Mode of offering supplications to ALLAH

- by Sheikh Muhammad al-Hamad

With respect to how to offer our supplications, there are questions concerning the supplicant’s physical position, his statements, how he should open and close his supplication, and a number of other considerations. In this article, we shall be discussing some of these matters.

1. We should praise Allah before supplicating and offer salutations upon the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was once sitting in the mosque when he a man came in and made his prayers. While supplicating, he said: “O Allah! Forgive me and have mercy upon me!”

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “You are being hasty, O man in prayer. If you pray and then sit, praise Allah as He should be praised, then seek Allah’s blessings upon me, then supplicate to Allah.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3476) and Sunan Abî Dâwûd (1481) and authenticated by al-Albânî]

`Umar said: “Supplications remain suspended between heaven and Earth and nothing of them ascends until you beseech Allah’s blessings upon your Prophet (peace be upon him).” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (486) and graded as good by al-Albânî]

2. We should admit our sins to Allah.

We must confess our sins before Allah and admit our mistakes and shortcomings. The supplication of Jonah (peace be upon him) is indeed one of the mightiest of supplications. It is so only because he professes the oneness of Allah and then admits his sins and shortcomings and the wrong he had committed against his own soul.

Allah says: “Then he called out from the depths of darkness: ‘There is no God but You. Glory be to you! Indeed I have been of the wrongdoers.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 87]

The same goes for the supplication known as “the noblest supplication for forgiveness”. One of the reasons why it is such a preferred supplication is that it contains within it an admission of one’s sins and shortcomings. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

The noblest supplication for forgiveness is to say: “O Allah! You are my Lord; there is no God besides You. You created me and I am your slave. I am upon Your covenant and Your promise as much as I am able. I seek refuge with You from the evil which I have done. I acknowledge your blessings upon me and I acknowledge my sins. So forgive me, for indeed none forgives sins except You.”

Whoever says this in the morning with conviction and dies on that day before nightfall will be of the denizens of Paradise. And whoever says it at night with conviction and dies before the morn will be of the denizens of Paradise. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6306)]

3. We should be submissive and humble.

We must show humility and subservience to Allah when we supplicate to Him, with hope and fear in our hearts. Allah says about His Prophets (peace be upon them all): “Indeed they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate to Us in hope and fear, and they were humble before Us.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 90]

4. We should be assertive and straightforward in what we ask.

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “None of you should say ‘O Allah! Forgive me if You will. O Allah! Have mercy upon me if You will.’ Be assertive in what you ask, since there is no compelling Him.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6339)]

5. We need to implore Allah.

We must implore Allah when we beseech Him in supplication. This is from the beautiful etiquettes of supplication that shows our desire for what is with Allah. Allah loves those who implore Him in supplication.

6. We should offer supplications under all circumstances.

We must beseech Allah in supplication in both prosperity and adversity, in contentment and unease. The prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever is pleased to have Allah answer him in adversity and distress should offer many supplications when in prosperity.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3382) and graded as good by al-Albânî]

7. We must avoid invoking supplications against ourselves.

We should never utter a supplication against ourselves, our family, or our wealth. Supplications are to be used to beseech what is good and to avert what is bad. No good can come of uttering a supplication against oneself. On the contrary, only bad can come of it.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Never beseech Allah against yourselves or against your children or against your wealth, lest you do in an hour where a petition is granted and you will be answered.” [Sahîh Muslim (3009)]

8. It is good to repeat our supplication three times.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) did so when he besought Allah in supplication against the tribe of Quraysh. [Sahîh Muslim (1794)]

9. It is good to face the Qiblah.

`Abd Allah b. Zayd relates: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) went out to the prayer area to beseech Allah for rain. Then he supplicated and besought Allah for rain. Then he turned and faced the Qiblah and turned his garment inside out…” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6343)]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) faced the Ka`bah when he besought Allah in supplication against the tribe of Quraysh. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (3960)]

10. We should raise our hands in supplication.

Abû Mûsâ al-Ash`arî relates, describing a supplication of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “…then he raised his hands and I could see the whiteness of his armpits.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (4323) and Sahîh Muslim (2498)]

Ibn `Umar relates: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his hands and said: ‘O Allah! Indeed I beseech of You my innocence of what Khâlid has done’.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (4339)]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Your Lord – blessed and elevated He is – is shy and generous. He is shy from His servant to raise his hands to Him and turn them away empty and disappointed.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3556), Sunan Abî Dâwûd (1488) and Sunan Ibn Mâjah (3865) and graded as good by al-Albânî]

We should raise our hands in our general supplications as well as in those special supplications where raising our hands is prescribed, like the supplications at Mount Safâ and Mount Marwah, and the supplication for rain on Friday. There are supplications for which raising the hands is not prescribed, like the supplications for entering and departing from the home and the supplication upon entering the bathroom.

