Palestine: An Islamic Approach

by - IMAM MUHAMMAD AL ASI

Imam Khomeini was once asked:
"Amongst your demands is the annihilation of the state of Israel, if this leads to Israel's destruction and victory for the Palestinians, what will be the fate of the Jews?"
He replied:
"The issue of the Jews is quiet separate from that of the Zionists, if the Muslims are victorious over the Zionists, the latter will meet the same fate as the deposed shah. However the Muslims will do nothing to the Jews for they are a nation like other nations, they will carry on with their lives and they will not suffer dispossession."

... but how do we liberate Palestine if we encounter a general Muslim psychology that is not prepared to identify an enemy and then to take corrective measures against that enemy which will mean warfare and combatant duties - how do you do something like that?
Is the way to liberating Palestine by begging the United Nations for resolutions? The United Nations has issued scores of resolutions and condemnations of the Israeli nation state, telling it, it has to withdraw to the borders of 1967 or it has to withdraw from the occupied areas of southern Lebanon, or it has to do this that and the other and it hasn't done any of that. The Israeli nation state jumped all of these resolutions, threw them in the trash can.


Let us take the Egyptian government and its sponsorship of the Palestinian Authority. Every time Mr. Arafat wanted to embark on a particular local policy in the West Bank or Gaza he would go to Cairo and consult the Egyptian president or the Egyptian government - they more or less micro-managed in Egypt on behalf of the United States and Israelis the Palestinian Authority. Where did that get them - virtually no where - actually it caused them to loose ground, they went from having a moral high ground to having now virtually no ground at all in this issue.
Now juxtapose that with the Islamic leadership in Iran and how its relationship with the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon which identified this area of a pronounced belligerency and warfare by the Israeli zionists against the people of southern Lebanon. How did it deal with this? Did the chairman of Hizbullah shuttle around the area and all around the world asking for understanding of the issue? No, what they did was they consolidated their rank and file, they identified and designated the enemy and then they countered enemy aggression with force. And what happened? For the first time since 1948 the Israeli offensive force was defeated and had to retreat humiliated from territories they wanted to hold on to.
There is a difference here, if we wanted to take a look at these two parallel policies through out the years - the relationship between the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon and the Islamic State in Iran, and the relationship between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza and the Egyptian client regime....

The Imam spoke about the Palestinian issue early - way before the Islamic Revolution. In February 6th 1971 he sent a message to the pilgrims in Mecca, in it he said:
".. Unite and cooperate for the sake of independence and elimination of the cancer of imperialism. Listen to the Muslims of each land explain their problems and then neglect no measure necessary for the solution to these problems. Consider the poor and needy in the Islamic lands. Turn you attention to the liberation of the Islamic land of Palestine from the grasp of zionism, the enemy of Islam and humanity. Do not hesitate to assist and cooperate with those heroic men who are struggling to liberate Palestine ..."
So what happened? Just because a few volunteers of the Imam read this message in Mecca, they were imprisoned , iron chains were put around their feet and they stayed in detention months or a couple of years - finally it took the intervention of the Saudi ambassador in Tehran at the time to speak to his government to release these people.

..if we are hurting then they are hurting like we are, but we have this confidence and we have this hope in Allah which they don't have. They want life because we want shahada. But we have to continue at this - this doesn't come from Muslims who are sitting on the fence and watching all of this - we have to be involved.
Remember after the first world war when the European powers took the middle-east. A French general, Gouraud , went up to the grave of Salah-u-din who had liberated Palestine 900 years ago. He went up to the grave and he kicked that grave and he said "It is now that the crusades have come to an end!".(*)
So the demilitarization of the Muslims made it possible for the crusaders to come back to the holy land and tell a commander who defeated them 100s of years ago "now the crusades have come to an end" and if we continue to be demilitarized along diplomatic and political lines the way the opponents of the line of the Imam [Khomeini] in the region beginning with the land of the Haraamain [Saudis] are trying to take the Muslims, if we continue then don't be surprised if an Israeli general or even Sharon himself goes to Al-Medina in Hijaz and he stands just like Gouraud stood next to the grave of Salah-u-din, he stands next to the grave of the Prophet (SAW) and he kicks it with his foot and he says "Now Gazwath Khaybar has ended!". (**)

(*) This event occurred in July 1920 when the French general Henri Gouraud took charge of Damascus, he strode to Salah-u-din's tomb next to the Grand Mosque, kicked it and exclaimed, 'Awake Saladin, we have returned. My presence here consecrates the victory of the Cross over the Crescent.'
(**) Gazwath Khaybar means the military campaign of Khaybar, and refers to the victory of the Muslims at the time of the Prophet (SAW) against the Jewish power base on the Arabian peninsula which was located in seven strong forts in the valley of Khaybar. The Jews of Khaybar had previously betrayed the Muslims and financed the polytheists from all over the peninsular to come and attack the young Muslim state of Medina resulting in the battle of Ahzab. After the victory at Khaybar, the Prophet (SAW) was merciful and allowed the Jews to continue living in the valley and to practice their religion unhindered. Their treachery continued and eventually during the period of the second Caliph after they tortured and murdered the Caliphs son they were finally expelled from Khayber.

