Gaza Under Siege. A Call to Action | Jumuah Khutbah | Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi

Gaza Under Siege: A Call to Action

Dear Muslims, as of today, 655 days have passed. 655 days have passed that Gaza has been under siege. 655 days that the tyrannical apartheid regime has increased the pressure on an already oppressed minority. And every few weeks and months of these 655 days, when we thought that it couldn't get any worse, when we thought that the last remaining apartheid settler colonialist state could not lower its bar of inhumanity anymore, this regime has proven us wrong again and again.

For the last few weeks, there has been an almost total embargo on all of the food coming into Gaza. A population already displaced, a population already bombed, a population already without shelter, already deprived of a single school, a single masjid, a single functioning hospital, is now literally starving to death in front of the eyes of the world. Hundreds are dying daily, tens of thousands are facing malnutrition, and the video images are being broadcasted live. The entirety of the world is watching, and there is no excuse, and yet nothing is being done.

An Unprecedented Tragedy

I'm a student of history. I love to read past events, but I swear to you, to the best of my knowledge, what we are witnessing in this generation, what we are observing right here and now, it is absolutely unprecedented in the history of the world. Yes, it is true, regional famines have taken place throughout all of human era. Places didn't have food because the earth did not produce, the water did not be there. So yes, pockets have had famine. It is also true that in certain battles, some cities were surrounded and the people were starved into surrendering. That is true as a military tactic.

But this, what we are witnessing, an entire population of two million people that is intentionally being starved while the world observes, not because there's a lack of food, there are UN trucks lined up at the border crossing, not because the world cannot give them, but because the apartheid regime has refused entry, because Israel has deemed even the smallest toddler down to the last baby guilty of crimes they did not commit. Baby formula cannot even go and enter Gaza at this stage.

Pictures are coming out in vivid color of emaciated skeletons, exactly what we grew up seeing of the crimes the Nazis committed in World War II. And yet I say, in some ways what we are seeing is worse. In some ways, and there's no comparison, each one is bad in its own way. I have visited the death camps of Auschwitz and Dachau. I have visited those very camps that the Nazis perpetrated their crimes. And the tour guide told us that the maximum number at any one given time of prisoners in Auschwitz was around 100,000. I'm not comparing. Each one is evil in its own way. But the current regime of Israel, starving two million people, it is demonstrably something more evil in that sense than anything the Nazis have done.

The Double Standards of the World

And while the United Nations and almost all European countries have verbally condemned, and they have asked Israel to lift the blockade, and they have strongly called out this crime against humanity, we must ask, will mere words cause an impact? Where are your actual sanctions? Where is the penalty? Where is global action?

The same body known as the UN, when other regimes committed crimes, and they did commit crimes of a much smaller nature, immediately, swiftly, unanimously, the United Nations voted on an entire blockade, entire boycotts. Sanctions were done. This is in our own lifetimes, whether it be Iraq, whether it be Libya, whether it be Sudan, for specific crimes that their regimes have done, and we're not defending those crimes. The UN immediately swept in and placed the entire country on blockade in order to punish those criminals.

Is it not clear, the double standards that we are seeing? Even South Africa in the 70s was placed under United Nations sanctions because of its apartheid. Why then does this one country get away with mere words? It is obviously clear to all of us, to anyone with an open mind, that the reality is that Palestinian lives, Arab lives, Muslim blood, is simply not given any weight of respect compared to that of others. The sanctity of Muslim life carries no weight in their eyes and hearts and minds.

Even when tragedies happen that we should all condemn, when the Charlie Hebdo attack happened, and it was something we all condemned and I condemned it. Instantaneously, in one day, all of the Western leaders cancelled their programs and they flew in to Paris, they flew in to France in order to demonstrate that they're all united against some random people on the street who did a crime. It's a crime, they shouldn't have done it. Why aren't you united against an apartheid regime that is murdering two million people? Where is the condemnation? Where are the global leaders holding hands and marching in the streets of Paris as they did?

Wallahi, it is crystal clear to all of us that our blood carries no weight in their eyes and that our existence and non-existence is almost the same.

Where Are the Muslims?

But the fact of the matter, we expected this of the Zionist state. What else do you expect of them? We expected this from our own politicians, our own politicians, all of whom or most of whom are compromised, they're bribed by AIPAC, their track record is clear. And even for the UN and Europe to issue condemnations without any action, it is understood.

But I must say, what hurts the most, where are the Muslims? Where are the two billion Muslims? Where are the countries that have Muslim leaders that are championing the claims that we're defending Islam, we're defending the rights of the Ummah?

