Ep 230. - Gaza Is Not Lost, Muslims Are Lost with Abubaker Abed
Meeting someone who has experienced the trauma of Gaza is really humbling. Journalist Abu Bakr Abed did not start out as a war journalist. In relatively calmer days before the genocide, his reporting mainly was on football. But like so many Gazans, the slaughter changed lives and in so many cases ended them.
I met Abu Bakr in Ireland, a country that had recently welcomed the young man after he spent 18 gruelling months witnessing the most horrific crimes. Abu Bakr’s faith, as you will see, remains strong, but he is broken, not by the bombs, but by the inaction. In this interview, he speaks of the responsibility of the Muslim ummah and how, he believes, we have all failed.
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Transcript - This is an AI generated transcript and may not reflect the actual conversation
Introduction
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tell me about the worst days that you witnessed in Gaza the sky turned orange from the fires
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i'm sure it was did not specifically express the magnitude of pain grief and agony one day we had
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to bury 800 people in just one single day describe to me the people of Gaza and their IM the scars
0:27
of this genocide will stay forever everything in our life is a gift from Muslim families in
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Gaza they're asking Allah to punish the Muslims around the world gaza is not lost muslims are
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lost meeting someone who has experienced the trauma of Gaza is humbling journalist Abu Bakr
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Abid did not start out as a war journalist in relatively calmer days before the genocide his
0:57
reporting mainly was on football but like so many Gins the slaughter changed lives and in
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so many cases ended them i met Abu Bakr in Ireland a country that had recently welcomed
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the young man after he spent 18 grueling months witnessing the most horrific of crimes abu Bakr's
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faith as you will see remains strong but he is broken not by the bombs but by our inaction
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in this interview he speaks of the responsibility of the Muslim Ummah and how he believes we have
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all failed Gaza now may I kindly remind you to ensure you press subscribe on all your
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podcast platforms this aids the growth of the show and if you enjoy what we are doing and
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wish for us to produce more why not visit our website thinkingmuslim.com to become a
1:47
member and welcome to the thinking muslim thank you so much it's my honor to be here
State of Gaza
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we are um talking today in Dublin uh alhamdulillah you've moved here u from the devastation of Gaza
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um I I sometimes find it very difficult to speak to someone from Gaza because there is a sense
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of embarrassment from my side that have I done enough have we done enough as an ummah and and
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of course what we witness uh of the devastation of the genocide in Gaza is is truly something we
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never thought we would witness in our lifetime you left Gaza uh maybe a month ago just over a
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month ago um in what state did you leave Gaza in it was as you said the scenes of devastation were
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absolutely surreal uh and I had that offer a long time ago during the first months of the genocide
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but I didn't want to leave because I think it was my Islamic duty to continue my religious duty
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to continue defending my homeland with the best capabilities that I had to write with my pen and
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sometimes to write with my blood because most of the times the reports that I was making they were
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really under the most unimaginable circumstances so but then like just over a month ago things and
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the circumstances were absolutely different for me because I was threatened most of the time by the
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Israelis and there was a kill target on my back and he talked about that in the media i should have said you you were a journalist in government yeah yeah and then like there was a smear campaign
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and a clear and obvious death incitement against me from Israeli media personalities on Twitter
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and different social media platforms my family didn't feel okay my editors my journalists my
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fellow journalists outside and inside didn't feel okay and felt that I was a I was a target
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and I was going to be hunted down by the Israeli military therefore we were left with no choice
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uh particularly my mom when she said to me that I no longer need you here because you're a haunted
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family uh consequently there was no choice and I had to back up my stuff and leave but we drove
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from Dalah where I live and where my family is living right now to Rafa the southernmost part
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of this trip the long way all that long way it's around probably 12 kilome kilometers at length all
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of it had incredible scenes unimaginable scenes of utter devastation and destructions and destruction
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the sides of the road one of the main roads that we drove which is Salahadin road one of the two
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main roads the Rashid road which is by the seed of the road which is in the center of the G strip the
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Salah road was lettered with the rubble of homes and the complete the complete devastation of homes
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on each sides and then people trying like waking up woken up like because I left the strip uh at
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6 a.m how people were woken up from the are still woken up from the early morning to get their own
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meals if available or to obtain a sip of water or some liters of water for their families that was
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the exact scene that I campaigned for you which is right now very normal in Gaza and maybe even worse
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because Israel has not lifted the blockade on Gaza for almost 3 months now and that can really bring
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you into an insight of unbearable tragedy tell me about some of the most worst moments the worst
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days that you witnessed in Gaza when the genocide was resumed on the 18th of March we I was going
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to my bed and then all of a sudden huge series for strikes hit the territory hit Dalah in particular
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because Dalah was the first city to be targeted by the Israeli military on that day so there
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were four exactly four Israeli air strikes that targeted my hometown particularly in the eastern
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outskirts of the city and then all of a sudden from a state of calm and comfort quite comfort
6:48
not bad comfort because I was already gutted at that time then the sky turned orange from turned
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red from the fires and gray and become powder felt the homes and felt our home and then the the the
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whole house where we were living where our family is living right now was shaken and our bodies we
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couldn't really hold our senses because the scenes emanating from there or imaging from there were
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absolutely terrible they were just something that you can't really imagine like you know a
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strike after another strike and they gunfire from the patch helicopters and from the Israeli troops
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stationed on the eastern in the eastern parts of the city and after that you have to go to to call
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your family and your the other part of your family in Gaza city then strikes are scattered all over
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Gaza you can't really imagine that and people have to know what it really means to be hit by an earth
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strike or to be targeted by a by an air strike it means like when we are um as I'm talking to you
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right now then we hear a massive blast outside and then we will rush into the pumped out scene and
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then all of our day is just interrupted because of this particular strike that has truly terrorized
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us so imagine that this is one earth strike and this could be you the target could be you it could
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be one of us but imagine how many strikes cars are subjected to every single day how many people are
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being killed on a very daily basis those little things are beyond description but people are
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watching from outside that people are being killed but what does it mean that someone has been killed that means that his life it doesn't only mean that his life was stolen but it also means that all of
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his memories that he is the soul of the soul as people say for someone for a particular family
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for a certain family that his memories that his friends are going to weep over his body
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that his corpse will be buried in a tiny grave in a very highly overcrowded graveyard the graveyard
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which is of course right now the most predominant graveyard in the all besieged territory right now
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it has thousands of corpses i I remember talking to uh the Islamic undertaker there and he told me
