Why is the Ummah Helpless? - Shaykh Omar Al-Jazairi

Opening Praise and Salutations

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ وَزِدْ عَلَى هَذَا النَّبِيِّ الْكَرِيمِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ الطَّاهِرِينَ وَأَصْحَابِهِ الْغُرِّ الْمَيَامِينِ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

My brothers and sisters, I'd like to remind you and myself foremost to fear Allah as He should be feared, as He said in the Quran:

The Situation in Gaza and Palestine

My brothers and sisters, as you are all aware, the situation in Gaza and Palestine has gone beyond the bounds of what one could have imagined. My brothers and sisters, I want you to remember, during this difficult time — as much as our hearts sadden and ache seeing these atrocities committed by the tyrants and war criminals against our brothers and sisters in Palestine and Gaza — I want you to remember that the best guidance is the Book of Allah, and that the best guidance is the teaching of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his seerah, especially at times of helplessness.

I want you to remember the stories mentioned in the Quran about prophets that came before, and their followers — how they were tortured, how they were harmed, expelled, and some of them killed, only because they believed in the true religion of Allah. I want you to remember the stories of Nuh, Hud, Saleh, and Musa. Their stories are repeated in the Quran for the reason to teach the Muslim, educate the Muslim, and comfort the believing men and women of this Ummah — that they are upon the truth. Allah said: each story we relate to you, O Muhammad ﷺ, from the past messengers, it is to make your heart firm; and there has come to you in this Quran truth, instruction, and a reminder for the believers.

I want you to remember, my brothers and sisters, the story of the sahaba — men and women who were in the early days in Mecca. I want you to remember that they had no place to go, that they had nowhere to hide — especially the weak, the vulnerable, like the slaves and so on and so forth. I want you to remember, my brothers and sisters, that our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, like many prophets before him, was physically harmed — he was subjected to all forms of harm: physical harm, psychological harm, and emotional harm.

I want you to remember, my brothers and sisters, how the sahaba such as Khabbab ibn al-Aratt and Bilal — رضي الله عنهم — how they were tortured. I want you to remember Yasir ibn Amir al-Ansi, and I want you to remember his wife Sumayyah bint Khayyat — how they were tortured and killed — and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on the side, watching helplessly.

Why Is This Ummah So Helpless?

So now the question comes: why is this Ummah so helpless? We know we are over 1.5 billion Muslims and almost 50 Muslim-majority countries. Why is this Ummah so helpless? Why is this Ummah at its lowest? Why has the Ummah been constantly humiliated for the last 30 or 40 years? Is it something that the Ummah is doing wrong? Is it because we are few in numbers? Is it because the Muslim rulers have let down the Ummah as a whole and the Palestinians specifically?

Well, my brothers and sisters, the answers lie in the Quran and the Sunnah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prophesied this, as collected in Abu Dawud on the authority of Thawban رضي الله عنه. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4297)

The nations will soon summon one another to attack you, as people invite each other to share their dish. Someone asked: "Is it because we are few in number, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "No, you will be many in numbers, but you will be like the scum and rubbish carried down by a torrent. And Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemies, and He will place weakness into your hearts." He was asked: "What is that weakness?" He said: "The love for this dunya, and the dislike of death and the dislike of sacrifice."

Without a doubt, my brothers and sisters, we see the Muslim countries being helpless — not able to stop this genocide and war crime committed by such an apartheid state against our Palestinian brothers and sisters — and not only in this onslaught that has lasted for over 35 or 40 days, but for the last 70 years.

Hold Yourself Accountable

My brothers and sisters, I want you to question yourself. Instead of blaming so-and-so, instead of saying it is because of so-and-so, I want you to ask yourself this question: have you blamed yourself? Have you put yourself into question? Have you evaluated yourself? Because this hadith that I just mentioned — it is not addressed to so-and-so. It is addressed to the whole Ummah. It is addressed to you as an individual.

