How to Deal with the Genocide in Palestine

The horrors of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and also wherever Palestinians live are unimaginably traumatic. My heart is really there daily, and it can be difficult because we are limited in what we can do, but we can and should do something. First, we can make du’as for the Palestinians who are suffering, and some suggested du’as are here. If there’s any problem accessing it, try this link, from which you should be able to download.

Second, we may need to understand how to handle the aggressive Israeli Propaganda Machine, where lobbyists and pro-genocide activists may threaten and try to either divert attention or even resort to character assassination or threats. We can go on social media to express our views, call and write to our congressmen or representatives wherever we live, as well as participate in protests. But we should be aware of how active the Israeli lobby is in the US and UK, as well as elsewhere, yet be brave enough to speak out. It helps to know how to handle arguments one may face in this situation. Professor Hatem Bazian, who has faced this propaganda head-on successfully, helps us prepare ourselves.

Tahajjud: Prayer of/for the Oppressed

Even though I have published a du’a for the oppressed, this is also a collective recitation in Arabic that itself is very beautiful and moving, and also an English version. As the genocide ongoing in Palestine by Zionist forces aided by the U.S. and some European forces and armaments continues unabated to the shock of people the world over, many of the most sympathetic people are unable to offer much help for them, increasing the pain and sorrow. Public protests have sprung up worldwide. But we can also offer du’a, prayer, this being one example. Even those unable to go out and protest can listen to and participate in this du’a at home. And pray to Allah in your own language. The beauty and power of collective recitation is the soul and meaning of Tahajjud.

In Arabic

In English

Are Muslim Women Deprived of Prayer and Rewards from Ramadan and Laylatul Qadr for having Menses?

This Quora post answers a question from a Muslima who repeatedly missed praying on Laylatul Qadr because of menstruation. Clearly she believes that women should not pray during their menstruation and therefore by adhering to this rule, she missed the night or nights considered by those around her to be that singular night. Quranists would say there is no such prohibition to begin with; still others would say that Laylatul Qadr was only the night in which the Quran was sent but that the notion of our prayers being given a higher value on a specific recurring night more than any other is erroneous. Without delving into those issues relating to Quran vs. Hadith, the answer linked above offers reassurances directly from the Quran that she has not been and will not be deprived of rewards and that such presumptions are unfounded. 

More Du’as for Forgiveness in the Collective Voice

In my previous post of du’as for forgiveness in the collective voice, I had no time to list them all. Here are the rest, including du’as from Moses and his people, from righteous people whose du’a is quoted by Allah on Judgment day as an example of behavior earning paradise, from prophet Ibrahim/Abraham and the people who followed him (whom we don’t hear much about), as well as Adam/Eve (she is not named in the Quran which gives relatively few names for people, but simply referred to as his wife), because the wording of their du’a  is almost identical to that of Bani Isra’il (children of Israel/Jacob) expressing regret after worshiping the golden calf. (Incidentally, the featured photo above is from a collective salat by American Muslims protesting former president Trump’s “Muslim ban.”)

The Celestial Invitation to Supplicate

The most prominent invitation to call upon Allah in supplication or du’a is found in Surat Ghafir, a word that means “Forgiver.” The reference number is 40:60, two numbers whose obvious sum is 100, a “celestial” number which also indicates completion or perfection. So we have a verse in the sura “Forgiver” whose reference number represents “completion” in the sense of “perfecting,” asking us to call upon Him, the Forgiver, in our du’as. This highlights the verse and tells us to pay attention to it, especially as it comes with a warning, as shown above. 

How to Contemplate the Quran

This is so important, and nobody says it like Nouman Ali Khan. We need to all engage in deeper thinking about the Quran, to truly discover its power and message. This is just a “starter,” but look for more on the “Deeper Look” section of Bayyinah Institute on YouTube.

And another video in the “Deeper Look” series relevant to the Du’a series: “where do our du’as go?”

Describes where our du’as go on a deeper level.

Du’as for Protection from Satanic Influence

For this kind of protection, which can be any bad influence, we have an entire sura, An-Nass 114, but there are others as well. These days, many people think of angels and devils as “mythological creatures,” but the Quran tells us they are indeed very real but in other “dimensions” where we cannot perceive them. The word “dimensions” doesn’t exist in the Quran, but rather it states there is a barrier between us and these kinds of beings. Occasionally however people do see them but usually as children or in circumstances where Allah gave permission, such as when angels were sent to the prophets – but they appeared in human form, not their actual form. All people are quite aware of good and bad influences, however. These du’as protect against evil or bad influences both from within oneself or from other people, or from “another dimension.” The word “devil/satan” can be from the jinn in another dimension, or just other people, as mentioned in sura 114. 