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like one day we had to bury 800 people in just one single day and most of them were absolutely
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dismembered and disfigured bodies so you can't like those like those words are not just words
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they carry a lot of huge loss a weight of of of unendurable tragedy and pain and agony but
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they will like if if I mean you can't really think about it because I'm short of words like I've been
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using all those words unbearable and endurable whatever whatever those words are about they
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do not specifically express the magnitude of pain grief and agony that we have carried from Gaza and
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that people are still enduring inside Gaza this is your brother Mazin Mktar CEO of Bulman among the
Donate to Baitulmaal
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most sacred days in Islam is a day of it's a day of prayer it's a day of deep reflection it's a day
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of seeking forgiveness and it's a day of renewing our faith on this day millions of pilgrims from
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all around the world gather together seeking the mercy of Allah and his forgiveness during Hajj
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and for those who are not performing Hajj it is a chance to be close to Allah through fasting and
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through supplication prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam was asked about this day and he said it expedates the sins of a year past and a year future along with fasting this day is a day
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of immense generosity giving charity on this day carries a special reward as acts of kindness and
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donations to those in need you can practice this form of worship today by supporting an orphan by
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providing water access by sending emergency aid by providing may we all embrace the blessings of
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the sacred day whether we are celebrating it at the peak of mount Arafa or from our
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homes Bakra you are a journalist in in Gaza and you mentioned in your earlier answer that
Israel’s targeting of journalists
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the Israelis target journalists do you know of journalists friends of yours colleagues of yours
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who were targeted and killed by the Israeli government regime yeah the last the last the
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last one who was killed or one of the latest journalists who was killed was a slayer he was
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such a pure Muslim man he was incredible example of a man of a human who was always helping people
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around him he was spending most of his time not in his journalism but more in helping the poor
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and standing with those impoverished families and extremely uh suffering families all the time he
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didn't he never I remember like reporting next to him and Kun is in southern Gaza he never turned
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out down a request from one of the uh very poor families that came to ask him for help and he was
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always smiling he never held a gun in his life he was a very peaceful man when I mean peaceful
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it means that he never like he never harmed anyone he never wanted to do any harm to the community or
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something it was just a the the essence of purity the essence of humanitarianism the essence of
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every good equality in a human that could be that a human can have and then the Israelis targeted
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him claiming that he was a Hamas journalist because of a photo he took with uh the Hamas
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the previous former Hamas leader was assassinated by Israel you know those kind of kinds of claims
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that the Israeli military are trying to make up are what or are the reasons why those journalists
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are being targeted and hunted down and chased every single day and this number is of course
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expected to rise but why was he killed you know so Israel is concentrated is focused and fixated
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on targeting and murdering the finest of the Gaza Strip and in my opinion everyone in Gaza
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almost everyone in Gaza is the finest of humanity for what they have endured over the course of the
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genocide which is still unfortunately ongoing and we're seeing more massacres committed by the
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Israeli regime every single not day but hour and we've seen the reports coming out from Gaza as I
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was told to my family 30 people have been killed more than 30 people have been killed just early
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in the morning after they were trapped in the so-called American aid distribution center so
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you can imagine that the scars of this genocide will stay forever you can't really forget about
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the pain and you can't relieve the pain it's just it needs a lot of years and a lot of you know a
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lot of trauma will take a very heavy toll on every part of the community every category specifically
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children because we need to remember that half the population will a million and 100,000 children are
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constituting up the population of Gaza so it's just extremely unfathomable abu Bakr I think
Faith of Gazans
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many of my viewers may not know but and if I you know if I speak out of tone please please correct
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me but you are a Quran you studied alhamdulillah you've studied Sharia um and the impression we
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get of our brothers and sisters in in Gaza is that there is a collective Islam amongst them and a a
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degree of imam that you know we would only wish to have within our own souls i mean it's that type of
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you see someone who passes away whose family have passed away 30 people yet they remain steadfast
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and and they pray to Allah subhana wa ta'ala now of course we may overromanticize this you know
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this is trauma and everyone feels this trauma but you know just describe to me the people of
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Augusta and their iman and their attitude uh when it comes to when it comes to facing this
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this genocide that's a really good question like we have a belief on a personal note i think most
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of the gazing community have that church belief that whatever we had or we will have in this
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life in this dunya it's just a gift from Allah so whatever is taken from us is it's his own property
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is own is his gift so he controls everything that we have so for example I have a father or I have
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a family if this family dies which is a terrible tragedy God forbids then this is Allah's decision
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this is like Allah's faith then I can't really say no to that but I will just say alhamdulillah
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because I have that kind of belief that I will meet them in the hereafter on the judgment day
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and this can't really change a an outcome of my steadfastness and believe in the almighty but
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instead it will increase my belief in him because he gave me a family he gave me life he gave me
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uh the joy to go around Gaza and to once have to to once even have a cup of water to once have a
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plate of food so all of what I have in this life as I'm sitting to you next to you right now as
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I've led the war zone in Gaza the genocide zone in Gaza all of those gifts everything in our life is
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a gift every literal thing the sip of water the piece of clothing the that whatever we have is a
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gift from Allah so whatever Allah takes from us is his gifts so we can't really object to that and we
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have to remember that in the Quran it's mentioned that Allah has said if you thank me I would
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increase that and in other verses particularly in surah Sabbah like one of the one one of the
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stories of the peoples who have disobeyed Allah after they were given everything they were given
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a paradise from the almighty then they disbelieved in Allah then Allah has inflicted hell upon them
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they were very regretful about what they did so if you think about the verses in the Quran and those
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ayats in the second page of surah sabah you can really understand what it means to be thankful
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because Allah has said in the Quran which is a very horrific reality and and reality that we
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have to accept that most of the Muslims are not grateful to the almighty and Allah has really
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mentioned that in the Quran many times and one of the in one of the parts of the verses he said
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It means and a few that we have from my thankful servant so people and the Muslims in particular
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are ignorant in my opinion most of them are ignorant and they don't don't thank Allah for
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whatever for whatever they have but if you think about it and if you think about the