In answer to a question on unity amongst Muslims Imam said:
The reason many Muslims feel they are divided is because they are not action oriented. If some of these divisive Muslims went to the war front - there is many war fronts around Muslim countries - they can take their pick, let them go to one of these war fronts, scare them for a couple of weeks over there and then have them come back. Their tendencies for division will decrease I assure you that... What I'm trying to say is that the more action oriented we are then the less these issues of division are going to come about. But the more we are withdrawn from action, then the more trivial issues become so divisive...

A STATEMENT TO SAUDI RULERS

Translated by JUS Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds, and prayer and peace be upon our prophet, Muhammad, his household and his companions. This is a message to the Muslims in the land of the two holy Mosques, in particular, and to all Muslims everywhere else, in general. This message is meant to address the causes and the way to resolve the conflict between the rulers of Riyadh and the people of that land. Much has been said about the need for security and safety and the need to spare Muslim blood in the land of the two holy Mosques. Much has also been said about the importance of togetherness and unity and the danger of polarization and internal fighting. The ruling body (the rulers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) claimed that the Mujahideen are the ones responsible for the deteriorated state of affairs in that country. But the plain truth is, the responsibility falls on the shoulder of the rulers. The rulers have abandoned the conditions of attaining security, promoting unity, and sparing bloodshed. The rulers have disobeyed Allah and committed the kind of major sin that has subjected the country to the wrath of Allah, and Allah has told us (in The Holy Qura’an) stories of the wrong doers and their punishment so that we may take notice. It must also be said that those who support and legalize the system (the government system of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), obey the rulers, apply and implement their man-made laws, and those who refrain from forbidding what is wrong, are also responsible (for what has happened to the land and what is to come by a way of punishment from Allah). Our prophet (PBUH), in a Hadith, cited by Al-Hakim, has said: “Whenever their (any nation) Imams (rulers) refuse to govern by and seek guidance from what Allah has revealed, Allah will make them use their power and force against each other (instead of using their resources to fend off their enemies).” The prophet has also said according to a Hadith cited by Abu Dawood: “If people do not rise up against the transgressor to stop him, Allah might send a punishment across the board (to inflict everyone, the good and the bad).” Among what were said in a way of wisdom: “If you are blessed with good things, let it be known: sins wipe out all the blessings” The violations (of Islamic Laws as mandated by Allah) that were committed by the ruling body have gone beyond the most serious sins (Sheikh Bin Laden is referring to the seven most serious sins here); those violations are clearly in the categories that knock the offender completely out of the fold of Islam. They (the rulers) have oppressed and humiliate people, have made a mockery of their intellect, and have mismanaged the state’s wealth. Nowadays, millions are suffering from poverty in order for millions of SR’s (Saudi Riyal, the currency used in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) to go into the bank accounts of members of the ruling family. In addition, public services have become poor, land and other properties have been taken away from rightful owners by force, members of the ruling family have appointed themselves, by force, as business partners with business owners without their consent, and many other violations have been the trademark of this ruling family. The rulers have gone beyond that when they committed the kind of violation that puts them out of the fold of Islam; allying themselves with the Kufr system of America and siding with, providing aid and supporting the infidel Americans against the Muslims were the acts which sealed the fate of this ruling body. They have become apostates. The ruling body has made itself a partner with Allah by making up laws and Fatwa’s (legal rulings) to legitimize whatever they want to make legal and to forbid whatever they want to forbid, irrespective of Allah’s commands. This one violation (alliance with the infidels), is one of the ten violations that knock the offender out of the fold of Islam. For more on the vast array of violations committed by the ruling family, please refer to our communiqué # 17. Correcting the mistakes is not hard at all if the ruler is willing and capable of doing what it takes to bring about the needed change. Furthermore, to make corrections, the ruler need not invent any solutions, but all he needs is going back to Allah’s religion; Islam that is. As to us, Allah knows that we want nothing but changing course so that internal and external policies are crafted according to what Allah and his messenger mandated.

Education

May peace and blessings be upon you.
For, Believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord
Islam is the only way of life which says to believe Allah(God),Akirah(life here after) using your knowledge.Though Hinduism and christianity has belief system,it has blind faith without judging good and bad, wright and wrong.

If you Read Holy Quran, you will come to knowthat it stimulates the human being to ponder about the creatures in this world and in the whole Universe system. Allah says "Verily the creation of heavens and the earth, and in the alteration of night and day there are indeed signs for men of understanding" Al Quran - 3:190
There are innumerous signs and evidences in this worldfor those who think about Allah(God). Here the thing is more you think,more you believe.
The first and foremost verse from Allah(swt) is about studying. Allah says "Proclaim or Read! in the name of your lord who has created(all that exist)" Al Quran - 96:1 so Dear brothers and sisters being a muslim we have to come up with very good education in this world. Learn the best and teach it to the whole Ummah.
Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) says "The best among you is the one who learns the quran and teaches it to others"