11. We might perform some good deed before supplicating.

It is good to perform some good deed, like spending in charity, helping a poor person, offering two units of prayer, fasting, or anything else, so that this good deed can be a means of having our supplications answered.

We find evidence for this in the famous hadîth about the three men who were trapped in a cave. Each of them beseeched Allah, mentioning the greatest good deed that he had done, and Allah removed the boulder from before the entrance of the cave. The fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) related this account to us shows us that this is part of the Sunnah.

12. We can perform ablutions.

This is also mentioned by Abû Mûsâ al-Ash`arî in his description. He says: “He asked for water, then he made wudû’, then he raised his hands and said: ‘O Allah! Forgive `Ubayd b. `Âmir.’ and I could see the whiteness of his armpits.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (4323) and Sahîh Muslim (2498)]

13. It is good to have a noble purpose in what we ask for.

We might ask: “O Allah! Enrich me so I can spend it on what is true and good and promote the faith.” Or: “O Allah! Bless me with knowledge so I can teach Your servants and be a source of good for others.” Or: “O Allah! Bless me to get married so I can keep myself chaste and avoid sin.”

We can see this in the supplication made by Moses (peace be upon him): “My Lord! Expand my breast and ease my task for me and remove the impediment from my speech so that they may understand what I say. And give me a minister from my family – Aaron my brother. Add to my strength through him and have him share my task, that we may glorify You and remember You in abundance. Indeed, You are watchful over us.” [Sûrah TâHâ: 25-35]

What was the result? Allah answered his supplication and blessed him even more.

This etiquette can also be seen where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When one of you goes to visit a person who is sick, he should say: ‘O Allah! Give your servant healing so he can ward off an adversary for You or walk to prayer for You.” [Sunan Abî Dâwûd (3107) and graded as good by al-Albânî]

14. We might weep during supplications.

`Abd Allah b. `Amr b. al-`Âs relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) recited the verse where Abraham says: “O my Lord! Indeed they (i.e. the idols) have led astray many people. So whoever follows me is from me and whoever disobeys me, then indeed You are Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Sûrah Ibrâhîm: 36]

And he related the verse containing the following words of Jesus: “If You punish them, then they are indeed Your servants, and if You forgive them, you are indeed the Mighty, the Wise.” [Sûrah al-Mâ’idah: 118].

Then he raised his hands and said: “O Allah. My people! My people!” and wept.

Then Allah said: “O Gabriel! Go to Muhammad – and your Lord knows best – and ask him why he weeps.”

So Gabriel went to him and Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) informed him of what he had said.

Allah knew best. Allah said: “O Gabriel! Go to Muhammad and say: We will truly make you pleased regarding your people and We shall not grieve you.” [Sahîh Muslim (202)]

15. A supplicant should openly profess his need for Allah and submit his grievances before his Lord.

Allah relates to us the supplication of Job (peace be upon him), saying: “And remember Job when he called out to his Lord saying: ‘Surely distress has seized me and You are the most merciful of those who show mercy’.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 83]

Allah relates to us the supplication of Zechariah (peace be upon him) saying: “And remember Zechariah when he called out to his Lord: ‘My Lord! Do not leave me without offspring, and You are the best of inheritors.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 89]

Then we have the supplication of Jacob (peace be upon him): “I complain of my grief and sorrow only to my Lord” [Sûrah Yûsuf: 86]

And the supplication of Moses (peace be upon him): “My Lord! Truly I am in need of whatever You send to me of good.” [Sûrah al-Qasas: 24]

16. We should choose supplications that are comprehensive in meaning.

It is better when supplicating to select comprehensive and beautiful statements instead of those that out your statements with extraneous verbiage and details. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to love supplications that were comprehensive in meaning and left out other things. [Sunan Abî Dâwûd (1482) and authenticated by al-Albânî]

Al-Khattâbî advised: “Choose for your supplications and the praise of your Lord the best and noblest of words that convey the fullest meanings, because it is the servant’s communion with the Master of all Masters who is like no other and who has no peer.”

