IN MY LAST post, I ended with the point that Gaza is a test for all the Believers.
The people of Gaza are being tested—and they are victorious, even in death. Their patience, resilience, and steadfastness in the face of unimaginable suffering testify to their strength. But we, the rest of the Muslim ummah who are watching from afar, are also being tested. What are we doing? Are we striving to stop this, or have we chosen the comfort of silence and inaction?
There is a deeper, more dangerous question we must confront.
After 21 months of slaughter—21 months of brutal genocide against our brothers and sisters—have we begun to lose hope in the Islamic project? Have we lost faith in the Muslim world?
I have heard some voices express despair. If 21 months of this has not stirred the armies of the Muslim lands, nor awakened the masses to rise against their rulers and demand justice, then what hope is left? Is the only solution now to place our faith in “civil society” and international movements for change?
We need to pause here. And reflect deeply.
The Prophet ﷺ and the early Muslims endured immense hardship. For three years, they faced a total boycott by the Quraysh. Starvation and isolation consumed them—conditions that mirror what Gazans endure today. Khadijah (ra), the beloved wife of the Prophet ﷺ, was so weakened by the ordeal that she never recovered, passing away shortly after. His ﷺ uncle Abu Talib, his main protector, also died in that year of grief. When the Prophet ﷺ turned to the people of Ta’if, they humiliated him, mocked him, and drove him out.
And yet, he never gave up.
For years, his call seemed to fall on deaf ears. During the Hajj season, he ﷺ and Abu Bakr (ra) would approach tribe after tribe, seeking their support, inviting them to Islam. Each one rejected him. Some offered conditional support. Progress was painfully slow. It seemed the mission had stalled. But he ﷺ persisted.
And the help of Allah came, not through miracles descending from the heavens, but through people. Through the hearts of the Ansar of Madinah, whom Allah opened to Islam. They embraced the truth—and went a step further. They gave it their loyalty, their protection, and their lives.
We must not allow the current state of the Muslim world—or the lack of response from its armies and people—to divert us from the path of Islam and its mission. Many non-Muslims believe in justice, and they certainly have a role to play in creating a public opinion in their lands. However, for the Muslims, establishing Islamic governance in the Muslim world remains the only real and lasting solution, however distant or difficult it may seem.
This genocide, and others like it across the world, will only be stopped through military action. That is what Allah commands 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
“And what is (the matter) with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and (for) the oppressed among men, women, and children who say: ‘Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper?’ (an-Nisa 75)
This verse was revealed to the Muslims in Madinah who hesitated to act while their brothers and sisters remained oppressed in Makkah. It was a direct call to military intervention.
Only those whose hearts were filled with hypocrisy or weakness failed to respond. Allah warns us about this:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَن يَرْتَدَّ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِۦ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِى ٱللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍۢ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُۥٓ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ يُجَـٰهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَآئِمٍۢ
O you who believe! Whoever among you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble towards the believers, stern against the disbelievers, fighting in the way of Allah and never afraid of the blame of the blamers… (al-Ma’idah 54)
If we abandon this cause, we lose out, not Allah. He will raise others who love Him more, who are stronger in faith, and who will carry His banner forward.
To say that the Muslim world is useless or incapable is to fall into despair, and our deen forbids this attitude. The Prophet ﷺ said: “If a man says: ‘The people are ruined,’ then he is the most ruined among them.” (Muslim)
Victory will come through Islam and through this ummah, just as it came through the Ansar of Madinah. That is part of our iman. If the ummah and our armies are not moving, it is our responsibility to awaken them, to remind them, to clarify the thoughts and motivations through the lens of Islam.
وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ فَإِنَّ حِزْبَ ٱللَّهِ هُمُ ٱلْغَـٰلِبُونَ
And whoever allies themselves with Allah, His Messenger, and the believers—then indeed, the party of Allah will be the ones who prevail. (al-Ma’idah 56)
This is not the time to despair. It is time to act, to believe, and to remain firmly anchored to the Islamic project, no matter how dark the road may seem.
