Khutbah Notes: Palestine Solidarity – MuslimMatters.org

The khutbah notes below have been provided by Imam Abdul Malik and shared through Justice For All.

Solidarity with Palestine

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ 

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah , even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. (4:135)

Our hearts are heavy. Over the last few days we have witnessed horror images and stories  coming out of Israel’s indiscriminate carpet bombing of Gaza, in the aftermath of Hamas’s surprise invasion of Israel.

About 6.8 million Jewish Israelis and 6.8 million Palestinians live in the occupied Palestine and Israel today. Where there is neother peace nor security for both Israelis and Palestiniains. We pray that everyone is granted an equal right to freedom, dignity, and prosperity.

It is also important to remember that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prohibited killing of civilians and non-combatants in war. That principle became a part of the Islamic law which has never changed. This law is a unilateral law. It does not require the enemy abiding by it. Allah has told us that killing one person is like killing the whole humanity unless through due process of law. Based on these principles we believe killing of civilians in Palestine or Israel is unIslamic.

As Muslims, we don’t have to agree with Hamas or its actions to speak for the human rights of Palestinian Muslims. We should not be labeled anti-semitic to save lives in Gaza. We should not be harassed for showing solidarity with Palestinians and their resistance. The right to self-determination and resistance to occupation is enshrined in international law We should be unapologetic about our commitment to peace and justice for Palestine.

What is Happening in Gaza?

• It is estimated that by now 3,000 Palestinians including children have been killed by Israeli bombings since the start of escalation on the morning of October 7th.
• 5,184 Palestinians have been injured.
• About 60% of the injuries occurred by the Israeli airstrikes were among women and children in the Gaza Strip,
• 260,000 are internally displaced.
• Gaza hospitals on the brink of collapse.
• 300,000 Israeli troops are preparing for a ground invasion.

What Palestinians have Faced over the Last 70 Years?

• Israel has facilitated 700,000 Israeli Jewish settlers who now live in 300 Israeli settlements on annexed and stolen Palestinian land – dissecting it every way possible. The U.S. government and the UN / International Law consider these settlements illegal.
• Israel has displaced 5.9 million Palestinians while Palestinians have not displaced any Israelis.
• Israel is occupying Palestine, not the other way around.
• Israel has literally imprisoned two million Palestinians in Gaza as an open air prison. Called an open air prison by President Jimmy Carter
• UN human rights experts, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Israel’s own human rights organization B’tSelem call it an apartheid state. As has Jimmy Carter in his Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid i2006 book. And the condition of this Apartheid is according to Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandelas children and grnad children worse in many ways then South African Apartheid they lived under.
• Israel has killed and injured 150,000 Palestinians including 33,000 children since 2008.
• 1 in every 5 Palestinians has been arrested and charged under the 1,600 military orders that control every aspect of the lives of Palestinians.
• The number of Palestinians behind Israeli bars is 5,300, including 33 women and 170 children. Of this 1,300 according to Dr. Mustafa Barghouti have not been charged and are serving indefinite sentences. Many of whom were convicted in closed door Military courts without due process or transparency or access to legal counsel – with a 97% conviction rate. Israel is the only country in the world to convict children through a Military court proceeding.

Meanwhile in USA…

• Media coverage has been extremely biased towards Israel, whereby Palestinian suffering has been completely missing and dehumanized. Described as “human animals”. Facts are not checked but are aired without independent confirmation regularly.  Case in point killing of babies and rap of a woman.
• Politicians and government officials of all levels are vying to issue condemnations after condemnations of Hamas, while not uttering a word about the disproportionate collective punishment of Palestinians.
• Human rights organizations and concerned Muslim advocates are being attacked online for speaking for Palestinian rights and for condemning the Israeli occupation, apartheid, and blockade. And individuals are at risk of losing jobs if they speak out.  Schools are also issuing statements that echo these same biased sentiments.
• Muslims and Arabs at work and in schools are being labeled terrorists for expressing concerns about the human suffering in Gaza.

Why Show Solidarity with Palestine?

1. Responsibility to Follow Prophetic Mission: Establishing Qist

لَـقَدۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالۡبَيِّنٰتِ وَاَنۡزَلۡنَا مَعَهُمُ الۡكِتٰبَ وَالۡمِيۡزَانَ لِيَقُوۡمَ النَّاسُ بِالۡقِسۡطِ​ۚ

Indeed We sent Our Messengers with Clear Signs, and sent down with them the Book and the Balance that people may uphold justice (Qist)…  (Al-Hadeed 57:25). Standing up for Justice (Qist) was a mission common to ALL prophets of God. It is our religious responsibility to stand with Indigenous Peoples in their fight for justice, truth and reconciliation.

