THERE ARE AYAT in the Qur’an whose meaning takes relevance and whose weight becomes known after certain events occur.
Take these ayat in surah at-Takwir
وَإِذَا ٱلْمَوْءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتْ
بِأَىِّ ذَنۢبٍ قُتِلَتْ
And when the girls buried alive are asked. For what crime were they killed? (at-Takwir 8-9)
Previously we perhaps could have seen these in a historical light. The pagan Arabs had a custom of burying their daughters alive as they were seen as a burden and a shame.
These innocent girls will on the Day Of Judgement ask for what crime were they killed?
What will be the response of those who killed them? And what will be the response of those who allowed, justified and made legal this crime in that jahil society?
We would like to think that these are crimes of days gone by. Yet the killing of thousands of babies and children buried in the rubble of Gaza makes this ayah relevant once again.
Those who have passed away are safe now. Jannah is guaranteed and they no longer have to suffer the world’s injustices.
But I fear the question that they will ask on a Day when only the truth will prevail: ‘For what crime were they killed?’
What will be the response of their killers? Perhaps it will be: ‘So that we could take your land. Or the gas that we have found under your feet. Or because we can take your life because it is cheap.’
What will be the response of those who allied with the killers? Those who created and propagated the lies so that the oppressor became the oppressed allowing the whole world to turn a blind eye to their killing. Who supplied the arms to kill them. Who suppressed all those who spoke up. Perhaps their response will be: ‘Because it served our interests. Because we were the real antisemites who didn’t want these people in our lands and we persecuted them wherever we found them. So we set them up to take your land. And we killed two birds with one stone because when we gave them your land we made sure that they would be a thorn in your side that would divide your people and create unending violence.’
What will be the response of those who were supposed to keep them safe, the rulers of the Muslims? Perhaps it will be: ‘We betrayed you to save our thrones. We didn’t lift a finger because you were not one of us. You were Palestinian, we were Saudi or Turkish or Egyptian. We sold you out and made deals with your killers so that we could get some benefits for ourselves.’
Or those in the armies? Perhaps their response will be: ‘Because our rulers told us not to fight. Because we were told to fight for our nation and not for Islam and the Muslims. Because we were waiting for a piece of land and some money at the end.’
Or what of the common man? What of me and you? Perhaps our response will be: ‘I wept for you and lost sleep over you. I made dua for you. I joined protests for you. I boycotted for you. I gave charity to you. I used all the means I could find to support you. I didn’t accept the lies and kept telling everyone I met about what was happening to you, and the injustice that was being done. I accounted the rulers and pressured the armies to come to your aid. I didn’t accept nationalism as an excuse. I called for unity under Islam as I saw you as my own. I’m sorry that I couldn’t do more for you…’
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. He does not wrong him, nor surrender him. Whoever fulfils the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfil his needs. Whoever relieves a Muslim from distress, Allah will relieve him from distress on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever covers the faults of a Muslim, Allah will cover his faults on the Day of Resurrection.” (Bukhari)
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