The Muslim Ummah is one Ummah. We all are brothers and sisters to one another. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says,
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ
“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers.”
(Surah Al-Hujurat: 10)
The believers in their love are one; we are a single body, if one part of the body aches, the rest of the body experiences sleeplessness and fever, as the Prophet ﷺ said:
“ مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى ”
“The similitude of believers in regard to mutual love, affection, fellow-feeling is that of one body; when any limb of it aches, the whole-body aches, because of sleeplessness and fever.”
(Muslim)
As I reflect upon the condition of the Ummah today, especially our brothers and sisters who are being attacked and oppressed in Palestine and elsewhere, I realize that the Muslims are encircled by the enemies from every direction, hearing the voices of bombs from every end, where every second could be the last second of their life. There are young souls screaming from every other corner, families being displaced and parents weeping upon the dead bodies of their kids. By Allah, our hearts break and eyes shed tears, but we only say that which pleases our Lord. May Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) grant victory to Islam and the Muslims. May Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) unite us and them upon Tawheed and accept their martyrs. (Aameen)
I remember the words of one of my teachers: “There are many solutions offered, there are many fingers pointed. We will hear people, “It is the fault of so-and-so, it is the fault of such-and-such country; it is the fault of such-and-such an individual; We need to boycott and we need to protest. Yet, almost never do you hear the people actually tell people the real reason why this is happening, and the very simple solution how to stop it. We must begin by understanding that there is no evil, no trial, and no fitnah, that will befall this Ummah except that Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) and His Messenger ﷺ explained in the clearest of terms; the cause and the solution for it.”
Sadly, we see that this affliction in Palestine has affected the Ummah as a whole. In many places around the world, Muslims are being oppressed in one way or the other, and yet collectively we still are not willing to work towards any solution. The cause of trials and tribulations are what our own hands have earned. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ)says in Surah Ar-Rum:
ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].
(Surah Ar-Rum :41)
Similarly, Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says in Surah Ash-Shuraa,
وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ
“And whatever strikes you of disaster – it is for what your hands have earned”
(Surah Ash-Shuraa: 30)
We really need to understand that it is us, it is our own actions that have caused what we see today. That may sound like an insensitive thing to say at this time. Please note that I am grieved at the situation as much as you, yet I can say the change starts within ourselves. Let me explain.
We raise our hands making du’a’ to Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) asking Him to help us overcome the Yahood, yet we follow them ‘shibran shibran – hand span by hand span”
حَدَّثَنِي سُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ مَيْسَرَةَ، حَدَّثَنِي زَيْدُ بْنُ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ، بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سَنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا فِي جُحْرِ ضَبٍّ لاَتَّبَعْتُمُوهُمْ ” . قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ آلْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ ” فَمَنْ ” .
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also. We said: Allah’s Messenger, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words)” those before y ou”? He said: Who else (than those two religious’ groups)? Let me explain.
(Sahi Muslim: 2669)
We know that Jews are the people who are cursed by Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ). They are from those who have earned the anger of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) and are those who were never trustworthy. They never kept their promise and are the stingiest of people on the face of this earth. They were the ones who caused problems for the Prophets and the Believers. Reading the history and an understanding of the Qur’an may allow us to know what kind of people they were. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) described them as the ones who indulged in riba (usury). All of these blameworthy characteristics of the Yahood that we are informed of.
How many of these characteristics can we claim do not exist in the Muslims of today? We follow them in our dealings, manner and in character. Yet, we continue to ask Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) to grant us victory over them? How can we expect victory over our enemies when this is our state? We see people shouting and screaming that they would pray a prayer in Al-Aqsa (not belittling its virtue), but when you ask them how many times in day do they walk to the masjid (mosque) nearby for their own 5 obligatory prayers – you know what the answer is! Alhumdulliah, today, we can practice our religion freely, yet how many of us take it seriously? How many of us are really even concerned in learning deen (religious knowledge) which is obligatory upon us to know?! We are just busy running behind the duniya, day and night. We want more and more of the duniya. Then we see people protesting on the streets, what good do we think this will bring? Protesting is not from the ways of the Muslims! Two wrongs do not make it right. It’s sad. We see so much shirk and bidah (innovations in the religion) everywhere, how then do we expect the help of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) to come to us? Furthermore, we hear statements like “O Salahuddin! Where are you O Salahuddin?” Allah’s aid is sought. One should turn to Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) alone at times like this.