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people of Gaza because the vast majority almost 99% of the population in Gaza are Muslims right
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now we know and I'm someone from Gaza talking to you right now we know the value of everything we
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know the value of sitting on a chair we know the value of speaking to micro to a microphone we know the value of sitting around the table we know the value of light because we had no light for
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for over 600 days right now i never saw a light for almost 560 days we know that the that we know
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the value in the world of having a cup of water we know everything that's why we are very keen
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to maintain that because if you really overuse something in a very reckless way Allah will be
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like Allah will uh will prevent you from it so you have to be very grateful and you have to make sure
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that you're going to listen to Allah's orders and everything because he has clarified that in every
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verse in the Quran and one of the most important things that we have to know which is really
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uh I mean it's tragic it's in fact tragic that we have the people in the Qur people the Muslim
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people in particular around the Muslim communities across the globe they have a clear surah which
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is and means assistance in English so if you look at the seven ayats the seven verses of this surah
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they are very clear and they haven't talked about the people the Muslims who are who are
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not praying but it has talked about or it has taken a different angle of what of how Muslims
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should be and just like the first the first verse which means like do you consider those
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who deny the religion uh he he didn't say he didn't say then those who not praying but he
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said but Allah said in the Quran that those who who are not who are pushing the orphans
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away imagine how many orphans are now in are now in Gaza there are 40,000s in Gaza children who
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have been newly orphaned because of the Israeli genocide so there is a call from Allah which is
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very obvious to the Muslim word they're call to the Muslim world that there are orphans in Gaza
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why are you pushing them away and just look at the the the other parts of the surah or at the same
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time and he doesn't urge the feeding of the poor how many poor people are in Gaza the
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entire population there are two million people in Gaza right now muslim people who are poor you're
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not feeding them you're not taking care about them they haven't got a single kind of food for the past almost three months what Muslims have done for them what Muslims really what Muslims
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have really done done for them and talking about the other parts of the surah because which is really important i don't want to bring a another surah from the Quran talking about
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Bakar for example am although there are many verses that we can really use to talk about
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the grim reality the sad reality and the sad uh fictional word Muslims are living in right now
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and then in the surah in the last two verses just very quickly talking to you about that
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uh those who show off those who just do this to brag about what they are doing and withhold
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charity so there is an obligation Allah this is an order from Allah that you must help the poor
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all across the globe within your capabilities there is an entire Muslim community right now
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that is being genocided that is being killed in mass that is being that is being starved
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muslims have not done anything this is one of the simplest suras in the Quran which is
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also especially those who have been ostracized and marginalized by the imperialism and colonialism of
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the western world muslims haven't done anything simple as that they haven't done in my opinion
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haven't done anything and the form of the H this is the least form of the H this the context of
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the surah and if you read in the Quran and the explanation of the surah in particular
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you will find out that the surah is not talking about helping people or helping the poor Muslims
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in times of fighting or wars against the opposing disbelievers he's talking about that in the normal
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times but even in the normal times Muslims were very disappointing so let's talk about
Disappointment of Muslims
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that disappointment of Muslims and start with I remember uh reading your aid message uh back in
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after and you mentioned um something which struck me in that message um all Muslims don't break your
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bread with Israel and and then expect Gaza not to judge you um who were you referring to here all
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the Muslims community all the Muslims all across the globe all of them because it's very clear your
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governments probably you're not breaking bread with Israel which is something I I do understand
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if you look at the Muslim countries the so-called Muslim countries all of their leaders even a lot
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of the population are ignoring what is happening in Kasa right now so if you think about it you
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know prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is an a sister we know that on the judgment day so you
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want him to intervene and lead you into Jenna in front of of God and in front of Allah what
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will you tell him if he asks you about Gaza that's my question to all Muslims across the globe what
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have you done for Gaza so he would say he would give you the chance to ask probably that's what
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he would really imagine and he would tell you he would ask you have you really brought anything for them now have you really lifted the helped in lifting the blockade no have you really helped
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in tackling your complicit governments no so how would you really convince the prophet on
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the hereafter on on on the judgment day and in the hereafter there is no reason there is
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no excuse at all it's very it's it's simple and plain sight that those Muslims have let
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down the entire Muslim community and we've seen over time the videos are from Gaza from Muslim
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communities from Muslim families in Gaza they're asking Allah to punish the Muslims around the
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world and you cannot blame them because they have been calling out on them to help to do something
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but they are just standing by passively so what would you expect from this um from this community
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allah has said in the Quran that Allah will not change a people's lot until they change what is
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in their hearts in in verse number 11 and if Allah decides or inflicts a punishment upon people they
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will never have a vector without him so that's what is happening right now to the Muslim world
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you're looking at the Muslim communities and the Muslim countries the so-called Muslim countries
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they are taking the United States as a cover as a vector which is an absolute disgrace they must be
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very shameless because the United States is a very non-Muslim it's not just it's not just about the
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fact that they are not Muslims but they are also fighting against Islam and what Islam is about and
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we have to look after that we have to to to dig deep into what this means because we're talking
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about Islam and and I've told you I've studied the Sharia I've studied the laws and hs of the
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Quran and you know what I'm telling you now the last verse of the mujad in verse 22 Allah has
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made it very clear you not find people who believe in the last day if they are showing affection or
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having affection towards the opposing people who are fighting against Allah and his messenger even
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if they were the fathers their brothers or their sons or even their tribes and then the rest of the
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ayah said undoubtedly the party of Allah will be successful and this party of Allah when we're
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talking about the party of Allah those those who have iman in their hearts Allah has given them iman in their hearts and he will lead them into Jenna under which streams of of gifts flow
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beneath their feet what tell me what Muslims have done to get an atom of the gifts and the rewards
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that Allah has mentioned okay so we're talking about Muslims and their Muslim rulers here but
Authoritarian rulers?
