A Year of Trials for Gaza

A Year of Trials for Gaza

Brothers and sisters, I don't want us to forget what happened there in Gaza and what continues to happen. I don't want us to forget about the families that they wiped out completely from the face of the earth. And you heard the news recently that many of these tens of families from Gaza — entire families are gone.

The entire family is gone. All of them. No one is left to talk about them or even actually take their legacy with them for the future.

All of this because of the arrogance and the tyranny of the occupation over there. Mass graves that were found around hospitals. In neighborhoods. Every now and then, truckloads of bodies come into a neighborhood just to scare the people and intimidate the people and just to remind them of their tyranny and what they are doing to the civilians. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala count them as shuhada ya Rabbal Alameen. The children who lost their lives and those who lost their innocence — many of them for no reason are just being victims of this genocide. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala put them in Jannah ya Rabbal Alameen.

One of them we all heard of — her story is Hind. A six-year-old little girl who was calling from the car with her family being butchered and killed there. And even when first responders came to arrive to rescue and help her, they were also killed. And the entire world watched and listened to her pleas and her calls for help and assistance, and allowed this to happen with no one to be held accountable for that.

The elderly who were shot in their homes because they had nowhere else to go. Everybody left them behind and they stayed in their apartment only to be killed and massacred and murdered by these soldiers. And others would be walking the streets and because they are elderly — they are weak, they are slow — they are left behind as a result of that and unfortunately become victims of that genocide and the occupation.

The Destruction of Masajid, Media, and Dignity

The masajid that have been destroyed. They have been destroyed. Why? Because they know they are the center of faith for these people — the location, the land, the spot on earth that brings them all together, unifies them, and keeps them strong. They destroyed many of these masajid. Neighborhoods disappeared around these masajid as well.

The prisoners that have been harassed and abused — and we watched the entire world watching videos, hearing testimonies, and even blatantly coming out and bragging about it — and the media defends them and no one is holding anyone accountable for all of that.

Brothers and sisters, we remember the settlers who keep jumping and bouncing from one place to the other to harass individuals and people, to make their life difficult — burning homes, burning cars, cutting trees, stealing land and properties — and they seem to be doing that with impunity. No one is holding them accountable for that.

The biased media coverage. It's not just that they've been killed physically on the ground — they've been killed also in media. Their stories are not being told properly, not fairly, and they've been murdered again on all the screens that we watch and we see.

We've seen, my dear brothers and sisters, communities and neighborhoods and entire areas being blocked. No food is allowed to come in. No water is allowed to come in. Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alameen, we have water around us in abundance. You go to events — and even what bothers me — sometimes we go for fundraising programs to fundraise for the people of Gaza and the water on the table is left to be thrown away because we just had half of that cup or half of that bottle. And these brothers and sisters, they are struggling to have a little bit of that which we have on a regular basis.

Brothers and sisters, we've seen newborns being killed even before their birth certificates are issued. They were murdered in cold blood — not for any reason other than to intimidate the people and make this a fun target practice. And no one is holding anyone accountable for that.

We've seen the voice of truth being killed one after the other in this one single year. More journalists were killed in this year than in four years of the entire Second World War. You can imagine now the deliberate attempt to completely obscure the truth and force a narrative that only they want people to believe in.

This is now, my dear brothers and sisters, the most well-documented genocide in the history of mankind. And the irony is that it is documented by the perpetrators themselves — who are naturally supposed to be brought to justice because of their war crimes. Clearly war crimes, on a regular basis, on a daily basis. But no one seems to be holding them accountable for this.

No Justice in This World Escapes Allah's Justice

My dear brothers and sisters, as a Muslim I cannot forget this. As a human being I cannot forget this. I can't just move on with my life forgetting all of that. It's been a year. And everybody thought, Alhamdulillah, it's going to be over in a few months — yes, it's a catastrophe, it's a crisis, it's whatever you want to call it. But it is still happening today as we speak. Every day you wake up in the morning, a new count of victims is coming out on the screen.

Brothers and sisters, unfortunately we have reduced the people of Gaza — the innocent people of Gaza — to numbers. You don't even mention them by names anymore. You just mention them by numbers. This is how far gone the situation has become for us while we're all watching.

I want to remind myself and remind everybody: if there is no justice in this world, no one can escape the justice of the Lord subhanahu wa ta'ala. And Allah azza wa jal promised that He will bring everybody to account — in the dunya before the akhira. And if He allows the tyrants to be tyrants, it is not because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is pleased with it. No. It is because He wants subhanahu wa ta'ala to give them chance after chance until when the punishment of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala comes — it is severe.

As the Prophet ﷺ mentioned in the hadith:

Allah gives respite to the oppressor, but when He seizes him, He does not let him escape.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4686; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2583)

Allah will give a chance after a chance to the tyrant, until the time comes. And if He takes them with His punishment, He will take them swiftly. We don't want to be among those who will be taken swiftly, my dear brothers and sisters. If you don't do your part, if you don't stand up for justice, if you don't at least bring awareness of what's going on there, you're probably going to be taken among them. Because when the punishment of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala comes, it takes everybody. Everybody will be held responsible on the Day of Judgment for what they participated in — or otherwise. But when the punishment comes, it will not distinguish those who are sitting there just watching from those who have been participating.

