|
 I will pray for your forgiveness.
I will pray for your ignorance.
I will pray for you in times of misfortune.
I will pray for your apathy.
I will pray for you when greed overcomes you
I will pray for you when you fill the pockets of my oppressors.
I will pray for you when you contribute to my destruction.
Will you then pray for me, when those pennies turn into bullets?
Will you then pray for me when my family are parted and hidden amongst the rubble? Will you then pray for me when I have no strength to pray for myself?
Will you even acknowledge this suffering?
I forgive you…but will Allah SWT do the same?
Mankind! We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples
and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in
God's sight is the one who best performs his duty; God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.
(Qur'an, 49:13)
The Holy Qu’ran; the book that commands us how to live, the book that is based on ethics and fairness, is also the book that instructs us to ‘best perform’ our duty. So what is my duty as a Muslim? Is it enough to pray 5 times a day, to give Zakat, to fast for one month in the year etc? Is that all it takes to be a good Muslim, one who strives for the pleasure of Allah SWT? The answer, as I am sure you are already aware is no! Is it not your duty to help your neighbour, your brother or your sister? If you can only comprehend this in its most literal sense then I must break your comfort bubble. This duty extends to the whole Ummah. Your brothers and sisters exist in your community, they exist throughout the nation, and they exist world-wide. Let not your own good fortune and generosity from Allah SWT conceal this fact, do not let your pride and idleness misguide your duty to perform, none of us know when misfortune will strike us. What we do know is that the hardships and suffering we pray never to encounter occur on a daily basis in countries such as Palestine.
So, why should you care? Sorry folks, but its simple. You have to. The Qu’ran commands us to, and who are we to argue against the word of God? Those words that will fill our hearts with emotion and happiness through good deeds and actions:
What reason could you have for not fighting in the Way of God - for those men, women and children who are oppressed and say: "Our Lord, take us out of this city whose inhabitants are wrongdoers! Give us a protector from You! Give us a helper from You!"? (Qur'an, 4:75)
The suffering of the Ummah, happens EVERY DAY right before your very eyes. Is your silence golden? When we see the cruelty on our television screens as we sit comfortably, when we see the poverty and death in the newspaper on the train journey to work, when we hear of the interrogation and torture on the radio, how can your silence be golden? I shall tell you when. When you contribute to those golden bullets that inflict pain and suffering, those golden bullets that cause the death of a brother or sister, the loss of a mother, father, child, sibling, or partner. Those golden bullets that cannot identify a child from an adult, a baby from an elderly man, or a husband from his pregnant wife. That is the effect of our golden silence.
It is easy to point the finger at those who directly inflict the atrocity and suffering, but it is not only those individuals who are solely responsible and accountable. That responsibility also lies with the rest of the Ummah. We are the ones that have supported the horror through our own indirect and ignorant means.
We must follow the Qu’ran and its teachings that command us to oppose cruelty, help those in need and support the oppressed in the face of brutality. Where there is any form of oppression we must make our utmost efforts to defeat this, no matter who you are up against, or who opposes you in this quest, just remember Allah sees everything, and we must strive to please Him only.
"O you who believe! Show integrity for the sake of God, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just. Be just, for that is closer to heedfulness. Have fear of God. God is aware of what you do." (Qur'an, 5:8)
You who believe! Be upholders of justice, bearing witness for God alone, even against yourselves or your parents and relatives. Whether they are rich or poor, God is well able to look after them. Do not follow your own desires and deviate from the truth. If you twist or turn away, God is aware of what you do.
If there is still any doubt in your hearts, then I have to ask…how can you, as a Muslim, someone who advocates and promotes a religion of love and peace sit back and allow the absolute injustice, indecency and terror that has reigned for so long in Palestine - a land where gunfire is the response to simple stones and rocks, and where murder sees no boundaries or limits?
The complete solution and cure to this tyranny is not simple, but the small steps towards it are. The Palestinians may have lost their voice…but the rest of the Ummah can speak and act on their behalf. Let us fight for the justice of our brothers and sisters!
If you truly oppose cruelty, I urge you not to encourage this. This is one of your many opportunities to please the Almighty. Not only will you fight for the injustice of your brothers and sisters but also for your own inner happiness and achievement for Allah SWT.
Conscientious purchasing is simple How much of your time will it take to chose one box of dates over another? Simple – yes. Effective - very. So, next time you buy those dates to open your fast, what will you taste at Iftari? The flesh of a succulent, juicy, sweet fruit or the taste of blood?
Birmingham Campaign
The response from the Muslim community in Birmingham has been very heart-warming, caring, encouraging and positive with comments such as “I was completely unaware”, “Thank you for letting us know” and “I will spread the message to my family and friends”. Whilst visiting mosques, the general consensus has been that of gratitude for raising awareness and voluntary contributions in raising awareness amongst the more concentrated community involved. Not only have we been successful in raising this awareness, but also in more long-term recognition and practise of ethical purchasing. Negative feedback has been quite rare, and mainly by those individuals whose ignorance, greed and pride exceeds their duty as a Muslim.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. LET US HELP MEND OUR TORTURED UMMAH.
Readers have left 4 comments.
At this time of contemplation, I wonder if someone can answer a question that has often perplexed me.
Why is it that Muslims, who believe that the Path of Islam is the true path, do not demand more of fellow Muslims. Instead there are reams written about the atrocities committed by the Zionists.
One only has to read through Amnesty Internationals reports to realise the degree to which Muslims suffer at the hands of other Muslims. Surely only when Muslims treat one another and those non-Muslims around them with decency can there be any hope for progress?
It seems to me that the "Palestine industry" has taken over the entire stage to the point where other equal centres of suffering are simply ignored.
Or am I missing a point here - could it be that Muslims really don't care about other Muslims?
May I suggest that the torturers of the "tortured Ummah" are primarily the members of the Mukhabarat societies.
Surely RSD means the "Holocaust Industry"?
It is true that many Muslims suffer from a victim mentality; rather than admit that their own inaction and passivity is part of the problem, it is far easier to blame others for the terrible state of the Ummah.
However, the tide has started to change and certainly within Islamic circles, if not publicly, there's a growing call for reform of both British Islamic institutions as well as the tyrannical so-called Islamic states of the Middle East and Asia.
I think MPAC is one of the leading organisations in demanding reform, hence why they have so many enemies from within the Muslim community, as Muslims don't like the idea of airing our dirty laundry in public. The Islamic Human Rights Commission is another organisation that's not scared to criticise "Islamic" countries/institutions.
No Taz, I wrote what I meant. Far too many people derive far too much income from the Palestinians perpetual suffering, and therefore have very real interest in it ending. Robert Fisk is a fine example who bleats on deploying his many prejudices and one assumes being paid a goodly sum. Yet where has he once attempted to use his position to forward political maturity amongst the Palestinians? George Galloway would be another left-wing has-been were it not for the pious anger he deploys allegedly in support fo the Palestinians and other Arabs. But once again where is he when it comes to meaningful political and social development? Where is he providing friendly criticism of the Palestinian constitution which conflicts whith a large number of the values he allegedly espouses in UK?
|