17. A supplicant should begin by supplication on his own behalf.

Ubayy b. Ka`b mentions that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) “when he supplicated on behalf of others, he used to begin with himself.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3385) and Sunan Abî Dâwûd (3984) and authenticated by al-Albânî]

We see examples of this approach often in the Qur’ân. For instance: “Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who preceded us in faith.” [Sûrah al-Hashr: 10]

However, this is not necessary when a person simply wishes to supplicate for the benefit of someone else. There are many supplications found in the sacred text where the supplicant beseeches Allah on behalf of someone else and does not mention himself at all.

It might be said, then, that when a person intends to beseech Allah in supplication for himself and for others, he should begin with himself and then mention the others. If, on the other hand, he wishes to beseech Allah for someone else, then he does not have to supplicate for himself as well. We have already seen an example of this in the Prophet’s supplication for `Ubayd b. `Âmir where he said: “O Allah! Forgive `Ubayd b. `Âmir.”

18. We should beseech Allah for our brethren in faith.

This is one of the necessities of the brotherhood that we as Muslims are required to uphold. It is also one of the reasons for our supplications being answered. Allah says: “Seek forgiveness for your sins and for the believing men and women.” [Sûrah Muhammad: 19]

Noah (peace be upon him) said: “My Lord! Forgive me, my parents, all who enter my house in faith, and the believing men and women.” [Sûrah Nûh: 28]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever asks forgiveness for the believing men and women, he will have a good deed written to his credit for each and every believing man and woman.” [Majma` al-Zawâ’id (10/210) and graded as good by al-Albânî]

It s good to make special mention of our parents, the scholars, the righteous, the devout and those like the rulers whose virtue brings about virtue for all Muslims. It is also preferred to mention the weak and oppressed in our supplications and to beseech Allah against those who oppress and exploit them.

19. It is good to supplicate in a soft voice and keep our supplications private.

Allah says: “Call upon your Lord with humility and in private, for indeed Allah loves not those who transgress beyond bounds.” [Sûrah al-A`râf: 55]

Abû Musa relates: “We were with the the Prophet (peace be upon him) when the people began extolling the greatness of Allah in a loud voice. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘O people! Calm your voices. You are not calling upon one who is deaf or absent. Indeed, you are calling upon the One who hears and is nearby, and He is with you’.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6384)]

20. It is good to call Allah by His names, selecting of His names those that are appropriate.

One might say: O Merciful One! Have mercy upon me. O generous One! Bestow Your generosity upon me. O Giver of Healing! Cure me. My Lord, give me of your mercy, for indeed You are the Giver… and so forth.

21. Those who hear someone offering a supplication can say âmîn to it.

We see this in the account given in the Qur’ân of the supplication of Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them both).

Commentators of the Qur’ân explain that Moses (peace be upon him) was offering the supplication and Aaron (peace be upon him) was saying âmîn. [refer to: Tafsîr Ibn Kathîr (2/411)]

Therefore, Allah says: “We had answered their supplication.” [Sûrah Yûnus: 89]

22. We should beseech Allah for all matters, great and small.

This is something that many people are neglectful of. You see them turning to Allah and calling upon Him when affliction befalls them. At other times, they do not turn to Allah and ask of Him, seeing the matter to be too insignificant to beseech Allah about it.

This is wrong. A Muslim is supposed to ask his Lord for everything. If Allah does not facilitate for us something as simple as, say, the partaking of our food, we would not have the power to eat. If He does not facilitate for us the putting on of our shoes, we would not be able to do so.

It is authentically related that `Â’ishah said: “Ask Allah beven for the strap of your sandal, for indeed if Allah does not facilitate it, it will not be a simple thing.” [Musnad Abî Ya`lâ (4560)]

A warning to the Muslims!

- By S. A. Rehman

It is not enough to be good; One must also show the right path to others who might otherwise do evil.

Dear Muslims!

