Episode Details

Lessons from the Seerah

When we look at the sīrah, in the seventh year of Prophethood, the challenges facing the Muslims were unbearable.

At first, the Quraysh mocked and insulted. But when insults failed, by the fifth year they turned to violence—abusing, torturing, even killing some of the early Muslims. When that too didn’t stop the daʿwah, they escalated further: a total boycott against the Muslims and Banū Hāshim, the Prophet’s own tribe.

No one was allowed to buy from them, sell to them, marry them, or even speak to them. Forced into the valley of Abū Ṭālib, the Muslims suffered starvation. At night, the Quraysh could hear the cries of hungry children echoing from the valley. It became so unbearable that some of the Quraysh nobles themselves—polytheists, not Muslims—like Muṭʿim ibn ʿAdī and Zuhayr ibn Abī Umayyah, stood up and said: This is not right. These are our people, even if we differ in religion.

One day Zuhayr stood with his back to the Kaʿbah, facing the leaders of Quraysh. He declared: Our brothers and sisters are starving in the valley because of us. I will not sit down until this boycott is broken. And not long after, the boycott was lifted.

A Parallel to Today

Brothers and sisters—this was 1,400 years ago. Today, history repeats itself. Our brothers and sisters in Gaza are starving—not because of food shortage, but because food is blocked, burned, or left to rot. Just last month, 500 tonnes of food were discarded because of the blockade.

If Quraysh—who did not believe in lā ilāha illā Allāh—could act out of nothing more than blood ties, then what excuse do we have, we who claim faith? We say faith is thicker than blood—so why aren’t we doing more?

Acting Within Our Means

Yes, our anger is real. But we are Muslims—we act with discipline, bound by the Sharīʿah. That means we work within the legal framework of the country we live in. We don’t take matters into our own hands violently. Instead, we use the means available to us—and al-ḥamdu lillāh, here in Australia, there are means.

And we’ve seen this before in our history. When Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders in 1099, the Khalīfah in Baghdad was doing nothing. It was a single qāḍī, Abū Saʿd al-Ḥarawī, who mobilised the people. After Jumuʿah prayer, he gave speeches, organised protests, and led the masses to demand action from the Khalīfah. Week after week, protest after protest, until the Khalīfah was forced to act.

Power of Protest

That’s how politics works. Leaders move when people move.

We saw this not long ago in Sydney—hundreds of thousands marched across the Harbour Bridge. And within a week, the Australian government shifted its diplomatic stance. Suddenly, they were talking about recognising Palestine. Suddenly, they were criticising Israel—something unimaginable just months before. Why? Not because the Prime Minister had a dream, but because the people marched.

Call to Action – Perth Rally

So brothers and sisters, this Sunday, we have the chance to stand up and be counted. Yes, the weather forecast says it will rain. But what is rain? Just water. Al-ḥamdu lillāh, Allah created our skin waterproof.

Our brothers and sisters are rained upon with bombs and bullets. We will only be rained upon with water. So bring an umbrella, bring a jacket—and bring your friends. Convince those who’ve never attended a rally before. Come shoulder to shoulder with your fellow Australians, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, demanding justice for Palestine.

On Salahuddīn

Every time a calamity strikes Palestine, people ask: Where is our Ṣalāḥuddīn?

But Ṣalāḥuddīn did not appear in a vacuum. He didn’t descend from the sky with angels. He was the product of decades of groundwork. It started with people like Abū Saʿd al-Ḥaraw