Part of Echo of the Pulpits
· Lesson 3 of 48
The language of letters was disrupted | A sermon by Sheikh Tawfiq Al-Sayegh, may God protect him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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Praise be to Allah, and that is sufficient,
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and peace be upon His servants whom He has chosen.
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O Allah, send blessings upon him as long as the morning breeze whispers,
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as long as a turtledove perches in the trees and sings,
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as long as what the Most Merciful has created in the earth and the heavens endures,
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and as long as a monotheistic servant glorifies the Most Merciful.
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“O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die not save as those who have surrendered (unto Him)” (3:102)
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“O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die not save as those who have surrendered (unto Him)” (3:102)
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To proceed:
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Pardon me a second time.
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Yes, pardon me, for spearheads have broken upon spearheads,
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and wounds have melted into wounds; so pardon me
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if my sorrow shows and thoughts grow distressed,
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or if you find in my eyes the tear of the distressed or the grief of the sorrowful.
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Pardon me if my depression becomes evident in the tone of my voice,
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for my anguish has taken firm hold in my chest,
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when I asked and heard no answer to my call.
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Indeed, my grief has almost driven me to madness, so pardon me.
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I would be lying to you, gentlemen, and betraying the pulpit,
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if I told you that my words
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could embody a three-dimensional image
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more profound than the imagery you have witnessed.
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And I would be lying again if I told you
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that a cry from the pulpit could be more heart-wrenching
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than the cry of a grieving mother
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who has lost her entire family down to the last person,
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running back and forth in the hospital courtyard
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searching for her family like someone driven mad.
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Indeed, the event is greater than any speech,
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and the calamity is graver than all such sermons.
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“See they not that they are tested once or twice in every year? Still they turn not in repentance, neither pay they heed.” (9:126)
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We are struck with agony in that part of our body and in that human component.
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“See they not that they are tested once or twice in every year? Still they turn not in repentance, neither pay they heed.” (9:126)
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◁ Truly to Allah we belong, and truly to Him we shall return. ▷
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And we say nothing except what pleases our Lord.
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The preachers, my brothers, will ascend the pulpits this Friday
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to tell us that the duty of the moment is supplication.
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And I agree with them on that.
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But on this Friday,
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I want to establish the premise of supplication and one of its true outcomes.
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Gentlemen, let us agree
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that there is a deficiency among the shortcomings in our practice of religion:
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it is a deficiency in feeling for the cause and for our people.
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Today, I call upon myself and you
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to evaluate ourselves against the standard set by the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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when he said: "The example of the believers in their mutual love,
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mercy, and compassion
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is like that of a single body; if one limb suffers,
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the rest of the body responds to it with fever and sleeplessness."
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Measure yourself against this standard:
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to the extent that your feeling is diminished, your faith has been diminished,
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because the premise inevitably yields the result.
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, says:
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"The blood of all Muslims is equal;
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the asylum granted by the humblest among them is honored by all,
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and they are a single hand against all others."
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I ask myself and you:
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what has changed since we saw the atrocities
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and heard the groans, the agony, and the pain?
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The images of those whose bodies were charred,
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whose limbs were torn apart, whose bellies were ripped open,
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and whose homes, mosques, and places of worship were demolished?
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What has changed in your daily routine today?
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Did you suffer sleeplessness?
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Did you skip your lunch or dinner?
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Did tears stream down your cheeks?
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Did anything at all change in your daily life?
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As long as that does not happen, we remain wanting
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in this essential premise that later produces
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the result: sincere supplication, selfless giving, and so forth.
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Let me take you, gentlemen,
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back to the Master of Mankind, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family.
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There he was in his city,
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when news reached him that seventy of his Companions—the Qur'an reciters—
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were slaughtered to the very last man at the Well of Ma'unah.
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The Bedouin tribes had betrayed them
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and murdered the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
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The Companions of the Prophet testified regarding the Messenger of Allah, saying:
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"The Prophet, peace be upon him, was never seen
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in a state more distressed than on that day."
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His noble face, peace be upon him, altered in color,
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tears flowed down his cheeks,
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and he hastened to prayer, peace be upon him,
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supplicating against the tribes of Ri'l and Dhakwan for an entire month.
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We want to emulate what the Prophet, peace be upon him, did.
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Truly to Allah we belong, and truly to Him we shall return.
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O Allah, reward us in our afflictions
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and grant us better in their stead.
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May Allah bless me and you through the Glorious Qur'an,
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and benefit me and you through its verses, admonitions,
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and Wise Reminder.
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I say what you have heard, and I add no more.
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I say what you have heard, and I seek the forgiveness of Allah for myself and for you from every sin;
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so seek His forgiveness, for successful indeed are those who seek forgiveness.