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there is an argument to say that look these rulers are authoritarian they um prevent the Muslim Ummah
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from even demonstrating let alone doing anything material or or manifest for the people of Gaza
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um they have armies the Egyptian army is corrupt to its it's you know in at every level I know you
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know as you know the rougher crossing it's the Egyptian army Yeah that is safeguarding the interests of the Israelis right and and these armies have weapons and so um some would say that
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from Sharia um there is a a basic requirement of capability when it comes to removing monker and
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in this case you know the monker of Israel and and the Zionist entity and the western backers uh the
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the inability to remove these governments because of their harshness towards the people is enough to
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absolve the majority of the Muslim population from any sin h would you agree with that no I
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wouldn't agree with that because I'll tell you something there are 2 billion Muslims across the globe that constitutes or makes up to more than a fifth of the whole world population who wins tell
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me the Muslim community or the Muslim population is the highest across the globe but they haven't
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understood and comprehended what Islam is about you can't tell me there are one million i'm not
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trying to attack the the Muslim population in Egypt there are almost around 80 million Muslims
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in Egypt if they really stand up against their government and oblig them to reopen the crossings
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they will not be attacked how many will die thousands but not millions all of them will die
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the Egyptian army the corrupt and oppressive Egyptian army will not be able to wipe out 80
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millions of their people that is insanity that no one can believe in this whole world so we're
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not trying to play kind of what about here we are taking things step by step there are 80 million
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Muslims in Egypt they can rise up they can rise up against their governments and I'm not trying to to
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say that they have to rise up in the governments but you can oblige them and compel them to reopen the crossings and fight with Gaza because if Egypt we have seen on October the 7th and prior to
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October the 17 after October the 7th how weak and fragile the Israeli army is and even even though
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it's backed by the whole western countries and even by the whole almost the whole world by all
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the weaponry needed and by the financial logistic support and even they are sending their troops
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the western uh governments are sending their troops to fight with Israel in Gaza what have
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they got done in Gaza they haven't beaten the resistance in Gaza so think about it in that way
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what is the excuse here this kind of argument is very is very shallow and it is bold you know what
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I mean like it is bold because it's like someone I I I don't know how to put it in words to be honest
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but it's unbelievable it's just like we're saying in Arabic that there's an excuse which is worse
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than the sun and that's what our Muslims trying to make up right now because think about it two
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billion Muslims there is a Quran that they have to follow but for a long time I'm telling you Muslims
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have really been detached from the Islamic creed and from the Islamic principles and that is why we
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are seeing what we are seeing right now but we have to know that in the Quran Allah says very
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clear in two consecutive verses in verse number 75 and verse number 76 in 75 Allah asks the Muslims
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why didn't you fight in the way of Allah and the cause of Allah while your brothers and the Muslims
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from women men and children cry out they are in desperate need of your help why so there is a
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question from Allah and then in verse number 676 those who believe fighting Allah's way and then
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because we are in the last 10 days of or sorry we're in the first 10 days of and those the days
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of the hash and those are the one of the one of the best 10 days for Allah because there are the
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last 10 days of Ramadan and the first 10 days of of now those two periods are very precious for the
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Muslim community for me and for most Muslims and for all Muslims it must be their priority
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that they must do something for Gaza and that's my that's that must be their priority because in the Quran in the Torba Allah says do you consider providing water to the pilgrims and the
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maintenance of masjid haram is equal to the worth of believing in Allah in the last day and fighting
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in Allah way allah says and completes completes the verse and adds that those are not equal before
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Allah and Allah doesn't like the wrong diverse so those verses are making it very clear are putting
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it very simply for the Muslim community to act there has been no action and I can tell you the
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relationship the very fragile relationship between Muslims and Allah at the moment what about um the
Ordinary Muslims in the West?
