War crimes and ethnic cleansing in Gaza
War crimes and ethnic cleansing in Gaza
by Arshad Gamiet
The unfolding crisis in Gaza has exposed the hypocrisy of those who support the rights of Israelis and Ukrainians but ignore the same rights of Palestinians. Protests around the world are showing that many ordinary people are way ahead of their leaders in standing up for justice. These protests include people of all races and all religions, including many Jewish organisations that stand up for justice in Palestine…
Khutbah : War crimes and Ethnic cleansing in Gaza
By Arshad Gamiet
“A-ūthubillāhi minash shayṭānir rajīm. Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm
Alhamdu lil Lāhi nahmaduhū wanasta’īnahū, wanastagh;-firuhū, wanatūbu ilayhi, wana’ūthu Billāhi min shurūri an-fusinā, wamin sayyi āti a’mālinā. May- Yahdil-lahū fa huwal muhtad, wa may- yudlill falantajidā lahū walīyan murshidā. Wa ash-hadu an Lā-ilāha ill-Allāh, wahdahū lā sharīkalah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhū warasūluh”
All Praise is due to Allāh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allāh is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no All but Allāh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ, peace and blessings on him, is His servant, and His messenger.
Bismillāhir Raḥmānir Raḥīm! Yā Ay-yuhal-lathīna ‘āmanut taqul-lāha, ḥaqqa tuqātihī walātamū tun-na, il-lā wa-antum Muslimūn.”
O You who believe, – Be aware of Allāh, with correct awareness, an awe-inspired awareness, and die not except as Muslims.
“Yā Ay-yuhal-lathīna āmanut taqul-lāha, waqūlū qawlan sadīdā. Yuslih-lakum a’mālakum wayaghfir lakum thunūbakum, wamay yu’-til-lāha waRasūlahū, faqad fāza fawzan athīmā.”
O You who believe, – Be aware of Allāh, and speak a straightforward word. He will forgive your sins and repair your deeds. And whoever takes Allāh and His Prophet as a guide, has already achieved a mighty victory.
In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allāh says:
“Yā ay-yuhan nāsut-taqū Rabbukumul lathī khalaqakum min nafsin wāhidati(n) wa khalaqa minhā zawjahā wabath-thamin humā rijālan kathīran wanisā-ā. Wat-taqul-Lāhal lathī tasā-alūna bihīwalarhām. Innal Lāha kāna ‘alaykum raqībā.”
“O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women. Be conscious of Allāh, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allāh always watches over you.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I’m sure that you are all familiar with the Hadith narrated by Saḥīh Muslim and Sahih Bukhari:
“The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6011, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2586
Today, Gaza is the aching limb of the Ummah, and the entire Muslim world is angry, anxious and feeling pain for the suffering in Palestine. Our phones are buzzing with the latest updates from people on the ground over there.
There’s a huge difference between our news sources nowadays from the news sources of a generation ago. The traditional news media no longer have the monopoly of reporting events and promoting their own, often distorted viewpoints. Smart-phones and social media give us instant coverage of events in real time. No one can say that they don’t know what’s going on. The brutal killing of innocent civilians is clear for all to see.
And it’s not only Muslims who are protesting and calling for an end to the violent oppression in Gaza and the West Bank. Millions of non-Muslims are joining the protests. Many courageous Jewish groups, including veterans and officers in the Israeli army and air force, are standing up for the Palestinians and holding their government to account.
Does this surprise you? It shouldn’t. Every human being has an innate sense of fairness, an inborn sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. This is our primordial fiṭrah, our human nature that Allāh has instilled into every one of us. Our fitrah might be covered by years of distraction or prejudice, but It’s never far below the surface. Sooner or later it breaks through the lies and propaganda and shows us the truth. Truth will always prevail over falsehood.
When our beloved Prophet ﷺ led his victorious army into Makkah after years of exile, he forgave his enemies and toppled the idols, the false gods around the Kaaba, saying:
“Wa qul jā al haq, wa zahaqal bāṭil. Inna bātilal kāna zahū qān.”
“And say: Truth has come, and falsehood has perished. Falsehood is always bound to perish.” (Sūra Al Isra’ 17:81)
These wise words from Allāh’s Book must surely be a source of comfort and strength in these difficult times. Truth will always defeat lies. True faith, Īmān, will always prevail over unbelief. Does not the Holy Qur’ān remind us to
“Travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who stood against Faith.” (Qur’ān 6:11)
Consider what happened to Pharaoh when he stood against Moses, Nabī Mūsa. Allāh drowned Pharaoh and saved Nabī Mūsa and Banī Isrāīl. Consider what happened to the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire when they stood against the followers of Muḥammad ﷺ. Allāh destroyed those empires and gave victory to the Muslims. Consider the fate of the corrupt Visigothic King Roderick of Spain, when he advanced against Tariq ibn Ziyād in 711 C.E. Roderick wad defeated, and Allāh allowed the Muslims to rule Spain and Portugal for nearly 800 years. Allāh has always given victory to His beloved servants, even when they were vastly outnumbered by their enemies.
The sheer resilience of the Palestinians is truly heroic. They haven’t buckled or bowed to their oppressors, despite decades of abuse, humiliation and violence. 100 years after the Balfour Declaration, they haven’t given up their right to justice and human dignity.