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Praise be to Allah for His favors,
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and thanks be to Him for His guidance and grace.
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There is no god but Allah, in veneration of His majesty,
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and may Allah send blessings, peace, and grace
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upon our master Muhammad,
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and upon his family, his Companions, and his brethren. To proceed:
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If our hearts are truly stirred with emotion, gentlemen,
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we will reach the state of desperate need in supplication,
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which is among the greatest keys to the heavens and to having prayers answered.
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The Truth, Exalted be His praise, said:
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◁ Is not He [best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him ▷
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◁ and removes evil...? ▷
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The supplication that they spoke of
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is the least form of giving,
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despite the immense power of prayer.
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I ask some people,
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"What have you done regarding this supplication?"
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And some reply, "By Allah, I pray whenever I remember,
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and sometimes I forget."
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No, this is neither what is intended nor what is required!
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What is intended, gentlemen, is that we dedicate this Friday,
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during its hour in which prayers are answered,
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from the 'Asr prayer until the Maghrib call to prayer,
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in supplication for our brothers and sisters.
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What is intended is that we set our alarms
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for the last third of the night,
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during the hour in which Allah, Mighty and Majestic, never turns away a petitioner,
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and ask Allah, the Blessed and Exalted.
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What is intended is that we say our brief words of glorification in prostration quickly
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so that we may devote an extended period of time
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to praying for our brothers and sisters,
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showing our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He,
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that in this simple means available to us,
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we have exerted our utmost capacity and strength.
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O Allah, we turn to You,
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we ask of You, and we place our hope in You,
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fully believing that You are the All-Hearing, the Near, the Responsive,
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from Whom nothing is hidden,
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and from Whom nothing escapes.
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“Say: Shall I seek another than Allah for Lord, when He is Lord of all things? Each soul earneth only on its own account, nor doth any laden bear another's load. Then unto your Lord is your return and He will tell you that wherein ye differed.” (6:164)
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You are the First before everything,
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the Last after everything,
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the Manifest above everything,
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and the Hidden beneath everything,
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“And thou (Muhammad) art not occupied with any business and thou recitest not a Lecture from this (Scripture), and ye (mankind) perform no act, but We are Witness of you when ye are engaged therein. And not an atom's weight in the earth or in the sky escapeth your Lord, nor what is less than that or greater than that, but it is (written) in a clear Book.” (10:61)
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Capable of all things.
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“Say: Shall I seek another than Allah for Lord, when He is Lord of all things? Each soul earneth only on its own account, nor doth any laden bear another's load. Then unto your Lord is your return and He will tell you that wherein ye differed.” (6:164)
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O Allah, You are the Living Who never dies,
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the Sustainer Who never sleeps.
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Exalted is Your praise, and magnificent is Your sovereignty.
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Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty,
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there is no god but You,
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and there is no power or might except with You.
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O You Who rose over the Throne,
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O You Who created and proportioned, Who determined and guided,
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and gave everything its nature and then guided it.
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O You Who says to a thing,
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when He wills it, "Be," and it is!
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O Allah! O Allah! O Allah!
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O Responder to the desperate,
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O Lover of those who plead persistently,
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O Hearer of those who call upon You,
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O Responder to the groans of the weeping!
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We ask You by Your Most Beautiful Names
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and Your Exalted Attributes;
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we ask You by the most beloved of Your Names to You,
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and the quickest among them to be answered by You.
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O Allah! O Allah! O Allah!
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We have come to You in our weakness and humility,
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our destitution and poverty,
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our desperation and need,
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crying out to You,
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supplicating You, and beseeching You
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by the most beloved of Names to You.
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O Allah, O You Who never disappoints those who ask,
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nor turns away those who seek,
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nor delays answering those who plead persistently!
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O Allah, grant an immediate relief!
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O Allah, grant a swift way out!
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O Allah, protect, shield, and preserve our brothers and sisters in Palestine!
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O Allah, safeguard them with Your safeguarding,
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watch over them with Your care,
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and guard them with Your eye that never sleeps!
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O Allah, be their support and backer!
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O Allah, be their helper and protector!
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O Allah, protect them as You protect Your righteous allies!
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O Allah, preserve their sanctity!
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O Allah, preserve their lives!
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O Allah, hear their groans!
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O Allah, answer their earnest supplications!
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O Allah, soothe their affliction!
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O Allah, comfort their sorrow!
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O Allah, mend their brokenness!
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O Allah, lift their stumbling!
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O Allah, accept their martyrs!
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O Allah, have mercy on their deceased!
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O Allah, have mercy on their deceased!
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O Allah, have mercy on their deceased!
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O Allah, be for them and do not be against them!
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O Possessor of Majesty and Honor!
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O Possessor of Majesty and Honor!
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O Possessor of Majesty and Honor!
