Charity vs Liberation: Changing the Solution for Gaza

UP AND DOWN the country, every single day there are charity fundraising events for our ummah in Gaza. Funds to buy the basics to live; food, milk, clothing, and shelter.

This is a noble cause. But, if I were at one of these gatherings, I would want to say a few words.

‘My brothers and sisters in Islam. It is good to see you all here. I won’t take more than 5 minutes of your time.

I am here like you for a reason.

Yesterday I saw a video of a woman shivering in a tent in northern Gaza. She was shaking her child, sobbing and calling her to wake up. The child had gone blue from the cold. It was obvious that she had returned to Allah. Next to her was another child, shivering uncontrollably, crying.

I couldn’t stop the tears. My heart shattered into a thousand pieces, just as it has done every single day of the last 15 months. I, like you, have seen suffering that a normal human being shouldn’t ever see.

I feel as you feel the words of the Messenger ﷺ: “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever”. (Bukhari)

Of course, I want to do something. Of course, I want to ease the pain and suffering.

The Messenger ﷺ said: “He who alleviates the suffering of a brother out of the sufferings of the world, Allah would alleviate his suffering from the sufferings of the Day of Resurrection, and he who finds relief for one who is hard-pressed, Allah would make things easy for him in the Hereafter…” (Muslim)

Raising charity and organising it to give relief to our ummah is a noble cause. We must all do what we can. No action is too small.

But my brothers and sisters, I must make an important point. Are we addressing the cause of the suffering?

Let me give you an example to think about.

A man visits his doctor and learns he has cancer. He feels very unwell, is in pain, has nausea, and can’t eat, causing rapid weight loss. He clearly needs pain relief, something for his nausea, and nutrition to regain strength. Denying him these would be cruel. The doctor provides all of this, but is it enough?

What about treating his cancer? This man needs surgery, he needs chemo and radiotherapy.

To give him painkillers and everything else but not to actually treat his cancer would be negligent. Treating his symptoms without treating the cause of his symptoms will lead to his death.

Without meaning to belittle our charity, let’s be honest, today our charity is like painkillers, antiemetics and nutritional supplements. We are helping to relieve the symptoms but not treating the cause. Charity, boycott, dua without action- we’ve been doing this for 70 years nonstop. Things have only got worse.

Why are our people suffering like this? Our suffering is due to an illegal and inhumane occupation. This occupation is led by an enemy who knows no limits and is supported by the world’s superpowers. The solution to this occupation by a military force is not charity. It is liberation by another military force. So where are our armies to liberate Gaza?

Why aren’t they responding to the words of Allah to end this crisis when He says:

وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ وَٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلْوِلْدَٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ٱلظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَٱجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّۭا وَٱجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا ٧٥

And what is it with you? You do not fight in the cause of Allah and for oppressed men, women, and children who cry out, “Our Lord! Deliver us from this land of oppressors! Appoint for us a saviour; appoint for us a helper—all by Your grace.” (an-Nisa 75)

We can all give many reasons why they are not moving. But if they aren’t moving, surely our role is to get them to move.

People are protesting every week in cities around the world. Why? What do they hope to achieve? They believe it raises public awareness and pressures those in power to call for a ceasefire. If we stay silent, it means we agree with the ongoing genocide.

So why is it that we, the ummah of 2 billion, can’t create this public opinion? That our armies across the Muslim world respond to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and save our people in Palestine.

Why can’t we start to create this public opinion? We as an ummah have had enough of the lines drawn in the sand by the colonialists. We are tired of these small weak nation-states with their propped-up rulers that have caused nothing but misery for us in the last 100 years. That these treacherous rulers must go and we become united.

Why can’t we build this public opinion? We want to live by Islam alone. It is a system that we believe in. This system will solve our problems. It will protect our rights. It will bring justice and balance to the world.

You say but I’m not in the Muslim world. What can I do here?

Don’t belittle yourself. Isn’t the world linked globally? I’m crying when I see a video of a child freezing to death in Gaza. We are raising funds here. It works both ways. Aren’t most of us from the Muslim world. Doesn’t what we do here go back there? Our voices of protest go back there. We call for the unification of our lands. We also call for the armies to move. That is how change starts and how a voice gets amplified. And Allah helps those who work in his cause.

وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُۥٓ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَقَوِىٌّ عَزِيزٌ

Allah will certainly help those who stand up for Him. Allah is truly All-Powerful, Almighty. (al-Hajj 40)

For far too long we just accepted things as they are. Charity is the easy and safe choice for us. Those in power prefer if we make this choice as it allows them to do what they want. But, it is time to make a tougher choice that will actually make a change.

It is perverse that we convince ourselves that they will destroy and we will just build. Even the charity that we give is used by the Zionists to strengthen their economy.

So do more than just help with the symptoms. Work to solve the problem.

How many more innocents do we need to see die before we move?

We dream of a time and place where the Muslims are safe and secure. As someone once said, you can’t reach a dream that you are not reaching for!”