A recent report in the Guardian newspaper says that many non-Muslims are taking Shahāda in the USA and elsewhere. They are so impressed by the faith and tenacity of the Palestinians. They were curious about the source of this faith, so many started reading the Qur’ān and some have formed their own Qur’ān reading book clubs. So, as you can see, despite all the blatant lies and propaganda, Islam is still growing in the most unexpected ways. This is how Allāh works. Our enemies plot and plan, but Allāh is the best of Planners…
“The unbelievers seek to extinguish Allāh’s Light by blowing on it with their mouths, but Allāh will perfect His Light, to the dismay of the unbelievers.” (Qur’ān 61:8)
We pray that Allāh’s help will come, to give our Palestinian brothers and sisters the peace, prosperity, human rights and dignity that they deserve.
Please say, “Ameen!”
“Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalamīn. Was-salātu was-salāmu alaa Khairil mursalīn. Muhammadin-nabīy-yil Ummiy-yī, wa-‘alā ālihī, wasah-bihī, aj-ma’īn.
Ammā ba’ad:
“Innalláha wa malāikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal lathīna ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas līma. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa alā áli Muhammad, kamā salayta alā Ibrahim, wa alā ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik alā Muhammad, kamā barakta alā Ibrahim, wa alā āli ibrahim. Fil ála mīn, innaka hamīdun majīd.”
(Second Khutbah):
“Soob’ hānallahi wal hamdu lillāh, walā hawla walā quwwata illāh billāh yu althi yual thīm”
Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!
My dear sisters and brothers,
Despite the immense pain and suffering in Gaza, we should never give up hope. We should never despair of Allāh’s mercy. Allāh isn’t asleep. Allāh knows and sees everything. It’s all happening for a reason, and Allāh is firmly in control, at all times, of His entire creation. We can be assured of this by reading verse 26 of Sūra Al-‘Imrān:
“Qulil-laahumma Maalikal mulki tu’til mulka mantashaa, watanzi-ul mulka mim-man tashaa, wa tu’izzu mantashaa, wa tuzillu mantashaa. Biyadikal khair. Innaka ala kulli shay in qadeer.”
“O Allah! Lord of Power(and Sovereignty) You give power to whom You please, and you strip off power from whom You please. You honour whom You please, and You bring low whom You please. In Your Hand is all good. Truly, You have power over all things.”
All power comes from Allāh. Many people forget this so they imagine that they have power. But their power is only given on loan from Allāh, and it’s a test for them. When people abuse that god-given power, Allāh removes it from them, and humiliates them.
For many long years, black and mixed race South Africans suffered under the evil system of Apartheid until Allāh humiliated its leaders and stripped power from them. Israel is using a much worse form of Apartheid on the Palestinians. It’s only a matter of time before Allāh frees Palestine and punishes their oppressors. Please say, “Ameen!”
Last week, the streets of Cape Town were filled with thousands of people chanting their support for Palestine:
“Hasbun Allāh wa niya’mal wakī, niya’mal mawlā wa niya’mal naṣīr”
“Allah is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Guardian; the best Protector and the best Helper.” This was the response of the Sahāba, the Companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when they were warned at the Battle of Uhud, that a large army was gathering on the other side of the mountain, ready to attack. Today, the Palestinians are teaching us all that it doesn’t matter if your enemy has overwhelming military force. If you rely on Allāh, you are the winner.
We who live safely in our comfortable homes, far removed from the conflict and suffering elsewhere, we have a duty to help. We cannot just be horrified spectators. We must do what we can, within the law, to stop the bloodshed and to help the survivors.
By saying this, I must emphasise that we should never resort to violence by doing crazy things that will harm our neighbours or the country we live in. Doing so will only delight our enemies. There’s a lot that we can do, within the law, to help those in Palestine and other areas of conflict. We can donate more generously to the humanitarian relief efforts. We can join peaceful protest marches, discuss and debate with others, write to our MPs and urge our government to use their influence, to uphold international law. We can also just avoid buying products from companies that support the oppression. This is how Apartheid was defeated in South Africa. The worldwide boycott brought that evil system to its knees. In Israel/Palestine, the killing must stop and the war criminals must be brought to account.
The unfolding crisis in Gaza has exposed the hypocrisy of those who support the rights of Israelis and Ukrainians but ignore the same rights of Palestinians. Protests around the world are showing that many ordinary people are way ahead of their leaders in standing up for justice. These protests include people of all races and all religions, including many Jewish organisations that stand up for justice in Palestine.
In Islam, justice is not an optional matter. Justice is a command from Allāh. It’s not negotiable. We are commanded to uphold justice, even if it’s against ourselves or our loved ones.
Every khutbah ends with these words:
“Innal-Lāha bil ‘adl..” “ Surely, Allāh commands justice..”
You and I will have to answer to Allāh on the Day of Judgement, what could have done, and what we actually did to uphold justice when we had the opportunity to do so.
I pray that you and I will have no hesitation to face Allāh and say that we did what we could, within our capacity, to help those who suffer injustice: the Palestinians, the Rohinya, the Uyghurs and Kashmiris, and wherever any human being is denied basic human rights and dignity in the world.
We know that after every hardship comes ease. “Inna ma’al ‘usri yusra”
We know for certain that the suffering of Palestinians, Uyghur, Rohinya and others will come to an end one day, in Allāh’s good time. The oppressors will get their just deserts and those whom they oppressed will have the upper hand. We pray that our own efforts in this regard, will be pleasing to Allāh.
Please say, Ameen!
Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:
Innal-Lāha, Yamuru bil ‘adel, wal ihsān, wa ītā-i zil qurbā; wa yanhā anil fahshā-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karūn. (Sura 16:90),
“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded.”
Fadth kurūnī adth kurkum, wash kurūlī walā tak furūn [2:152].
(Allah says), “and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”
walā thikrul-Lāhi akbar, Wal-Lāhu ya’lamu mā tasna’ūn.” [29:45].
“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.”
Amīn. Aqīmus ṣalāh