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He criticised preachers who neglect the state of the Ummah, focusing instead on individual account. His eminence called during yesterday's Friday sermon, which came after an absence of many weeks due to travels and health problems, for the provision of Palestinians with arms and funds which will - if the Arabs and their leaders had a little patience - bring about victory to the Intifada. He considered jihad to be an individual obligation on every Muslim (fard 'ayn) and not only a collective obligation (fard kifaayah) on the Palestinians alone, and he called on Arabs and their leaders at the Summit to oppose the attack on Iraq and not support the U.S. in that regard.
The prominent scholar also denounced the targeting of Muslims in America and the raiding of their institutions, while they are only active in the cultural and educational fields and have no links to violence or terrorism or physical jihad. The Islamic university was victim to such a raid, their books and equipment were confiscated and its director Dr Taha Jaabir al-'Alawani detained, and so were the Islamic Fiqh Council and the Institute of International Islamic Thought; sisters were detained, and one had her hands tied behind her back for 3 hours until she cried, then they kept her hands tied to the front for 2 hours. He said: America which claims adherence to freedom and human rights treats people in this way, detaining over 1,000 people in America, with no charge leveled at anyone except one out of 1,000! Are these international standards? We are puzzled that America has reached such a level of contravention of law, giving complete
freedom to its services to carry out such acts and treat people as
sub-humans!! We raise our voice, and demand that these people - many of whom are American-born - be granted their citizenship rights and be treated with the respect and dignity bestowed by the Creator: "And we have
indeed ennobled the sons of Adam".
His eminence began his sermon by remembering his days as a student awaiting the advent of the new Hijri year to read what was written by writers and poets on the occasion which was celebrated in some literary and cultural magazines, where poets and authors used to write on the Hijri year and the Ummah's pains and aspirations. He criticised preachers and imams who focus on the actions of the individual and personal account, saying: "That is a good thing, but the neglect of the state of the Ummah is a dangerous matter". He continued, "We were concerned with the state of the Ummah, what it has achieved and what it has lost. Islamic poets used to feed our emotions at the time. I recall one such poet whose poems we used to appreciate. He was a great Islamic poet, Mahmood Ghuneim who on the occasion of a new hijri year wrote a poem lamenting the state of Muslims at the time which he called: standing at the ruins, in which he cries,deplores and laments saying: [..]
The Sheikh commented: "Thus this man stood watching the ruins of the past,
weeping over the state of the Ummah in those days. And its state was not like our state now. Our state now is a deplorable state, which makes our eyes cry and our hearts bleed."
As we say farewell to a hijri year and welcome a new one - what have we achieved in the past year? And what gains has this Ummah made? Sharon and his gang can say that we have done a lot and achieved a lot. He could with his tanks destroy villages and towns, raid people's homes, enter their bedrooms, violate their sanctity. They could spill blood, violate everything, destroy homes, burn lands, and destroy mosques and schools.
They were not content with imposing a blockade on this people to starve it; they wished to kill it and finish it off. Sharon did a lot, with tanks and planes. He cared for nothing and feared no one. For he has money, arms and the American veto, and he has the humiliation of the Arabs who silently watched what was happening. The only thing achieved by the Ummah is the resistance of the Palestinian people, its heroism, so let us
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salute this Palestinian people, salute the daughters of Palestine, and the mothers of Palestine, and the elderly of Palestine, and the youth of Palestine.
Let us salute this heroic people who turned weakness into strength, and made out of nothing everything, for it sacrificed itself for the sake of Allah and did not fear death, offering magnificent examples- these youths who detonate themselves and stand facing tanks and destroying them, and attack settlements. Even the martyrdom operations have changed in nature. There is now attack and resistance. They no longer fear tanks, nor fighter jets.
They have sacrificed all and are determined to continue their sacrifice.
Sheikh Qaradawi then addressed the Arab stance, asking: what have we, Arabs, given to these heroes, to these fathers who refuse to accept condolences for their sons who were martyred, and what have we given to the mothers who welcome the martyrdom of their sons with contentment? And to the mother who advises her son as he goes out to detonate himself, just as al-Khansaa advised her four sons at the battle of al-Qaadisiyyah- to remain firm on the way of Allah and to know that if he is killed he will be alive "And say not to those who were killed in the way of Allah they are dead. Rather they are alive, but you are not aware". He asked again, the Arab League and Arab summits.
What have the Arabs and their leaders given? What have they done to support their brothers? Have they given anything worthy of mention? What is the value of this Arab League? What is the point of these summits held? What is the role of these arms purchased for billions of dollars, which are left to rust? Where is the united Arab defense? Where are the Arabs? Where is the brotherhood? Where is our dignity? He then said: By Allah I do not find anything to justify this in the history of Arabs, whether in their Jaahiliyyah or after Islam, implying the bravery for which Arabs were known, their support of the weak and their protection of whoever seeks their protection with their possessions and their lives, considering that part of their Arab dignity and generosity. How can you then ignore your brothers, who are from amongst you, and offer them nothing?
He cited the examples of Al-Muhalhal who was known for his love of pleasure and entertainment which he later abandoned after the killing of his brother Kulaib living for the sole purpose of avenging his death, and the example of 'Amr Ibn Kulthoom whose mother refused to serve the King 'Amr Ibn Hind who composed his famous poem in which he said: A word for which a battle begins.. and the example of 'Antara. He continued to the example of Badr, where the Arabs pledged not to mourn until they get revenge (for the 70 killed) until the battle of Uhud. And under Islam, when 'Umar Ibn al 'Azeez heard that a Muslim was insulted in the land of the Romans, he sent a message to the king of the Romans that: I heard that a Muslim has been insulted, so when you receive my letter, release him or else I will invade you with an army with its beginning in your land and its end here- for one amn who was insulted! And we all know about the woman who was slapped in the land of the Romans and who cried her historical cry: O Mu'tasim! Every Muslim at that time felt that he or she had an identity and dignity and could seek the protection of the Caliph Al-Mu'tasim who heard her cry and said: Here I am, O sister, and sent his soldiers to attack the Romans in the famous battle of 'Amouriyyah, eternalized in Abu Tammam's famous poem.
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