The Prophet ﷺ mentioned in another hadith, as reported by Aisha رضي الله عنها: in the end of this Ummah there will be collapse, transformation, slaughter, and destruction. She asked the Prophet ﷺ: "Will they be destroyed while there will be some righteous people among them?" He said: "Yes, if sinning and evil is dominant."

So I want you, brothers and sisters, to imagine: the reason why these righteous people — remember, the people in Gaza, the pure and beautiful people, the believing people, the people of tawhid, the people of Sunnah — why they are going through these calamities: it is because of my sins and your sins. I want you to put yourself into perspective.

This also happened to Musa عليه السلام and the 70 men that followed him to the peak of Tur, when Musa went to meet Allah and to receive the revelation of the Torah. When the earthquake shook them, what did Musa say?

"O my Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before and myself. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done?" Musa — the chosen prophet of Allah, on a noble mission to receive revelation from Allah — was also included in the calamity. Why? Because of the sins of some of his followers.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the Battle of Uhud was this close to being killed — between him and the enemy, only perhaps a few steps — and the Prophet ﷺ got wounded, he bled, عليه الصلاة والسلام. Why? The sahaba asked this question — "why?" — as Allah mentioned in the Quran:

"Why, when a disaster struck you on the Day of Uhud — although you had struck in the Day of Badr twice as great as it — you said, 'How is this?' Say: it is from yourselves." You are the reason. Because of a direct order of the Prophet that a few companions disobeyed, the whole army of the companions succumbed to heavy losses.

My brothers and sisters, I want you to put yourself into question. I want you to evaluate. I want you to think. Why are they going through what they're going through? Is it because we are repenting to Allah? Is it because of our sins? Are we fulfilling our religious duties? Are we staying away from sins? Have you repented from your sins? Is our connection with Allah — through the du'a, through the tawakkul, through going back to religion — strong enough? These are the questions that one should ask himself.

So inshallah, I want you to remember this important principle in Islam: if you want change to happen, then start with yourself. Allah will not change the state and the condition of a people, of a nation, until you start changing yourself.

Five Things to Work Towards

During this difficult time, while we are helpless here in the UK, work towards the following few things to help change your state, and perhaps inshallah this will change the condition and state of this Ummah.

1. Increase Istighfar and Tawbah

Increase istighfar and tawbah to Allah, especially in this difficult time. Repent every day. Repent and do istighfar every single day. Remember that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, as collected in the Sahih, used to repent to Allah and ask Allah's forgiveness more than a hundred times a day. And for what sin, brothers and sisters? It was not recorded that he committed any major sin, not even minor sins. But this is our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — he wanted to educate the Ummah about the importance of tawbah and istighfar. Why? Because istighfar and tawbah not only forgive your sins, but they also have a tremendous effect on the life of the people, livestock, and crops. Allah says in the Quran:

"Seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him — He will let you enjoy a good provision for a specified term and give every doer of favour his favour."

Allah also mentioned in a different ayah that istighfar provides stability and safety on earth:

"Allah will not punish them while you, O Muhammad, are alive and among them, and Allah will not punish them while they seek forgiveness."

2. Go Back to Learning and Practising Your Religion

Go back to learning your religion. Go back to applying and fulfilling your religious duties in order to achieve piety, faith, and — more importantly — closeness to Allah, so that you will be a close friend of Allah. Because once we collectively achieve this, then inshallah we will be the vehicle for spreading stability and achieving victory for this Ummah. Allah says:

"If the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth."

"O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet."

Remember the statement of Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه when he reminded his companions why they had been granted victory after victory during his time. He said:

"We were once a people that was humiliated and weak. Allah gave us victory and strength through this Islam. Whoever seeks strength in other than Islam, Allah will humiliate him."

