Ali Hammuda

Relating a remarkable dream that he saw, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH said:

بينا أنا نائم، إذ رأيت عمود الكتاب احتمل من تحت رأسي فظننت أنه مذهوب به، فأتبعته بصري فعمد به إلى الشام، ألا وإن الإيمان حين تقع الفتن بالشام

“While I was sleeping, I saw the pillar of the book lifted from beneath my head. I thought it was being taken away, so I followed it with my eyes and it was taken to al-Sham. Indeed, Iman, when the trials occur, will be in al-Sham.”

Explaining what 'the pillar of the book' refers to, Ibn Taymiyya said:

وَعَمُودُ الْكِتَابِ مَا يُعْتَمَدُ عَلَيْهِ ، وَهُمْ حَمَلَتُهُ الْقَائِمُونَ بِهِ

“The ‘pillar of the Book’ is in reference to that which is leaned upon i.e. the people who bear the book and will uphold it.”

So, it's in reference to the people who will carry this religion. They ‘were lifted from beneath my head’, meaning they were taken from Madina - as this was where the Prophet PBUH rested his head - and transferred to al-Sham.

The summary of this prophecy is clear -

As we edge towards the end of times, Islam’s load bearing capital will be transferred to al-Sham.

The narrations that speak in praise of al-Sham (Greater Syria/ The Levant) are quite unique in comparison to those about other regions of the world.

While narrations may focus on the virtue of certain lands — like Mecca and Medina— or virtue of certain nations — like Yemen — al-Sham stands out for being praised both for its blessed land and its exceptional people.

Examples of praise of al-Sham's land include:

ونَجَّيْنَاهُ وَلُوطًا إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا لِلْعَالَمِينَ

“We saved him, along with Lūṭ, to the land We had showered with blessings for all the worlds.” (Al-Qur'an 21:71)

Examples of praise of al-Sham's people include:

عليك بالشامِ فإنها خِيرةُ اللهِ من أرضِه، يجتبي إليها خيرتَه من عباده

“Stick to Sham, for it is Allah’s chosen land, to which He gathers His chosen servants.”

And said:
إذا فسدَ أَهْلُ الشَّامِ فلا خيرَ فيكم

“If the people of Sham become corrupt, there will be no goodness left in you.”

Over the course of 471 days, the Gazans have demonstrated why the above is so true.

They endeavoured to drive the Gazans to the Sinai desert. It failed.

They said ‘we will never withdraw from Nitsarim corridor’. They’re withdrawing.

They spent millions to control the narrative, yet the narrative has spun out of their control without cost.

They employed every mechanism to portray themselves as the sole truth tellers. Today, the entire world interprets their intent by reading their every statement in reverse.

They applied the cruel ‘Generals’ Plan’ – a plan to starve the north of Gaza – but it collapsed.

They said Palestinians returning to the North is their red line. Now, at this very second, Palestinians are returning to the north in images that can only be compared to the days of Hajj.

Their billion-dollar strategy to divide Palestine, isolating North from South, Gaza from Palestine, and Palestine from the world, has led - after 471 days of apocalyptic destruction - to their own isolation.

They sought to erase Palestinians and their memory through their sadistic and unhinged killing machine. Today, their image is forever etched onto the hearts of Muslims and non-Muslims for generations to come.

Whilst the immediate future for Gaza is no doubt uncertain, what the above demonstrates beyond doubt is that -

(1) No one controls the universe but Allah and that His Will is above every will -

وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

"Allah has full control over His affairs, but most of the people do not know."
(Al-Qur'an 12:21)

(2) Patience and reliance upon Allah render man unconquerable -

إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

"Indeed, anyone who fears Allah and is patient, then surely Allah does not waste the reward of the good-doers." (Al-Qur'an 12:90)

Alhamdulillah for blessing us - in a world of utter depravity - with true ethics and civility.

Alhamdulillah that we've lived to witness Sahaba-like belief and determination.

Alhamdulillah for all that has transpired.

Alhamdulillah for all that we understand and for that which we do not.

Alhamdulillah for the gift of Islam.

A beautiful perspective

A sign of the Ummah's health? Here's one measure

It is worth noting that on the first day of the ceasefire, not a single case of theft, looting, or assault was recorded, despite hundreds of trucks passing through the Gaza Strip.

