A Call to the Silenced: Jihad of the Tongue
يا ايها الذين امنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم ومن يعط الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما
"O you who believe, be mindful of God and speak the truth plainly. God will rectify your affairs for you and forgive you your sins. Whoever obeys God and His Messenger has surely won a mighty victory." (Surah al-Ahzab, 70-71)
If you have ever attended a Friday congregational prayer, you have likely heard these verses from the Qur'an. They are often mentioned at the beginning of the sermon as a reminder and call to action for the believers. The command given here is quite simple and morally intuitive: be mindful of God and speak the truth plainly. As with all simple instructions that are oft-repeated, we have a way of reducing it to a platitude. It goes in one ear and out the other. "Yes, I've heard this before," we tell ourselves. It is not until we are tested by adversity that we finally realize the value of these reminders. Speaking plainly, and fearing God above all else, especially in the face of unspeakable injustice, is just as necessary as it is difficult.
The Israeli Defense Forces' bombardment of Gaza has been ongoing for a month now. The bodies of our brothers and sisters there are still being counted, but the number has already surpassed 10,000--roughly half of those being children. Here in Chicago, we are still reeling from the horrific murder of Wadea Al-Fayoumi and the stabbing of his mother, who could have been any one of our sons or spouses. Pro-Palestine protestors have been shot at and Muslims across the country are being threatened in the streets. As terrifying as these events have been, they are not surprising. The IDF bombs Gazan civilians every few years; and Muslims in America have endured multiple seasons of hate crimes since 9/11. Though we can never accept these things, we have come to expect them.
What has caught many American Muslims off guard over the past month is the widespread threat to our right to speak plainly about these injustices. Reports from across the country are spreading in our private WhatsApp groups, email listservs, and by word-of-mouth that many employers, especially at large corporations, are clamping down on any 'Pro-Palestine' speech--as if opposition to bombing children is a partisan position.
The angst and frustration that has resulted from this curtailment of our rights is already palpable in our communities. It is already impossible to send aid to Gaza. Now we are expected to also sit in silence as innocents are slaughtered in their beds at hospitals and refugee camps? As entire city blocks in the most densely populated place on earth are leveled? All while Israel's claimed enemy, by most accounts, sits largely unaffected in underground tunnels? No, we cannot submit to this reality. God commands us not to submit to this reality.
There is a hadith that I have noticed many American Muslims use as something of a mantra for dealing with injustice. In it, the Messenger of God ﷺ says, “Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot do so, then with his tongue. If he cannot do so, then with his heart, and that is the weakest level of faith.” We use this hadith to comfort ourselves in our powerlessness, which has been all too real for far too long. However, there is another way to understand this hadith: as an order of operations. It is a recipe for changing our apparent state of powerlessness. If you find yourself to be so powerless that you can only hate injustice in your heart, your next step is to speak out--especially if you hope to ever rectify injustice with your own hands.
Many American Muslims, especially those who have already been silenced, will protest that doing so will threaten their jobs, their future employability, and therefore the welfare of their families. And this is true. So what can you do to create the conditions that will allow you to speak the truth plainly? What are your legal and contractual rights? Invoke them. Who are your allies at work, school, or your neighborhood association? Befriend them. Which institutions can put pressure on the institutions that put pressure on you? Call them. Your inability to speak today does not imply your inability to speak forever. Move from weaker to stronger levels of faith.
Secondly, we cannot mistake our fear of consequences for true powerlessness. If there truly were no power in our words, we would be allowed to speak as we please. The unjust suppression of our speech is a sign that it actually might change something. Despite the Zionist veneer of most American institutions, popular support for Israel is trending downward with each generation. Baby boomers, who still hold the reins at many of these institutions, will all reach retirement age by the year 2030. With their departure from the halls of power, pro-Zionist sentiment will drop by twenty percent. Now is the time for building coalitions that can effectively speak out for justice in Palestine and put meaningful pressure on our institutions. We have a voice, we have an audience, and we have the momentum.
God calls us to speak plainly--literally to "speak a word that hits its mark." This implies true speech delivered gently so that our audience will be receptive to it. When God sent Moses and Aaron, upon them be peace, to Pharaoh, one of the greatest tyrants to ever walk this earth, He instructed them to "Speak to him gently that he might take heed or fear Me." We owe this to the tyrants of our times as well, whether they come with bombs or HR complaints. And we must uphold these standards so that we do not one day become the tyrants whom we oppose.
Such things are by no means easy; but they are absolutely necessary. These two prophets of God voiced the same fear that many of us have today: “Our Lord! We fear that he may be quick to harm us or act tyrannically.” God replied to this, saying, "Fear not. Indeed, I am with you both. I hear and I see." God Most High promises us that, in fearing Him and speaking the truth plainly, He will rectify our situation, He will forgive us, and that in these acts lies a mighty victory.
May God give us victory. Ameen.