How to help our brothers and sisters in Palestine

As Muslims it is our religious duty to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering in Palestine and every part of the world; we must also show solidarity with the oppressed in any part of the world regardless of their religious or racial or ethnic affiliations.

When we come to specific ways of translating this solidarity into practical steps, we can classify them into long term and short term measures.

Short term measures:

1. We must offer charities for the relief of the suffering. While doing so it is important to feel the pain and suffering they are going through right now as if we ourselves were being personally hurt.

2. We should recite special du'a for Palestinian and du'a Al-Qunut in each obligatory Prayer during times. There are two valid ways of reciting Qunut; it must be done in the last rak`ah, either before going to ruku` after finishing the recitation or after rising from ruku` and saying ‘rabbanaa laka al-hamdu’, and prior to going to prostration; both are perfectly valid options.

Long term efforts:

As for long term efforts, they must include analyzing the reasons for our downfall and despondent state as well as seeking to remove them through concerted and methodical efforts and strategies. We cannot expect our condition to change through erratic, hysterical outbursts; we must become proactive instead of acting out impulsively.

Below are list a few points what can we do to help our brother in long term efforts:

1. We must organize our priorities and seek to mobilize the spiritual and intellectual and other resources of the community to strengthen the Ummah and protect it.

2. We must prepare a new generation of trained professionals and experts who would protect us against the misinformation and deliberate cover up and false propaganda in the media.

3. We should reach out to other communities and cooperate with all the peace-loving people, regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliations, and work for the cause of truth and justice and fundamental rights of all fellow citizens and human beings.

4. We must recapture the essential universal, ethical values and ideals of Islam and accentuate them, rather than being ossified on dogmas and rituals.

5. The Ummah cannot be mobilized for the higher ideals of Islam so long as the Minbar (the pulpit from where religious speeches are given) remains a dead piece of wood. We must remember that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) trained an entire generation of leaders from the University of Minbar.

Reference: Islamonline.net