Oct 7, 2023 - Oct 7, 2024 | A Year In Reflection By Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed

Oct 7, 2023 – Oct 7, 2024 | A Year In Reflection

By Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed

One Year On: A Somber Reckoning

Today, October 7th, 2024, marks a year since all of these horrific incidents started taking place. And the Muslims are constantly having to watch the level of oppression and dhulm that is taking place against our people and against innocent people all across that entire region. And the region continues — the conflict, the dhulm, its da'ira seems to be increasing.

Just for some numbers — subhanAllah — I was just looking at this today: the number of masajid alone that have become shaheed has reached about 850. SubhanAllah. And hundreds of thousands of schools — the majority, about 65% of the entire region — have been attacked and destroyed.

So this is a reminder for us, one year later, of what exactly is our course. What should be our response? It's ajeeb how quickly the year has gone by, and for us it might be business as usual. But that's the scary part — when the ummah's destruction becomes business as usual, and no amount of pain creates a wake-up call. That is definitely a sign of us dying before they have died. Honestly. Because how can a person — subhanAllah — not feel the pain of what's happening?

The Ummah Is One Body

Nabi عليه الصلاة والسلام said that the ummah is like one body. When one portion of the body falls ill:

The entire body wakes up with humma — with fever — and stays awake at night. If you have a toothache and fever, the whole body stays awake at night, can't fall asleep. So now we don't have a toothache here. We have a much, much, much greater zulm that is taking place.

And the worst, scariest part of it is this: I am able to see today — you can see the actual destruction of the masjid. You can actually see bodies being carried out as though being weighed on a scale, because the bodies are split into so many pieces that they are burying them based on weight. And the fact that we can see that, as though someone who is present — no other genocide has the world, and we, been able to watch as though we have a first-hand experience in battle. Because these explosions are being captured by the enemy themselves with their cameras and posted. And we get an idea of exactly what is happening.

What Has One Year Done to Me?

Now the question is: what has one year done to me? This is a really somber question. What exactly has changed in my life since last October 7th? That is the million-dollar question.

It seems everyone is frozen. You know when headlights shine into a deer's eyes — it has no idea what to do, it's frozen. It seems like the ummah now is frozen.

And this reminds me of the hadith. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Reported by al-Bazzar; see also related narrations in Musnad Ahmad)

"What will happen to you when your women will cross all boundaries and go out of bounds, and the young men will become open sinners, and —" وَتَرَكْتُمْ جِهَادَكُمْ — "you will leave struggling and striving for the sake of Allah?"

So the women will go off track, the young men will be open sinners, and the men will stop struggling for the deen. The Sahaba said, "Ya Rasulullah, is this really going to happen?" And Rasulullah ﷺ said:

"I swear by that Being in Whose hands is the life of Muhammad — this is going to happen. And not only that, it is going to be worse than that."

They said, "Ya Rasulullah, what could be worse than that?" And he said:

"What will happen when you stop encouraging one another for good and stop prohibiting each other from evil?" They said, "Ya Rasulullah, is that going to happen?" He said, "I swear by the One in Whose hands is my life — this is going to happen. And worse than this can happen." "Ya Rasulullah, what could be worse than that?" He said:

"O ummah of Muhammad ﷺ, what will happen to you when you will be encouraging one another to do wrong and holding each other back from doing right?" "Ya Rasulullah, is this going to happen?"

"I swear by the Being in Whose hands is the life of Muhammad — worse than that will happen."

And Nabi ﷺ continues, and the last portion of this hadith is that Allah will get so upset — Rasulullah ﷺ says — Allah says:

"I take an oath upon Myself: when this is going to happen with you all, I will bring down such a fitna upon this ummah that even the most forbearing, noble, intelligent, wise man will be absolutely shocked — hayran — he will have no idea how to move forward."

The Ummah Is Shell-Shocked

I look at myself today, a year later. You look at the Muslim world — 55-plus Muslim countries — they're frozen; they don't know what to do. I look at the leadership of our Muslim community in this country, the ones who have the largest, loudest voices in the American Muslim community: we can't even agree upon what to do in this November election. Everyone is confused. Should I go right, should I go left, should I go center, should I go nowhere? There is no one opinion, and it is a mess.

I'm on some of these WhatsApp groups of all the who's who amongst the scholars of this country, and I watch the discussion. There is no consensus of any sort — rather, it sometimes seems like complete polar opposites. And this hadith comes to mind: we are just really shell-shocked right now as an ummah, and have no idea how to get ourselves out of this mess.

At a large scale across the globe, and then Muslims in this country — what to do? Because we're not just any country; we are the United States of America. What happens here sends ripple effects — mountain-sized waves — across the globe. We're at the center of power here. And so we have a huge role to play as Muslims in this country. But what is that role? What direction do we go? There is not, unfortunately, one united voice. And it really makes everyone feel down.