In the seerah of the Prophet ﷺ, when the Quraysh agreed to a very tyrannous boycott, when they agreed that the Banu Hashim and the Muslims should be expelled from Mecca, and no food should be sold to them, and the Sahaba and the Prophet ﷺ had to sleep in the valleys, in the sha'ab, outside of Mecca, the children's cries would reach the people of Mecca. The Muslim babies that were crying out of hunger in the middle of the night, even though they were in the valleys, because of the quiet of the night, the people of Mecca could hear the cries of the children.

And after a while, after a few months and a few weeks, they couldn't take it anymore. And many of the noble leadership of the Quraysh, who did not believe in Allah, they had no iman in their hearts, many of the nobility of the Quraysh said, we cannot handle this, this is not right. And so Muthammad ibn Adi and others, they devised a plot and a plan to eliminate that evil boycott against the Muslims.

And Zuhayr ibn Abi Umayyah, Zuhayr ibn Abi Umayyah, who was not a Muslim, and he was not from the Banu Hashim, he was from the Banu Mahzum. He stood up in the middle of the afternoon when all the Quraysh were gathered outside of the Ka'bah. And he shouted at the top of his voice, the Ka'bah is behind him, the Quraysh are in front of him. He said:

Are we expected to eat food in Mecca when the Banu Hashim are starving to death? والله لا أقعد, I swear I will not sit down from here until this evil boycott is torn up. I will not sit down until we eliminate this blockade against the Banu Hashim. أنا آكل الطعام وبنو هاشم جوعى. Are we going to eat food here when the Banu Hashim are starving out there?

I swear to you by Allah, I ask you, does a pagan mushrik from the Quraysh have more humanity than the Ummah? Does a pagan mushrik from the Quraysh have more humanity than the Ummah? Are we going to eat to our fill when the Banu Hashim, the Banu Ghazza are starving to death? This was a person not even from the Banu Hashim, he was from the Banu Ghazza. Are the bonds between the Banu Ghazza and Banu Hashim, are the bonds of the tribes of Jahiliyyah somehow stronger than the bonds of La ilaha illallah, than the bonds of the Ummah?

Where are we? Where is the Ummah? How can we eat to our fill when our brothers and sisters are starving to death in Ghazza? لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله.

Wallahi, I hang my head in shame. We should all hang our heads in shame. And to Allah, we complain. And upon the wrongdoers is the ultimate blame. It is a shame on all of us. It is a shame on me. It is a shame on our leaders, two billion of us. And we cannot even feed the babies of Ghazza the food that they need so that they're not starving to death.

What Can We Do?

The question arises, so what can we do in light of all of this? Firstly, without a doubt, now especially, all of us need to have a voice. Our conscience must speak. We cannot remain silent. Let the world bear witness to the double standards and the hypocrisy. I urge every one of you to stop being timid. Don't be afraid. If they are starving to death, the least you can do is speak out in their defense.

And for God's sake, do not fall prey to the systematic propaganda, the disinformation, the dehumanization that the media and our politicians are guilty of. Anytime you bring something up, they say, oh, but do you condemn? Do you condemn? Do you condemn? Do you condemn October 7th? Do you condemn this group? Do you condemn that group? We say, enough is enough.

The hatred that you are seeing from the Israeli society against our brothers and sisters, it is now only being manifested. The cruel callousness in which the settlers, many of them, all of them from Europe and America, these settlers are taking their wives and children and physically preventing food from coming in to our brothers and sisters in Gaza. That hatred did not start in October 7th. That hatred did not just come a year ago. That hatred has been fomenting in their hearts for decades. And we're just seeing the manifestation of that right now.

Let not anybody dare bring up, do you condemn? Do you condemn? And if anybody challenges you, well then, you had better learn to have a backbone. You had better learn to have a voice and reply back and respond back immediately and instantaneously. Because if they believe that even a fraction of what we are seeing now is justified by one incident on October 7th, then we must ask, what then is justified for the Palestinians who have suffered, not years, not one incident, for decades? What is justified for them to do?

Instead of asking, do you condemn October 7th? We must push back and say, do you condemn oppression? Do you condemn apartheid? Do you condemn Zionism? Do you condemn the dehumanization of two million people? Enough is enough. And we cannot allow this tactic to go unchallenged. So first point, learn to speak up, learn to defend. And if you do not do so, who else will do so?

