“Oppression Cannot Lead to Prosperity”
Honorable Muslims!
In the verse I have read, our Almighty Lord (swt) states, “Those who disbelieve and wrong themselves—surely Allah will neither forgive them nor guide them to any path.”1
In the hadith I have read, our Prophet (saw) says, “Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah.”2
Dear Believers!
Our sublime religion, Islam, is a religion of peace and prosperity, justice and mercy. According to Islam, religion, life, property, mind and generation are inviolable for all human beings. Our beloved Prophet (saw), who was sent as a messenger of mercy, taught the whole world that even war has a morality and a law. The Messenger of Allah (saw) commanded that women, the elderly, children, places of worship, and even plants and animals should never be harmed, even in war.
Dear Believers!
About a century ago, peace and tranquility were abolished in the Palestinian territories, and the seeds of sedition and oppression were sown. Israel, like a rusty dagger in the heart of Muslim geography, has not hesitated to inflict all kinds of atrocities on the Muslims in the lands it occupied. It has been violating international law and human rights since the first day it occupied this land of peace. It has damaged the dignity of al-Quds, which is one of the most time-honored cities of humanity and considered holy by all faiths. It has violated the sanctity of Masjid al-Aqsa, which is our first qiblah and our holy place of worship.
Honorable Muslims!
Unfortunately, the world we live in today is surrounded by wars, occupations and global crises. The weak, the oppressed and children pay the highest price for this tragic situation. What is happening in Gaza today is the clearest example of this. For years, Israel has kept the Palestinian city of Gaza as the world’s largest open-air prison. It has prevented our brothers and sisters in the blockaded Gaza from having even their most basic needs met. Our brothers and sisters have been driven out of their homes and lands. Their property and possessions were unjustly taken from them. They were absolutely denied the right to life. Civilians, women, children, the elderly, in short an entire nation, were massacred with terrible weapons and bombs. Today, the greatest atrocity in history is taking place in Gaza before the eyes of the whole world. In the face of all these oppressions and persecutions, Muslims have no choice but to persevere in the struggle for freedom.
Dear Believers!
History teaches humanity that oppression cannot last forever, and oppression cannot lead to prosperity. No power built on the blood of the innocent can survive for long.
وَاللّٰهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِه۪ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ “Allah will certainly perfect His light, even to the dismay of the disbelievers.”3 Our Palestinian brothers and sisters will surely be able to live freely in their own land with the permission and help of Allah (swt).
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Our duty as the ‘ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is to act in unity and solidarity. We must keep the law of our brotherhood alive. It is our duty to support our Palestinian brothers and sisters materially and spiritually in their legitimate and rightful struggle. We must also make an all-out effort to help them reclaim their occupied lands. We should never overstep the boundaries set by Islam in the struggle for rights and justice. We should not rely on false and misleading information and contents. We need to be strong in every field and work with all our might to rebuild a civilization that will be the guarantor of justice and mercy on earth.
[1] Nisa, 4/168.
[2] Muslim, Iman, 29.
[3] Saff, 61/8.
Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “Oppression Cannot Lead to Prosperity”(PDF)