This Too Is the Punishment of Allah

Now you look at this hadith, and you should be shocked. Because what is happening over there is not only a punishment of Allah upon the ummah — but what is happening over here and in every Muslim country, the inability to have a united voice, the inability to come together and say, "This is the way forward" — that is also the punishment of Allah, which the Prophet ﷺ already shared with us centuries ago.

And remember: why did it happen? The hadith itself, if you look at the trajectory of where it starts and where it is going — it is simply people becoming apathetic towards Islam. Remember, Allah loves His deen more than any one person. You become apathetic towards deen, Allah will become apathetic towards you.

You can carry a flag on your shoulder, on your chest. You can have any of the most beautiful names. Doesn't make a difference. You can claim to be Muslim. Allah doesn't care about titles. Allah doesn't care about names. Allah doesn't care about external clothing. Allah Azza wa Jalla wants to look at attributes and qualities.

When we have made Islam an orphan, Allah Azza wa Jalla could care less whether the Muslims of today become orphans — because we have made Islam an orphan. When we stop crying for Islam, then Allah could care less how many people cry for Muslims. Because what Allah wants to see flourish is Islam within our own lives. And when the Muslims turn their back to Islam, Allah turns His back towards the Muslims. This is history repeating itself again and again, from the time of the Prophet ﷺ till now.

We will see that anytime a nation stands up and says, "Islam is more valuable than my life. Islam is more valuable than my passport. Islam is more valuable than my assets. Islam is more valuable than my daughter's and my son's education and wealth" — then you'll see that community thrive. Even if they are few.

"How many times has a small group overpowered a much larger group by the permission of Allah. And Allah is with those who are patient."

So if a person is patient and follows the deen, then our numbers don't matter. My brothers, let us wake up. This numbers game is obviously not working. We have 1.3 billion-plus, and billions and trillions in assets collectively, and arms, and of course everything. But we have massive amounts of hypocrisy amongst us and a huge level of materialism that has overtaken our minds and hearts.

The Hadith of the Scum on the River

And this is again the other hadith that reminds me of what is going on today, where the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4297)

"The nations will invite one another to attack the Muslims, just like people around a platter invite each other to devour from the food." That is how the Muslims will be a loot, a booty for everyone — everyone will have a share.

Look at the maps being shown at the UN. The audacity — to come and just say, "I have rewritten the map of the world, and this is where the Muslims belong: in the desert or inside the ocean." We're watching that happening. And we're going to go back in our cars and just go home. All of us, alhamdulillah, have beautiful homes, beautiful cars, beautiful everything. But just think — what are we watching right now? Our entire deen is being cut up into pieces, millions are dying, and we are just speechless. We have no one to side with us, no one to stand up for us. We don't even have our own selves to stand with us.

And they said, "Ya Rasulallah" — the Sahaba could not fathom this could happen — and so they said:

"Is it because our numbers will be few?" And again, proving to us this is not a numbers game. He said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4297)

"No — your numbers will not be few, but you will be in massive amounts. Yet you will be as useless as the scum on top of a river." Just like that scum is useless as it floats on top, similarly the Muslim ummah — with all their numbers, their so-called might, their fighter jets, their billions — will be as useless as the garbage that flows on top of the ocean. SubhanAllah.

Wahan: The Disease of the Heart

And then Nabi ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4297)

Allah will take away your fear from the enemy's hearts. Your enemy will not worry about any repercussions if he knocks you out — kills thousands inside a school. They tell you to take shelter in a school, and then they bomb the school. They tell you to take shelter in a place, and that is where they carpet bomb. They tell you food is being handed out here, and as soon as people line up, that is where they send a drone. How merciless can a person become? How could you do that? You couldn't do that to a bunch of cats. You couldn't do that to a bunch of rats. How could you do that to innocent Muslim men, women, and children? Because there is no fear of repercussion. There is no fear. Allah is doing this — the hadith, almost 15 centuries ago, is mentioning that this is what is going to happen.

Number two: Allah will place wahan in your heart. He was asked, "Ya Rasulullah, what is wahan?" He responded:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4297)

"The love of the material things of this world, and the fear of death."

This is it. The name of the game is the heart. The battlefield is in the heart. Notice, Nabi ﷺ used the word قُلُوب twice — Allah will take away your fear from where? From the hearts of your enemy. And Allah will place something in your heart: the fear of death and an intoxication with dunya. This is, first and foremost, a spiritual battle. The battlefield is a spiritual one.

Who Is Really in Power?

I know this might sound very counterintuitive. But honestly, let's see what has happened in the past year. The fact that we couldn't have ended this in a year — that everyone is thinking, "Someone's going to stand up, someone's going to speak up, someone's going to say, 'That's it, you crossed the red line'"— there is no red line. There is no line. Because when our necks are on the line, there is no such thing as a red line. And that happened because Allah is allowing it to happen.

This November, whoever wins the election doesn't make a difference — they're both two sides of the same coin, we all know that. But who is really in power? It's Allah. And so now ask yourselves: what have you and I done to get Allah on our side?

