The Road to Liberating Palestine

Check Part I: No Shortcuts to Liberating Palestine

To liberate Palestine, people need to liberate their minds first, purify their souls, Islamize their intentions, thoughts, and deeds, and form alliances with Almighty Allah, members of the Muslim community (ummah), and all the people of goodwill around the globe.

Central to the processes of building people (raising and cherishing new generations) would be Islamically-inspired excellent educational systems, good and independent governance, and myriads of short, medium, and long-term strategies as well as policies that would aim at creating conducive ecosystems for producing new cohorts and letting them operate freely and enthusiastically.

 

In the process, a bold stance is expected to be taken against quick fixes, shortcuts, mediocrity, venality, and apathy. Every individual is to perceive himself as a servant of Almighty Allah and a soldier of His truth only.

All other forms of servitude and struggle should be placed beneath these two, playing second fiddle to them.

Islam is a comprehensive code of life, overarching existence in its entirety. Put another way, a person just needs to become an exemplary Muslim and live an exemplary Islamic lifestyle. That is the crux of the matter and the ultimate originator of all causes.

It is to be remembered that the Children of Israel were not allowed to enter the holy land with enslaved minds and impure souls.

Doing so was possible only after 40 years in the wilderness after a new generation with liberated minds and refined souls was raised. Nor did Prophet Nuh wait for the deluge to act.

 

He made all the necessary preparations long before the promise of Allah came to pass, despite the multitude of challenges, most of which had been directed at Nuh’s pursuits, making them appear implausible and him looking foolish.

Conflict is the Last Option

 

 

These counsels in no way suggest that physical confrontations including wars will be desirable and so, a regular necessity. In passing, should military conflicts become unavoidable, so be it; there is nothing wrong or untoward in such scenarios.

Wars are honorable if fought for honorable purposes, especially if no other alternatives are left and evil is getting out of control.

However, what the above counsels suggest is that when Muslims become united, virtuous, and strong – individually and collectively, and in all aspects of society-cum-civilization building processes – their realms, and those of the world in general, will be filled with so much goodness that the forces of evil will not stand a chance to establish themselves, let alone thrive.

 

In the context of Palestine, if Israel is encircled by Muslim nations shaped in Islamic molds, under no circumstances will it be able to do what it normally does to the defenseless Palestinians.

Its devilish behavior will be easily curbed, and if it does not change, persisting in its monstrous activities, it by degrees could be neutralized and if necessary, even relegated to oblivion.

Altering the complete religious and socio-political landscape around Israel would render it a pariah par excellence, whose sheer existence will increasingly be untenable. It will become such an abnormality that it will be left with no choice other than to change or perish.

 

Muslims are not against the Jews, but against the occupying and oppressive Zionists

To set the record straight, nobody is against the Jews per se and their existence in Palestine.

Islamically speaking, no Muslim can be against the Jews just because they are what they are, as that would be in breach of several Islamic tenets; and historically as well as practically speaking, no Muslim can be against the physical and cultural presence of the Jews in Palestine, as that would violate numerous at once Islamic traditions and everyday realities.

What Muslims are against is occupation, oppression, and injustice. They are also against monstrosities anchored in bigotry and irrationality.

 

That implies that Muslims are against Zionism and its proxies, in that they and their raison d’etre stand for the personifications of everything that not only Islam but as well authentic Judaism, abhor.

Incidentally, from an Orthodox Jewish standpoint, Israel is an unlawful state, the outcome of Western antisemitism, causing many Orthodox Jews to be vocal opponents of its evil policies and practices. Some Jews are yet more outspoken than Muslims.

 

As in the past, the Jews will always be welcome in Palestine, albeit as part of a Muslim-dominated polity.

 

Their religious and civil rights will be fully protected, which is not because Muslims will choose to do so, but because that is incumbent upon them based on the content of the fundamental sources of Islam.

Owing to this ethos, while historically the whole world was banishing and maltreating the Jews, it was only Muslims who kept extending a helping hand to them.

Only in Islamdom could they find a sanctuary, and in Muslims a protective friend. While everywhere else they were in exile, in Islamdom the Jews were at home.

Towards a holistic development paradigm

 

 

Thus, in addition to the conventional ways of condemning Israel, every Muslim should also check how he fares against the substance of what has been said above.