You know that to eliminate all kinds of vices from the world and to promote good is the responsibility of every Muslim. Allah, the Lord of the universe, says: ``You are the best Ummah who have been created to show the right path to the people. You command for doing good and forbid from doing evil, and you have faith in Allah."

The Holy Prophet(SAW) has also said that everyone amongst you is a caretaker and is responsible for his subordinates on the Day of Judgment. Rulers will be answerable for the citizens of their state, every family head will be accountable for the members of his family and will be asked as to what he did for their reformation, education and better life. He will be asked as to whether he forbade them from adopting the bad ways, and helped them in leading a pious life or not. The Holy Quran has called this task as ``Enjoining (People) To Do Good and Forbidding (Them) From Doing Evil."

Respected Muslims! The world history reveals that until Muslims performed the task of commanding the people to do good and barring them from doing evil, the pious people remained dominant in those societies and there was peace and tranquility and satanic forces that were subdued. But, when this collective responsibility was designated only to clerics, and the common Muslims ignored this task, in spite of the efforts of the clerics, waywardness spread quickly. A wave of offenses, terrorism, tyranny, evils, sins, ignorance and anarchy engulfed almost every segment of life. Disorder, commotion and chaos were on the rise in the world society, wrecking the peace of all mankind.

The Holy Prophet (SAW) has warned of this danger in these words:

“I swear to the Lord who is the Master of my soul (it is your duty that) you must enjoin (the people) to do good and forbid (them) from doing evil, otherwise, the day is not far when Allah Almighty will unleash His wrath on you, and then you will pray (for help) to Allah, but your prayers will not be answered.” (Tirmidi)

The world is facing disaster upon disaster every day and people are expecting a major catastrophe. The deeds that have been forbidden by God are being committed openly. The evils are increasing, while the virtues are fading out gradually. Terrorism, bribery, corruption, evil, nudity, vulgarity and wickedness are continued threats to the world at large. It seems we have already reached the stage of inferno before the Last Day. History tells us that such a situation arises when people are being cursed by God.

It is feared that members of the previous generations will be accountable for their individual deeds on the Day of Judgment, but the present generation will be thrown as a whole into hell after a collective prosecution, because the nobles of this generation remained as silent spectators instead of restraining the wrongdoers / terrorists from committing cruelty, sins and misdeeds.

The Divine punishment to an ancient civilization seconds this fear. There were three groups during that period. One was of knaves, the second was of the people who did good deeds but did not halt the disobedient from transgression. The third group was of the people who followed the divine doctrines as well as restrained others from disobeying them. When God cursed the nation, the people exempted from this torment were those who had been observing the limits fixed by their Master and were stopping others from wrongdoing as well.

There is another but similar happening. The residents of a town had been engulfed by an ocean of sins. However, there was a noble man who was always busy in worshipping God, but he did not bother about persuading others to give up their bad ways. When God ordered the angels to destroy the town, He said: ``Overturn the town on the person who was anxious to save himself from the Divine Punishment, but was not endeavoring to save others from it."

I request the virtuous people of the world that they should not only depend upon their prayers to save themselves from the Divine Punishment; rather they should lead the Evil Doers and followers of Satan who have gone astray, to the right path. They should undertake this task against Evil Doers with full determination. Only then will their virtues and prayers save them from the Divine Punishment.

The writer is a peace activist living in Pakistan.

:: The Prophet(SAW)’s Guidance in Supplication ::

- Prophet-of-Mercy.com

He (peace be upun him) was the most perfect in glorifying Allah, nay all his utterances were in praise of Allah Al-Mighty. Whatever he ordered, forbade or set as legislation for the Nation of Islam, was in essence a glorification of Allah. Even his silence was a glorification of Allah by his heart. His glorification and praise of Allah was running with his breath, whether he was standing up on his feet or sitting or lying on his side or walking or riding an animal, or dismounting or travelling or staying home, blessings and peace be upon him.

a. His Guidance in Glorifying Allah in the Morning and Evening

When morning came he (peace be upun him) would say:

“We are this morning in the natural state of Islam on the word of sincerity, in the religion of our prophet, Muhammad, and the way of our father, Abraham, a Muslim inclining toward truth; and he was not of those who associate partners with Allah."

And he (peace be upun him) said: “O Allah, by You we come to the morning and by You we come to the evening. By You we live and by You we die, and to You is the resurrection."