The Role of Leadership

Secondly, many people are saying that it is the role of preachers, of du'at, of activists, of leaders, to call the ummah, to physically help our brothers and sisters in Palestine. And I understand this plea. But it is my understanding that the sharia only allows a legitimate ruler to make a call for physical help, not an individual cleric. And that is because rulers, they have diplomatic clout. They have the requisite material strength to intervene in a tangible and material and physical manner. Obviously, this is for those outside of the region.

And we say unabashedly, as for those inside, as for those being oppressed, what they can and cannot do, we have no right to pontificate and tell them anything. They have every right to defend themselves. A society, a family whose wife and children are held hostage, do you blame the husband and father for any tactic that he does in order to gain freedom? Do you blame the person who's oppressed when he fights against the oppressor? So I'm not speaking about anything that our brothers and sisters might be doing over there, but us outside.

It is my understanding that an individual preacher should not issue such a collective call, because not only will it create a type of chaos, but an individual preacher doesn't have the material strength, doesn't have the armies, doesn't have the diplomatic clout. However, if we cannot individually call, without a doubt, collectively, we should call upon our Muslim leaders and rulers. That we can and we must do.

Collective Action and Muslim Leadership

Collectively, we must call out to those that have that clout, to those that have that diplomatic past, to those that have the requisite strength. What are you doing? How can you allow this to take place when you have the strength and the armies, when you have the diplomatic clout to intervene and do something? We don't just want words from you. We expect words from Europe. We expect words from the UN, from our Muslim rulers, from our Muslim leaders. We want more than just words.

So even if I believe I cannot call individuals to get involved physically, without a doubt, all of us should call. We should put pressure on our Muslim leaders, our Muslim governments. What are you doing when you see this reality unfold in front of you? And specifically, those that are surrounding the people of Gaza.

And I must mention here, the lands of Egypt, the lands of Jordan, the superpower of Turkey, the Gulf countries, all of you are claiming to protect the Ummah. Where is that protection right now? Why can you not collectively come together and simply announce we are sending humanitarian aid? Do you not understand if all of you came together, if all of you said, we're not doing anything other than sending baby formula, sending clean water, sending medicine. Wallahi, if all of you came together, who would stop you? This would be a diplomatic slap in the face of the apartheid regime. Nobody would get in your way.

You're worried about money? I swear to you, open the doors, the Ummah will pay their zakah. In one week, we will gather all the funds that are needed for the entirety of Gaza. What are you worried about?

Political Activism and Collective Voices

So yes, even though I cannot individually call for aid and physical help from any one of us, we can collectively raise our voices. We can collectively petition the governments back in the Middle East that claim to support the Muslim cause. What are you doing and how can you remain silent?

And I encourage all of you who are activists, all of you who are involved in the political realm to help us. How can we collectively put our voices together? I am not a politician. I am not a political activist. I am merely a preacher, but I have a platform, an audience. So I reach out to those that are activists, that are political activists. What can we do to put pressure on those governments back home? How can we make them understand this is something they must do for whatever reason? Do it for your PR. Do it for your fame. We don't care to save the children of Gaza, save the babies that are dying because they don't have basic food to eat.

So we do implore all of the Muslim politicians, the Muslim rulers to come together and lobby to at least bring humanitarian aid, deliver food to starving people. How can that possibly be prevented?

Maintaining Faith and Optimism

Point number three, brothers and sisters, advice to all of us. One of the most difficult tasks that we face individually, we outside, obviously our brothers and sisters in Gaza, their task is beyond words. One of the difficulties for us as we watch the horrors of Gaza is to maintain optimism and to maintain good thoughts of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

This is our test, and we must always maintain good thoughts. حُسن الظن بالله is a part of iman. Even if we see this reality, even if we see the bloodshed, still deep down inside, it should not shake our tawakkul in Allah. It should not shake our trust in Qadr. Allah plans and they plan, and Allah is the best of planners.

And we have to remind ourselves that from the depths of defeat come the heights of victory. After trials and tribulations, Allah blesses those that have gone through trials with leadership. We remind ourselves even the prophets suffered. We remind ourselves even the Muslims were boycotted and were starving. We remind ourselves there were setbacks after setbacks. And in the end, history teaches us, our religion teaches us that injustice is never rewarded, that patience will always demonstrate its fruits, that iman and taqwa will eventually be rewarded.

And so, despite all that is happening, we must have positive thoughts of the future, and put our trust in Allah that the future is brighter than the past.

Allah will give and give and give to those people that have hurt the most. And Allah will make them happy in this world before the next world.