3. Unite Together

Muslims in the UK and around the world, from different backgrounds and different schools of thought, must unite together to stop this genocide. The Muslim leaders around the world must come together, for unity is strength. Allah says:

"And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute among yourselves so you lose courage and then your strength would depart." Be encouraged, in the UK, for the leaders of Muslim and non-Muslim communities as well to come together and to pressure their local MP, their local council, and the Parliament for an immediate ceasefire. Allah also says:

"And cooperate with each other in righteousness and goodness, and do not cooperate in wrong and aggression."

4. Do Everything in Your Power as an Individual

As a Muslim individual, do everything in your power in this country to stop the genocide. Try to use any legitimate means to try and stop this tyranny and oppression. Alhamdulillah, donations have gone into Gaza — try to donate generously for these brothers and sisters. Also write to your MPs to condemn this attack and to express your anger and disappointment if they are silent or they voted no for a ceasefire. Raise awareness on social media about the impunity of such an apartheid state. And remember the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4344; also Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2174)

"The best of jihad is to speak out the truth in the presence of a tyrant ruler." So you as an individual — this is your jihad in the UK. You've got to speak up, and you've got to speak out, and you've got to denounce this oppression.

5. Stay Hopeful

Stay hopeful, brothers and sisters. Allah says:

"Don't give up and don't despair, because you are the ones who will come victorious." So stay patient, for:

"Verily, victory comes with patience." For every patient person, victory comes. For every difficulty, ease will follow. Do not give up hope. Allah has promised that oppression will not last. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4686; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2583)

"Verily, Allah allows the oppressor to do his oppression until when he reaches the peak of oppression — this is when Allah will seize him and He will not let him escape." Then he ﷺ recited:

"Such is the seizure of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His seizure is painful and severe."

I say what you hear, and I ask Allah's forgiveness for me and you, and for the rest of the believers — so ask His forgiveness, for He is ever Forgiving.

Second Part of the Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And the end is due to the righteous. There is no aggression except against the wrongdoers. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and there is no partner for Him. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger — the leader of the messengers. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon this noble prophet, and upon his family and companions. And I advise you and myself to fear Allah. I'd like to remind you again to fear Allah as He should be feared, for taqwa will lead you to success.

A Message to Our Brothers and Sisters in Gaza

Brothers and sisters, these are the few points that I wanted to remind you of. But now is our message to our brothers and sisters in Gaza. What we'd like to say on behalf of the Muslim community in the UK is: we have not forgotten you, all brothers and sisters in Gaza. Alhamdulillah, we are making du'a and we do our best to try and stop this genocide. But since we are helpless, we only have Allah on our side. We only have the du'a, and Allah has promised the ijabah.

So the only thing we can say to them is what our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said when he watched Yasir ibn Amir al-Ansi and his wife Sumayyah — the first martyr in Islam — when he watched them helplessly, unable to do anything because he was helpless. He said to them:

(Al-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, Vol. 3, p. 383; Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah Al-Nabawiyyah)

"Be patient, O family of Yasir, for your place is in Jannah. Your promise is Jannah." This is what we say to our brothers and sisters in Gaza: be patient. Be patient, O people of Gaza, for your place and your promise is Jannah.

Do not think that those who are killed in Gaza are dead. Rather, they are alive. And I want to say to the people of Gaza: your steadfastness, your resilience, your strong faith in Allah has touched many hearts — Muslim and non-Muslim. And Allah will reward you for that. Your steadfastness and your resilience will be written in golden ink in the book of history for generations to come. And more importantly, you are alive in Jannah, flying under the throne of Ar-Rahman.

So alhamdulillah, all hope is not lost. Allah has promised victory for the oppressed. We ask Allah that He grant relief for our brothers and sisters in Palestine, in Gaza, and in all of the world. And we ask Him that He deal with the oppressors accordingly.

Du'a

"O Allah, send down upon them Your punishment which cannot be averted from the criminal people. O Allah, send down upon them Your punishment which cannot be averted from the criminal people. O Allah, disperse their unity, scatter their gathering, and cast terror into their hearts, O Lord of the worlds."

And our final call is: all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Now stand for your prayer.