2. Responsibility to Change Evil Condition

 مَنْ رَأَى مِنْكُمْ مُنْكَرًا فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بِيَدِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسَانِهِ،  فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِقَلْبِهِ، وَذَلِكَ أَضْعَفُ الْإِيمَانِ

Abu Said Al-Khudri reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

“Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” (Muslim #49)

3. Responsibility to Repel Darkness: Zulm

اتَّقُوا الظُّلْمَ فَإِنَّ الظُّلْمَ ظُلُمَاتٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة

Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Beware of Zulm (the oppression), for Zulm  will be a Zulumaat (darkness) on the Day of Resurrection.” (Bukhari # 637)

4. Responsibility to Avoid the Dua of the Oppressed

وَاتَّقِ دَعْوَةَ الْمَظْلُومِ فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ حِجَابٌ

“Beware the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and God.” (Bukhari # 4347)

5. Responsibility to the Ummah in Pain

عَنْ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.” (Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6011, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2586)

6. Responsibility to the People of Palestine & Land of Al-Aqsa

• Land of the third most sacred site & Masjid in Islam – Masjid Al-Aqsa
• Site of the first Qibla of Islam – Jerusalem
• Birthplace of majority of the Prophets and Messengers of Allah
• The place where Prophet Muhammad’s, peace be upon him, miraculous journey to heavens began – Al-Isra

What can We Do?

• Supplicate: Make a special Dua for brothers and sisters living constantly under fear and terror in Gaza and under occupation in others parts of Palestine – if they are not in your Dua, they are not in your thoughts.
• Educate: Educate yourself and others about the history of Al-Aqsa and Palestine, as well as the magnitude of human suffering under apartheid, occupation, and blockade. Help your neighbours, co-workers, and classmates understand the media bias and share the stories of Palestinians for over seven decades.(Links?)
• Donate: Support advocacy groups and Palestinian organizations in Canada that are fighting to defend Palestinians- these organizations are fulfilling Fard and human rights groups like JFA as well as established and registered humanitarian organizations which is a Fard Kifayah (collective obligation) on behalf of the Muslim community.
• Advocate:
  • Challenge TV channels, radio stations, newspapers, and social media influencers for the dehumanization of Palestinians and erasure of Palestinian suffering. Demand fair coverage of Palestinian voices and stories.
  • Challenge elected officials from President Biden, to Congresspersons and other Statewide representatives, County Wide and elected officials and call them out for their selective human rights and for not condemning the Israeli bombing and killing of Palestinians.
  • Call and email your Congresspersons and ask that they support several House Resolutions concerning Palestinian human rights protections and Israeli government accountability which have been introduced before Congress ( https://www.justiceforall.org/resources/action-alerts/stop-supporting-the-detention-of-palestinian-children-under-israeli-military/) In particular, H.R. 2590.  This is the first time, there is legislation in Congress to ensure that no US tax dollars fund multiple human rights violations carried out by the Israeli government against Palestinians. We need you to take action today to ensure that your representative is on this bill. The Palestinian Children and Families Act (H.R. 2590), introduced by Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN), states that the U.S. will not fund the Israeli government’s imprisonment and torture of Palestinian children; theft and destruction of Palestinian homes and property; or any further annexation of Palestinian lan
  • Visit Justice For All ( (https://www.justiceforall.org/resources/action-alerts/call-congress-on-palestine-2023-10-08/) and take 30 seconds to call your Congressperson asking them to call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine and to open a humanitarian corridor to allow for urgent aid to get to the civilians in Gaza.
  • For Canadians: send a letter to Justin Trudeau urging condemnation of Israel and support for Palestine. Use the following template: https://www.justiceforallcanada.org/palestine.html

Let’s Make a Special Dua

حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ. اللهم انصر اخواننا المستضعفين

O Allah, Ya Hafeez, help and protect the people of Palestine.
O Allah, Ya Lateef, ease their pain and suffering in Gaza.
O Allah, Ya Rehman, bestow your mercy on them.
O Allah, Ya Fattah, open the doors of sustenance & provide relief to the besieged.
O Allah, Ya Shaafee, heal the wounded men, women and children of Gaza.
O Allah, Ya Salaam, bring peace in Gaza and end the persecution.

Also try to recite daily Dua Qunut Nazilah – daily if possible per the Prophet Muhammed (AS) example.  It is reported Sayyidina Rasul-ullah (AS) offered supplication (du’aa’) at times of calamity on a number of occasions and in times of extreme distress and need thus beseeching Allah (SWT) for His Help, Mercy and benevolence.