He (peace be upun him) also said: “When morning comes for one of you, say: "Morning has come to us and dominion belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds. O Allah, I ask of You the good of this day, its success, its victory, its light, its blessing and its right guidance. And I seek refuge in You from the evil it contains and the evil that follows it."

Then when evening came he would say something similar.

He (peace be upun him) said "The best supplication for forgiveness is to say: "O Allah, You are my Lord - there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant; and I uphold Your covenant and [my] promise to You as much as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You my sin, so forgive me. Indeed, there is none who can forgive sins except You."

He (peace be upun him) added, "Whoever recites it at morning with firm faith in it and dies the same day will enter Paradise. And whoever recites it in the evening with firm faith in it and dies the same day will enter Paradise."

And he (peace be upun him) said:

“Whoever recites every morning: "La ilaaha'ill-Allaahu wahdahu la shareeka lahu, lahul- mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa `ala kulli shay'in qadeer" (There is no god but Allah alone, having no partner. His is sovereignty and to Him is all praise and He is over all things competent) a hundred times daily, will be rewarded the equivalent of freeing ten slaves and one hundred good deeds will be registered for him and one hundred bad deeds will be erased. That day he will be protected from Satan until evening, and no one will come with something better than that [on the Day of Judgment] except one who has done more."

He (peace be upun him) used to supplicate in the morning and the evening with these supplications:

"O Allah, I ask You for soundness in this world and the Hereafter. O Allah, I ask You for pardon and soundness in my religion and my world, my family and my property. O Allah, cover my faults and calm my fears. O Allah protect me from before me, from behind me, on my right, on my left and above me. And I seek refuge in your grandeur from being seized from below."

And he (peace be upun him) said: ''There is not a servant [of Allah] who recites every morning and every evening: 'In the name of Allah with whose name nothing in the earth or the heavens can cause harm, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing' three times but that nothing will harm him.''

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (رضي الله عنه) asked him: "O Messenger of Allah, teach me what to say when morning comes and evening comes." So he (peace be upun him) replied, "Say:

''O Allah, Creator of the heavens and earth, Knower of the unseen and the visible, Lord, sovereign and owner of all things, I testify that there is no god but You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of myself and the evil of Satan and his partnership, or that I bring harm upon myself, or bring it to any Muslim'." He (peace be upun him) added: "Say it in the morning, in the evening and when you go to bed."

b. His Guidance in Glorifying Allah When Leaving or Entering the Home

When going out of his house, the Prophet (peace be upun him) used to say: “Bismillaah, tawakkaltu `ala Allaah" (In the name of Allah, I rely upon Allah), and then add: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from leading someone astray or being led astray, from causing someone to slip or being caused to slip, from wronging someone or being wronged and behaving badly or someone behaving badly against me."

He (peace be upun him) said: "He who says upon leaving his home: 'Bismillaah, tawakkaltu `ala Allaah, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billaah' (In the name of Allah, I rely upon Allah. There is no might and no power except through Allah) will be told, 'You have been guided, given enough and protected, and Satan will stay away from him'."

When he (peace be upun him) went out for the fajr prayer, he would say:

“O Allah, make light in my heart, light on my tongue, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light behind me, light in front of me, light above me and light beneath me. O Allah, make great my light."

And he (peace be upun him) said: "When a man enters his house he should say, 'O Allah, I ask of You the best entrance and the best exit. In the name of Allah we enter and we rely upon Allah, our Lord,' Then he should greet his family."

c. His Guidance in Mentioning Allah When Entering a Mosque and Leaving It

When entering a mosque, the Prophet (peace be upun him) would recite: “A`udhu billaahil-`atheemi wa bi-wajhihil-kareemi wa bi-sultaanihil-qadeemi minash-shaytaanir-rajeem.'' (I seek refuge in Allah, the Great and in his noble countenance and his primordial authority from Satan, the rejected. He (peace be upun him) said, "When someone says that, Satan says: "He has been protected from me for the rest of the day.”

