A Letter to My Heartbroken Children

To my dear Syrian children,

I write this letter, and I dedicate it to you, although I am sure you have no interest in reading it. It is almost as if I am burdened by my shortcoming towards you, hence, I write this.

I was standing up to pray once, but it was before I had had my dinner. My stomach was rumbling and I could not focus on my prayers, as my mind was concerned with food, and food only. Instantaneously, my dear children, you came to my mind! How are *you* able to perform your prayers daily whilst having had nothing for weeks? How can *you* stand up to pray when all your energy is worn out and you have nothing to compensate it with? You sweat blood and you shed tears, yet, you continue to stand strong in the face of the abhorrent enemy. 

Whilst praying one day, loud noises of what seemed like bombings came thrashing at my ears. It shook me, so much so that I believed it was our turn to be attacked by the infamous terrorist group. But then I realized, it was the sound of fireworks being shot into the air in celebration of my country’s national day. Regardless of that realization, the fear that had struck me when thinking we had been attacked caused my mind to wander off to all the corners of the earth that are witnessing cruelty and violence on a daily basis, bomb after bomb, whether in the daylight or deep into the night, where my beloved sisters and brothers are deprived of peace and serenity.

By Allah, it is only the words of Allah that console the heart:

“…Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account.” (Surat Al-Zumar; 39:10)

My dear children, I admire your courage when fighting, your patience when immigrating and leaving your childhood homes behind, and your determination to lead a victory like no other! I know this means nothing to you, but I promise you we will try harder, in shaa Allah. I ask Allah to make you amongst the successful and to accept this jihad from you, for indeed you are our heroes!

With Love,

The Muslim Ummah

 

It hurts me to say that with the news always bombarding us with unfortunate, disturbing scenes, we have almost become desensitized to it. Yes, I know how harsh that sounds, but it’s the reality. The heartbreaking pictures we see, the melancholic videos; we scroll through it all swiftly, barely taking the time to reflect on the tragic conditions of others, or even to make a heartfelt, sincere dua’ for them. But that is why I am writing this letter, to draw our attention to this crucial matter as well as to urge myself and yourself, dear reader, to *give* a little more generously, a little more than we are accustomed to, as we have let our brothers and sisters down. For the sake of humanity we must get up, for the sake of a better future our efforts must be accentuated, for we will be held accountable and asked about this on the Day of Judgment.

I implore you, my brother and sisters, if you are able to donate then do so, if you are able to lend a hand and join humanitarian relief causes then do so too. Nevertheless, the one powerful tool that has been granted to all, the one thing that we *can* do without fail is: to raise our hands to the All-Mighty and plead for a speedy victory, for the removal of sorrow from the hearts of the oppressed and for the elevation of all those who have been martyred for His sake, to the highest ranks in Jannah. Let us promise ourselves to making dua’ for the oppressed not only when we hear the news, but also when we are making dua’ in our sujood, or after the adhan, or during the last third of the night; just like we would have wanted others to do for us if we were facing such abominable oppression.

They are our champions!

Would we have lasted as long if we were in their shoes?

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