Signs of Hope and Change

And all these realities, we're seeing a little bit of it already. As it is, global opinion has shifted radically in the last year and a half. As it is, we are already seeing the silver lining, even though the clouds are dark ahead of us.

France, one of the most Islamophobic countries in the world, yesterday announced that they are going to petition a lobby for statehood in Palestine, and they will recognize Palestine to be a state. Europe, collectively, has now issued strong condemnation, which is a first. It's never done it before.

In this country, the majority of Americans, our fellow Americans, are now anti-Zionist. The majority of them, from the right to the left, look at all of these commentators, they are now recognizing that our country has been held hostage by AIPAC, has been held hostage by Israel. They know this, and all of these scandals taking place, all of these issues taking place, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is betraying them from within their own camp. Their own people are testifying against this reality.

And these mini-scandals are taking place from the White House all the way down to the prison cells of Epstein and whatnot. Yes, wallahi, Allah is exposing their standards, and Allah is exposing their tactics, and Allah is exposing their control. There is good, inshaAllah ta'ala, we're seeing the beginnings of that.

We must put our trust in Allah and realize that such injustice, such tyranny will never go unpunished. And so, even though it is dark, even though the clouds seem to be looming, inshaAllah ta'ala, we see the silver light, and the dawn shall break, and that is a part of our iman.

Our Current Reality and Gratitude

And the last point I'll say for this khutbah, the last point I will say, I keep on reminding myself and all of you, in spite of all of this negativity, in spite of our incapacity, it's so painful, we cannot even donate. Wallahi, how sad is it?

It's so painful, many countries cannot even condemn Al-Azhar University, and I don't say this to criticize them, at least they issued a statement calling for condemnation, asking the ummah to help, and the authorities of that country intervened, and the authorities said to Al-Azhar University, you cannot issue such a statement, just a statement, just words calling the ummah, calling the world to act, those words were banned by the regime, لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله, we cannot even complain, at least in other countries, we thank Allah in this country, we can at least do this.

The Power of Du'a in Times of Crisis

So, if we can do nothing physically, as of yet, we cannot even donate right now. I'm not saying don't donate to other causes, but realize your donations are not coming in right now. Still realize you need to give, because when the gates open, when they do allow, we have to have the trucks lined up. The trucks will only be lined up if we are giving to the right charities, so do your research and continue to give, but right now nothing is going in. والله المستعان (wallahul musta'an).

Do not then underestimate the power of du'a. The least we can do: let your heart feel the pain, and let your hands raise up to Allah, and let that pain be expressed, let that frustration find a conscience, find a heart, find a voice, and complain to Allah. How do you know the du'a of an elderly lady in the middle of the night - it might potentially shake the thrones of that apartheid regime? Allah is القوي (al-Qawiy), Allah is العزيز (al-Aziz), Allah is the one who brings about change.

(Mu'ta Imam Malik and others)

Our Prophet told us in a hadith: "Don't you realize it is the weakest amongst you - because of them Allah helps, because of them Allah sends aid down. The weakest amongst you, because of them Allah helps the ummah." The weakest, because Allah is القوي (al-Qawiy), and when the weakest of the weak, when the mazloom raises their hands to Allah, the throne of Allah will shake in answering that du'a.

So even if you're weak, even if I'm weak, raise your hands to Allah in the middle of the night, constantly make du'a to Allah, perchance that du'a will be accepted. And at the very least it will be an excuse on the Day of Judgment: "Ya Rabb, I couldn't do anything except raise my hands, and I did indeed raise my hands." So do not underestimate the power of du'a, and constantly make du'a for your brothers and sisters in Gaza.

May Allah bless me and you through the Qur'an, and may He make us of those whose verses they understand, and who apply halal and haram throughout our lifespan. I ask Allah's forgiveness; you as well ask Him for His forgiveness, for He is the Rahman.

Life Must Continue Despite Tragedy

الحمد لله (Alhamdulillah). All praise is due to Allah, the One and the Unique. It is He whom we worship, and it is His aid that we seek. He is the Lord of the oppressed, and He hears the prayer of the weak.

As to what follows: Recently a family friend, good friend of mine came up to me. In light of all that is happening, they had planned a wedding ceremony for their child, for their son, and they're now concerned. They said, "In light of all of this, how can we have a festival? How can he get married? How can our child get married?"

I said to them what I will say to you right now: The seerah teaches us, our religion teaches us, that even at times of tragedy, even when our hearts are in pain, life must go on. We cannot stop everything, we cannot stop living, simply because of the pain of some tragedy.

