friday 01

Friday Talks
faheemfb@gmail.com

A Cry at the Blockades. - (Blockade of the Palestinians)

Written by: Sk. Younis Ali.

Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa.

In the name of Allah most Gracious most Merciful

All thanks be to Allah the Lord of the worlds. Peace and prayers be upon the most honorable of all messengers.

Allah says in the Al-Imran’s Chapter: {Oh, you believers, be patient, and practice patience and endurance, and guard your territories, and fear Allah so you may be successful}3-200 that is a one big cry against boycott and blockades.

Dear Muslims; and those of you who are guards of Allah, you who consider them selves to be so, patience is one of the moral virtues of belief. It is the spiritual breeze a believer retains. It lightens off his/her agony or grief, and fills the heart with calmness and peace, and it acts as medicine to the wounds. If not for patience, then many humans would have nerves breakdowns due to the disasters and calamities they see and face. Without patience one can not continue through the voyage of life and can not continue to carry all the responsibilities. Because of that; the Koran gave special attention to the virtue of patience. In fact patience was mentioned more that a hundred times in the Koran. Indeed, Koran always complimented and commended those who are patient. Allah says in An-Nahl Chapter: {And We will certainly pay those who are patient; a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do}16-96

Dear Muslims, no other good or honorable virtue was mentioned as many times like the virtue of patience is. This just shows how important the topic of patience is. For patience is the foundation of many other honorable virtues. For bravery, is being patient and tolerant towards the atrocities that a war brings. And decency and abstinence are just being patient towards the enticements and luring of the different instincts. And being calm and wise is actually being patient towards what enrages us and makes us mad and loose temper. And being entrusted with secrets is being patient towards spreading the information. And so on.

Those who loose hope because the Israeli’s continuous military intrusions, and the tight siege and blockade; you are despairing from our honorable messenger (PPBU). He went through worse circumstance than those you are going through now. Quraish imposed collective punishment upon the messenger (PPBU) and his Muslim companions and even non-Muslim relatives of his. Why did they do that? It was because they refused to hand him over to the leaders of Quraish. For that Quraish issued the boycott document. It included: No dealing with Muslims in buying or selling, No marriage with Muslims. The document was displayed on the wall of the Kaaba. The boycott continued for three years. Muslims were patient in the face of all the pain, difficulties and absolute need. They were so desperate that they had to eat leaves of the trees and peaces of leather skin. But they refused to give up and give in. Until The most powerful, the most capable, the most elevated and most exulted, Allah organized the relief and the end of the calamity through some individuals from Quraish its self. Despite that they were not being Muslims. They called for the boycott to be abolished and the termination of the blockade against the messenger (PPBU) and his people.

The history books, said that the document itself was eventually found eaten away by worms and insects except for the name of Allah which remained untouched; just another miracle. We say to all Muslims round the world: where is he who will terminate the blockade against the people of Palestine?

Dear Muslims, the messenger (PPBU) went through another test when his wife Khadija; and his uncle Abi-Talib both died in the same year. This became to be known as the year of the gloom or year of sadness. Quraish stepped up even more the atrocities and acts of violence towards the messenger (PPBU) and his companions. The messenger (PPBU) put a plan to go to the town of Ta-if where he may find some a better treatment than he was facing in Mekkah. The disaster was that he was faced and badly treated by the town’s leaders and kids. He was stoned until his better deserving feet bled. He returned broken hearted, sad and gloomed. And he took refuge to Allah, where there is no refuge except to Him. He made a prayer with all of his heart and all his feelings and sensations. He said: {Dear God, to you I complain of my weakness, helplessness and lowliness before men. O most merciful, You are the God of the weak, and you are my God. To whom would you leave my fate? Is it to a stranger who insults me? Or is it to an enemy to whom you have given charge power over me? God, as long as you are not angry with me, I care not what happens to me. Your kindness alone is my objective. I seek refuge to the light of your face that lightens up the darkness, and upon which all matters in this life and the life next depend, lest you do not lay your anger upon me, and do not bring down your wrath upon me. All satisfaction or apologies are to you until you are pleased, and there is neither knowledge nor power to do anything except with you.}

It is at those difficult moments that Gabriel came down to say to the messenger (PPBU): Ask what you please, if you wish for Allah to knock down those two mountains on top of them He shall. The messenger (PPBU) with his big heart said: {My Lord, guide my people for they do not know, lest there may be one of their descendents who will believe in Allah as the one and only God}. And the following verse or aya came down: {Indeed, you have a great standard of ethics or virtue} 68-4.

Dear Muslims, there are just a few images of our messengers life. How he and his companions suffered mal treatment, blockage, boycott and aggressive force. And here are the Palestinians facing similar circumstances under the hands of the occupying forces to impose projects of surrendering. What is being done to them is inhumane. Innocent women and children are killed, families are made homeless, homes are destroyed, land is confiscated, settlements are being erected and prisoners are being tortured. We as Muslims ought to face up the aggressive actions. We ought to do all we can as our resources allow us. We must not give up and we must not give in.

First, we must support our people in Palestine. Ask them to have patience and have faith. For victory is just an hour of patience. And patience is half of the faith. And patience is half the life of man. Remember what the messenger (PPBU) said that know that victory is with patience, and relief comes with calamity, and after every tough time comes the ease.

Do not fear and do not give up but have glad tidings. The messenger (PPBU) said: {the state of a believer is really amazing. All his matters are good for him. And that is not the case except for a believer. If inflicted with something good and he becomes thankful, and then he is rewarded well. And if a calamity befalls upon him; and he stays patient then he is rewarded well.}

Second: we all need to make a true and pure repentance from all sins. For what afflicted our entire nation is because of what we committed. Allah says: {What ever a calamity befalls you; is because of what your hands have committed. And he forgives a lot} Ash-Shoora 42-30.

The third point: is to give all the possible support to those who are transgressed against in the line of Allah, near and far; Financial, political and moral support. Especially that we in this country, many of us have a very comfortable living. So, be generous to all your brothers every where, may Allah bless you. And remember that charity turn off the anger and wrath of the Rahaman, and protects against harm. And those who refuse help are only refusing help to themselves.

All Thanks be to Allah.

Notes:

Ansar (or Al-Ansar): The inhabitants of the city of Almadina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.

Aya (or Ayah): is a verse of the Koran.

Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat): is a mountain that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day.

Duaa: a prayer in the form of talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.

Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.

Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.

Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.

Hijra: the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.

Iman: belief or faith

Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word.

Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".

Madinah: A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to.

Mekka: is the holiest city or Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Some say it was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers.

Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.

Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.

PPBU: Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.

Qadr (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan.

Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.

Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title used to call the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.

Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Kaaba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.

Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.

Faheem Bukhatwa, my email address is : faheemfb@gmail.com