Don’t Give Up on Gaza: How Knowing Allah Sustains Hope and Resistance | Blog

It has been almost two years since the genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza began—carried out by a murderous and unrelenting occupier, broadcast to the world. Israel has deliberately starved and bombarded 2 million besieged men, women, and children while much of the world stands back to watch. Brave attempts to break the blockade have been met with detention and violence, and those in power who are able to stop the carnage either show Israel outright support or are content with mild words of disapproval.

Although people of conscience continue to be dismayed and more and more of the public are waking up to the reality of this horrific rampage, something within us has shifted. Our efforts have yet to yield any tangible results, and those who speak out continue to be repressed and attacked. Many of us have resigned to the feeling that our actions have no real impact because the issue is so much bigger than what any of us are able to affect. The heartbreak has caused our spirits to be broken. So much of the raw anger we saw in the beginning has turned into numbness. Determination into despair. Action into quiet murmurs.

In life, it’s easy to believe and work for an outcome when things go our way. When our duʿas are swiftly answered and our efforts yield immediate fruit. But who among us will continue to strive with the same energy and resolve when victory does not come on our timeline? Who will continue to cry out to Al-Fattāḥ (the Opener) when every door seems bolted shut? Who will trust in Al-Rabb—the Lord of all—when all worldly forces seem to overpower us?

Sometimes, as believers, we unknowingly fall into spiritual entitlement. We believe. We struggle for justice. We speak the truth. Therefore, we deserve to see victory now. But Allah reminds us,

Prolonged perseverance against oppression is a hallmark of history. Jerusalem was under Crusader control for almost 100 years until Salahuddin liberated it in 1187. European colonialism, marked by its numerous genocides, massacres, and crimes against indigenous populations, spanned three centuries, leaving consequences that persist until today. Yet wherever oppressive systems were overturned, by the will of Allah, it was because the people did not stop—they persevered.

One of the signs of a true believer is in their sincerity and persistence—we are in it for the long haul and we see beyond the immediate setbacks. In the story of Saul (Talut) and Goliath (Jalut) in the Qur’an, a group of people, weary from oppression, asked their prophet for a leader so they could fight in the path of Allah (Qur’an 2:246). They claimed they were ready, “How could we refuse to fight in the cause of Allah, while we were driven out of our homes and [separated from] our children?” (Qur’an 2:246). But at every test, they withdrew. They doubted. They dropped off, until only a handful remained. Yet how could only a handful defeat the mighty army of Goliath? 

A small group can defeat a mighty army because Allah is with the steadfast. Not those who are discouraged by failures, setbacks, and resistance, or those who turn away due to the enormity of the task, or those who simply watch from the sidelines. Allah is with the steadfast.

And what was the outcome?

While Goliath’s army stood powerful and the army of Saul lost the majority of its people along the way, those who remained with Saul were unwavering in their commitment. They persisted. They knew what they were up against, but they also knew that Allah was more powerful than Goliath. They knew that nothing they did went to waste, even in the absence of a worldly victory. They had certainty that Allah was with them—because He was, and He always is.

For many, the pain is just too much. Day after day, witnessing dead children and wailing parents and feeling the guilt of not knowing what else to do, we can often spiral into emotional paralysis. But that guilt and that pain have to move us forward, not hold us back. The latter is from Shaytan. We have to know that there will be an end, and our brothers and sisters who have passed are at peace with their Lord. Every cry of pain, every drop of blood, every hungry stomach, and every tear that fell will be accounted for. We work for an end to the carnage today with certainty there will be justice, whether in this world or the next.

The ability to see beyond this world is a gift. To see Allah before we see anything else. To believe in the promise of Allah to His faithful servants and to be certain that every action is meaningful. Allah is the Rabb who owns all of creation, the One who sustains this world moment by moment, and the One who will hold us all to account on the Day of Judgment. He is the Master who governs the universe and the One who arranges all matters perfectly, even when we cannot see the full picture.

If you see your Rabb before all else, you will understand that every effort matters. You’ll know that Allah is above whatever prevails in this world and you will have certainty that Allah’s control is above their control. Our test is whether we will be materialists and only see the immediate, or whether we believe in and work towards the ideal that we want to establish.

So as Muslims, we cannot stop speaking and reminding. We must renew our resolve and continue to build and join movements for the liberation of our brothers and sisters. We must not belittle the boycott efforts. We must support and stand side-by-side with those brave individuals who are risking everything. We must support and encourage each other through this. And we must wake up at night, every night, and pray.

In the story of Saul and Goliath, the mention of Prophet Dawud (David) only appears at the end. Allah says, “and David killed Goliath” (Qur’an 2:251). It is as though Allah only chooses to mention David at the end so that our focus is less on his personality and more on the general characteristics of those few who persisted. While one would assume that it would be Saul who would defeat Goliath, since he appears as the protagonist of the story, it was actually a young David who assumed this honor and who was part of the small, steadfast group. If your determination is for Allah, you have a grand intention for His sake, and you persevere, Allah Al-Rabb will carry your intention, whether in this life or the next. Those “small” things you do are not small at all, but rather weigh heavy on Allah’s scale, helping to move the needle in this world, by the will of Allah.

So who will we be in the story of Saul and Goliath? Will we be of the people who dropped off when we experienced inconvenience, struggle, and even heartbreak, or will we persevere until the end?