The Resilience of Gaza as a Message to the Ummah

Brothers and sisters, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is sending us messages through the resilience of our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Many people say the Muslim Ummah is dead. No, wallahi, they are not. The people of Gaza, mashallah, they have shown us how far you can go with your iman. How high you can go with your resilience and how much you can really change the world when you're in the weakest moment of your life. You can still inspire other people. They inspired people with their resilience, with their tawakkul on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, with their iman. They inspired many people and many people became Muslims because of that.

What are you now taking from these brothers and sisters in Gaza? What inspiration are you getting from them and how is that affecting and changing your life?

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Do you think you will enter Jannah without being tested like those who were tested before you? These people have been tested so severely — afflicted with hardship and calamity and disaster — until the people, naturally as human beings, would say: مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ — "When is the victory of Allah coming?" And Allah says: أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ — that the victory of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is right there, is near. And you will see it in many different ways.

People would say: but the enemies are too many, it's overwhelming. And that's exactly what they said to the Prophet ﷺ and the Sahabah as well. "Just be afraid of them." And Allah says:

Do not be afraid of these people. Just be afraid of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — be conscious of Allah azza wa jal — if you are truly believers.

And Allah described the enemies who came around Makkah, around Madinah:

When they came from above you and from below you — from all over — and the eyes were dazed and the hearts reached the throats. You can't even breathe anymore. All of this because they were scared and afraid. And you start having doubts about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and His promise. And He says: that is the true moment of trial and test — وَزُلْزِلُوا زِلْزَالًا شَدِيدًا — and be shaken severely.

Brothers and sisters, many people — even imams — have been shaken because of that. But wallahi, the inspiration comes to us from these brothers and sisters in Gaza.

Understanding the Nature of the Enemy

Now people say: why is this happening? The enemy — when they do that — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has also described to us their moral compass. He says:

They have no regard — no honor, no regard for bonds of kinship or even any treaties. So you deal with people who have no honor — what do you expect from them?

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says about them:

If they gain the upper hand over you, they will show their hostility and their enmity — they go to the max and the extreme. And you will see from their actions and their tongues what will bother you. And they wish that you would leave your faith and leave Islam. Because they are jealous of you. They hate the fact that no matter what happens, you still stand your ground — you are strong. Even in the weakest time of the Muslim Ummah, Muslim communities are flourishing around the world. Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alameen.

Brothers and sisters, Allah says about them:

They are going to keep fighting you until they turn you away from your deen. That's the ultimate goal. Because what you hold stands against them and their order — what they want to establish on this earth. A life that lives by indulgence. No regard to Allah's rules subhanahu wa ta'ala. No worship of Allah azza wa jal — only the worship of desires and so on. And you stand in the way. And they don't want you to be there. And they will try everything in their power to take you away.

Brothers and sisters, we are the Ummah of الأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيُ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ — enjoining good and forbidding evil. That is our task. We are the last Ummah on this earth holding to this principle. We are holding now the last frontier between virtue and chaos. And we are responsible to stand our ground and also stand for justice.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make it easy for us — for Gaza and Palestine and Lebanon and everywhere. And I ask Allah the Great to forgive all of us.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.

What You Can Do: Du'a, Responsibility, and Action

Brothers and sisters, there is so much we could do. But the least that you have in your heart and you have in your hand right now is your du'a. The Prophet ﷺ says:

The most incapable of people is the one who is incapable of making du'a.
(Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith 870; also reported in Musnad Ahmad)

The weakest of the weakest are those who are too weak to even make du'a. You don't even have the energy to make du'a. You don't even know how to raise your hand and make du'a for your brothers and sisters. That is the least you could do for them.

The other thing I would like to suggest and remind ourselves: be responsible with your purchases, your business, and your investments. I know it's a long discussion and debatable as well. But make sure when you put your money somewhere, you put it in a place that is truly responsible — that you don't reward those who participate in this genocide. And you say, "Well, how is this going to affect anything?" You know what? Forget about the effect. You do your part. Because Allah is going to ask you: did you do your part or not? That's all. As for the effect of it, you leave that to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But what did I do with my money? Was I responsible with it or not?

Brothers and sisters, give — and give generously. Don't stop giving because the needs are many. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala ease their situation.

And finally, one of the most important things — because we live in a society that is based on information and knowledge — whoever owns the narrative owns everything after that. Be active out there. Change that narrative. Bring those who are accountable to justice. Make sure that you support the victims, insha'Allah. Speak to those who can be influential in politics, in society, in your own school, around you. Bring the alternative narrative — which is the truth — about the situation there.

Closing Du'a

O Allah, help Islam and Muslims everywhere, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, help those who helped the religion and take away those who have forsaken the religion. O Allah, help the weak Muslims everywhere, O Lord of the worlds — in Palestine, Gaza, Lebanon, and everywhere, O Most Merciful.

O servants of Allah, Allah and His angels are sending blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, pray for him and give him peace. O Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions. And may Allah be pleased with the rightly-guided Caliphs — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali — and the rest of the companions, and all those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment. And establish the prayer.