Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said:
“War is Deceit.” [1]
The land of Palestine turned into a war zone, destroyed by the cruelty of the oppressors, by the evil within the envy, and by the bombing of the cowards hiding behind their tanks.
Everywhere the blood was spilled, no life was found. And the eyes that saw the oppression were overflowed with tears. The brave sacrificed their lives. The hearts of young innocents had been torn apart—their voices in silence called and cried on Allah. “Oh Allah, when will your help will come?”
The Palestinians are alone fighting, but they were never alone in this trial. Every Muslim is in the spotlight—them, me and you. But our hearts had not realized that there was something bigger beyond this brutality. Like anyone, we neither learn nor wake up to the truth. The reality had no means of adjusting its course without us coming to an understanding that this life is not greater than the next one.
Allah the Almighty said:
"And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision,
Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them - that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.
They receive good tidings of favor from Allah and bounty and [of the fact] that Allah does not allow the reward of believers to be lost -"
Qur’an 3:169-171
The first conquest of Palestine by the Muslim
“In 1000 BC, the Kingdom of Prophet Dawud, and Soleiman was established in Palestine. In 930 BC, the kingdom was split into two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judaea. In 721 BC the northern kingdom of Israel was occupied by the Assyrians. In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judaea and destroyed Jerusalem and its Jewish Templum Solomonis. In short, Palestine remained under the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. In 70 CE the Roman General Titus attacked Jerusalem, and the city along with the temple of Solomon was destroyed again.
At the time of the caliphate of Omar ibn Al Khattab in 637 CE, the Muslims successfully conquered Palestine under the braveness and military expertise of Abu Ubaidah.” [2]
The Crusaders
In 1099 C.E., the Crusaders took and invaded the holy city, many Muslim heroes sacrificed their lives to keep the land under the rule of Islam but they didn’t succeed. Then the Crusaders who invaded Palestine rampantly treated the Muslims harshly and forced them to leave the holy land.
Ibn Al-Athir described the resentment of Islamic Society at that time saying:
“People ran away from Syria ( in the past Palestine had been part of Syria) to Baghdad in the Company of Al Qadi Abu Sa’id Al Harwi in Ramadan. He recorded in his message horrible actions and terrible crimes that filled the eyes with tears and hearts became ill. They offered Friday prayer, asked for help, cried and remembered the killings of Muslims, the capture of women and children, the plunder of money.” [3]
A British historian Mill reported from Mishud’s description of what happened when they entered Jerusalem:
“Muslims were killed in the streets and inside their houses. Some people threw themselves from the highest wall to escape from massacres. Others hid in towers, palaces, and even in mosques. However, the Christians followed them wherever they were…Infantry and cavalry walked over Muslim corpses and followed the other fugitives who were searching for a shelter.” [4]
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said:
“By him in whose hands my soul is! Whoever is wounded in Allah’s cause–and Allah knows well who gets wounded in his cause–will come on the day of resurrection with his wound having the color of blood but its smell will be the smell of musk.” [5]
Reasons for the Crusaders’ Victory
“The most important reason for the Crusaders’ success in occupying Jerusalem and the surrounding countries was the conflicts, disputes, and disagreements within the Muslim society. The enemy was not able to penetrate the Muslim lands, dominate the holy places, and rule Jerusalem except when they saw the condition of the Muslim ummah with its disputes, weakness, and decline. They then seized the opportunity and attacked the Muslim world, destroyed their buildings, and regarded the noble people as ignoble ones.” [6]
“Therefore, many historians talked about this period and the conditions of the Muslim society in the First Crusade with examples such as these:
While the Crusaders blockaded Jerusalem, Muhammad ibn Malikshah fought against his half-brother Barkiyaruq.
The Franks took over Acre while Syrian kings fought against each other.
The Muslim countries were divided and plotted against each other.” [7]
The 2nd conquest of Palestine by the Muslim
In 1187, Allah had raised a righteous, just, and knowledgeable Khilafa, Salah Ad-Din Al-Ayyubi. He united the Muslims and established a kingdom that included North Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, and Barqah. They all fought together as one nation to take back the holy city. And with the great mind of Salah Ad-din, the unification of the Muslim ummah, and Allah the Almighty's help, they gained victory. [8]
In 1516, the Ottoman Empire started to be the guardian of the three holy cities, Mecca, Madinah, and Jerusalem. [9]
The start of Israeli Occupation.
