• Educate people on happenings in Palestine using Minbar, says Ustadh Qasim Alabi
• Support the persecuted with prayers – Dr. Ar-Riyady
The power of Minbar (pulpits) and Dua (supplication) in creating awareness about the plight of the Palestinians and giving them resounding victory over their enemies in the ongoing Palestine-Israel war was highlighted at the special solidarity lecture organised on Sunday, November 12, by Admonition Islamic Centre (AIC).
At the lecture which was themed: ‘Dua: The Weapon of the Muslims (Peace, Freedom for Palestine)’, the guest lecturers called on the international community to stop the killing of innocent Palestinians in Gaza, adding that the age-long Palestine, Israel war is not against Islam or Muslims alone, but a war against humanity.
They added that not only has Israel killed more than 10,000 Palestinians including over 4,000 children in the four weeks offensive, but places of worship belonging to Muslims and Christians have been destroyed due to continuous bombardment of Gaza.
Speaking at the event held at Prof. Nurudeen Alao Auditorium in the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Lagos, a lecturer in the Department of Foreign Languages, Lagos State University of Education, Dr Munirudeen Salahudeen Ar-Riyady, said it is disheartening that many people are not well informed about occurrence in Palestine.
“Many people today in Nigeria for instance do not have a clear understanding of what’s happening in Gaza. Some Christians are supporting Israel because they are killing Palestinians without knowing that their brethren in Christ are also victims. It is not a war against Islam alone, but a war against humanity. If there is a war against humanity, we shouldn’t keep quiet because we don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow to anyone,” Dr Ar-Riyady said.
Ar-Riyady who is also the Mudeer, Zamzam Islamic Academy, while speaking on the topic: “Ad’Duah, the weapon of Muslims”, said the Palestinians are not fighting to evict the Christians or the Jews in Palestine but to stop the Israeli aggression and illegal settlements in both Gaza Strip and West Bank, which has been on for more than seven decades.
“However, the land belongs to the Muslims. Palestine was full of pagans until the Prophet of Islam went to them and preached to them. They embraced Islam, and 95% of them are Muslims. Israel is not fighting for religion. It is the zionists that caused the problem. The zionists are not backing the Jews. The Jews and Christians over there are feeling the pain. That’s the background of what’s happening there,” he added.
The LASU don, who led the special prayers for Palestine and Nigeria, also lamented the carefree attitude of Muslim leaders, especially in the Arab countries over the Palestinian struggle, noting only a few sadly are showing concern and support.
He noted that for Palestine to become liberated, there is a need for the Muslim Ummah to break the chain of disunity which has divided them and united in defence of MasjidAlAqsa, Islam’s third holiest mosque.
“The Ummah is sleeping. We ignore important matters such as the massacre of our brothers and sisters in Palestine and dissipate our energy on less important issues. Look at how we keep condemning one another on social media and pulling down people who are growing. Palestinians need our assistance.
“How can somebody invade another country, kill children and pregnant women? This is our war and can be fought in different ways, one of which is Dua (supplication). Even if we don’t have ammunition to go to Palestine, we should assist them with our voice, and remember them in prayers. That’s one of the reasons we have gathered here today to remember them in prayers and ask Allah to give them victory over their enemy,” he added.
Apart from supplications, another speaker, the Managing Director, of Habdat Xpress Travels Limited, Ustadh Qasim Alabi, also called on the Nigerian imams to use the Minbar to create awareness about the current happenings in the region.
Speaking on the topic: “The Role of Minbar in the Palestine crisis”, Ustadh Alabi described the pulpits as another powerful medium where millions of Muslims across the world can be adequately informed about the situations of the Palestinians if effectively utilised by the imams.
He said, “Our Imams have a lot of roles to play in using the minbar to inform and educate the generality of Muslims about the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis. Their weekly Friday Khutbah (sermons) should not centred only on spirituality, they should also use the power of the Minbar to create awareness of the happenings in Gaza.
“They are expected to get the right information from the reliable media, enlighten people and ensure they pass the right message to those concerned. Many of our Imams today are not current. This is not to say that they are not knowledgeable. But I believe they can do better to get informed by listening to news and current affairs from reliable media. They must seek information from any available genuine source at every point in time.”
Ustadh Qasim noted that the war in Palestine represents apartheid and occupation, noting the Palestinians have been subjugated.
“The war has been on since 1948. The question is what are the so-called superpowers doing to find a lasting solution to the crisis? It’s like they are being one-sided. The struggle in Palestine is not for only Muslims. There are Christians and Jews in Palestine. That means we are talking about humanity and not a particular religion. People living in Palestine are being oppressed. Men, women and children are being killed regularly. They have no access to food, water or healthcare. We are saying the world must come to their aid to ensure that there is an end to the oppression.”
The lecturer also advised the Imams to embrace social media to ensure adequate publicity for their khutbah.
He said, “Today, social media is trending. There is no way we can run away from using social media to pass our message. The enemies of Islam are equally on social media, and they pass wrong information. There is nothing wrong with our Imams sharing their khutbah on social media for publicity purposes. I want to implore that our Imams make full use of social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others). Our presence must be felt on all of these platforms. Until then, people will remain ignorant of what is happening in the Muslim world.”
A major highlight of the event was a special prayer held in support of the people of Palestine. This follows a series of similar special prayers organised by different Muslim groups in Nigeria for the Palestinians who are being killed and oppressed.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of AIC, Mallam Luqman Adeola Adekanmbi said his group felt the need to join growing voices in the world to call for the stop of the carnage, wanton destruction and human rights violations ongoing in Palestine.
“As a dawah organisation, AIC also felt the need to enlighten the world about the origin of the present crises and how the world, with a deep sense of sincerity and enlightened common interests and through the relevant organs and institutions, could put a halt to this and similar crises globally,” he said.
Other Muslim scholars who spoke at the event include the Director of Operation, Ad Dawah Islamic Education Center, Ustadh Sherif Malaeeke and Sheikh Walid Bn Muhammad from Egypt, among others.
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