Bassem Youssef is back with Mehdi to co-host the third episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding.’ They talk about the religious extremists, from the illegal settlements in the West Bank to the hallways of the U.S. Congress, who are trying to bring about the end of times - as well as a bunch of red cows that wield a lot of spiritual power. And they disagree on a few things too.
Imam Abu Hanifa, known affectionally as 'Imam Azam Abu Hanifa' was a Muslim jurist and theologian who founded the Hanafi madhab (legal school of thought). This video is on Imam Abu Hanifa's life.
The Cyrus cylinder, the Magna Carta and the Napoleonic Code are often mentioned as the benchmarks of revolutionary works within jurisprudential history. Yet, for as influential as these landmark legal systems are, none truly compare to the grand ingenuity of Abu Hanifa's legal school of thought, and his ability to conceive of a legal methodology within a constantly shifting multilingual, multi-ethnic, multi-religious political landscape.
While his name is instantly recognisable to most Muslims, the life and ideas of Imam Abu Hanifa remains an open mystery to both those within the Muslim community and beyond. Fusing philosophical tools such as analogical deduction with the pre-existing traditions and dogma of the Arab understanding of Islam at the time, Abu Hanifa managed to create a legal system that could adapt to cultural norms and novel ethical dilemmas unseen by the Prophet and his companions in their time. Today, Imam Abu Hanifa is best associated with the Hanafi madhab.
“Did the narcissist ever love you?”
To answer this properly, I have taken a deep dive into what love is and means from an Islamic perspective and I compare it to what God teaches us about toxic relationships, so we can understand what is healthy love and what isn’t.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf discusses how Shaytaan promises poverty and instills anxiety in people. He explains that anxiety is the foundational state of humanity and that all human actions are driven by the desire to alleviate anxiety. Additionally, he emphasizes that Shaytan’s promises are false and that the only true anxiety should be regarding death.
Anxiety is an inherent aspect of the human condition. From birth, humans experience anxiety and seek ways to alleviate it throughout their lives. Understanding this foundational state can help individuals navigate their anxieties and make conscious choices.
Fear of missing out on pleasure drives individuals to fulfill their desires as a way to alleviate anxiety. This can lead to impulsive decision-making and a constant quest for more, as individuals fear the potential loss of pleasure.
No amount of wealth can satisfy human desires, as individuals always want more. This insatiable desire for material possessions stems from the anxiety of poverty and the fear of being deprived. Recognizing the futility of this pursuit can help individuals find contentment in their current circumstances.
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The only enemy of the Prophet ï·º mentioned by name in the Quran, yet his own children became Muslim and would read about their father’s punishment. The incredible story of the believing children of the Prophet ï·º's uncle and how he received them.
Seyed Mohammad Marandi, Professor of English Literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran and advisor to Iran's nuclear negotiations team (https://x.com/s_m_marandi) joins to discuss the true motives of Iran as geopolitical tensions reach an all-time high amid the most brutal Israeli-US war in a generation.
Dear Zionist commentator, who repeats something he or she copied from someone else.
1. Yes, if it means so much to you, I can share with you how saddened I was that Israelis were killed on October 7th, by Hamas and by the IDF itself. Very sad. I mean every word. I regret every loss of life. I have asked an Israeli Rabbi on camera to tell me about those events and I honestly do feel sorry for the all the people who suffered that day, though, admittedly, less so for the ones serving in the IDF since I do think IDF soldiers are a perfectly legitimate target for the Palestinian resistance. You're already itching to write another thing you have copied from someone else, but wait, there is more.
2. No, I don't condemn Israeli crimes because I hate jews, I am in fact heavily influenced by jewish culture, my work (psychotherapy) is practically the jewish talking cure and am literally surrounded by books written by jewish authors, mostly on psychology, also lots of books on the Holocaust. Culturally I am also very influenced by jews. I have never in any way discriminated against any jew. It wouldn't even occur to me. I have shared dinners with jews, I have joked with jews, I have helped jews find a job... You can call me a jew hater all you want, but the punch doesn't land.
