PHAROAH HAD FALLEN and Musa (as) led his people across the desert in search of a new beginning.
They came to Jerusalem which Allah intended at that time for Bani Isra’il to take back.
Musa said: ‘O my people! Enter the Holy Land which Allah has destined for you. And do not turn back or else you will become losers.’
Jerusalem however was occupied by a powerful tribe and on seeing their strength Bani Isra’il replied:
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ إِنَّ فِيهَا قَوْمًا جَبَّارِينَ وَإِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَا حَتَّىٰ يَخْرُجُوا۟ مِنْهَا فَإِن يَخْرُجُوا۟ مِنْهَا فَإِنَّا دَٰخِلُونَ
They replied: ‘O Musa! There are enormously powerful people there, so we will never (be able to) enter it until they leave. If they do, then we will enter!’ (al-Ma’ida 22)
Two men (who were true believers) and Musa appealed to them. Surely Allah would not ask them to do something that they could not do. Surely if they were true believers (and they should be having just witnessed the miracle of the sea parting and the destruction of Pharoah) they just needed to trust Allah and proceed.
But no, Bani Isra’il were adamant:
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ إِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَآ أَبَدًا مَّا دَامُوا۟ فِيهَا ۖ فَٱذْهَبْ أَنتَ وَرَبُّكَ فَقَـٰتِلَآ إِنَّا هَـٰهُنَا قَـٰعِدُونَ
They said: ‘O Musa! we will never enter as long as they remain there. So go, you and your Lord, and fight; we are staying here!’ (al Ma’ida 24)
This attitude brought upon them Allah’s anger and they were forced to wander homeless for 40 years till that generation had all passed away.
قَالَ فَإِنَّهَا مُحَرَّمَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ ۛ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً ۛ يَتِيهُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ فَلَا تَأْسَ عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ
Allah replied: ‘Then this land is forbidden to them for forty years, during which they will wander through the land. So do not grieve for the rebellious people.’ (al-Mai’da 26)
Allah tells us about Bani Isra’il at great length to highlight the negative traits that a nation can adopt that brings forth Allah’s anger and a nation’s loss. We, the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ need to look at ourselves and take heed so that we do not acquire such traits.
In this section, two negative traits are highlighted.
Fear of the enemy’s strength that stopped them from fighting. And (more importantly) insincerity. They had no intention of ever striving to take possession of the land. Rather they told Musa in the most insulting terms to go and fight with his Lord while they sat back and watched!
These two traits can be seen today in the leaders of the Muslims and the army chiefs in their stance towards the Holy Land.
Allah ﷻ says:
وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ وَٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلْوِلْدَٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ٱلظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَٱجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا وَٱجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا
And what is it with you? You do not fight in the cause of Allah and for oppressed men, women, and children who cry out, “Our Lord! Deliver us from this land of oppressors! Appoint for us a saviour; appoint for us a helper—all by Your grace.” (an-Nisa 75)
Our rulers and army chiefs are supposed to look after our affairs and protect our people. They read this ayah like we do. They hear this ayah like we do. They see what we see. They hear what we hear, the cries of the oppressed men and women in Palestine over and over again. Yet their hearts are not moved. Their hands remain tied down.
How many times have we heard them say that we cannot do anything because the occupiers and their allies are too strong? As though they have forgotten that Allah, the Master of the Seven Heavens, is with the Believers and will send His aid if we do our part. Have they forgotten that for the Believers it is never about the numbers and the material possessions? Rather it has always been the sincerity and sacrifice in Allah’s way that leads to Allah’s victory.
What is worse is that these people of authority and power are showing the second trait- insincerity.
If we were to accept the enemy’s superior strength and our weakness (and recent events have shown that to be false), the sincere one may say that he doesn’t have enough power to defeat the enemies today, but he puts in place a plan to overcome them tomorrow. He moves forward, step by step, until Allah gives him victory.
Which of our rulers, political or military, has such a vision and plan? Like Bani Isra’il’s response to Musa (as), they have no intention to create change and never will do. Far from it, they have sold our Palestinian brothers out for wretched national interests, working to normalise relationships with the occupier, whilst using the armies to threaten and hold back the ummah and fight petty wars for their own or proxy interests.
Change will not come through these people just as Allah did not bring change through that generation of Bani Isra’il who held these traits and refused to obey Him. Change will come when we have a different type of leadership with a different viewpoint of life whose attitude is not ‘No, we can’t’ but ‘Yes, we can.’
We ask Allah to save us from these traits and enable us to work to re-establish the righteous Khilafah on the method of the Prophet ﷺ that will unite the ummah and respond to the call of the oppressed and restore justice to the world.
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