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ordinary Muslim say here in the west um so many of us we put money in charity subhan Allah you know
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uh since uh the Gaza genocide began millions millions tens of millions have been put into
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charity um from I'm asking now from just a Sharia perspective is this enough for us is this enough
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for us to say to Allah subhanaa tala that we tried our best for the people of Gaza allah is
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the most merciful he's the most compassionate the most forgiving i'm not here to judge people to be
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honest of course but Allah is very merciful as I told you allah knows that there are many Muslims
34:34
across the globe who are desperate to fight or desperate to do something for God's more than just putting money in the charities allah knows that is well aware of that and we don't have any hatred
34:44
towards these Muslims and we don't have any hatred towards anyone and we ask Allahhana tala to put
34:50
mercy on those souls and to help them as much as they as he can and his capabilities are of course
34:56
unlimited but the case is that there is a way to do whatever to to do something to change the
35:04
reality as I told you but believe me uh I I feel very disappointed very uh devastated to see what
35:17
is happening because Muslims right now the main goal is not to raise the flag to raise the flag
35:25
of Islam they're not taking care of that anymore we're building extremely fussy and fancy mosques
35:34
for what we're building it we're just going out in the streets collecting money to build mosques for
35:41
what we are feeding the poor in already very uh rich countries like the United Kingdom and other
35:50
countries across the globe for what Muslims right now are just focused on two things to cover money
35:57
and fame and if you look at the young generations of Muslims they are they're drowning in the sea of
36:06
lusts and in the sea of temptations muslims from the younger generations their aim right now is how
36:14
many girls they hang out with it's not how many times they can help their brothers and sisters all
36:21
across the globe muslims right now are they're they're if you ask any Muslim right now about
36:28
how many players how many uh you know players from the football world do you know he would they would
36:35
count hundreds and thousands of players that ask him what do you know about the prophet Muhammad
36:40
and his biology he will know nothing what do you know about the Quran absolutely nothing and I'm
36:46
not saying this to say that it's not prohibited or it's prohibited to go and entertain pain and have
36:53
some kind of entertainment but I'm saying this to tell you the very uh the very horrifying tragedy
37:03
and reality of what Muslims are about right now so what Muslims are doing like we are Muslims Islam
37:12
means unity and in the Quran many verses have said if there are real 200 or 20 Muslims who
37:21
are fighting thousands and 20 thousands they will beat them by the will of Allah and Allah said in
37:27
the Quran one of his verses that if you make Allah victorious and if you satisfy him he will make you
37:33
victorious we're not making him victorious we're disappointing him we're letting him down although
37:40
he doesn't need us but it's also very important to know that Allah has said in the Quran as well
37:45
that if he needs he will replace you with another people so this is your chance this is your chance
37:52
to repent this is your chance to do something but unfortunately there has been no action so if
37:57
Allah replaces you with another people because of of your your silence on what on what is it
38:03
transpiring in Gaza right now what would you say to him on the hereafter in the hereafter what are
38:10
the reasons that will really convince the prophet to to be your intercessor all of those questions
38:18
but must be very frightening for the Muslim community as someone from Gaza who has led the
38:24
genocide zone I'm still very keen on on correcting my path and I'm asking for Allah's guidance every
38:31
single day i'm trying to be a better Muslim all days and I'm not trying to say I'm not saying
38:37
this to to to just uh try pray praise myself to try to praise myself for something but even here
38:45
I'm trying to help Muslims even here although because I'm unequite I'm trying to help Muslims
38:50
in my community in Gaza I'm trying to help Muslims here I'm trying to spread the words because we are every Muslim must know that they are a representative of Islam wherever they are
39:03
and they must know that Everything they're doing is not taken for granted and is being looked upon
39:11
by the angels but people have misunderstanding of the pillars of Islam unfortunately and that's
39:21
something we can't deny can I ask you about um something that I battled with myself and that
How should believers act?
39:27
is the sort of the psychology we need to imbue within ourselves why this genocide is taking place
39:34
because of course life continues however sad we feel and however um um however we feel a sense of
39:43
discomfort because of or worse because of what's going on in in Gaza but we go to weddings and we
39:51
uh attend and celebrations adher coming up and so many Muslims will be attending to this and
39:59
celebrating this but yet there is a a genocide taking place where tens of thousands of believers
40:05
are being massacred uh I I was struck once by um a brother from Gaza who crossed over the Rafa border
40:15
to uh to Egypt uh he escaped um the the genocide and he he said something that struck me that
40:24
um maybe a few hundred kilometers away from a genocide there were Muslims who were enjoying
40:30
themselves in the mall oblivious it seemed to what was happening just you know their
40:36
neighbors just around the corner from them um h how should we psychologically be how should we be
40:44
responding to this moment as as believers there are no answers to be honest but what I can tell
40:52
you is that it's it's a mark of shame that those Muslims are so celebrating how are you going to
41:00
slaughter an animal and enjoy with your family and brothers and sisters outside while there
41:05
is a community that's being slaughtered how is that even possible allah has said the prophet
41:13
sur was in one of his hadiths that Muslims are like one body in their pain they're united
41:27
and if one part of their body pains or aches the whole body aches but we're not seeing that
41:37
unfortunately we're not seeing that at all we're seeing Muslims completely dispersed completely
41:46
detached from what Islam is about they're not following anything like what is the aim look
41:54
you cannot lecture me about the Islamic morals if you don't or if you haven't treaty acted for Gaza
