Imad Benjelloun
December 4, 2023
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise is due to the Lord of the worlds. May God shower His peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad, his family, his companions, his brothers, and his party.
Indeed, all praise is due to God. We praise Him. We seek His help. We seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge with God from the evil of our own selves and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever God guides, no one can misguide him, and whomsoever God leaves misguided, no one can guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but God, the One and Only One, having no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.
“Oh, you who believe fear God as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims.” Q.3:102 [يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ]
Given the continued genocide of the Palestinians and the 75-year occupation of their own land, the topic of this Friday Khutba is: Empower Palestine with Your Du’a.
What is the least you can do to help the Palestinians in their fight for freedom? The answer is: make du’a for them. Pray for them from the bottom of your heart with full confidence in God’s Absolute Power to overpower any other power.
But you might ask: how can a single du’a from a single person like me make any difference or have any impact when the Palestinians are being massacred using the deadliest force with an extremely disproportionate weaponry and under a complete blockade of food, water, medicine, electricity, and sometimes even communication? The answer is: God’s Force is Absolutely Supreme over any other force. You just have to ask God for such Divine Force and He will surely use it as He always does to support the oppressed and crush the oppressor.
How do you know that God will surely answer your supplication? Because He Almighty says so in Sura Ghafir (All-Forgiving), number 40 verse 60: “And your Lord has said, If you supplicate me, I will answer your supplication.” [وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ]
Also, God Almighty says in Sura al-Baqara (The Cow), number 2 verse 186: “And when My servants ask you about Me, I am indeed near. I respond to the supplication of the supplicant when he supplicates me. So, they should respond to Me and believe in Me, so that they may be on the right path.” [وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ]
These two verses from the Holy Quran are a sure divine guarantee that your du’a is answered; you just need to have faith in God and trust Him that He will answer your du’a at the right moment in the right way.
So, do not underestimate your own du’a because once answered, God the Most Powerful can make out of it a superpower that no other power can overpower. Make du’a, a lot of du’a, every day and night. Let’s empower the Palestinians with the power of du’a of each and every one of us. Your own du’a can make a difference, a huge difference, a significant difference in empowering Palestine to fight to regain its existence and freedom.
Now that I have talked about the utmost importance of du’a, let’s take action now and make du’a together in order to take advantage of the blessing of this day, Friday (the best day of the week), the blessing of this place, the Mosque (the best place on earth), and the blessing of the believers when they are together.
We will make a series of du’as first from the holy Quran, second from the noble Sunna, and third using the Beautiful Names of God Almighty.
- Du’a from the Holy Quran:
My humble and most important request to you is that in making this series of du’as together, please have complete khushu’: raise your hands, humble yourself, open your heart, focus your mind, feel the presence of your Lord Almighty, and trust Him fully.
So please raise your hands:
- “My Lord, help me against people who do mischief.” [رَبِّ ٱنصُرْنِى عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ] (Q.29:30)
- “Our Lord, bestow on us patience, make firm our feet, and help us against the disbelievers.” [رَبَّنَآ أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًۭا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ] (Quran 2:250)
- “Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affairs, make firm our feet, and help us against the disbelievers.” [رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِىٓ أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ] (Quran 3:147)
- “Our Lord, do not make us bear that for which we have no strength, pardon us, forgive us, have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelievers.” [رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ] (Quran 2:186)
- “Our Lord, do not join us with the oppressors.” [رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا مَعَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ] (Quran 7:47)
- “Our Lord, do not make us a victim for the oppressors. And save us by Your mercy from the disbelievers.” [رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةًۭ لِّلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ وَنَجِّنَا بِرَحْمَتِكَ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ] (Q. 10:85-86)
- “My Lord, protect me from the oppressors.” [رَبِّ نَجِّنِى مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ] (Quran 28:21]
Amin!
- Du’a from the Noble Sunna:
The following du’a is very powerful and emotional. It was made by Prophet Muhammad, God bless him and grant him peace, while still bleeding as a result of being assaulted and insulted by the people of Ta’if[1], for no reason except inviting them to Islam[2].
So, again, please raise your hands with full khushu’:
“Oh God, To You, I complain of my weakness, lack of my resources, and my humiliation before mankind. Oh God, the Most Merciful of those who show mercy! You are the Lord of the weak, and You are my Lord. To whom do You entrust me? To a distant person who attacks me? Or to an enemy You gave control over my affairs? If I do not incur Your wrath then I do not care, but your protection is much sufficient for me. I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which darkness is illuminated and all affairs of this life and the hereafter become righteous, against incurring your wrath or earning Your dissatisfaction with me. To You I appeal until You are pleased. And there is no change or strength except by You.”[3] Amin!
- Du’a using the Beautiful Names of God Almighty:
Before making such du’a, here are some facts about the current genocide of the Palestinians especially the children, published in an article by The Washington Post just yesterday Thursday November 2, 2023:[4]
- “More than 3,700 children have been killed in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Families are mourning not just their own losses, but what feels like the loss of an entire generation.”
- “Children have accounted for 2 out of every 5 civilian deaths in Gaza, according to Jason Lee, Save the Children’s director for the Palestinian territories. That does not include some 1,000 children the group estimates are still trapped under the rubble. ‘We are now in a situation where one child is killed every 10 minutes,’ he said. More than 9,000 Gazans in total have died so far.”
