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The End of Oppression
Shaykh Usamah Al Khayyat [(Muharram 22, 1423 (April
5, 2002)]
All praise is due to Allaah. May
peace and blessings be upon the Messenger.
Fellow Muslims! It is of perfect
justice and complete mercy and kindness of Almighty Allaah that He
prohibited injustice for Himself and made it forbidden among His slaves as
well. He says as narrated by His Messenger, “O My slaves! Indeed, I have
forbidden injustice for Myself and made it also forbidden amongst you, so,
do not wrong one another.” (Muslim)
Injustice comes in different colours
and forms but the most repugnant of that is causing aggression on the
earth without right and harming people in their bodies, religion,
property, honour or intellect in different oppressive ways which all wise
and reasonable people unanimously condemn and warn against. That is why it
is explicitly forbidden among the fundamentally forbidden things and
people are warned of its heinous consequences. Allaah says,
“Say (O Muhammad): The things that
my Lord has indeed forbidden are great evil sins whether committed openly
or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners
in worship with Allaah for which He has given no authority and saying
things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge.”
(Al-A‘raaf 7:33)
Allaah also threatens those who take
to oppression with a severe punishment when He says,
“The way (of blame) is only
against those who oppress man and rebel in the earth without justification
for such there will be a painful torment.”
(Ash-Shoorah 42:42)
This severe punishment is only a part
of the later punishment for oppression. The oppressor will also be
punished in this world. The Prophet said, “There is no sin that its
perpetrator deserves to be quickly punished in this world in addition to
the punishment of the Hereafter more than oppression and severing of the
tie of kinship.” (Abu Dawood and others) The worldly punishment of the
oppressor is that he will be afflicted with calamities and will eventually
be humiliated and defeated and his aim will not be achieved.
Brethren in Faith! There are vivid
signs and evidences for you in the stories of past oppressors and those
who spread mischief on the earth. What was the end of Faraoh when he
caused mischief on the earth, divided its people, oppressed some groups,
killing their sons and sparing their females? Was it not that “Allaah
seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression” ?
(An-Naazi‘aat 79:25)
How was the end of Qaaroon who also
oppressed his people because of the treasures of money that Allaah gave
him? Was it not that,
“We cause the earth to swallow him
and his dwelling place. Then he had no group or party to help him against
Allaah, nor was he one those who could save themselves.”
?
(Al-Qasas 28:81)
What was the end of Abu Jahl bin
Hishaam, Umayyah bin Khalaf and other Quraysh folks who transgressed on
the earth and mercilessly oppressed the weak among the first believers?
Was it not that they were all destroyed like other oppressors and victory
and authority eventually given to the believers? Such is the end of all
oppressors; they are eventually afflicted with calamities however
arrogantly they behave or are deluded by their power. This Divine Way is
general and cannot exclude heartbreaking acts of oppression presently
being perpetrated by the Jews in the holy lands and all parts of Palestine
in terms of killings, expulsions, assassinations and starvation without
excluding women, children and old people. This vicious oppression reached
a situation that the injured were left on the road for suffering to death
after these transgressing Jews prevented first aid workers from reaching
them to do their Divinely and legally recognised duties.
It is however very strange that these
malicious Jews claim that these heartless atrocities that they are
committing are in self-defence and that they are their ordained rights. O
people of understanding, is there any ordained right of defence for an
unjust oppressor and a usurping thief or is it only ordained for the
oppressed, whose land, peace and freedom are stolen?
Brethren in Faith! Two things should
be clear to every Muslim in view of the present calamity.
One:
That it is part of the wonderful plan of
Allaah that He grants the oppressor a respite but in the end seize him
with a severe torment from where he cannot escape. The Prophet said,
“Allaah gives respite to an oppressor so that when He seizes him, He never
releases him.” The Prophet then recited: “Such is the Seizure of your
Lord, when He seizes the (population of the) towns while they are doing
wrong. Verily, His seizure is painful, and severe.” (Al-Bukhaaree)
It is just a respite so that the
oppressor can increase in his oppression and earn as a result greater and
more severe punishment.
Two:
It is the Way of Allaah that when He afflicts His believing slaves with
calamities, He only tests, teaches them, and purifies and honours them
with that. But when He afflicts the disbelievers with a calamity, He
destroys them and punishes them severely with that. He says,
“If a wound (and killing) has
touched you, be sure a similar wound has touched the others. And so are
the days, We give to men by turns, that Allaah may take martyrs from among
you. And Allaah likes not the wrong-doers. And that Allaah may test (or
purify) the believers and destroy the disbelievers. Do you think that you
will enter Paradise before Allaah tests those of you who fought (in His
cause) and also tests those who are patient?”
(Aal ‘Imraan 3:140:142)
Therefore, the end belongs to the
pious and victory and authority belong to the patient and enduring; those
who are certainly sure that victory comes with perseverance; that relief
comes with distress and that there is ease after hardship. Allaah says,
“Or you think that you will enter
Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before
you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so
shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said:
‘When (will come) the Help of Allaah?’ Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allaah
is near.”
(Aal ‘Imraan 3:214)
Fellow Muslims! Lessons of history
and human experiences have shown that whenever the power of oppression and
its danger become severe, that is a sign of its imminent disintegration
and decline. Indeed, strong belief in Allaah, sincere trust in Him and
honest return to Him, in addition to perseverance, giving brotherly
assistance from all Muslims and mutual cooperation; all these together
strengthen the hope that the distress will soon be removed; that the
aggression of the enemy will be stopped; that the army of oppression will
soon be defeated and that Allaah’s victory, with which He blesses
whosoever he wishes, will eventually come.
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