He (peace be upun him) also said: "When one of you enters the mosque, let him invoke blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upun him),, and let him say: 'Allaahumma iftah lee abwaaba rahmatik' (O Allah, open for me the gates of Your mercy), and upon leaving let him say: 'Allaahumma innee as'aluka min fadhlik.' (O Allah, I ask You of your bounty)''

d. His Guidance Upon Sighting the Crescent

When he (peace be upun him) sighted the new moon of the month, he would say: “O Allah, let it come upon us in prosperity and faith, in peace and Islam. Our Lord and your Lord is Allah."

e. His Guidance Upon Sneezing and Yawning

It is confirmed that he (peace be upun him) said: “Allah likes the one sneezing, and dislikes the one yawning. So if one of you sneezes, and praises Allah, then it is the duty of anyone who hears him to say, 'Yarhamuk-Allaah' (May Allah grant you mercy). As for yawning, it is caused by Satan, so if one of you is going to yawn, let him hold it back as much as he can, because when someone yawns Satan laughs at him''

When he (peace be upun him) sneezed, he would cover his mouth with his hand or his garment and suppress the sound.

When he (peace be upun him) sneezed and someone said to him, "Yarhamuk-Allaah", he would answer, ''Yarhamuna-Allaahu wa iyyakum wa yaghfiru lana wa lakum'' (May Allah have mercy on us and you, and may He forgive us and you).

And he (peace be upun him) said: “When one of you sneezes let him say: 'Al-hamdu lillaah' (May Allah have mercy on you), and his brother or companion should say to him: 'Yarhamuk-Allah' (May Allah have mercy on you). Then, when he says, 'Yarhamuk-Allah', he should say: 'Yahdeekumullaahu wa yuslihu baalakum' (May Allah guide you and better your affairs).”

He (peace be upun him) also said:

“If one of you sneezes and praises Allah (saying ‘Al-hamdulillah’), then say: 'Yarhamuk-Allah', but if he does not praise Allah, then do not say it to him''

When someone sneezed more than three times, he did not say it but only remarked, “That man has a cold.”

It was narrated that the Jews would pretend to sneeze in his presence expecting him to respond by saying 'May Allah have mercy on you', but he (peace be upun him) would only say: 'Yahdeekum-ullaahu wa yuslihu baalakum.' (May Allah guide you and amend your condition.)

f. His Guidance in Supplication Upon Seeing an Afflicted Person

Anyone who sees an afflicted person and says: 'Al-hamdu lil-laahilladhi `aafaani mimmabtalaaka bihi wa fadh-dhalani `ala katheerin mimman khalaqa tafdheela' (Praise to Allah who has exempted me from that by which He has tested you and has given me preference over most of those He has created) will not be touched by that affliction, no matter what it is.''

g. His Guidance When Hearing the Sound of a Donkey or a Rooster

He (peace be upun him) ordered his people when hearing the bray of a donkey to seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the rejected, and upon hearing a cock, to ask Allah of His bounty.

h. His Guidance Concerning Severe Anger

The Prophet (peace be upun him) instructed anyone who became enraged to perform wudhu', and to sit down if he was standing, lie down if he was sitting and to seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the rejected.

Palestinians and Nonviolent Resistance

- Ummah.com

Before departing to Belgium to seek justice for the victims and survivors of the Sabra and Shatilla massacre in West Beirut in 1982, Suad Srour told reporters, "I am going to Brussels on behalf of a whole people. I hope that (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon is hanged for what he did." Saud’s words were by no means an indication of a violent personality. They were indeed a natural response to an experience that cost the Palestinian girl everything she held dear.

Saud’s experience is one of those that many of us find unbearable to hear. She was only 14 when Phalange troops, under Israeli army command, broke into her impoverished home in the Shatilla refugee camp in West Beirut. They butchered her entire family and raped her in front of her father. The man died, and that scene was his last glimpse of life. Once finished with their mission to "mop up" alleged terrorists that Sharon claimed to be harbored in the camps, they shot Suad. But she didn’t die; she rose from the ashes with others to narrate a massacre that shall daunt the world’s conscience forever.

The camps’ massacre in West Beirut is one of dozens of massacres carried out by Israel against defenseless and unarmed civilians, starting with Deir Yassin, Tantura, Beit Daras, passing through Qbyia, the murder of Egyptian war prisoners, Bureij, Qana and many others.

These atrocities came and went like a summer storm, their victims buried or "disappeared" and details forgotten. Some were entirely dropped from history books. I was dismayed when I realized that after months of research (that I and a colleague have conducted while writing a book, which we hope to publish soon) dealing with Sharon’s war crimes, I found that dozens of massacres were hardly mentioned or even referred to as "massacres" despite their gruesome nature and horrific details, where innocents were collectively butchered.