We are living in times when the disbelievers have gathered in order to harm the Muslims, this war is a war of kufr and Islam.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish. Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and last enervation into your hearts. Someone asked: What is wahn (enervation). Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): He replied: Love of the world and dislike of death.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud 4297)
We have read about the Battle of Uhud: when will we take the same lesson the Sahabas took from their loss in it? They didn’t point fingers on others. We can’t change the sins of the people, but we can change our own. The solution is having Taqwa of Allah, turning to Allah, and establishing the Tawheed of Allah. It is not following one’s desires and by false slogans.
Taqwa in simple words is to place a barrier between yourself and the punishment of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ). The Noble Tabi’e; Talq Ibn Habib (may Allah have mercy upon him), he said, “Taqwa is to do what Allah commanded you upon the light of guidance from Allah, hoping for His reward. To abandon that which Allah forbade upon the light of guidance from Allah, fearing His punishment.” This is the real solution; Turning to Allah.
Allah doesn’t change the condition of a people until we change what is within ourselves, as Allah says in Surah Ar-Ra’d:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ
“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.”
(Surah Ar-Ra’d: 11)
It is time we look at ourselves, try changing our condition, our own family and then the people around us, and when each individual does that, it can bring a huge change within the Ummah, In Sha’ Allah.
Victory, no doubt, is for the Muslims! If we work upon ourselves and do what is expected of us, In Sha’ Allah, we will be given strength over the enemies of Islam. None of the above means that we do not feel for our brothers and sisters being oppressed in Palestine. May Allah accept their martyrs and destroy the plans of the Yahood. We all should make sure we make du’a’ for them, help them in whatever way possible, by sending them financial aid through authentic sources, and make people aware of the situation. However, what it means is that there is in it our share as well, and we really need to correct ourselves if we really want Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) to help us.
This religion will prevail over all other religions even if the Kuffar (disbelievers) hate it as we know from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The honor will be for the Muslims and for Islam only! As Umar (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) said, ‘We are a people whom Allah has honored us through Islam’ our honor is with Islam and in Islam, and if we try to look for it in the ways of the kuffar or any other religion other than Islam, then no doubt we will be humiliated. And we ask Allah for safety.
I would advise myself and others to be patient and keep on making du’a’ for the brothers and sisters in Palestine, and do not despair of the mercy of Allah, He is extremely merciful to His servants. We do not forget what’s going on, but we also have to know that the way out from these trials and tribulations is by learning about the religion, teaching and establishing the Tawheed of Allah. Returning back to Allah. Nothing will rectify the latter of this Ummah except that which rectified the forerunners of this Ummah.
And I’ll end by a few words of hope from one of our teachers and da’ees (caller to Islam):
“Allah has not forsaken us!
Do not think that Allah is going to leave them like that.
But Allah will save it for them for a day in which the eyes will stare in horror, and that also Allah can help us to see it in the dunia, where Allah takes revenge on behalf of the believers.
Also, Allah told us it is a test, test us with fear, loss of life, and so on, but Allah says, and give glad tidings to those that are to those who are patient. And the world is a test. Things change.
What you’re seeing now, do not be disheartened and think that Allah has forsaken us. The victory of Allah and the help of Allah is near.”
We ask Allah to protect the honor of the Muslims in Palestine. Wa Aaqibatu Lilmuttaqeen – The good end is for the Muttaqun (pious). May Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) unite us all upon Tawheed, grant victory to Islam and the Muslims, help us against our enemies, make for us and our brothers and sisters in Palestine and elsewhere from every calamity a way out, and accept the martyrs of the people of Palestine. Allahumma Aameen