- “But in just three weeks of war, the number of children killed in Gaza surpassed the total number killed across all the world’s conflict zones in any year since 2019, the global charity Save the Children said Sunday. ‘Gaza has become a graveyard for children,’ UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said at a news briefing Tuesday. ‘It’s a living hell for everyone else.’”
God Almighty says in Sura al-A’raf (The Heights), number 7 verse 180: “And to God belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them.” [وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا]. Let’s answer this invitation by God Almighty in His Holy Quran and supplicate Him by His Beautiful Names to empower the Palestinians in their fight for freedom.
So, again, please raise your hands with full khushu’:
- Oh God the One and Only One Who has the Absolute Power and the Ever Power to overpower any other power, empower the Palestinians to defend their land and regain their freedom.
- Oh God the Guide, guide us is doing what is best to help the Palestinians protect their land.
- Oh God the Most High and the Ever High, the Most Great and the Ever Great, support the Palestinians in their legitimate fight against the occupiers of their land.
- Oh God the Most Patient give the Palestinians the patience and perseverance to continue to fight for their most basic human dignity and liberty.
- Oh God the All-Strong and the All-Supreme, give the Palestinians the strength and the energy to resist their oppressors and aggressors.
- Oh God the Truth, let Americans and all people see the real truth about the occupation of Palestine; let them see the other side of the story, the true side; remove the veil of lies of the occupier of Palestine; and expose the hypocrisies of those who support this occupier.
- Oh God the Most Just and the Giver of Justice, help the Palestinians get full justice for the occupation of their land, and the massacre, torture, genocide, ethnic cleansing, oppression, cruelty, abuse, violence, open air prison, starvation, and inhuman treatment they have been suffering from for almost a century.
- Oh God the Owner of Dominion and the Owner of the heavens and earth enable the Palestinians who were chased out of their homeland to return to it free and independent.
- Oh God the All-Merciful, the Ever Merciful, shower your mercy on all the Palestinians who lost their lives defending their land and fighting for their basic human rights.
- Oh God the Destroyer, destroy those who are destroying Palestine.
- Oh God the All-Forgiving, the Oft-Forgiving, forgive us for not doing enough to support the Palestinians in protecting their own land.
- Oh God, the Giver of Peace, give peace to Palestine and enable once again the people of Palestine: Jews, Christians, and Muslims to have a peaceful coexistence in a free Palestine.
- Oh God, the Protector, protect Americans and those around the world, Muslims and non-Muslims, who have the courage to speak truth to power regarding the ordeal of Palestine.
- Oh God, the Protector, protect the Aqsa Mosque (al-Masjid al-Aqsa), the first qibla, the third sacred mosque, and the place from which your beloved Prophet, Muhammad, God bless him and grant him peace, ascended to Heaven.
- Oh God, the Protector, protect all innocent people, be they Jews, Christians, or Muslims, or anyone else from any other religion or no religion, especially children, women, and the elderly in this fight of the Palestinians for freedom. Protect them all, for every life regardless of its religion, is indeed honored by You.
Amin!
Is du’a enough to help the Palestinians in their fight for freedom? No, du’a is not enough but it is essential and highly impactful because Prophet Muhammad, God bless him and grant him peace said: “Du’a is the essence of worship,” narrated by Anas Ibn Malik, God be pleased with him; reported by Tirmidhi.
Therefore, and in closing, continue to make du’a for the Palestinians with full humility and certainty in God’s absolute force to defeat any oppressive force no matter how powerful or advanced its weapons are.
And remember that your du’a is not only an act of worship but the essence of your worship of your Lord Almighty and so du’a is a great means to achieve His nearness, gain His satisfaction, and win His love.
There is god but God, Muhammed is the Messenger of God. [لَا إلَهَ إلاَّ اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ].
There is no change or strength except by God. [لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله].
God is sufficient for us, and He is the best to trust. [حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل]
“Oh God shower Your peace and blessing upon our (master) Muhammad, the Prophet, and his wives, the mothers of the believers, his progeny, and his family, as you have blessed the family of our (master) Abraham, surely You are Praiseworthy, the Glorious.”
And all praise is due to God the Lord of the worlds.
[1] City located about 80 miles west of the holy city of Mecca.
[2] Hadith narrated by ‘Abdullaah ibn Ja‘far, God be pleased with him and reported by Tabarani; some scholars say it is a weak Hadith, but others raise its level of authenticity to fair.
[3] [“اللهم إليك أشكو ضعف قوتي، وقلة حيلتي، وهواني على الناس، يا أرحم الراحمين، أنت أنت رب المستضعفين وأنت ربي، إلى من تكلني؟ إلى عدو يتجهمني؟ أو إلى قريب ملكته أمري؟ إن لم يكن بك علي غضب فلا أبالي، غير أن عافيتك أوسع لي، أعوذ بنور وجهك الذي أشرقت له الظلمات، وصلح عليه أمر الدنيا والآخرة، من أن ينزل بي غضبك، أو يحل علي سخطك، لك العتبى حتى ترضى، ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بك”]
