Practical Ways to Support Gaza

By Dr. Ahmed Al-`Assal Al-Muwallid Translated By Dr. Yusra Mustafa

Charity Organizations for Gaza The words of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) rush to my mind as I watch the bloody scenes in occupiedGaza in what Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated about him saying, “The nations are about to rally all over you like devouring eaters to their bowl. Someone said: And we are few then? He said, “You are but many then. But you are scum like the scum left behind after a flood. And Allah shall pull out from the hearts of your enemies any fear of you and will throw in your hearts weakness.” Someone said: O Messenger of Allah and what is weakness? He said: Loving life and hating death.” (Abu Dawud) It rushes to my mind that the Muslim Ummah all over the world lives with souls and hearts clinging to their brothers and sisters in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan; that jihad means exerting our utmost effort; and that there are many forms of jihad. We must hurry to do all we can to help. We must cut down on the amount of food we eat so we can donate to save the Palestinians by providing them with relief, aid and provisions. It should not escape our minds that whoever assists amujahid has the same reward. Overall, we must give our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan and in every place where there are freedom fighters that are defending their countries against aggressors and invaders, all that they need. Almighty Allah ordained that jihad can be done with both money and souls; He says, (O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty?- That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons: That will be best for you, if you but knew!) (As-Saff 61:10, 11) The following are some of the ways in which we can support our brothers and sisters in Palestine and other countries where conflict has broken out between truth and falsehood: Supporting Them by Faith We can make du`aa’ for victory and power, persistence and courage. This is the least we should do for them. We should never belittle the means of du`aa’. It is Allah’s penetrating arrow against all people. He says,(And your Lord says: "Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer): but those who are too arrogant to serve Me will surely find themselves in Hell - in humiliation!) (Ghafir40:60 ) and it is not outside Allah’s power to take vengeance on these aggressors and ward off their plots. Supporting Them Financially The media war is also fierce and there are winners and losers. All media professionals should do jihad in their way: media jihad. We can donate money to them through safe, trusted sources. I can not forget when the doctors’ syndicate in Egypt declared the ‘One Billion Dollar Campaign’ to support the Palestinians in one night. Only three hours later, 7.5 million were collected with some women donating their jewelry, and some youth giving away their cell phones. This is a living Ummah! It is not dead as some may think. Supporting Them Medically We can provide them with the needed medicines and skilled doctors to treat their wounded, look after them, and aid them with everything that they need in this area. Supporting Them with Food Provisions We can provide the food and drinks that are needed by them and their families who left their homes after being destroyed by criminal aggressors. We must provide them with food that sustains them to continue their jihad. Supporting Them Technically If we are allowed to, we can send them technical specialists and provide them with all we can in the field of technology to enable them to face the aggression and stop the military operations against them. Supporting Them Through the Media We can give a voice to their cause and do the duty of spreading awareness about the reality of the war being launched by the enemies of Islam against the Muslims in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. We must show the world the degree of destruction that is being caused there, and how our brothers and sisters are suffering. The media war is also fierce and there are winners and losers. All media professionals – in audio, visual, written, and electronic media – should do jihad in this way: media jihad. Supporting Them With Men if This Is Available When the frontiers were open between us and Palestine,Mujahideenentered from Syria, Egypt, Iraq and many other places. People even came from Algeria to do jihad in Palestine. Giving Support by Standing by Them If the frontiers are not opened, the public must show their anger through all available means by going in crowded demonstrations and protests that call on those with a free conscience, and who love peace and justice to rise to defend the people who have been wronged in the face of occupation; to stop this aggression, and to end this tyrannical siege. Yet the gathering crowd must demonstrate and protest so as to communicate the problem. They should have the aim of creating a positive effect and achieving the sought after relation between the occupier and the occupied, the besieger and the besieged, the oppressor and the oppressed, and the painful and the source of pain. Non-violent resistance – which does not negate the choice of armed resistance in occupied countries – is employed by many groups. This is of utmost importance in awakening the Ummah and delivering the message, in addition to working on upgrading the forms of protest to suit the moment. Raising Our Children Upon Faith in Allah and Love of jihad These are the certain ways that the Ummah can return to its previous strength after the enemies of the Ummah have been able to penetrate to the sources of its strength. They have been able to freeze the development of weapons in its armies, stop the manufacture of arms, and divide them into regional countries where each one lives individually. We must remember that whoever stands in the battlefield needs seven behind him, so we have to do our duty toward theMujahideenby collecting and delivering all that the Palestinians need, and observing necessities like vaccines and medicines. The arena of jihad is vast and broad and Almighty Allah accepts from each servant all that he or she gives. Anyone who is weak or has backtracked on his fellow Muslims must remember the words of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that, “There will be things that you know then you condemn. They said: Then what do you command us to do, O Messenger of Allah? He said: Fulfill your duties and ask Allah for what is yours” (Ahmad). Therefore, the Muslim must have strong morale, a strong will, be aware of Almighty Allah as much as he can, and leave nothing that he can do without doing it! I advise myself, my brothers and sisters, and my children to hold on to hope, and to leave desperation aside. Despair has no place in the dictionary of a conscious Muslim. The original rule for us is that “If Judgment Day comes and in the hand of one of you is a palm tree plant, they should plant it.” (Authenticated by Al-Albani). This is our religion and this is our understanding. Finally, there is no way to continue except through jihad. In this context, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “No people will give up jihad but they will be humiliated ”. The only hope that Israel has is for Palestinian fighters to lay down their arms. As long as there is a prisoner of war from our women, young and sick people in Israeli prisons, jihad should never stop until we are all free!

Dr. Ahmed Al-`Assal Al-Muwallid, is a renowned Egyptian Islamic Di`yah, and a consultant to the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan. He obtained his PhD in usul al-fiqh with a specialization in Islamic culture, and has a long expertise in the formulation of Islamic syllabuses. He has authored many published works in the different Islamic fields.