What is our role as an audience who is left to feel helpless and fearful by what the world has come to?
What is our role as an audience who is left to feel helpless and fearful by what the world has come to?
How many more deaths of innocent children will it take for all the countries to eventually take a firm stand and call for a ceasefire?
A loss of over 10,000 lives later, a loss of over 4,000 children later, and a loss of all the bodies still stuck under the wreckage of bombs later, and we have still not reached a resolution. A month into the conflict and no one has been able to put a stop to the brutal massacre of innocent Palestinians.
This simply is a testimony of the utter injustice, corruption, and immorality we are surrounded by. However, in such cases, as we watch humanity fade, the question we should ask ourselves is: what is our role as an audience who is left to feel helpless, aggrieved, and fearful by what the world has come to?
Our Role and What it Means to be ‘Neutral’
When we question what our role should be in such conflicts, one thing to remember is that anything that involves ‘staying neutral’ or ‘remaining quiet’ is never the answer. Staying neutral is just another word for showing satisfaction with what’s taking place.
When such conflicts unfold before our eyes we see a massive divergence among people. There are those who constantly speak up, trying to raise awareness. Then there are those who no matter how extreme the situation, choose to stay quiet.
For all those who do decide to speak up, regardless of how many followers they have, whether they even have any similarity/relation to the people faced with oppression, or not knowing how far our voices will reach; we still do create a large impact. It is of extreme importance to understand that one person posting a story or creating a post regarding the ongoing situation travels far and wide, more than we realize. At the bare minimum, it circulates and keeps the posts on top of everyone’s current social media feeds.
Many times people underestimate the power of their voice, rendering themselves useless when more and more people are needed to speak up. As we have seen the unfair roles played by the channels all across the West, it’s the public who is now left to lead the truth and uncover the lies.
A quite obvious example we all may have seen is some celebrities who either decide to remain quiet or when they do speak up show their support for Israel. The propaganda we have seen goes as far as sometimes paying such celebrities to speak up in support of the group that has been the cause of oppression. Unfortunately, we even see influencers who have a huge following and have worked with human rights foundations like UNICEF in the past but have stayed quiet about this issue.
The idea of not wanting to be involved in ‘political’ discussions or labeling oneself as being on either side has been very popular too. What leads to taking such stances is usually not feeling at the core for those going through absolute torment. That, or if it is not directly impacting someone they choose to stay quiet.
When it comes to Muslims particularly, many individuals may not be able to recognize that these are tests from God to see how firm and steadfast we are with the truth, showing support for the oppressed in today’s world where getting paid to show fake support or simply lie is much easier.
Virtues to Learn From Palestinians
Despite the terrible conditions in Gaza, we must not be blinded by the role our brothers and sisters in Palestine have played in keeping full trust and patience in God. It is a shame that while there are people living their lives normally in other parts of the world, not wanting to speak up for humanity, we see the victims of brutal oppression showcasing what it means to be the noble servants of God.
We are all aware as Muslims of the noble virtues that we are encouraged to be practiced in the Quran in times of hardship. These are virtues of patience and gratitude. As difficult as it is to be able to practice such virtues in absolutely horrid times; we have seen an astounding level of patience and gratefulness in the people of Palestine. They show that when you have complete faith in God, you are at no loss. Let the whole world be against you and let everything around you be desecrated; deep inside, you know you are victorious with God on your side.
It is apparent that those who have a strong connection with God are able to push through some of the most difficult tests life throws at us. This conviction turns every trial in their lives into an opportunity to get closer to God. We see such understanding in many Palestinians today.
Hearing the ayah of the Quran: ‘Hasbunallah wa ni’mal wakeel (3:173)’ (translates to: ‘Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs.’) constantly as we witness families upon families being wiped off is the perfect example of what it means to have trust in God.
Any ordinary person who is ‘too busy’ in their life to contemplate their purpose of existence or even take a portion of their day out for the God who has blessed them with everything they’ve ever known, is one that will struggle more than anyone in hardships. When God is lost from the picture, having blind trust and faith in Him is harder because that connection was never made with him in the first place.
Therefore, without any understanding of God and His plans, we blame Him for all our difficulties, not being able to see the immense reward and blessings awaiting us in the hereafter as a result of the hardships in this world. The people of Gaza very clearly understand this. They have never experienced a life of luxury. They haven’t even been able to live in a stable economy because of the constant siege they have been living under. The children have never known a life free from non-stop bombardments and fear. For them, a day without Israeli forces arresting them or mistreating them is like a day of celebration. And yet, they smile and thank God because they trust that God has not and does not abandon his servants.
Such behaviors and reactions from the Palestinians highlight their steadfastness and constant remembrance of God which have allowed them to push through so many years of aggression and oppression. Their patience and gratitude is one we shouldn’t only appreciate but try to practice in our lives.
As the Holy Quran emphasizes such majestic virtues in these verses:
Surah 8 Ayah 46: “And be patient. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient.”
Surah 2 Ayah 152: “Then remember me, I will remember you. Be grateful to me and do not reject me.”
Take Away
The Palestinians are those noble servants of God who say ‘Alhumdulillah’ when everything around them is lost, in the blink of an eye. This is their powerful belief that they are in the secure hands of God no matter how strong the opponent pretends to be. This is a major takeaway from the conflicts we are seeing today.
It’s not just about calling on God when we need Him, but Him being the center of our universe, as it should be. It is about practicing gratefulness, patience, and praising God no matter the circumstances. This strengthens our faith and those with a strong faith are able to smile in the midst of extreme chaos, knowing what is awaiting them on the other side is worth a whole lot more.
What awaits in the next life is nothing short of pure bliss that is incomparable to the happiness of this world, especially for martyrs. Our focus should always be Allah. Striving to be his obedient and humble servants, and everything else will fall into place.
A few habits to help us during these horrid times are as follows:
– Reading the Quran (as it constantly reminds us of the power of God and gives comfort to the distressed).
– Continuing duas for all of our brothers and sisters in Palestine. The power of a dua is incomparable to anything. Especially duas that are made collectively.
– Continuing to raise awareness for all those without a voice. The public holds more power than the lies of the media that stand without any morality.
Let’s strive to nourish our faith by remembering God as much as we can so we remain strong despite the obstacles we face in life. As the Quran says, ‘Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort.’ (13:28)
