Islamic Revival

Maria Akbar details what practical steps that Muslims in the West, who live privileged lives, can take to help our oppressed brothers and sisters in Palestine. “And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient ones. Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” Quran: 2:155-156 Condolences to the Muslim Ummah for the genocide that we are witnessing before our eyes. It is deeply saddening and infuriating to see; not only because our Ummah is bleeding, but even on a basic humanitarian level. The Palestinians are being treated as sub-humans, as they have been for the past 75 years or so, whilst the world watches on. I know I am not alone in the despair and impotence that I feel seeing updates of my brothers and sisters being massacred, whilst I sit here in complete safety. Palestine is being obliterated by Israel but as Muslims we cannot be bystan...

The Muslims throughout the world are making   du’a  for Palestine, but the relationship between   du’a  and action needs to be clearly understood otherwise it will lead to the abandonment of an Islamic obligation and the displeasure of Allah (Most high). At the time of the Prophet ﷺ the oppressed people of Makkah made du’a to Allah (swt) asking Him to rescue them from the oppressors (الظَّالِمِ) by sending them a protector (وَلِيًّا) and a helper (نَصِيرًا). This responsibility of fighting to rescue them fell on the believers, and it was the Messenger ﷺ and Sahaba (ra) who responded and liberated Makkah from oppression. Allah (swt) says:  وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ نَصِيرًا “What reason could you have for not fighting in t...

OVAMIR ANJUM - MARCH 9, 2023 Acknowledgements I am indebted to a number of scholars and friends who agreed to read earlier drafts of this essay and gave invaluable suggestions, even though I remain solely responsible for all the opinions and any lingering errors in it. These include Dr. Usaama Al-Azami, Dr. Safaruk Chowdhury, Dr. Sohail Hanif, Prof. Sherman Jackson, Shaykh Amin Kholwadia, Maulana Dr. Haroon Sidat, Mobeen Vaid, and Shaykh Shuayb Wani , among others. I am grateful also to my team at Ummatics, only in conversation with whom have the ideas expressed here developed and crystallized.  1. Introduction Muslims everywhere today face existential threats and exhilarating opportunities, all of which can be summed up in the singular challenge of becoming  ummatic : “Verily, this Umma of yours is one Umma, and I am your Lord, so worship Me” (21:92; 23:52). Our greatest nemesis is not an external agent but a lack of imagination and will within, a learned helplessness that st...