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O Possessor of Majesty and Honor!
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O Possessor of Majesty and Honor!
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O Possessor of Majesty and Honor!
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Protect them from before them
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and from behind them,
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“Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right hands and from their left hands, and Thou wilt not find most of them beholden (unto Thee).” (7:17)
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and from above them. O Allah, guard them with Your eye that never sleeps,
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erect over them the fortress of Your care,
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O Allah, encompass them with Your guardianship,
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O Allah, enter them into Your protection,
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O Allah, place them under Your security!
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O Allah, watch over them with Your vigilant protection!
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O Allah, fend off harm from them and defend them!
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O Allah, O Allah!
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Send down upon their foes—
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Send to their aid an army from Your legions,
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O You whose soldiers none knows but He!
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Send to their aid an army from Your legions!
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O Allah, hearts are ulcerated with grief;
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hearts are torn apart; body parts have been scattered; homes have been razed; wombs and bellies have been ripped open!
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O Allah, families have been torn apart; to You alone, O Allah, we pour out our sorrow and grief, and none can relieve our complaint but You, nor answer
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the supplication of the desperate except You! O You who said—and Your word is the absolute truth—"Call upon Me; I will respond to you!" O You who said—
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and Your word is the truth—"And your Lord said: Call upon Me; I will respond to you!" O Allah, answer our prayer with swift relief,
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an immediate way out, O Allah! O Allah, deal with the oppressors! O Allah, deal with the oppressors!
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Count their numbers, destroy them utterly, and leave not a single one of them! O Allah, whoever killed our children,
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destroy them! O Allah, whoever poisoned the lives and skies of the Muslims, ruin their lives and shatter their skies!
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O Allah, strip them of Your well-being, and lift from them Your forbearance and sheltering veil! O Allah, they have
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cut off electricity and water from our brothers and sisters; so cut off from them all means
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of well-being! O Allah, sever from them all means of relief! O Allah, show us regarding them what
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has never been seen or heard of among the ancients or moderns! O Allah, display against them the greatness of
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Your wrath, the wonders of Your power, and the marvels of Your might, O You whom nothing can overcome! Transform them
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just as You transformed their forebears before! O Allah, O You who forbade injustice to Himself
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and made it forbidden among His servants, champion the oppressed against the oppressors! O Allah,
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grant victory to the subjugated over their vanquishers! O Allah, deal with them! Uproot
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their very foundation, and show us in their fate the wonders of Your power and the marvels of Your craft, O Allah! O Allah, return us
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to You with a beautiful return, so that we may be worthy of Your aid and more deserving of Your company
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and guardianship. "To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return." "To Allah we belong, and to Him
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we shall return." "To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return." O Allah, reward us in all our afflictions
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and compensate us with what is better than them! Praise be to Allah in blessings and in trials!
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Praise be to Allah in prosperity and adversity! Praise be to Allah in times of loss and in times of gain!
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We say nothing except what pleases our Lord: All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds!
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Straighten the rows and stand properly! Close the gaps! Strive to keep the row upright and aligned!
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Align your shoulders and your feet!
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Allahu Akbar. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds,
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the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
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Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
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Guide us to the straight path—the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor,
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not of those who have evoked Your anger or of those who are astray.
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“Lo! Allah defendeth those who are true. Lo! Allah loveth not each treacherous ingrate.” (22:38)
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“Lo! Allah defendeth those who are true. Lo! Allah loveth not each treacherous ingrate.” (22:38)
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“Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed Able to give them victory;” (22:39)
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“Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty -” (22:40)
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“Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty -” (22:40)
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And were it not that Allah checks people, some by means of others,
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monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is commemorated much would surely have been demolished.
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“Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty -” (22:40)
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Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.
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“Those who, if We give them power in the land, establish worship and pay the poor-due and enjoin kindness and forbid iniquity. And Allah's is the sequel of events.” (22:41)
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And to Allah belongs the outcome of all matters.
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Allah—Allah hears whoever praises Him. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds,
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the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
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Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
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Guide us to the straight path—the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor,
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not of those who have evoked Your anger or of those who are astray.
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By the sky containing constellations,
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and by the promised Day, and by the witness and what is witnessed,
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cursed were the companions of the trench—
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of the fire full of fuel, when they were sitting beside it,
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“And were themselves the witnesses of what they did to the believers.” (85:7)
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“They had naught against them save that they believed in Allah, the Mighty, the Owner of Praise,” (85:8)
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to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth.
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And Allah, over all things, is Witness.
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“Lo! they who persecute believing men and believing women and repent not, theirs verily will be the doom of hell, and theirs the doom of burning.” (85:10)
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For them is the punishment of Hell,
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and for them is the punishment of the Burning Fire.
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Allah hears whoever praises Him.