Now that everyone cries for and over what is happening in Gaza and Palestine, it ought to be said that Muslim governments must lead the way in envisioning and orchestrating responses.
This is their chance to redeem themselves for all the past shortcomings. Palestine belongs to all of us, yet to the whole (normal) world.
📚 Read Also: Gaza: The Only “Free” Muslim Territory
Palestine has been repeatedly betrayed, and we are all guilty of inaction. Come the Day of Judgement, there will certainly be questions that will require answers. Not everyone will be exempt from the repercussion.
There are no shortcuts to solve the Palestinian issue and ultimately liberate the country and its people. To begin with, reason must rule over emotions, organization over chaos, quality over quantity, and the ideals of a higher order over shallow personal and clannish ones.
Actions must be sensible and well-thought-out. Islamic unity, brotherhood, and cooperation are the key, rooted in the fundamentals of the Islamic faith and propagated through Islamic education (enlightenment).
Moving from Mere Words to Action
The age of mere talking, complaining, condemning, and begging someone else to do something should be over. A new age of systematic and organized Muslim action should be on the horizon.
It is high time that the words of Almighty Allah are heeded: “O you who have believed, upon you is (responsibility for) yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided” (al-Ma’idah, 105).
It is also high time that Muslims get their acts together and start saving not only themselves but also the rest of the world.
As the custodians of the final revealed message to mankind, and as Allah’s vicegerents on earth, such is Muslims’ duty. Indeed, with great authority comes great responsibility.
As such, Muslims are supposed to lead (guide) the world and be its saviors. Nowadays, since the world is led by the agents of evil as a result of which there is so much power concentrated in the wrong hands, the world is a dangerous place, threatening existence as a whole.
Again, if we only listened to the counsel of the Almighty: “And those who disbelieved are allies of one another. If you do not do so (cooperate and protect each other), there will be fitnah on earth and great corruption” (al-Anfal, 73).
Evil appears strong only because righteousness is absent. In the case of Palestine, Israel appears great and fearsome only because Muslims are weak; there is no competition.
However, no sooner does righteousness come into being and start to operate, than evil starts waning. The rule is that the more righteous one is, the less evil there is in and around him.
The two cannot coexist. It is either righteousness or evil. However, while the existence of righteousness is real, the existence of evil is imaginary.
There is no evil as such. There is only the absence of righteousness. It follows that one should not worry about evil per se; rather, he should worry about how to bring about righteousness which is bound to nullify evil.
In the Palestinian context, Muslims should be concerned more about themselves than about Israel; their religious and civilizational excellence is a countermeasure to Israel.
This insight, too, is derived from the Qur’anic message: “And say: ‘The truth has come and the falsehood has vanished; surely falsehood is a vanishing (thing)’” (al-Isra’, 81).
Also: “He should establish the truth and abolish falsehood, even if the criminals disliked it” (al-Anfal, 8).
Without a doubt, the most effective way to abolish falsehood (evil) is to establish the truth (righteousness).
Pages: 1 2