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By Amal Al-Sibai
Witnessing the atrocities committed in Aleppo against innocent women and children, and seeing the lifeless bodies of children carried out from under the rubble of their crushed homes from the bombing have enraged every person across cultures whose conscience is still alive.
How can the video of a bleeding child reciting the Holy Qur’an while doctors stitch her wounds not move us to tears and make us want to do something to help these suffering people?
To just casually scroll down our phone screens, with nothing more than a shrug of a shoulder in response to these images of human suffering means that something is wrong with our humanity and our faith.
It pains us to see the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Burma, in Syria, in Iraq, and anywhere else in the world, and this pain should lead to positive, productive action.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) described the concern that Muslims should have for one another; he said, “The likeness of the believers in their mutual love, mercy, and compassion is that of the body; when one part of it is in pain, the rest of the body joins it in restlessness and fever.” [Saheeh Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim]
Dr. Umair Al-Hijazi is of the opinion that our heartache and sadness over what is happening in Aleppo should not lead to despair and inactivity because that is counterproductive. No matter how depressing the situation seems, there still is room for hope and optimism. We must have trust in Allah that there will be a good outcome for the people of Syria. Allah will deliver victory. The choice is ours to work hard and selflessly so that Allah will make us among the key players in His victory for the weak and defenseless.
Syria is a blessed and important region, both in the past and the future of Islam. Love for Syria is not about culture or nationalism or Arab pride; it is part of our faith as Muslims. Syria and its surrounding region, is known as Al-Sham.
In the Holy Qur’an, every time Syria and it surrounding region is mentioned, it is described as a blessed place.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) repeatedly spoke favorably about Syria.
Zaid bin Thabit Al-Ansari narrated, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say, ‘How blessed is Al-Sham! How blessed is Al-Sham!’ The people asked him, ‘And how is that, oh Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘The angels of Allah have spread their wings over Al-Sham.” [At-Tirmidhi]
We cannot lose hope because in an authentic saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), he prayed for the welfare of Syria and Yemen.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Oh Allah, bless us in our Syria; O Allah, bless us in our Yemen.” Those present said,
“And in our Najd, O Messenger of Allah!” But he said again, “O Allah, bless us in our Syria; O Allah, bless us in our Yemen.” [Saheeh Bukhari]
Muslims believe that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was saved by Allah from being crucified, and he was raised to the Heavens. When the end of time nears, Prophet Jesus will return to this Earth. Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) will descend from the Heavens and he will come directly to Damascus, and there he will unite the Muslims.
In the book of Imam Ahmad, there is another saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw a vision and he said, “I saw the angels carry a beam of light, and they placed it in the land of Al-Sham.”
This beam of light signifies guidance and righteousness in the land of Sham and its people.
There is another Hadith, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “There shall always be a group of my ummah, rightly guided, clearly upon the truth, attaining help from Allah.” He was asked, “Where can I find them?” The Prophet said, “They are in the land of Sham and the surrounding land of Sham.”
Shaiky Yasir Qadhi commented on the meaning of this Hadith. He explained that there shall always be a group of rightly guided Muslims in Al-Sham, who are blessed to be upon the guidance of Allah and to be helped by Allah. The Hadith says that Allah will help them and the nasr (victory) of Allah is coming upon them. The Hadith says they will clearly be upon the truth until the commandment of Allah comes.
Until that time comes, we must remain hopeful and we must support the people in Syria by every means possible.
Dr. Mohammad Rateb Al-Nabulsi implores us to ask ourselves, “How can I contribute to help the people in Aleppo?”
Every person from anywhere in the world can research to find a reputable humanitarian relief agency and donate generously to aid the people of Aleppo, and there are many agencies doing excellent work there.
Dr. Nabulsi also advises that now is the time to make some major lifestyle changes. With so many Syrian refugees living in deplorable conditions, how can we continue to spend outrageous amounts of money on extravagant parties and celebrations? It is unacceptable that we host parties with so much good food thrown away while people elsewhere in the world are starving. This is not the behavior of a truly concerned Muslim. The money that was allocated to be spent on ostentatious ceremonies should instead be sent to the families whose homes have collapsed, to the widows, to the mothers whose young sons have been imprisoned, to the orphans, and to the maimed and hungry.
It is also our responsibility to clarify to the world that it is not Bashar Al-Assad who is trying to rid the torn country of terrorists. Rather it is Bashar Al-Assad and his army and Russian and Iranian forces who are the terrorists, destroying the country, driving families out of their homes, and murdering innocents.
And every Muslim anywhere in the world can make sincere supplication to Allah to protect the people of Syria and grant them liberation and victory. Perform prayers in the last third of the night, and pray for yourself, your family, and fellow Muslims all over the world.
