By Shaykh Usamah Al Khayyat – IMAAM OF HARAM

All praise is due to Allaah. May peace and blessings be upon the Messenger.

Fellow Muslims! It is of perfect justice and complete mercy and kindness of Almighty Allaah that He prohibited injustice for Himself and made it forbidden among His slaves as well. He says as narrated by His Messenger, “O My slaves! Indeed, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and made it also forbidden amongst you, so, do not wrong one another.” (Muslim)

Injustice comes in different colours and forms but the most repugnant of that is causing aggression on the earth without right and harming people in their bodies, religion, property, honour or intellect in different oppressive ways which all wise and reasonable people unanimously condemn and warn against. That is why it is explicitly forbidden among the fundamentally forbidden things and people are warned of its heinous consequences. Allaah says,

“Say (O Muhammad): The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are great evil sins whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners in worship with Allaah for which He has given no authority and saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge.” (Al-A‘raaf 7:33)

Allaah also threatens those who take to oppression with a severe punishment when He says, “The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress man and rebel in the earth without justification for such there will be a painful torment.” (Ash-Shoorah 42:42)

This severe punishment is only a part of the later punishment for oppression. The oppressor will also be punished in this world. The Prophet Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam said, “There is no sin that its perpetrator deserves to be quickly punished in this world in addition to the punishment of the Hereafter more than oppression and severing of the tie of kinship.” (Abu Dawood and others) The worldly punishment of the oppressor is that he will be afflicted with calamities and will eventually be humiliated and defeated and his aim will not be achieved.

Brethren in Faith! There are vivid signs and evidences for you in the stories of past oppressors and those who spread mischief on the earth. What was the end of Faraoh when he caused mischief on the earth, divided its people, oppressed some groups, killing their sons and sparing their females? Was it not that “Allaah seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression?” (An-Naazi‘aat 79:25)

How was the end of Qaaroon who also oppressed his people because of the treasures of money that Allaah gave him? Was it not that, “We cause the earth to swallow him and his dwelling place. Then he had no group or party to help him against Allaah, nor was he one those who could save themselves.” (Al-Qasas 28:81)

What was the end of Abu Jahl bin Hishaam, Umayyah bin Khalaf and other Quraysh folks who transgressed on the earth and mercilessly oppressed the weak among the first believers? Was it not that they were all destroyed like other oppressors and victory and authority eventually given to the believers? Such is the end of all oppressors; they are eventually afflicted with calamities however arrogantly they behave or are deluded by their power. This Divine Way is general and cannot exclude heartbreaking acts of oppression presently being perpetrated in the holy lands and all parts of Palestine in terms of killings, expulsions, assassinations and starvation without excluding women, children and old people. This vicious oppression reached a situation that the injured were left on the road for suffering to death after these transgressing soldiers prevented first aid workers from reaching them to do their Divinely and legally recognised duties.

It is however very strange that these malicious soldiers claim that these heartless atrocities that they are committing are in self-defence and that they are their ordained rights. O people of understanding, is there any ordained right of defence for an unjust oppressor and a usurping thief or is it only ordained for the oppressed, whose land, peace and freedom are stolen?

Brethren in Faith! Two things should be clear to every Muslim in view of this calamity.

One: That it is part of the wonderful plan of Allaah that He grants the oppressor a respite but in the end seize him with a severe torment from where he cannot escape. The Prophet Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam said, “Allaah gives respite to an oppressor so that when He seizes him, He never releases him.” The Prophet Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam then recited: “Such is the Seizure of your Lord, when He seizes the (population of the) towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His seizure is painful, and severe.” (Al-Bukhaaree)

It is just a respite so that the oppressor can increase in his oppression and earn as a result greater and more severe punishment.

Two: It is the Way of Allaah that when He afflicts His believing slaves with calamities, He only tests, teaches them, and purifies and honours them with that. But when He afflicts the disbelievers with a calamity, He destroys them and punishes them severely with that. He says,

“If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound has touched the others. And so are the days, We give to men by turns, that Allaah may take martyrs from among you. And Allaah likes not the wrong-doers. And that Allaah may test (or purify) the believers and destroy the disbelievers. Do you think that you will enter Paradise before Allaah tests those of you who fought (in His cause) and also tests those who are patient?” (Aal ‘Imraan 3:140:142)

Therefore, the end belongs to the pious and victory and authority belong to the patient and enduring; those who are certainly sure that victory comes with perseverance; that relief comes with distress and that there is ease after hardship. Allaah says,

“Or you think that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said: ‘When (will come) the Help of Allaah?’ Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allaah is near.” (Aal ‘Imraan 3:214)

Fellow Muslims! Lessons of history and human experiences have shown that whenever the power of oppression and its danger become severe, that is a sign of its imminent disintegration and decline. Indeed, strong belief in Allaah, sincere trust in Him and honest return to Him, in addition to perseverance, giving brotherly assistance from all Muslims and mutual cooperation; all these together strengthen the hope that the distress will soon be removed; that the aggression of the enemy will be stopped; that the army of oppression will soon be defeated and that Allaah’s victory, with which He blesses whosoever he wishes, will eventually come.