3. I did visit Nazi concentration camps and yes, I was horrified. I've also watched just about every Holocaust movie there is and it breaks my heart every time, yes, really. Some parts of Edith Eger's books haunt me to this day. Unfortunately I have most likely read more books on the Holocaust than you did and from an earlier age without anyone pushing me to do so.
4. I sadly have only 24 hours in a day and I do not get paid to write about every single crime happening in this world. I have never been to Sudan. Maybe I should. I have been to Israel, I have met Israelis and I have met Palestinians, I have not met any Sudanese. If any Sudanese are reading this, please come on my podcast and we can talk about the challenges of your country too. I did write about Syria, but you likely do not speak Dutch, so there is no way for you to really check, even though you are quick to claim I have never written about it. Oh, and my X account is not the alpha and omega of what I stand for. Some of you seem to think X is a full record of everything I have done in my life. Generally I prefer to not write about things I didn't study, I am a very modest, humble person who is often very criticial of his own opinions and thought processes, but on some things I consider myself an expert and that happens to inculude Palestine and Israel. I understand why you'd wish I had studied a different genocide. I know a lot about the holocaust and things like Srebrenica as well if that makes it any better.
5. Nothing I say or do will ever make it any better of course, because the truth of the matter is that you don't want anyone criticizing Israel and will find any reason at all to try and deny people the right to criticize Israel. I wish you could understand how your manipulative tactics only make me see Israel in an even worse light.
6. Your mentioning of the Hamas charter means extremely little to me. There are some very fishy passages in the Bible and I don't hold those against all Christians either. Hamas has stated that they are not out to kill all Jews. I agree you can call me naive, really, please do, am a good person and a good person is often a bit naive, but I believe them. I don't think Hamas wants to kill all Jews. Maybe some few do. Just like am sure we can easily find some Israelis who want to kill all Palestinians. Those are not very shy on social media channels.
7. I frankly don't care how many people voted for Hamas, even if they all voted for Hamas ten times in the same election it would still be wrong for you to bomb women and kids. Am sure the kids you're killing didn't vote for Hamas. Also, if you make circumstances bad enough people will vote for any party who at least makes those circumstances a little bit better in the short term
8. Hamas does not pose an existential risk to Israel. Israel did not have to react. Even on the purely strategic level it was a dumb thing for Israel to do. Look how much it's already damaging Israel. I know it's hard to accept that slaughtering thousands is not the right strategy, since you're enjoying it so much, but it's not working.
9. Comparisions between bombing Gaza and the Second world war are ridiculous. Hamas doesn't come close to being the threat Nazi-Germany was. I would also argue that the average German citizen still had a better chance to escape allied bombardments than the average city in Gaza. If I have to bombed in Germany anno 1945 or bombed in Gaza anno 2024 I will take my chances in Germany. Yes, America dropped nuclear bombs, I personally think those were overkill and a war crime, but even if am wrong on that, what you've done to Gaza is far worse. Again, because Hamas does not pose the threat imperial Japan did.
10. The Palestinians rejected every peace deal ever made to them... Am not Palestinian so I can't say what is an acceptable deal and what isn't. As someone who is not Palestinian there is MAYBE a deal I would have accepted, but again, my family wasn't terrorized by Israel (at least not so far). Them rejecting peace deals still doesn't make it morally right to do things that could indeed annihilate them as a people. Plus, if Israel was ever serious about peace there should not be a single Israeli settler in all of the West Bank.
11. No, you don't have to kill everyone for it to be genocide. This is genocide: 'New conceptions require new terms. By "genocide" we mean the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group. This new word, coined by the author to denote an old practice in its modern development, is made from the ancient Greek word genos (race, tribe) and the Latin cide (killing), thus corresponding in its formation to such words as tyrannicide, homicide, infanticide, etc. Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be the disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups. Genocide is directed against the national group as an entity, and the actions involved are directed against individuals, not in their individual capacity, but as members of the national group.' Raphael Lemkin, a jewish lawyer. His definition fits perfectly and what Israel has done counts as genocide. Full stop.