This highlights three key points:

- This is a remarkable nation who, after enduring one of the most brutal acts of genocide in human history, emerged with the same values and discipline they had before the war.

- The Gazan community and their general public are capable of restoring security across the entire region within an hour — a remarkable feat that deserves deep reflection.

- The majority of violations, thefts, and looting incidents that occurred in earlier months were not the result of internal corruption but were orchestrated, facilitated, and/or protected by the occupation.

This reminds us of Prophet Yusuf. Before he entered prison, people said:

إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

"Indeed, we see you as one of those who do good." (Qur'an, 12:36)

And after he was released, others recognized him with the exact same words:

إِنَّا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

"Indeed, we see you as one of those who do good." (Qur'an, 12:78)

Righteous people do not change, even if their circumstances do.

Until yesterday, Gaza was the symbol of miraculous patience. Today, it has become the symbol of both miraculous patience and victory.

Until yesterday, Netanyahu was the symbol of corruption. Today, he has become the symbol of both corruption and abject defeat.

"We stay on our land .."

The tears of pain and joy 🇵🇸

We honestly have no more time for self-belittlement and endless mourning. We've done all that. It's time to find your place within the Ummah's growth. Here's how you can do that -

🎥 https://youtu.be/K7eFlvLuwx8?si=gGc4SM8EzLy6UVPG

Our first partnership 🤝

An update to our 30,000 donors so far. May Allah accept your support.

📹 https://youtu.be/Cf4f5uMQtJE?si=ewKWjWfn84wtHwNm

The petition:
https://chng.it/hgVshMk5kM

Mai - A phenomenal Gazan woman

In a 60 second video that went viral, Mai was a teacher of teachers.

📹 https://youtu.be/VGCWaf7yYH4?si=ua3oLIPD0d--YHRz

"Will you allow people to drink alcohol?" [adapted]

During their fifty years of Ba'athist rule, Hafez al-Assad killed forty thousand in Hama alone. His son killed half a million more. He displaced three million people to the ends of the earth. He bombed them with chemical weapons and barrel bombs, targeting them even in their tents. Over 200,000 people remain missing, their fates known only to Allah.

The gates of Saydnaya prison were opened, and the world discovered that all the literature written about prisons could not capture even a single chapter of its horrors. Yet, throughout all these years, Bashar al-Assad remained president, and no one—neither in the East nor the West—seemed alarmed.

In the East, he was invited to summits as a head of state. He ascended platforms to lecture about Israel's crimes in Gaza—crimes not so different from those he committed against his own people. Still, he provoked no fear, even though everyone knew he was the most ruthless bloodsucker of modern times. His allies whispered that he handed over their coordinates. They realized, too late, that his only loyalty was to his throne. Yet, until the morning of his escape, he inspired no alarm whatsoever.

Then the revolution triumphed. Syrians returned to their homes, families, and memories. But suddenly, the entire globe was gripped with fear.

Damascus became a hub for diplomats from every direction, all seeking to understand how the victors would govern their country. Television networks spoke about them, and they dominated the headlines. The BBC conducted an interview with their leader, posing an endless stream of condescending and nauseating questions. But with all the above in mind, two of the most baffling questions were:

"Will you allow women to be educated?"
"Will you allow people to drink alcohol?"

Now, all of a sudden, the world was concerned about the right of Syrian women to education. But where was this concern for their right to life? For thirteen years, women were bombed with barrel bombs and chemical weapons. For thirteen years, they were widowed, systematically raped, their children were killed, and husbands buried alive. Yet no one in the world moved a finger. Not a single feminist conference was held for them. Europe didn’t rise to their aid as it did for Ukraine. But now, the world conveniently rediscovered its conscience, asking:

"Will Syrian women have the right to education?"

This is an all-too-familiar pattern.

The world didn’t weep for Afghan women as they succumbed to years of aerial assaults, but the moment the U.S. withdrew, the world suddenly rediscovered Afghan women whose “rights needed protection.”

Similarly, who among the elites cries for the women of Gaza today as they face annihilation for 446 days? But you will see—once the genocide ends, Gaza’s women will suddenly have rights that need to be demanded.