Throughout most of these massacres, not one hand was lifted to defend the innocents who were killed, as if their lives were of no value. The typical argument presented by Israel, once the carnage was made public, was that Israel is not the one to blame for the loss of civilian lives, for it was the fault of the "terrorists" who sought shelter in civilians homes, forcing Israeli to "retaliate" and mistakenly kill civilians.

Some eyewitness to the massacres of Sabra and Shatilla indicated that yes, indeed there were armed Palestinian individuals in the camps during the massacre: small groups of children, aged 9 and 10 who attempted to provide a safe exit for their mothers, sisters and elder family members who sought safety outside the camp or near a hospital. The children took that role after the departure of all Palestinian fighters who left the city after American envoy Philip Habib promised that the US would provide needed protection for the camps.

This history is of great importance, not because it reminds us of the vile face of Israel and its war generals, but because it comes in a time when there is growing enthusiasm regarding "other forms of resistance" that use nonviolent means.

Some, including intellectuals known for their strong support for Palestinian rights, say that violence is a costly method of resistance in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict scenario. For one, it provides Israel with the needed pretext to escalate its organized campaign of violence in the West Bank and Gaza. To prove their point, they bring up past experiences of Mahatma Gandhi in India and Martin Luther King of the United States. One renowned scholar called on Palestinians to take to the streets and form a human chain to surround Israel’s illegal Jewish settlements, forcing the settlers to leave, once cut off from life outside.

Apparently there is a lack of understanding regarding the nature of the Israeli occupation, and a failure to grasp the causes of violence. There is also a lack of notion to differentiate between senseless violence and sensible violence.

Demanding Palestinians to resort to nonviolent means of resistance is a miscalculated move, to say the least, for it indicates that violence for Palestinians is a strategic choice. The Palestinian individual (regardless of what a poet once said) is not born holding a rock or a machine gun. It is the persistent injustice and the people’s rejection of such injustice that compels Palestinians to resist. The nature of the resistance, its magnitude and duration, is often controlled by the behavior and response of the enemy, its brutality and inhumanity.

For example, the Palestinian uprising began with symbolic acts of rejection to the Israeli military occupation: chants, graffiti, waving fists and strikes, large rallies and rock throwing, (which are of course not enough to repel the fourth strongest army in the world.) The Israeli army which dealt with Palestinian youth and children as if they were well-trained and all geared-up first class soldiers, forced Palestinians to upgrade the level of their resistance, this time not to send symbolic messages anymore (to appeal to an apathetic world), but to in fact defend their families, homes, towns and villages.

And how can we propose a human chain to circle Israeli settlements if Israeli settlers have deliberately and repeatedly run over Palestinians with their cars, killing and severely wounding scores of them?

The factor which forced Palestinian children (who should have been running on a playground or coloring in their coloring books) to carry tank propellers in Lebanon was the inherited desire to defend one’s family and community, not mere violence for the sake of violence. Indeed, the massacre of Sabra and Shatilla came in a time when Palestinians agreed to leave the camps, hoping to spare the lives of the refugees who were targeted and killed by Israel throughout its invasion of Lebanon. Palestinians were therefore killed whether they resisted or yielded.

Nonviolence as an alternative method of resistance is doomed for failure, although theoretically noble and ideal. The savagery of the enemy is what in fact determines the level of resistance. Nonviolence has great chances of success in parts of the world where human rights are treasured and an individual is valued and revered. But in the land occupied by Israel, where children are killed while seeking shelter by their fathers, and where homes are bombarded and bulldozed with inhabitants still inside, and where soldiers often shoot at anything and everything for sport, the rules are different. It would then be unfair and irrational to stop a child who is throwing rocks at a bulldozer while it tears down his house. It would be preposterous to stop a man with a rifle attempting to halt a row of tanks progressing toward his village, demanding that he seek a nonviolent option to halt the bulldozer or the advancing tanks.

Malcolm X once said, "we declare our right on this earth, to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being, in this society, on this earth, on this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary." Palestinians too declared such rights and vowed to achieve them by any means necessary. Malcolm X was too gunned down, but his words have shaped history.

Ramzy Baroud