Ramadan in Places of Conflict and War

While we offer du’as to Allah for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors and friends, we should consider also offering du’as to Allah for Muslims who suffer from war and conflicts inflicted on them by aggressors from outside of their country. Such conflicts have sadly been common between people throughout history. Here are featured Ramadan in Palestine and Yemen, both victims of well-known conflicts that primarily affect children and civilian populations, and have been imposed upon them by more powerful aggressors, such as Israel backed by the UK, the US, and many allies in the West, and in the case of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. However there are also many other conflicts either ongoing or where ppl suffer the after effects. For links to more pics from other places, see the bottom of this post. (Featured photo above is iftar in Ramadan in Iraq.)

Israel Attacks Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem

https://youtu.be/L4Ez29JfsGM

In the middle of prayers in the holy month of Ramadan, last night Israeli troops invaded the Al-Aqsa sacred mosque during prayers in an ambush, beating women and men who were in the midst of prayer. At least seven were injured and Israel claims to have arrested 500 people. What was their crime? Their crime was being Palestinians in what Israel calls an exclusively Jewish “homeland.” We should collectively as Muslims offer a du’a to Allah to help the Muslims under such oppression and injustice, and to protect all Palestinians regardless of their religion, as mentioned in the previous post.

Du’as for Help against Injustice and Oppression

Here we specifically refer to a group or community (which could be a town or “nation”) of people who collectively engage in oppression and evil/harm against another group of people, and the du’as of those who are the victims. The children of Israel, as described in the Quran, were oppressed by the Pharaoh and his nation (the civilization and people of ancient Egypt), and below is their du’a for deliverance from that oppression. Later, the Muslim community was persecuted by many of their own relatives and neighbors who rejected the faith revealed to Prophet Mohammad, for whom the Quran gives us another du’a below. We now have a world where countless Muslims are persecuted in many different countries and communities by wicked and evil conglomerates, from local regimes to international covert agencies. And their deliverance still begins with a du’a, calling upon Allah the Almighty Whose might and weaponry against these satanic forces, despite their conspiracies and bravado, should never be underestimated. 

Du’a for Paradise in the Quran

One place where almost everyone wants to go, even some who don’t believe it actually exists, is paradise. Muslims understand it to be an actual place with a real description in the Quran of absolute bliss and satisfaction, assured that it is an unimaginable eternal reward from Allah. And asking for paradise is an acknowledgement of its reality in the Hereafter, indicating we aspire to be good people who strive in faith and charity to be accepted by the All-Merciful, and thus is a good thing to do. Our example of a du’a for paradise to be our eternal home is from an unusual source: Pharaoh’s wife. 

Du’a for Parents

This is a du’a given to us by the All-Merciful to ask for blessings and forgiveness for our parents. In the first part of this aya, we are actually enjoined to offer this du’a in love and humility. 

وَٱخۡفِضۡ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحۡمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱرۡحَمۡهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِى صَغِيرًا

And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, “My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.” (Al-Isra’ 17:24)

rabbi ir’ḥamhumā kamā rabbayānī ṣaghīra

This same du’a is often recited among other supplications during the Hajj. Other du’as are below.

Du’as for Patience

Patience is frequently enjoined throughout the Quran, and it is not always easy to have it; thus the Quran shows us du’as for patience. There are two examples; we can ourselves simply ask for His help in becoming more patient, and these examples can give us words and encouragement. We can say “grant us patience,” but the word in the Quran is afrigh ʿalaynā, which means “pour upon us,” also translated “shower us with” – the word afrigh meaning to “pour.” This expresses the need for a great deal of patience and indeed the two examples are of those fighting Galut or Goliath, who was a daunting opponent, and the Pharaoh’s magicians after he said he will crucify them. Obviously these are extreme circumstances requiring extraordinary patience. Here are their du’as:

Du’as for Forgiveness in the Collective Voice

There are so many du’as for forgiveness in the Quran, one wonders why people seek du’as from sources other than the Quran, since these are known to be given to us directly from Allah. This post shall discuss those which are given in the collective voice, using the plural us. Al-Fatiha, which is our prime du’a in the Quran and in salat as well, is in that collective voice. Even though one individual may be reciting, that one is also imploring Allah on behalf of humanity as a whole. The “us” is also referring to fellow believers, those who worship Allah as a whole. But only Allah truly knows who is a believer and who is not; so our prayer is often unspecified and thus praying for “all-in-all.” In the context of the du’a, for example, asking Allah to help us against the “nation” or “people” of deniers/wrongdoers, this du’a is accordingly more specific. In either case, we are not praying for ourselves or even others individually. Below are four important du’as for forgiveness in the collective voice (out of a total of eight) with transliterations, given to us by our All-Knowing Merciful Lord. 

