By Narjis Nichole Abdul-Majid
And what reason have you that you should not fight in the way of Allah and of the weak among the men and the women and the children, (of) those who say: Our Lord! cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors, and give us from Thee a guardian and give us from Thee a helper. Surah An-Nisa verse 75
International Quds Day or Al-Quds day was established in 1979, by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini shortly after the successful Islamic Revolution in Iran. Each year on the last Friday of the Holy Month of Ramadan all Muslims are encouraged to stand with Palestine and denounce the World Power’s silence and complicity in the Israeli crimes against Palestine and its inhabitants. It should be noted that although its called Quds (Jersusalem) Day, it “is a universal day. It is not an exclusive day for Quds itself. It is a day for the oppressed to rise and stand up against the arrogant.” – Imam Khomeini
If ever the ummah needed to get behind a cause or strengthen their bond to the ummah it is in these times of overwhelming oppression where there is not a city on this Earth that does not contain the soul of one oppressed. During this blessed month of Ramadan we are reminded of what we have and what others, our brothers and sisters in humanity have had usurped, restricted or withheld from them. On this last Friday in the blessed month of Ramadan Imam Khomeini was not calling upon Muslims to only think and pray for Palestinian lives. He was calling upon the ummah to remember that oppression knows no gender, age or ethnicity and just as Palestinian lives matter to Allah, Black lives matter as well.
Muslim and Jewish practitioners and leaders including Sheikh Usama Abdul Ghani (center right) protesting on Al-Quds day in 2015.
So whether you join one of the thousands of Al-Quds Day protests or solidarity marches this Friday your heart and duas should find their way to the oppressed. Maybe you are awake and you recognize your oppression and you confidently seek your Lord’s mercy to send you the man from the Prophet Muhammad’s lineage, Imam Mahdi (ajtf) who “will fill the earth with justice and equity as it would be filled with tyranny and oppression.” Or maybe you are not woke yet, but alhumdulilah today is another day to open your eyes and realize as our dear brother Malcolm X did, that Al-Haqq “(Truth) is on the side of the oppressed”.
Why should you come out and protest? Why Al-Quds Day? Message by Shaykh Usama Abdulghani – English Video – MC_Fan – ShiaTV.net Sheikh Usama Abdul Ghani, an American born, Caribbean descended Sheikh explains the significance of Al-Quds day and Muslim engagement.
For a helpful list of Al-Quds Day events: https://themuslimvibe.com/muslim-current-affairs-news/middle-east/al-quds-day-2016-stand-up-for-palestine
Narjis Nichole Abdul-Majid is a part-time lecturer in the departments of Pan African Studies and Humanities at the University of Louisville. Her research interests focus on the African American and Native American Islamic experiences (Slavery-Melungeons-20th Century Islamic Movements-Present Day) with emphasis on minority voices.
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