This article was originally published on islamsperspective.blogspot.com
In the wake of the recent Israeli aggression we saw a new wave of outrage at leaders of Muslim countries by Muslims all over the world. There is no doubt the Arab rulers in particular are the real protectors of Israel and their treachery, cowardice and inaction has been blatant and a clear evidence of their role as guardians of Israel.
However, these leaders are not the only ones to be blamed; there are quite a few within our Ummah who will have to share this burden on the Day of Judgment. I would like to shed some light on who I believe these people are and what they can do to exonerate themselves so that they meet their Lord without this heinous crime as a burden on their necks.
In the face of any new situation which demands a response, the first step for every Muslim should be to understand the reality of the problem, learn the Islamic solution for it and then finally work wholeheartedly for the implementation of that solution. This approach is similar to any Islamic hukm, be it fasting, hajj, zakat — we first learn how to perform it and then accordingly translate our knowledge into actions.
Similarly, therefore, we should know and implement the Islamic solution to the Palestinian problem, since we are responsible and accountable for it and our action or inaction. Indeed our beloved Prophet (saw) referred to the Muslims as one body, the whole of which would be restless and sleepless if only a part of it was affected with pain.
The first, most serious complicity is of those who are in the position of ruling and leadership and are aiding the aggressors, even if it is by their mere silence and inaction. This is the worst kind of treason and betrayal because it is these very people who should be guardians of this Ummah. They are like the shepherd who opens the gate for the wolf to attack the sheep or pretends to sleep when the wolf attacks. Indeed, the Gaza crisis has further removed any doubt that the loyalties of the rulers in the Muslim world lie with the Whitehouse and Whitehall and not the Black-house (Ka'bah).
The second mode of complicity is when the Ummah — the general public — does not rise to its duty to account the rulers and work to resume the Islamic way of life which it was entrusted with by the Prophet of Allah and was continued by the righteous caliphs and those who followed them.
Just stop for a minute and think: would boycotting Israeli products help lessening the plight of the Palestinian people? Would knocking the doors of the UN be helpful? Can OIC deliver for the first time in its history? Shall we focus all our efforts to deliver humanitarian aid? All of these actions can be broadly divided into two categories: those which are Islamic actions but not Islamic solutions to the problem at hand, and those which are not even legitimate Islamic actions. Whether you fall in one or the other category, the sin of not fulfilling your obligation towards the Muslims in Palestine rests on your shoulders.
For over 60 years, we have thrown money, medical supplies, boycotts, supported UN resolutions, lobbied western governments in order to temporarily alleviate the misery of the people of Palestine, whilst maintaining their lives as people living in open prison camps. Such temporary alleviation has not stopped the occupation, the humiliation, the persecution, the attacks, the breaking of cease-fire agreements — it has not given any direction for the solution to Palestine: its complete liberation and protection under the Islamic system.
It should dawn on us that we carry a huge responsibility towards Allah (swt) and our brothers and sisters in Islam who are suffering. We can only fulfill our responsibility by first understanding the solution towards the problem of occupation, and then by working to establish Islam's rule which will not only solve these problems but all the others as well. The bloodshed in Gaza is yet another reminder towards the responsibility we carry on our shoulders. Haven't we witnessed enough already? Isn't it time for us to think more deeply and ideologically upon Islam as to the measures required to bring change — measures and change which Allah has ordained and commanded upon us?