12. Control over Gaza was never given back to the Palestinians. Yes, a small number of Israeli settlers had to leave and were forcibly evicted by the IDF, but at the same time Israel injected more settlers into the West Bank. The Gazans didn't have full control of their sea coast nor of their air space. Gaza was only given back because it was too difficult to control it from the inside, so instead Israel opted to wall it in as much as possible. With the excuse always been every restriction was an anti-terrorist precaution. Then it monitored Palestinians, killed them when they protested peacefully and from time to time the IDF waltzed in and 'mowed the lawn'. At the same time Palestinian communities in the West Bank were more and more cut off from each other and Palestinian territory was fragmentized. If you treat people like shit some will fight back.
13. Yes, Israel was founded thanks to the use of terrorism. Strange that terrorism was ok then, but is never ok now
14. I don't care if you slit someone's throat or drop a bomb on then from a multi million dollar aircraft, both can be terrorism.
15. Yes, I really do think you don't want to admit you like it when a lot of Palestinians die. Am very open to you showing how much you care about Palestinian lives.
16. Since you keep asking me to show outrage over Armenia, Darfur and a whole list of other horrible man-made catastrophes please link to your amazing articles and videos you have made over the years explaining and condemning all those crimes. It would be very helpful. Thank you.
17. I haven't reread what I have written (yet), since I now have to go be of service to others in order to put food on the table for my family, but if you find a typo and you call me a moron, because I mispelled something, then it still doesn't mean your murdering of kids is ok. But to give you some ammo in your fight to not care about dead kids, here is already one typo: Israel murderererererers kids on purpose to plunge the Palestinians into despair. It's a deliberate strategy.
Trauma is an experience that can shake us to our core, leaving lasting emotional scars. Whether it's the result of a sudden loss, a natural disaster, or a personal tragedy, coping with trauma requires patience, resilience, and guidance. In Islam, there are profound teachings and practices that offer solace and healing to those navigating through the aftermath of trauma.
Seek Refuge in Allah (SWT):
The first step in coping with trauma in Islam is turning to Allah for refuge and seeking His comfort and guidance. Remember that Allah (SWT) is Al-Rahman (the Most Compassionate) and Al-Rahim (the Most Merciful). Turn to Him in prayer, seeking strength, patience, and healing.
Patience and Perseverance (Sabr):
Patience (Sabr) is a fundamental concept in Islam, especially during times of hardship. The Quran reminds us, "Indeed, Allah is with the patient" (Quran 2:153). Embrace patience as a means of coping with trauma, understanding that healing takes time and perseverance.
Self-Compassion and Forgiveness:
Trauma often leaves individuals grappling with feelings of guilt, shame, or anger. In Islam, self-compassion and forgiveness are essential for healing. Remember that Allah is Al-Ghaffar (the Forgiving) and Al-Wadud (the Loving). Practice self-compassion and forgive yourself for any perceived shortcomings or mistakes.
Community Support:
Islam emphasizes the importance of community support, especially during times of adversity. Seek solace in the company of fellow believers, family, and friends. Share your struggles and seek comfort in the collective prayers and support of your community.
Seeking Knowledge and Understanding:
Educate yourself about trauma and its effects. Understanding the psychological and emotional aspects of trauma can help you navigate through the healing process. Seek knowledge from reputable sources and counselors who understand both Islamic principles and psychological well-being.
Dua (Supplication):
Turn to the power of dua in coping with trauma. Pour out your heart to Allah in prayer, expressing your pain, fears, and hopes for healing. Trust in the power of dua to alleviate your suffering and grant you strength and resilience.
Engage in Acts of Worship:
Engage in acts of worship, such as prayer, fasting, and recitation of the Quran, as a means of finding solace and drawing closer to Allah. These spiritual practices can provide a sense of peace and tranquility amidst the turmoil of trauma.
Professional Counseling:
In addition to seeking spiritual guidance, consider seeking professional counseling or therapy to address the psychological and emotional aspects of trauma. Islam encourages seeking help from those with expertise in mental health to facilitate healing and recovery.
Gratitude and Reflection:
Cultivate a mindset of gratitude and reflection, focusing on the blessings and lessons that emerge from adversity. Reflect on the strength and resilience that Allah has instilled within you, and express gratitude for His mercy and guidance.