And then there’s the BBC’s second question:

"Will you allow people to drink alcohol?!"

Where were you when the tyrant was drinking their blood before your very eyes? Where were you when men tasted utter despair and humiliation in prisons, when scores were condemned to executions on a daily basis, when women gave birth to their children in captivity, the fathers of whom were their very captors?

For fifty years, the regime was left unchecked, free to do as it pleased. In fact, Blair even suggested knighting Bashar, and was offered royal accommodation at Buckingham Palace—all while Syrians were being incinerated in mass graves.

But who cares?

Yet when the oppressed finally revolted and freed themselves, the world was suddenly gripped with fear, rediscovered morality, and asked:

“What about women’s education and alcohol?”

What a world of hypocrisy.

"My Istikhāra (prayer of consultation) failed.."

📹 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DD2QMPfxhCV/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Our Ways in Making Decisions - Ep. 12

📹 https://youtu.be/Ae9eCN6AwTI?si=tpM1EsfTthCZUGIf

"Who invited this simp?"

Khalid Nabhan: yet another face of Palestinian patience, defiance, and unbreakable Iman that the sadistic killing machine of Israel has claimed.
Their intentions are clear: a calculated effort to annihilate the remaining icons of Palestine before an eventual ceasefire, stripping the oppressed of any symbol from which strength might be drawn.

But they are too late. The reformation of hearts and minds has already occurred. His memory, and the memory of those like him, is now interwoven into the very DNA of the 21st-century Muslim.

Khalid—meaning "the eternal"—and Nabhan—"the attentive/alert one"—has achieved his name, having become an eternal source of inspiration, while simultaneously alerting the entire globe to the monstrosity of the oppressor.

What they feared would happen by keeping him alive has already happened.

"وَنُرِيدُ أَنْ نَمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ، وَنُمَكِّنَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنُرِيَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَحْذَرُونَ."

"And We wished to favor those who were oppressed in the land, to make them leaders and to make them inheritors, and to establish them in the land; and to show Pharaoh, Haman, and their soldiers through them that which they had feared." (Qur'an, 28:5-6)

"Why would they laugh at them?"

Du'a never goes to waste

Our Ways in Social Gatherings | Episode 11

We, the human race, are social creatures. Almost all of us desire the company of others on a regular basis. Seeing that every social gathering is a moment where so much is at stake with respect to good deeds or sins, it's key to ask: what are our ways in such gatherings?

📹 https://youtu.be/MmlhmrlUarQ

A question that no one is asking today

There are still thousands of prisoners stuck in the horrific Saydnaya prison in Damascus, mainly women. Although there are cameras that show the prisoners in their cells (who remain completely unaware that their country has been liberated), rescuers have no idea how to get to them because of the unknown whereabouts of these underground dungeons.

May the curse of Allah be upon all those who had a hand in this

https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2024/12/8/%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%88%D8%A3%D8%B7%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%88%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A9

It's as if ones heart has split right down the middle;

Half of it flutters in utter joy for us in Syria, whilst the other half of it cries for us as Gaza, Sudan and other parts of the Muslim world bleeds.

Ya Allah. Fulfill our joy.

Dear Shaykh - many people are asking Has Allah abandoned us in Gaza?

A proud moment for us

Phones and awkward moments

Alhamdulillah, I'm honoured to announce our Waqf's chosen charity partner.

Ya Rabb, bless this partnership, allow it to ease the suffering of your allies in Palestine and to empower it's advocates globally.

No further comment needed.

The journey of a child and the parent's response for each phase.

📽 https://youtu.be/M4NcKdmj3kQ

Breaking the hearts of Muslims

Raising strong, dignified and righteous children in the 21st century

📹 https://youtu.be/lP5t-AKiJZA?si=1RrHFWJMHS9woYGQ

Remarkable interview with Francesca Albanese

"Who are we to feel helpless? We do not have the luxury to feel helpless"

https://youtu.be/6oTS1EE0hWY?si=bZowFh7VoFIzJS3v

Instruction + underlying philosophy

This is the correct ordering of messaging

Differentiate between the carriers of the cause and the cause itself

During scandalous revelations

A four-part approach to coping with tragedy we witness on others or experience ourselves.