Du’as for a Safe Journey or Trip, from Noah and More

Below are du’as for both long journeys such as that of Noah (reminding us that life itself is a journey to Allah), and shorter trips, as we commonly take daily. The Quran’s narratives of Prophet Noah focus on the ark/ship (in Arabic not a separate word but the same used for any ship) as essentially the refuge that protected he and those with him from the catastrophic flood. It was about the believers being saved by Allah whereas the rejecters/deniers were all drowned. The ship was built over time under Allah’s guidance and also revelation as to how to build it in the same way that the Quran was revealed to prophet Mohammad. Thus the ark is also a metaphor for the Quran itself – those who read and internalize (understand and act upon) its message are like those who boarded the ark, but the catastrophe in this case is Judgment Day and the Finality Al-Akhira – likewise, the those who deny or reject the Quran’s message (including previous revealed scriptures) will be “drowned” in that ultimate catastrophe. Thus prophet Noah’s du’a for a safe journey is also more than that – we can consider it a du’a both for a specific safe journey within this life and a safe journey through our lifetime “in the ark” of the Quran to the Finality. 

Du’a of Facing Allah – Du’a At-Tawajhu

This is a du’a combining 3 Quranic ayat, to be recited at the beginning of the salat prayer before Al-Fatiha. It is called du’a at-tawajhu, which means “du’a of facing Allah.” Surprisingly, I found nothing about it online except some “study notes” for the Bayyinah Institute on a separate website that appears to keep such things online, but it gave no explanation of how it is used, just the du’a and a translation with some notes. It’s basically the du’a of prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), connected to a completion of that du’a given to prophet Mohammad at the end of the same sura (Al-An’am), and a powerful expression of faith in Allah alone (monotheism). 

Du’as for Giving Thanks

Showing appreciation to Allah Who gave us life, sustenance, enjoyment, and beauty surrounding us on earth and in the sky at day and night, is important way beyond what most people think or consider. In the Quran, the word kufr, often translated “disbelief,” really means denial and literally “covering up” – the root word means literally “to cover,” as you can even hear in the pronunciation of kufr like cover. The Quran frequently juxtaposes kufr in opposition to grateful or appreciative. With kufr as the primal sin from which other sins or wrongdoing are derived, this shows us that thankfulness is of monumental importance. The word “denial” encompasses the same two meanings: rejection of Allah the Exalted and His guidance, and denial that anything good is from Allah/God. In the current era, this denial is expressed as “self-sufficiency,” and randomness, that things just “happen” but there’s no meaning to anything other than “facts” devoid of significance except as empirical statistics. The Quran, on the other hand, shows us everything has profound meaning, purpose, and value which is freely given to all. By offering du’as of thanks and praise to Allah, we enhance this attitude and understanding – even science finds that the most balanced, beloved, and joyful people are the most grateful.  

Du’as for Accepting Repentance

There are many du’as for forgiveness, which is in many ways similar or a part of asking for Allah to accept one’s repentance, but there is a distinction. Repentance is especially required in the event of major sin or transgression. Often this involves repeated bad behavior or an attitude that leads to oppressing others. But it can also be for any kind of transgression, even done out of ignorance. The first example of this is that of Adam/Eve (Eve is not named in the Quran but I use it here to avoid confusion since that is commonly used to refer to her even in Arabic, as Hawa’.) And since Ramadan is the month associated with repentance, this is a good way to begin our examples of du’as.

The Necessity of Du’a

This Ramadan, we hope to bring a series of du’as from the Quran, given to us to supplicate Allah in the best possible way. Of course, we can pray (du’a means “pray” in the sense that the English word does, to “supplicate” directly to Allah/God. Before presenting these, however, today we will simply discuss the basic necessity of du’a to be accepted by Allah. The simplest form of prayer, sometimes called “spontaneous” prayer, that comes from one individual from the heart to call upon their Creator/Sustainer, is no less essential than the formal canonical prayer called salat, which means “connection,” and is the way we establish a daily connection to Him. But du’a is always voluntary, and often arises out of some circumstance or need. That connection is extremely important because it is personal and self-initiated. It has no set time or place, no protocols, can be aloud or silent, and Allah promises to respond to it.