Hope and Trust in Allah's Plan:
Finally, maintain hope and trust in Allah's plan for you, knowing that He is Al-Hakeem (the Most Wise) and Al-Mujeeb (the Responsive). Even in the darkest moments of trauma, hold onto the belief that Allah's mercy and grace will lead you towards healing and redemption.
In conclusion, coping with trauma in Islam involves a holistic approach that integrates spiritual guidance, community support, self-care, and professional assistance. By seeking refuge in Allah, practicing patience and self-compassion, and nurturing faith and resilience, individuals can navigate through the healing journey with strength and grace. Remember, Allah is always near, offering solace and guidance to those who seek His mercy and love.
This week's khutbah by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan shares the harrowing reality of the people we may face in our lives, drawing examples from the life of the Messenger ï·º and the enemies that surrounded him.
Pulling examples from Surahs Al-Qalam and Al-Haqqah, Ustadh illustrates two different types of war that was going on at the time: the ideological war vs the physical wars.
Ustadh's primary focus in this khutbah is to highlight the psychological warfare that the enemies of the Prophet ï·º carried out to undermine him, his message and his legitimacy as a Prophet of God.
Most notably, Ustadh focuses on the most dangerous types of people that Allah warned the Messenger ï·º about very early on, preparing him for those that would behave as friends but were otherwise planning his downfall with sneaky games and plots behind his back.
Gabor Mate tells Imran Garda that the ongoing war in Gaza has weighed heavily on him. A holocaust survivor and world-renowned expert on trauma, Mate talks about the impact of generational trauma in the conflict as well his journey from being a young Zionist to a critic of Israel and supporter of Palestinian rights.
He also discusses dehumanization, why the legacy of colonialism is a driver of extremism and explores how we can find healing in our “toxic” culture.
Gabor Mate’s website
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Richard Medhurst has a combined following of roughly one million people online, and appears regularly on international news outlets including Al Jazeera, WikiLeaks, Black Agenda Report, Al Mayadeen, The Times, LBC, and others.
Richard Medhurst on Twitter:
@richimedhurst
The Israeli military has officially begun to move into the southern Gazan city of Rafah, sending in tanks and taking control of the border crossing with Egypt. The looming full-scale invasion has already been called a “humanitarian nightmare” by the UN secretary-general.
In response to these escalations, Mehdi hosted a town hall for Zeteo paid subscribers with Israeli Holocaust scholar Raz Segal and Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu.
Segal, who has previously called Israel’s war on Gaza a “textbook case of genocide,” explained to Mehdi why Israel’s assault on Gaza, and America’s support for it, is about so much more than those in power will ever admit.
Zeteo contributor Diana Buttu reminded viewers that Israel’s latest escalations in Rafah are, unfortunately, no surprise, stating that the invasion is what “Netanyahu always wanted.”
Susan Abulhawa is a Palestinian American writer and human rights activist. She is the author of Mornings in Jenin, which was translated into 32 languages and sold more than a million copies, The Blue Between Sky And Water and Against the Loveless World. She is the founder of Playgrounds for Palestine and the executive director of Palestine Writes
In early December, the White House received Cochav Elkayam-Levy, whom it described in a press statement as the “Chair of Israel’s Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children.” The subject of multiple media profiles, Elkayam-Levy played a key role in giving international legitimacy to Israel’s baseless atrocity propaganda about mass rapes. But now Elkayam-Levy and her commission have been exposed as frauds.
It's not what you know; it's what you can prove. For years, Forensic Architecture has exposed state crimes against civilians, nature, and humanity. This week on Downstream, Ash Sarkar meets FA's director Eyal Weizman, to discuss Israel's settler colonial project, the police killing of Mark Duggan, and how the testimony of blindfolded torture victims helped construct a model of Bashar al-Assad's most notorious torture prison.
Dive into the timeless wisdom of Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna, and his philosophy. Explore the profound teachings and contributions of this influential Islamic philosopher, physician, and polymath. From his groundbreaking philosophical works to his advancements in medicine and even a famous "proof" for the existence of God. In this episode, we explore the historical context and legacy of one of history's greatest minds.
Activist, writer and public intellectual Norman Finkelstein speaks candidly about his early upbringing in New York City — raised by parents who were both Holocaust survivors — and how that has led to his tireless pro-Palestinian solidarity work, including his “forensic scholarship” of Israeli criminality and the related abuse of Holocaust memory. Towards the end of the discussion, Finkelstein offers important though difficult advice to those who embrace “the values of truth and justice,” which — as he alludes — are ideals that do not come with any significant personal "reward".
In an interview with Sky News on the passage of six months since the beginning of Israel's genocide in Gaza, Dr Zomlot said Israel was seeking to annihilate the Palestinian people.
He said it was "unacceptable" that Western media take Israeli statistics for granted while disputing the figures on casualties provided by the Palestinians.
He added the time has passed for statements and talk and that the UK government must at least impose an arms embargo on Israel for its use of imported UK weapons in violations of the human rights of the Palestinians.
There are few people who can offer a more insightful analysis of Iran’s policies and outlook than Mohammad Marandi, a professor of English literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran.
Professor Marandi joined Ali Abunimah on The Electronic Intifada Podcast for an extended discussion of recent developments in Palestine and the broader strategic situation in the region as what has come to be known as the axis of resistance – comprising Iran and allies in Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq – consolidate their front against US-backed Israeli aggression.
In an exclusive interview with Zeteo, Mehdi Hasan speaks with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who oversaw Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009. Hasan confronts Olmert on war crimes and genocide allegations and asks him whether his Cast Lead operation may have laid the groundwork for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions today. PM Olmert also explains his criticism of Netanyahu and why he thinks the current prime minister tried to undermine the Palestinian Authority.
Sofia Orr is the first Israeli woman since October 7th to be jailed for refusing military service. She's just been released, and tells James O'Brien that she believes it is ‘wrong to take children and make them into soldiers’. Six months on from the start of the war in Gaza, are young Israelis becoming more anti-war?
Dive into the timeless wisdom of Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna, and his philosophy. Explore the profound teachings and contributions of this influential Islamic philosopher, physician, and polymath. From his groundbreaking philosophical works to his advancements in medicine and even a famous "proof" for the existence of God. In this episode, we explore the historical context and legacy of one of history's greatest minds.
This is Maryam Pougetoux. A sister who became a topic of intense discussion in French mainstream media and the victim of threats and insults for no other reason than being a hijabi.
The destination in all cases is one and the same, it is Islam, the religion Allah accepts from humans. Yet, every traveller from any religion, or from "no religion", to Islam has a different starting point. No wonder, every journey is a unique experience. In "My Journey to Islam" we trace the path taken by the travellers and hear from them how their journey was made.
In this episode, we meet Paul Clifford to hear from him about his journey to Islam.
Discover the remarkable life and enduring legacy of Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri. From his leadership during the Algerian resistance against French colonization to his commitment to his Islamic religious beliefs & sufi mysticism. Abd al-Qadir impact reverberates through history. Join us as we explore one of the most fascinating and inspiring figures of modern history.
Except for a few brave voices – such as the singer Annie Lennox, the actress Susan Sarandon and others – voices of some of the world’s most acclaimed feminists have been silent. Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, the hero of the sisterhood, has said little. In fact, she has said that she was “not shocked” by the casualties of Gaza, because “that is what happens in war”. So much for compassion.
After a report in The New York Times – now being disputed for accuracy – played up Hamas’s crimes against Jewish women (which are contested), Sheryl Sandberg, who knows a thing or two about how to influence the media, spoke at the UK House of Lords without a word about the anguish of Palestinian women.
These include mothers who are burying their children or pulling them out of the rubble, sisters who have to take care of orphaned babies, adolescent girls who are getting their first periods without any sanitary products. Not to mention the women struggling to feed their families among a coming human-made famine.
Addameer, a Palestinian prisoner support association, has reported how women in Israeli detention are being subjected to torture, including beatings, isolation and sexual violence. But politicians such as Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, who has given voice to the pain of Ukrainian women and has pledged financial assistance to victims of Hamas’s crimes on a recent visit to Israel, has not said one word for Palestinian women who are victims of military, and alleged sexual, violence.
I have worked in Gaza since the First Intifada, and the past five months have been excruciating, not just because of friends who are trapped inside under the most horrific conditions, but because the dehumanisation of Palestinians has increased globally. And yet Palestine should be a forefront feminist issue. The marches that took place last week for International Women’s Day should have highlighted more their desperate situation.
So why aren’t enough western feminists defending their Palestinian sisters? Maryam Aldossari, a gender equality researcher, has written about what she considers deeper, more systemic problem – that “their brand of feminism perceives Palestinian women as oppressed primarily not by Israel or any other outside force, but by Palestinian men. For them, Palestinian women have little to no agency and are perpetual victims of a society that has gender-based violence engrained in its very core”.
Ms Aldossari explains that there is a perception among westerners that Palestinian men – especially those belonging to socially conservative groups – abuse and oppress women. To their minds, the Israeli army, with all its brutal tactics, is forcefully “liberating” them, the way American soldiers forcefully “liberated” Afghan and Iraqi women during their invasions.
And yet the lens is rarely ever turned on ultra-orthodox Jewish groups living in deeply patriarchal communities, highlighted in Deborah Feldman’s book (and later Netflix series) Unorthodox. Ms Aldossari deems it modern “colonial feminism” that justifies the occupation, the cruelty of the invasions and the extreme violence that Israel wages against Palestinians.
It is true that some organisations, such as Vital Voices (supported by Ms Clinton and feminist activists such as Diane von Furstenberg) have called out to Israel’s leadership to halt the violence, establish a ceasefire and adhere to international and humanitarian law.
But media statements are no longer enough. If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ceased listening to US President Joe Biden – his most important and most strategic ally – then there needs to be a more urgent response to protecting the women and girls (and all civilians) of Gaza.
UN Women says that every day the war continues in the territory, 63 women will be killed, 37 of whom are mothers, leaving their families devastated and unprotected. More than four out of five mothers in Gaza, as of March 1, report that their families eat “half or less” of the food they ate before the war started.
The worst feeling for a mother is having a child who is hungry and cold. If every mother on the planet put herself in the shoes of a Gazan mother for just one moment, there would surely be more outcry at the absolute injustice of what is happening in Palestine.
Unless there is a ceasefire, many more women will die, and families will crumble. The international community needs to act now.
Journalist Jeremy Loffredo goes inside the grassroots Israeli campaign to block desperately needed aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and elicits the shockingly candid views of the Jewish Israeli nationalists manning the barricades.
Setting out on a bus caravan through illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, Loffredo arrives at the Kerem Shalom crossing to Gaza, filming Israeli citizens as they physically block trucks loaded with flour and other essential goods. There, a reservist who served in the military assault on Gaza confesses to an array of war crimes, including blowing up the offices of UN centers dedicated to providing food to the local population.
Loffredo then joins nationalists on a march toward Gaza, where they hope to establish new settlements after the population is violently driven out.
In an exclusive interview with Zeteo in Washington D.C., South Africa's Foreign Minister Dr. Naledi Pandor calls for Benjamin Netanyahu's arrest, denounces Western countries for supporting Israel, and addresses Elon Musk's criticisms of South Africa.
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Lies, graphic fabrications and gory disinformation to manipulate public opinion. Here's how ZAKA, a volunteer organisation founded on Zionist ideologies, helped Israel galvanise public support in the weeks after October 7.
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Hamas’s incursion into Israel on October 7 transformed the politics of the Middle East. Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) has carried out a forensic analysis of the events of that day – examining seven hours of footage from CCTV, dashcams, personal phones and headcams of dead Hamas fighters, and drawing up a comprehensive list of those killed.
In October 7, the I-Unit reveals widespread human rights abuses by Hamas fighters and others who followed them through the fence from Gaza into Israel.
But the investigation also found that many of the worst stories that came out in the days following the attack were false. This was especially true of atrocities that were used repeatedly by politicians in Israel and the West to justify the ferocity of the bombardment of the Gaza Strip, such as the mass killing of babies and allegations of widespread and systematic rape.
In particular the I-Unit reveals that claims by the Israel Defence Force that it found 8 burned babies at a house in Kibbutz Be’eri were entirely untrue. There were no babies in the house and the 12 civilians inside were killed by Israeli forces when they stormed the house.
This was one of a number of incidents where the police and army appear to have killed Israeli citizens.
October 7 is a deep dive into the events that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, the significance of which will reverberate for decades.
Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad discusses the ethical considerations of sustenance during Ramadan. He emphasises the importance of consuming not just “halal” – but also tayyib – food & drink. What is lawful? And what is good? Moving beyond mere legality, Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad advocates for ethical consumption practices aligned with compassion, justice, and responsibility towards all creation, inspiring us to embody prophetic wisdom and mindfulness in our daily choices.
Imam Dr. Omar Suleiman is a Palestinian American world renowned scholar and theologically driven activist for human rights. He is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, and an adjunct professor of Islamic Studies in the Graduate Liberal Studies program at Southern Methodist University. Suleiman was recently awarded the James Joyce Award, an award given by the Literary & Historical Society (L&H) of University College Dublin (UCD), and the highest award granted by an Irish university society. Suleiman is also included in The Muslim 500 - an annual ranking of the world's most influential Muslims compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. In 2019, the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University and Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives recognized Suleiman among 200 honorees who embody the legacy of the abolitionist’s commitment to social change. He is a native of New Orleans, and currently resides in Dallas with his wife and 3 children.
Grief and trauma are natural parts of the human experience, affecting individuals in various ways. In Islam, there are profound teachings and guidance on how to navigate through these challenging times with patience, faith, and resilience. This blog post aims to provide practical Islamic advice on coping with grief and trauma.
Seeking Patience through Prayer and Supplication:
Turn to Allah (SWT) in prayer and supplication during times of distress. The Quran teaches us that Allah is the Most Merciful and Compassionate, and He is always there to listen to our prayers.
Establishing a consistent prayer routine can bring peace and solace to the heart. Engage in regular Salah, seeking solace in the remembrance of Allah.
Understanding Qadr (Predestination) and Acceptance:
Recognize that everything happens according to the will of Allah (SWT). Reflect on the concept of Qadr and understand that trials and tribulations are tests from Allah.
Acceptance of Qadr doesn't mean suppressing emotions but rather acknowledging the divine wisdom behind every event.
Seeking Support from Community and Counselors:
In Islam, community support is highly emphasized. Seek solace and support from family, friends, and the wider Muslim community.
Additionally, consider seeking professional counseling or therapy from practitioners who understand Islamic values and perspectives.
Engaging in Acts of Sadaqah (Charity) and Kindness:
Channel your grief into acts of kindness and charity. Giving in charity not only benefits those in need but also brings immense spiritual rewards and inner peace.
Engaging in voluntary acts of worship, such as fasting, can also serve as a means of drawing closer to Allah and finding solace in difficult times.
Strengthening Faith through Quranic Reflection and Dhikr:
Turn to the Quran for guidance and solace. Reflect on verses that provide comfort and reassurance during times of grief and trauma.
Engage in frequent Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah, such as reciting SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah), Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to Allah), and Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest).
Maintaining Self-Care and Healthy Coping Mechanisms:
Take care of your physical and mental well-being. Ensure you get enough rest, eat healthily, and engage in regular exercise.
Avoid harmful coping mechanisms such as excessive isolation, substance abuse, or negative behaviors.
Being Patient and Trusting in Allah's Plan:
Trust in Allah's plan and have patience during difficult times. Remember that trials are temporary, and Allah's mercy is vast.
Keep faith that Allah (SWT) is the best of planners, and He will guide you through every hardship.
Conclusion:
In times of grief and trauma, turning to Islamic teachings and practices can provide immense comfort and strength. By seeking patience, understanding Qadr, seeking support, engaging in acts of kindness, strengthening faith, maintaining self-care, and trusting in Allah's plan, individuals can navigate through these challenging times with resilience and inner peace. May Allah grant us all the strength to overcome adversity and draw closer to Him through every trial we face. Ameen.
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