42:03
you cannot who gives you the license to lecture me about the Islamic wars when you are silent in Gaza
42:10
and you're afraid of your rulers who really gives you the license what makes you really the right
42:19
person to do so the prophet Muhammad in times of his of his battles he was schemed every Muslim
42:29
and even from the disbelievers from the peaceful disbelievers that they had food and had everything
42:36
during the times of the battle but right now we're seeing rulers who are aiding the genocide in Gaza
42:44
and that by the way as I told you in the last verse of it verse number 22 that legitimately
42:53
takes them out of Islam because anyone who's showing affection or have an affection towards the
43:01
disbelievers who are opposing Allah his messenger it is very very very possible that they are out of
43:09
Islam it depends on their situation so for me and by unanimously and that is something agreed upon
43:17
by the real scholars of Islam the real preachers of Islam and you know what I mean by despite
43:23
by by stressing the word real because there are there are scholars who are not real they're just
43:28
disgusting and absolute disgrace to the Muslim community that those are the parts of the verses
43:37
that we must follow and we must think about so if you are because there is an also another if
43:42
you give me the time to talk about it about the boycott we've seen Muslims and I've seen Muslims here who buying the boycott targets who buying Coca-Cola buying other types of the other targets
43:54
on the BDS list and you know that those projects or those companies are aiding the genocide in
44:01
Gaza so are you are indirectly contributing to the killing of your brothers and Muslims could I ask you about the scholars of of Islam because of course there have been mah very good
Scholars on Gaza
44:14
um occasions of of Muslim scholars who are speaking out and using their platforms
44:21
uh to address this this genocide and to build solidarity for for Gaza in the UK for example
44:28
we had a very big demonstration recently and there was an OMA wing of the demonstration where the imams and scholars they came out and they led their their followers they led their
44:39
congregations in in the protest and alhamdulillah I've seen so many great examples of of of
44:45
imams like this but of course we do have some scholars and you intimated in your last answer
44:51
uh about this we do have some scholars who uh they fratonize with the corrupt regimes of say the UAE
45:00
uh who you know who who love to embrace Israel and who who embrace the Abraham Accords um and you
45:08
have who never mention Gaza and when they mention Gaza it's a vague statement of solidarity very
45:16
vague statement because of course the pressure may be coming from below like what do you say
45:22
to these people yeah may Allah put mercy in his soul he spent most of his life behind the bars
45:32
do you know he spent that because he was facing the rulers he was facing the corrupt rulers with
45:38
the verses of the Quran and he never he was never cowardly before them because he knows that there
45:45
is the the ruler of the all rulers who is God who is Allah subhana wa ta'ala Allah says in the Quran
45:53
uh so it means that everyone will die in this including
46:03
animals including humans and every creator and that the scenery of this life will also will also end or will be damaged in the hereafter or
46:14
on the judgment day and then the one who stays even the angel of death who who's who's whom
46:21
Allah sends to end people's lives he will die and then Allah will stay so what makes you afraid of
46:31
those rulers punishment it won't change anything there's a severe a more severe punishment in the
46:38
hereafter what else lack of money lack of of of life life is not important and Allah said in the
46:47
Quran if life were worth something for Allah a disbeliever would not have a sip of water in it
47:01
but it equals nothing for him it's less than a wing of a mosquito and that's what Allah wants
47:08
to tell us and he said in the same verse that those believers understand what the meaning of
47:16
dun but people as I told you the Muslims are now drowning in deceive temptations and their desires
47:23
their life desires without even thinking about the hereafter you're not going to take money
47:30
within your with your when you go to grave you're not going to take your family you're not going to take anyone in the hereafter you will be separated and dispersed from your family members from your
47:41
mom and father and then you will be crying for you will be crying for anything that will lead
47:46
you into Jenna what will you do that's that's the main question and even Allah said in the
47:52
Quran that if you even come in the hereafter and you're not a good believer you're not in
47:58
one of his verses and you're not haven't done enough to into Jenna even if you bring the whole
48:05
earth with gold to Allah you will not enter it let me ask you about your stay here in in
48:13
uh in Dublin in Ireland um you must have visited a number of the massagid here and and mixed with
48:19
the Muslim community i mean how pronounced how much do you see uh Gaza affecting uh our Muslim
48:28
community and and uh their centers of of religious learning i'm very frustrated here really were very
48:34
very frustrated just uh uh may God guide them but what I've seen is completely disgraceful is is is
48:45
something I never imagined three prayers of Juma over the last three weeks almost three weeks they
48:52
never mentioned ka but he mentioned that like look at the the the kind of cow it is a believer is a
49:00
strong person that's what Allah said Okay but look at the cowardice he never mentioned ka he
49:08
mentioned that may God help the weak across the globe but just say ka co didn't say what
49:16
makes you like what what what is the bravery of Muslims muslims are not weak they're not fragile
49:22
they're not cowardly they're not Muslims are very strong but once they opted for taking a cover
49:30
uh by the co and their cover is the American imperialism they will never be strong anymore
49:38
once this is dismantled the Muslim community will be strong again once there is the Muslim
49:45
community will be strong again but as long as we are just covering ourselves and predicting and
49:52
taking the American imperialism and colonialism as a cover and as a some sort of prediction
50:02
we'll never be succeeding god never let me ask you about um the future of Gaza because of course
Future of Gaza
50:09
uh majority were buildings and and the landscape has been destroyed the universities the massaged
50:17
the waterworks the electricity uh power stations the entire infrastructure has been destroyed um
50:27
that may lead some to summize that Gaza is now lost you know um what what can we do any longer
50:35
to see a a Gaza revive itself are we now doomed to just accept that Gaza as a as a place where
50:44
Muslims live as the the origin of the illustrious scholars like Imam Shafi you know this is this
50:52
place is now lost to the Muslim um how would you respond to I told you something that in
50:58
the hereafter on the judgment day the whole world we did will be destroyed believers like okay this
51:06
has been a reason we believe that Everything that has happened in this dunya is something that has
51:11
been written by God by Allah the genocide in Gaza was written we can't say no to that you can't say
51:20
no to the fate that has been written for you in the hereafter all the public facilities the
51:27
schools the hospitals whatever the homes they will be destroyed you will not Muslims will
51:34
not stay forever every human being will not stay forever in their homes they will be asked on the
51:41
judgment day but for Muslims what should they do for Muslim community that has been devastated gaza
51:49
is not lost muslims are lost the Muslim world is lost the the things that we're thinking about are
52:02
just you know homes public facilities these are not worthy for us they're not worthy they can be
52:10
rebelled because I told you this is a gift from Allah and he has taken he has taken this gift
52:16
from Allah uh from us sorry and then when Allah inflicts a test upon people then he wants to
52:26
know he really wants to know who are the believers within cause he wants to
52:32
know within the Muslim community who the true believers are allah said in the Quran in verse
52:41
128 it means if a wand touches you there has already been a wand that has touched opposing
52:57
people and he continues this verse and he says that you are the best on this planet don't be
53:05
sad don't be fragile to be weak allah is with you but we've never followed that and Allah said
53:13
within the same verse that those days we are alternating among people to know who believe
53:22
and to take to him to Allah from you martyrs and martyrs those who have sacrificed for the sake of
53:31
Allah there are now Muslims who are fighting for the sake of Allah in Gaza m I don't know how many
53:37
they are they're not fighting for Hamas they're not fighting for a political movement i'm from Gaza and I know what a political movement is and what a military resistance movement is they know
53:47
that very well those people who are fighting and have been fighting for over 600 days they're not
53:54
fighting for special interests those have nothing against the Israeli regime they have the least of
54:01
weaponry to fight against them those that are the best of us right so compare yourselves with them
54:10
what have you really done compared with them when I think about them and I'm from Gaza I feel very
54:15
ashamed now think about the other Muslims what have they done what is the reason preventing you
54:21
from coming to Gaza and fight again inah Allah says very simply in the Quran those who believe
54:28
fight in Allah's ways and those who disbelieve fight in the rebellious way okay and the these
54:38
satanic tactics are weak that's the end of the Okay so think about it why Muslims are
54:46
not fighting you think you mentioned the Muslim scholars tell me how many Muslim scholars have
54:53
called out or have urged Muslims across the globe to fight with Gaza how many if urged
55:02
him to what to help Gaza allah hasn't told you in the Quran to help us to Allah hasn't told you this
55:10
allah said in the Quran clearly as I told you in one of the verses of the Quran he's asking
55:17
you and why didn't you find in Allah's way and help those from Muslims the men
55:22
to women children who cry out daily and are in desperate need of your support and they
55:29
are asking God oh Lord really take us away from this town whose people are oppressive
55:37
and make for us a point for us from Your presence a vector and a point for us from your presence a
55:46
protector within this whole community of Muslims 2 million Muslims there is not a victor there's not
55:57
a protector prophet Muhammad peace be upon him with his companions one day when he was sitting
56:04
with Abuakar and the other companions he was talking about us he was saying that there will
56:11
be a people who are coming after you and after the next generations and the next generations and the
56:17
next generations the next people whose reward will be 50 times yours and in times in those times the
56:26
one who is sticking to his Islamic principles will be like having a burning piece of gold within his
56:33
hand the prophet has been praising us many decades ago but we've disappointed him we haven't done
56:44
anything the prophet would be very disappointed and very ashamed of a community that has let him
56:53
down that he has been praising in front of Allah and in front of his companions but they haven't
57:00
done anything what will you tell them the prophet expected that he would fight the prophet expected
57:05
that you would really do something i have uh I sent out uh on my Twitter account that I'm going
Role of Islam in activism
57:12
to be speaking to you today and uh a number of uh brothers and sisters they responded with some
57:17
questions for you um so if I can ask you some of these questions brother Abdullah asked um I
57:24
think his discussion of the Islamic consequences of inaction from the ummah is striking so this is
57:29
what we've been talking about today i wonder if he has new perspectives on the role of Islam in the pro Palestine movement now that he has spent time in the west interacting with a broad spectrum
57:40
of activists in this space i suppose he's asking about what is the role of Islam in our activism
57:47
uh especially when it comes to pro Palestine because of course sometimes the prop palestine movement hasn't necessarily in the west been associated too closely yeah with Islamic activism
57:58
how do you any thoughts on that muslims must be on the front line what we're seeing right now that Christians that even in Christ in in churches here Gaza is mentioned many times more
58:10
and even like many times more than all the mosques across the Arab world why is that we see in that
58:17
no demonstrations are held in the Arab world no demonstrations what kind of cowardice is
58:24
that so in this in this Muslim or in this western community people have to look at it in a different
58:31
way that we are here to tell people that over the past 19 months and it's too late after over
58:40
70,000 people have been killed and 100 more than 100,000 others have been wounded in Gaza i've got
58:48
one final question for you i will bucker um and it's really a question that I I've been
58:54
thinking about uh and it's linked to some of the conversation we had at the earlier part of today's
59:00
um today's interview um you hear of people who lose uh in one air strike 20 30 members of a
59:10
family um how does one console a person uh who has lost just devastatingly lost so many members
59:19
of of their family how does one approach that you must have come across so many occasions i know very beautiful story in Gaza of one of our friends who whose two daughters were killed in
59:30
an Israeli air strike and then his house was bombed and he just keep he just kept repeating
59:39
alhamdulillah thanks to God for everything because as I told you we won't cause think about things in a different way that these things are g from Allah so whatever is taken from us we don't care
59:49
about that because Allah will replace us and that is a truth and that is really a truth because in
59:54
one of the hadiths as well the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said that whoever abandons a
1:00:02
thing for his sake Allah will replace him with the better and this Muslim this this friend of
1:00:09
ours has lost two of his daughters and during the genocide Allah has given him two new daughters
1:00:16
so this is one of the the parts of of of iman within kan he's a very very good Muslim a very
1:00:23
amazing Muslim at the same time for me you know personally not I was afraid Muslims are afraid we can be afraid of course Moses he was afraid and he asked uh and he sought refuge
1:00:37
uh from God uh sorry not from God by God from the disbelievers and and the ones who were pro who
1:00:44
who were pro oppressing and I'm sorry so we get afraid we are humans in the end we have that kind
1:00:50
of instinct which is fear and panic and the times in Gaza they were the most unimaginable thing
1:00:56
as you said something that Muslims have never witnessed or borne witness to before so during
1:01:04
my time in Gaza there was a verse in as well number 28 which says and Allah wants to lighten
1:01:13
for you your difficulties a man was created or a mankind mankind was created weak so it
1:01:21
means now if we think about that it means that a person without Allah is weak that's what it means
1:01:33
a person amidst the temptations as weak okay but if you have that belief that Allah will lighten
1:01:41
for you your difficulties he will help you all the way through because make sure that in this dunya
1:01:46
all the intentions fall behind the intention of getting or deriving satisfaction from the almighty
1:01:57
so have to make sure that Allah's satisfaction comes as your priority if Allah is satisfied
1:02:04
with you then all of the other intentions can be easily feasible because you have satisfied
1:02:10
Allah and Allah is satisfied with you and that's what you need and Allah said and Allah said the
1:02:16
Quran that Allah has been satisfied with those believers and they have been satisfied with them
1:02:24
and they will be entering Jenna so it's very clear if we read the Quran if we know the meaning of the
1:02:30
Quran everything will be very easy so this verse that I'm talking to you about it always gives it
1:02:36
has always been my solace and my respite from the horrors that I was subjected to that I was
1:02:42
enduring during the genocide and I I was thinking about it you know just Allah will lighten for you
1:02:50
your difficulties my visit here to Ireland my escape from the genocide it was a gift from
1:02:56
Allah because Allah wanted to lighten for me my difficulties and he will lighten all of our
1:03:01
difficulties if we believe in him in the right way and we have to be we have to work hard we have to
1:03:07
be righteous we have to it's met our mistakes we have to to weep for him because one of the seven
1:03:13
types that that the prophet has mentioned was in one of his hadiths that a man who wipes alone with
1:03:21
Allah will be under his under the shadow of of of Allah and hereafter so think about all those parts
1:03:30
of the Quran all those parts of the Sunnah that the essence of our Islam it is very easy and it
1:03:39
is something that can make your life better all this time but unfortunately Muslims have turned
1:03:45
a blind eye and a defair to Allah's orders and that's why they need Kaza at the moment they
1:03:53
need Kaza as their intercessor in the hereafter gaza is not only humanity test it's a test of ura
1:04:03
it's a test of your Islam it is a very very it is your litmus test and you can depend on it so
1:04:11
you can really into Jenna if you help right now but if you turn it down it's absolut it's going
1:04:18
to be very severe for you the consequences are not going to be the ones that you like because
1:04:23
you have turned away from it from from from Gaza and the people of Gaza have been always calling
1:04:32
upon you to help them we don't again we don't need aid we don't need food people of Gaza are
1:04:39
are very starving you know they're very they're solely being starved i know that we're aware of
1:04:45
that but we don't need aid we don't need anything we need your help to expel them from our homeland
1:04:52
and to get back to our homeland as we are as you have better and a nice luxur luxurious life in
1:05:01
another part of the world those people are very indigenous to lot and they want their because
1:05:06
their hearts are in it and this is kind of the rabb that Allah has mentioned in the Quran this
1:05:12
is kind of the jihad of the struggle that Allah has mentioned so help your Muslim brothers and
1:05:19
sisters against the oppression in the face of this extreme adversity do not look away because Allah
1:05:27
will not be Allah said in the Quran in number six just very successively in part of his of his
1:05:35
ayah means the punishment and the consequences the repercussions okay but in the end of the
1:05:48
ayah it means that Allah is the most forgiven the most merciful but he's also having the most
1:05:58
severe punishment so Allah is very merciful but at the same time he will have severe punishment for
1:06:06
those who have disappointed him and for those who have looked away from the horrors in the
1:06:12
Torah Muslims across the globe are subjected to that doesn't only that doesn't only include kasa
1:06:18
but it also includes people in Sudan Lebanon and other parts of the world we have to be
1:06:23
one community we have to build to make sure that Islam can rise okay other than that we will stay
1:06:32
humiliated forever as we are right now muslims are very human deeply humiliated and dehumanized
1:06:39
and we will never live in dignity as long as we are believing in the American imperialism
1:06:45
we will never live in dignity we will never at all so we shouldn't live on our knees we should
1:06:51
live in dignity rising our heads high and that's what Islam is about islam is a religion of pride
1:07:00
is a religion of belief is a religion of every good thing but not humiliation allah has never
1:07:08
told you so so I hope that Muslims will listen thank you so much for your time today thank you
1:07:17
you're welcome please remember to subscribe to our social media and YouTube channels and head
1:07:24
over to our website thinkingmuslim.com to sign up to my weekly newsletter
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