In other words, a Muslim should establish what type of Muslim he is, and to what extent he is ready to become a member of “Allah’s party” alone and a soldier-qua-servant in His cause. A Muslim’s growth is not expected to be static. His mantra is one of dynamism.

This is consistent with the spirit of the words of the Qur’an: “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (al-Ra’d, 11).

Also: “That is because Allah would not change a favor which He had bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves” (al-Anfal, 53).

 

The lesson of the Qur’an is clear. Change what is in yourselves, Allah will change what is beyond yourselves.

The former is in your hands, the latter is not – you can only prompt it – so, do not upset priorities. By taking care of your inner selves, you set in motion a succession of changes whose ranges are beyond human comprehension.

That is to say, in such a fashion, you are certain to triumph in all endeavors and vanquish all obstacles, due to the dictates of fate that stand in your favor.

 

However, should you choose to pass up the opportunity for self-improvement, you are likely to fail to make any meaningful advancement and miss out on both the material gains and the windfalls of destiny.

This procedure is not a choice but a necessity. History is replete with chapters of Muslim ups and downs, bringing home the message to the effect that without Islam as a total philosophy and system of life, Muslims are handicapped.

Muslim Unity is a Must

At long last, since liberating Palestine and preserving Muslim integrity is conditioned by the unity and cooperation of the Muslim ummah, Muslims need to start mending the rifts and building bridges of understanding.

 

Sectarianism is a disease and must be cured. Over the long course of Islamic history, it has resulted in nothing but regression and misery. Admitting that nobody is perfect or completely useless, all Muslim sects and groups are closer to each other than it seems.

More factors can bring them together than those that keep them divided and at loggerheads with one another.

Isn’t it enough that they all have one God, one Prophet, one Islam, one Qur’an, one qiblah, one set of religious rites, one purpose, one objective, one destiny, and one enemy?

How much longer do they need to understand that the real enemy of all of them is Zionism and the criminal aspects of the West and its overstated civilization?

 

Historically, sects were created and sustained by the enemies of Islam. Today, too, in Western “intellectual” discourses the theme of Muslim sects, for obvious reasons, is a favorite one. They promote and use it as a devastating weapon against Muslims.

 

They know that as an illegal geopolitical entity (a bastard child of the West), Israel can survive only in the milieus of factionalism and hostilities. “Divide and conquer (rule)” is their creed.

Muslims should recognize that their true Islamic faith is their primary identity, above all else. Their loyalty to Islam should be given precedence over any other loyalty.

A person is meant to be bigger than a fanatical follower of a quasi-religious, political, or nationalistic faction. In the eyes of the Creator, he is more consequential than that.

 

The ontological goal of Muslims is to attain the pleasure of Allah and be admitted into Paradise (Jannah), which however cannot be accomplished except through Islam. No affiliation with a sect, family, clan, race, country, or any other ideology, will be of any benefit whatsoever.

That is the reason why Palestine as a heart and symbol of Islam is each Muslim’s concern, superseding other artificial worldly concerns, and that is the reason why Israel and a host of its Western patrons must be the enemy of each Muslim.

 

The holy ground of the core of Palestine is and has always been the intersection of the forces of good and evil. It likewise has been and continues to be a platform on which heroes come to the fore and cowards, together with hypocrites, crumble and eventually fade into obscurity.

The pivotal roles of Muslim governments

 

As a consequence of all this, the role of Muslim governments today is pivotal. Without them, extremely little can be done. The scourge of Israel is sophisticatedly institutionalized; hence, dealing with it must be in a manner befitting its character.

It is only governments that can legislate adequate reformist policies and implement comprehensive systems of change.

It follows that establishing strong ties between governments and the public is of the utmost importance, for there is no government that can secure legitimacy without the support of its people and there are no people who can fully realize their aspirations without the guidance and help of their government.

 

By working together, Muslim governments and their citizens should assume control of their destinies.

Muslim governments, the ball is in your court – the time for meaningful change is now. Make amends for yourselves and those who have come before you, who have continually betrayed Palestine – and the Ummah.

The clock is ticking. If not, the aroused Muslim sentiment could potentially be directed against you.

 

 

SOURCE: https://aboutislam.net/muslim-issues/opinion-analysis/the-road-to-liberating-palestine/2/