I remember Hazrat Mawlana Choksi Sahib, he would say: if you have a check for a hundred dollars and another one that says a million — but the person who gave it to you forgot to write the "1" in front of it — which one would you value? A ten-dollar check, or a million without the one? And he said, "The ummah today is a billion, they say — but without the One: Allah." Without the One, Allah, we are just a bunch of zeros, which have absolutely no value. Take that check and put it in a shredder.

That is the condition of today's ummah: spineless, backless — nothing. We've got nothing, because we don't have Allah on our side. And so if we want to use means — elections, voting, activism, boycotts, and everything else — 100%, go ahead. But brother, you are skipping a step. The first step is: get Allah on your side. And then you move forward. And even with a little broken sword, you can win the battle.

Just look at the numbers at Badr. How does it add up? How do you go into battle with three horses, four camels, two donkeys, a few swords? The exact numbers you can look up in the books of Sira. It absolutely doesn't add up. But Allah does not need that. Allah gives success with means, without means, and against means.

What Must We Do? A Personal Accounting

So what do you and I need to do today? We simply have to reflect. It has been one year — how has my life changed in this past year?

Which major sin was I involved in that I gave up?
Which minor sin that I was doing on a regular basis did I give up?
Which fardh was I neglecting that alhamdulillah I stopped neglecting?
Which wajib or fardh that I was not very punctual on am I doing now?
Which sunnah was I neglectful of that I started now?
How many minutes has my dua time increased?
How many rakats of nafil have I started performing?
Have I even made up my qada salat?
Have I gotten myself out of riba?
Have I stopped watching haram?
Have I stopped listening to haram?
Have I stopped being disrespectful to my elders, to my parents?
Have I started showing kindness to my peers, my colleagues, my children, my siblings?
Have I made sure that my business is halal?

The ball is in my court — your court. Each one of us has to ask himself: what have I done to earn Allah's help? Don't ask, "Ya Allah, where are You?" The question is: what have you and I done to deserve help? What have you and I done to deserve Allah's help?

Those people over there — we can't even imagine the ajar they are getting as they are being slaughtered in the masjid. We have our masajid open. Our masajid are not shaheed. They have lost 850 masajid. Why aren't our masajid filled up? Why haven't the fajr rows increased? That is something all of us need to take home today. And go back to what the hadith says: start inviting towards good and forbidding from evil. Charity starts at home. Let us get back to our own family, to make sure our family is connected to the house of Allah, our family is no longer neglecting fara'id, our family is punctual on sunnah. Then get your cousins, get your siblings — and on and on. And slowly the ummah will change.

Tawbah, Istighfar, and Hope

We are not going to give up. I am sure, and you and I have to be confident, that Allah's help is waiting. But we haven't done what it takes to get Allah's help. And that is genuine repentance — tawbah and istighfar.

The storm is coming — we talked about this regarding Florida. Brothers were asking, "What should we do?" We read Surah Nuh. Surah Nuh speaks about istighfar. When you do istighfar, Allah's help comes. Whether it is natural disasters or disasters at the hands of fellow human beings — we have to repent, because everything is in the hands of Allah. As soon as Allah says, "I've forgiven you," you will see instantaneously: treaties will be signed, bloodshed will end, storms will end, and you will see the world once again become prosperous.

"Indeed, with difficulty comes ease." We are very hopeful. There is no place in Islam to become despondent. We are simply not doing what is our obligation.

A Commitment at This Anniversary

I implore myself and all of us: please make this commitment tonight, at the anniversary of October 7th. That insha'Allah, whatever level of deen I have, I am going to take it a notch up. Whatever sins I was involved in, I am going to bring them a notch down. And I am not going to focus just on myself — I am going to try to make society a better place, to make my community a better place.

Stop being quiet and inward. If you see someone doing wrong, don't just look away and say, "I didn't see that." Fix it yourself. Address it yourself. Give advice to someone in private, with wisdom, with kindness. Send them a letter, a note, a text, a sticky note — whatever it is. Bring change. Please do not be self-centered. This is what is destroying the ummah.

I ask Allah to grant us true empathy for Islam, true love for Islam, and fiqh and concern for the preservation of Islam. If we have that, automatically Allah will take care of the Muslims. But remember: when we turn our back to Islam, Allah will turn His back to us.

We ask Allah Azza wa Jalla to bring a massive revival at this anniversary — one year of this genocide. May Allah bring an awakening within the ummah all across the globe. And first and foremost, we ask Allah to bring an awakening to all those who are listening — the speaker and the listeners. May Allah bring an awakening within ourselves.

Let us wake up for tahajjud. October is the easiest month for tahajjud — Fajr is the latest. Please, let us wake up at five o'clock and perform four raka'ats. If you have qadha salah to make up, then pray your qadha salah at the time of tahajjud. And raise your hands — extend your hands in front of Allah. Make dua for the ummah. Make dua for yourselves.

وَجَزَاكُمُ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا. وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ.