Ayesha Naseem, Blackburn
A few months into the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip I came across a social media post that recalled all the mundane things we do during our day, like eating a warm meal with our family, having a conversation with a friend, going out for a walk or sleeping under a roof that’s ours and how, while doing all of these usual and trivial things, the poster remembered Gaza. It was such a relatable comment because I had been feeling the same (and still do). There is hardly anything I do during the day that doesn’t remind me of Gaza.
This is not because of overthinking or being overly anxious about their situation and feeling helpless, rather, it’s a reflection, a constant moment of pause to acknowledge and recognise that the basics we take for granted, are expensive privileges for some at the very moment. I mean, how many of us can imagine ourselves going days without food? Can we imagine sleeping not knowing if, by the morning, the roof sheltering us wouldn’t instead crumble overnight by an airstrike?
By the Grace of Allah the Almighty, we are also passing through the blessed month of Ramadan – so it’s a given that the moments of pause and reflection have increased tenfold and so have the thoughtfulness. Every day at Iftar (the breaking of the fast), I glance at our dining table and think about the Palestinians in Gaza. While I, like many more around the world, get to have a drink of our choice, a meal of our liking and all the time in our lives to eat however much and for however long as we want, people in Gaza have been eating boiled grass for their meals. Finding plain bread has been a task and a privilege not many can have and those who go out to try and buy some have to leave behind their families not knowing if by their return, their loved ones would still be alive and whether they themselves would return safe and alive.
Where these reflections have been eye-opening and have provoked me to show and express gratitude towards Allah the Almighty for the ease and the privileges of my life, this is also the time where my instant move is to pray. For there is nothing more powerful and miraculous than a prayer made with a sincere heart.
In Chapter 40, Verse 61 of the Holy Qur’an, Allah the Almighty states:
‘…Pray unto Me; I will answer your prayer…’
This is an assurance from Allah the Almighty that our prayers will not go unanswered – the nature in which they are fulfilled and accepted depends on the Will of God Almighty but the prayer one makes, nevertheless, still does not go in vain. It can move mountains and can make the impossible possible.
Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have. With fervent prayers for the oppression that innocents endure to cease, we can fight the injustice in this world despite having no political or economic influence. A powerful prayer in humility and with concern for humanity, can give us the hope that Allah the Almighty will restore peace and stability in the world.
The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) has explained the power of prayer and has said:
‘When a child becomes restless with hunger and screams and wails for milk, a woman’s breast begins to fill with milk. A child has no conception of prayer, but how do the cries of a child bring forth milk? Everyone is experienced in this regard. At times, it has been noted that a mother feels no milk in her bosom, but as soon as her child cries, milk begins to flow forth. Now can our cries before Allah the Exalted bring forth nothing? Indeed, divine favour does flow forth and all our cries are heard…’ [1]
During his Friday Sermon on 13th October 2024, the current and fifth worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper) stated that Ahmadi Muslims should ‘use the spiritual weapon of prayer more than ever before.’ [2]
As another Ramadan passes before us, let us pray that Allah the Almighty brings an end to all oppression and pain faced by the Palestinians and everywhere else where injustice and wars are rife. May His Mercy encompass the whole of humanity and the world. Amin.
References
[1] Malfuzat, Vol. I, p. 126
[2] ‘Global Muslim Leader Calls for De-Escalation of Palestine-Israel War’, Press Release, Press Ahmadiyya, 13 October 2023. https://www.pressahmadiyya.com/press-releases/2023/10/global-muslim-leader-calls-for-de-escalation-of-palestine-israel-war/
Official Blog of Ahmadiyya Muslim Women's Association UK 
Aa. Beautiful depiction of something we all feel. My son was not eating his breakfast and I told him ,”Kids in Palestine are in search of food,you have it and you are not eating it. Within a second he replied, “I wish I could go there “. So not just elders but young ones are equally feeling in the same way the good author has penned here. Long live Palestine.
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