Keeping the Humanity Alive

While we lay in our comfy warm beds tonight, Syrian people wait. Each day they wait. They wait for the help of the Almighty to reach them.

Those in the frontline, the ones protecting their people (Mujaahidoon), the doctors, the teachers, the mothers… All of them still reaching out for the humanity of the Syrian people. What strength! What spirit! What reliance they have in the One whose help they patiently await.

If we cannot feel over a crisis of this magnitude, then we are a numb nation. And the Muslim ummah doesn’t numb out, we feel. We feel every pain the other is going through just as our beloved Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) has told us- “The Believers, in their mutual love, mercy and compassion, are like one body: if one organ complained, the rest of the body develops a fever.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

It is imperative to always care and be concerned over the affairs of our brothers and sisters all over the world. Not just for Muslim, but Muslims stand for humanity. Whoever is still in the dark of the crisis in Syria is quite selfish, absorbed in worldly pursuits which may very well just be the day to day mundane activities. How arrogant of us that we remain heedless over our brothers’ pain, that we are deaf to the cries of our sisters and our children.

Don’t just watch. Get involved. If you are of the human species, then yes it concerns you. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is oppressed.” He was asked: “It is right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?” He replied: “By preventing him from oppressing others.” [Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 624] Whatever is in your capability, do. Do for the pleasure of Allah, for humanity.

“You shall never attain righteousness unless you spend from what you love. And whatsoever you spend, Allah is fully aware of it.” [Surah 03/Aal Imraan, v:92] So spend of what Allah has given us. Give. Give the best quality, with a good heart and clear intention. Give even if the only reward you receive is seeing a momentary smile on the face of an orphan child, or a widow who watches her child eat while she herself remains hungry, or a father in the frontline defending his family knowing that they have shelter for the night.
Give for the pleasure of Allah. Give something you would want for yourself or your child.
The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

We should never get tired of giving. We should never say “But I just donated last month, now I must donate again“. We don’t ask our children “Why do you want to eat lunch when you took lunch to school?“ We don’t say “I ate today, so for the next two days I won’t eat at all“, yet this is exactly what many Syrians are going through. Even those in the refugee camps who are supposedly “better off”. Their sheer numbers makes it impossible to sleep with filled bellies each night in succession.

And while we work for humanity, keep our hearts soft with smiles to each other and greetings of peace.

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
“The believers are nothing else than brothers. So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allah, that you may receive mercy.” [Surah 49/al-Hujuraat, v:10]

“You will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not guide you to something which if you carry out you will love one another? Spread salaam amongst yourselves.” [Muslim]

To everyone involved in some way or other for the upliftment of humanity, Muslim and non-Muslim, keep up the brilliant effort! May Allah Almighty accept our efforts and protect us and our generations from oppression.

Contribute today to the Syria Stationery Drive.