In 1917 the middle of World War 1, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, which supported the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. At the end of the WW1 in 1920, many Jews moved to Palestine. [10]
As this is our land, neither Britain nor the Jews should have the right to decide who to live in it. The Muslims fought the British and Jews but with no success. Owing that this was also the time that our Ummah was divided, and had a conflict when Faisal ibn Hussein desired to be a king and allied with the British and fought his own Muslim brothers. That caused the Ottoman Empire to give up the holy lands.
Nevertheless, this event didn’t stop the Palestinians from fighting. They continued to fight the British and Jews to free their land from the invaders.
Due to the conflict, in 1947 Britain asked the United Nations to help solve it. The UN proposed that the land be divided into two states, one Arab and one Jewish. The Arabs rejected it and the Jews accepted it. In May 1948, the state of Israel was proclaimed. Since then up until now there has been no peace and there is only war. [11]
“The hour will not be established until you fight against the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say, “O Muslim! A Jew is hiding behind me, so kill him.” [12]
Oh my Muslim brothers and sisters, when are we going to know? When are we going to see that it is our selfishness, desires, and nationalism that divide us? When are we going to call for uniting our Ummah? When are we going to burn those flags, and just raise one flag, the flag of the Ummah of Muhammad? When is it going to be clear that the non-Muslims are enemies of Allah, and we can never rely on or ally with them? How many times are we going to read the Qur’an but we never learn from it, we never live with it, and we never attach our hearts to it?
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala said:
“O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the truth, having driven out the Prophet and yourselves [only] because you believe in Allah, your Lord. If you have come out for jihad in My cause and seeking means to My approval, [take them not as friends]. You confide to them affection, but I am most knowing of what you have concealed and what you have declared. And whoever does it among you has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way.”
(QS. Al-Mumtahana 60: Verse 1)
I say “What a miserable time to live in.”
The Muslims have become weak, and paralyzed, and greed has taken over their souls. Hungry for prosperity and cowards to lose their wealth in this Dunya. When he knows that there is something greater that is waiting for him—if only he pleases Allah.
In conclusion, in the very beginning since Prophet Dawood, Palestine was a land of believers who submitted to Allah, who were just being occupied by the enemies of Allah. And with all these facts, it is crystal clear that we don’t need help or support and sympathy from the enemies of Allah. The Palestinians don’t need our voice to call the attention of humanity to save them. They need our voice to call on Allah—they need us to rely only on Allah. This is what they have been teaching us. And this is what Allah wants from us.
This atrocity is not only about oppression. This war is not only about the Palestinians. This is also about you and me. This is about us Muslims. This is about Al-Aqsa. This is about who are the supporters of Allah.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said:
"O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet."
(QS. Muhammad 47: Verse 7)
This is the time to know more about who your Lord is. This is the time to know more about your religion, its law, and its history. This is the moment to show that you are a believer. Use the voice in you to call on Allah, to rely on Allah, and to call for the unity of our Ummah.
The only way to gain victory is to unite, and to have the Khilafah like Omar Ibn Al Khattab or like Salah Ad-Din Al-Ayyubi who are righteous, have no desire for this world, and will unite us. Until then, we have to be patient till Allah raises this great leader.
Reference:
[1] [Sahih Al Bukhari vol 4, the book of jihad, pg 165, hadith 3030, Narrated Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him.]
[2] [Atlas of the Islamic Conquest compiled by Ahmad Adil Kamal, pg 175]
[3] [ Book ‘Salah Ad-Din Al-Ayyubi’ by Abdullah Nasih ‘Ulwan, pg 68]
[4] [ Salah Ad-Din Al-Ayyubi by Abdullah Nasih ‘Ulwan, pg 89]
[5] [Sahih Al bukhari vol 4, pg 55, hadith 2803
Narrated Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him]
[6] [ Salah Ad-Din Al-Ayyubi by Abdullah Nasih ‘Ulwan, pg 69]
[7] [ Salah Ad-Din Al-Ayyubi by Abdullah Nasih ‘Ulwan, pg 69]
[8] [ Salah Ad-Din Al-Ayyubi by Abdullah Nasih ‘Ulwan, pg 72]
[9] [Atlas of the Islamic Conquest compiled by Ahmad Adil Kamal, pg 175]
[10] [World Book Encyclopedia, M, volume 13, pg 537]
[11] [World Book Encyclopedia, M, volume 13, pg 537]
[12] [ Sahih Al Bukhari Vol 4, pg 113, hadith 2926
Narrated by Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him]
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