🇵🇸 https://youtu.be/fKwJaIKF_SU?si=hll-O0JauTYAMgtS

Our Ways in Raising Children Pt.1 | Episode 7

If you believe in death and in the Hereafter, then you’ll recognize that raising righteous and effective children is among the most important work, and neglecting it is the ultimate loss. How can we safeguard our children and ensure their Islamic upbringing in today's challenging environments? This three-part series seeks to answer that.

📹 https://youtu.be/O2c6QnHeGJY

The suffering of the two faced-ones

"What terrorists do .."

🇵🇸

Our Ways Towards Parents | Episode 6

Countless mothers and fathers lie awake at night, their pillows soaked with tears, tormented by the backtalk, the cold stares, the disregard for household duties, and an awful sense of entitlement, posturing as though the world owes them something. What’s even more alarming is that nearly every parent will tell you the same thing—none of this happened a decade ago.

📹 https://youtu.be/e173ne2ysxU?si=3BHwE2mSNtaThomr

The Gift of Pain | Australia tour | Sydney

Pain is not something that most of us would count as a blessing. Most of us, if given the choice, would prefer to never need to take painkillers. However, Dr. Paul Brand, a British surgeon and author of the book “The Gift of Pain”, offers a uniquely different perspective, arguing that pain is a gift that none of us want and yet none of us can do without.

📹 https://youtu.be/QzsDaFgRCwg

Ethnic cleansing of the north of Gaza LIVE as you read this..

Our Ways With Prophet Muhammad ﷺ | Episode 5

The greatest of worshippers, the most praised of all people, and the finest of all creation - This is who Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is in the sight of Allah. Join us as we find out why.

📹 https://youtu.be/Y6izVIY5GEI?si=0aV8T1WUIgzaSEom

What image will you present when it's your turn?

Our Marks on Life | A Friday Sermon in Zanzibar's Central Masjid

Searching for happiness in a self-centred world

🎬 https://youtu.be/gB8I4wpSQr4

Onwards to Zanzibar!

The truest of all formulas

Our Ways With Prophet Muhammad ﷺ | Episode 4

The greatest of worshippers, the most praised of all people, and the finest of all creation - This is who Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is in the sight of Allah. Join us as we find out why.

🎬 https://youtu.be/4pcrRzbkHy0

The work for Palestine has just begun! | Waqforever update

🎬 https://youtu.be/vyVuzomf6wQ

We're excited to share an update on all what we've done so far with your funds in making the Waqf for Palestine a reality.

Donate via:
https://donorbox.org/gaza-waqf

Today, some tears will matter more than others

Our Ways With Allah ﷻ (continued)| Episode 3

If Adab (mannerism) is required between a child and parent, between a student and teacher, and from the young towards the elderly, what then of the Adab owed by the created towards the Creator, the finite towards the Infinite, the worshipper towards The Worshipped? In this episode, we discover what it means to be of Adab towards Allah.

🎬 https://youtu.be/fRSTdc9cdfo

Our Ways With Allah ﷻ | Episode 2

If Adab (mannerism) is required between a child and parent, between a student and teacher, and from the young towards the elderly, what then of the Adab owed by the created towards the Creator, the finite towards the Infinite, the worshipper towards The Worshipped? In this episode, we discover what it means to be of Adab towards Allah.

🎬 https://youtu.be/zCGFsPImmEg

Why 'Our Ways'? | Episode 1

Computer chips are ever-smaller; computer processors ever-faster; mobile phones ever-more dynamic. But one thing is for sure; technological advancement have not necessarily translated into improvements in the human condition, certainly not from a moral perspective.

No religion, nation, or civilization—past or present—has devoted as much attention to the concept of Adab (manners) as Islam has. In fact, this dimension stands as one of its most miraculous aspects. Join us as we explore our ways with Allah, with all of creation, and with ourselves.

🎬https://youtu.be/4hsnu2qJusM

It is never an isolated pain

Light Upon Light presents the Winter Conference

🎟️ Book your tickets
www.lightuponlight.co.uk/wc24

Her soul departs ever so calmly, transitioning from our temporary world to the permanent one, as she says to her father "I see them, two of them."

There, with Allah, she will complain of an Ummah that had abandoned her..