the city where we now live with the two children.”
The king expressed sadness and said:
“The wife of one of my soldiers is living in the mountains with her children, and I had no knowledge of it.
Why didn’t she come forward and report her situation?
If the commander of the army mistreated her, he would be punished for not registering her name among the widows of fallen soldiers.”
Ayoub responded, “Your Majesty, how could she report her situation when most of the people in the kingdom speak freely?
She was afraid to be punished if she spoke up because she lacked any academic rank, which only applies to a small segment of the kingdom’s population, such as this woman and some of the poor and needy.”
The king thanked Ayoub and issued a royal decree allowing everyone in the kingdom to speak freely without any conditions.