I said to this family, "Sure, turn down the festivities, don't be that elaborate, sure, don't do israf (extravagance), but to stop getting married, to not get married, to have children, to not take care of the children - how is this benefiting the ummah?"

A part of benefiting the ummah is we make sure iman is strong everywhere where possible. A part of benefiting the ummah is to have strong families. A part of reviving this ummah and protecting the ummah for generations to come, a direct part of bringing help to Gaza, is to make sure the rest of the ummah is strong and powerful, so that when the need arises, when people are needed, when iman is needed, the rest of the ummah is strong and fit and ready.

So I said to this family, and I say to you as well: Learn from the seerah. Yes, our hearts are in pain, yes, we're always in grief, but we must still live our lives to the best manner that we can. We must still make sure our families are strong, our communities flourish. We must still preach and teach, we must still be active, even as that pain is in our hearts.

The cause of Islam does not stop because of one tragedy. The positive you can do elsewhere is not going to be impeded by a positive you cannot do in another region. So do every good that you can, and let the pain motivate you to do other types of good, even if you cannot address that actual cause of the pain.

We cannot do anything directly for Gaza - make sure that that doesn't stop you from doing other things for this ummah. And this is a part of the revival of the ummah, and wallahi a part of the strategy to make sure that Gaza itself will remain strong and alive.

The Sunnah of Du'a al-Qunoot

And also of the sunnahs that we need to do is the sunnah of making du'a during salah. Our Prophet, whenever there was a tragedy, whenever there was a communal issue that affected the ummah, he would start making du'a al-qunoot. It's called al-qunoot al-naazila. He would make du'a al-qunoot in salah. He would make du'a every time there was a massacre, every time there was an attack, every time there was a tragedy. It is a sunnah that unfortunately we have neglected, and so today insha'Allah ta'ala we will make and revive that sunnah, and in the second rak'ah we will make specific du'a for our brothers and sisters in Gaza.

Finding Consolation in the Greatest Tragedy

And the last point brothers and sisters: I remind myself and all of you of a powerful hadith - a hadith that really should be emotional, it should cause you to think, and I want you to think about this hadith for the days to come. It is reported in the book Al-Adab al-Mufrad by Imam al-Bukhari and others, where the Prophet said:

(Al-Adab al-Mufrad by Imam al-Bukhari and others)

"If one of you is afflicted with a calamity, if a tragedy afflicts, if a disaster strikes, then remember the tragedy that struck the ummah when I shall die, for the ummah will not suffer a greater tragedy than my death."

This is a hadith. When one of you is afflicted with a tragedy, when the ummah has a tragedy, when there's a disaster, remember - he said this when he's alive, he said this and he's still healthy and alive - he said remember the tragedy that will strike when I shall die, and find comfort and consolation in that.

How? How can you find comfort? How can you find consolation? I will explain why: If there was a tragedy that would have caused the ummah to stop functioning, if there was a tragedy that would have given the ummah a heart attack, if there was a tragedy that would have literally seized and desisted the activities of the ummah, it would have been with the death of the Prophet. Abu Bakr and Umar would have resigned, the entire ummah just stopped - because what purpose is there in living when the Prophet is no longer amongst you after you've lived with him?

But the sahabah understood the message is bigger and greater than the human that came with it. The sahabah understood the cause is greater than the one who preached it, even if that one be none other than the Prophet.

So he reminded us: Every time tragedy befalls you, then remember the biggest tragedy that the ummah shall ever face, and that is my death. And still the ummah overcame, still the ummah flourished, still the ummah conquered and did and did and did, because tragedies should not stop you. Calamities should not cause you to seize and desist. Calamity should inspire you to even greater heights. Tragedies and setbacks should give you inspiration: I must be victorious in other places.

And so even if the Prophet passed away, the very next year Abu Bakr started attacking the other lands and conquering. Jerusalem the year after that, Umar ibn Khattab is in Sassanid Persia and then he is in Egypt and other lands. Within 50 years the ummah is spanning from China all the way to Andalus. They weren't impeded by the greatest tragedy to afflict the ummah.

So if this is the case with them, then we as well need to understand this point: No matter how painful what is happening in Gaza is, it should not stop us from doing other good. It should not impede us in progress in other areas, as the Prophet reminded us: Anytime a calamity afflicts you, then take consolation in the calamity of my death, for the ummah shall not have a bigger calamity than my death.

The ummah shall live on, the ummah will continue, Islam will flourish. The only question is: Have you done your job in that flourishing? May Allah make us of those who sacrifice everything for His sake.