Fully agree. As a therapist, while treating “non-western” patients coming from collective life traditions,I learnt what a super power faith represents. Thank you for this very important article
Those to whom hypocrites said, ‘Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.’ But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, ‘Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.’
As Muslims, we find great solace in the phrase Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel (حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ) -- "Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs".
I find this fascinating. I've been astonished and moved at the honourable resilience and depth of faith Palestinians show in the face of their suffering - as a European (and one familiar with trauma) it was awesome and mysterious to me; I had never come across anything quite like it. It has affected me deeply, and as a newcomer to learning about Islam, which is fascinating to me, I have been intrigued by the concept of sabr which every Palestinian I have been contact with has shown. I feel perhaps it is something one needs to understand with the heart, rather than a concept; and as you say Western society , individualistic and often isolating, often struggles with this felt and lived sense of faith , community and history. Thank you so much for this great article.
I have many friends in or from Gaza. Several have told me that Gazans pray regularly for their Israeli tormentors, asking Allah to show the Israelis mercy by changing their hearts and leading them to repent of their crimes. Gazans wrestle with rage, hatred, despair, fear, and desire for tevenge, of course, as healthy-hearted humans do under such abuse, but what informs their prayers (and their conversations with me) are mercy, hope, desire for justice, and faith that, despite all appearances, Allah has not turned his back on them.
Thank you for teaching we in the West a most important lesson. So much could be accomplished if we understood how to work with the problem rather than trying to get past or avoid the real experiences of life.
This is my opinion as well. A collective faith is almost unbreakable and that Palestinians know how to endure the harshest of tests proves it. They are my chosen people. 🍉✊🇵🇸
The power of Faith and of Meaning as the grounding for carrying pain, grief, loss. May ALL Palestinians know that We See Them. We Stand With Them. We Pray With Them. ♥️⚖️🇵🇸
Your analysis could almost be a review of psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's famous essay, "Man's Search for Meaning," ironically, penned after his personal experience in a Nazi death camp. Frankl essentially comes to the same conclusion. That faith and belief are essential as human survival mechanisms. But your omitting the Palestinian Christian element from your analysis of the Gaza genocide is unfortunate. Not merely because Christianity is a hopeful, life affirming faith, but because the 95% decimation of indigenous Christian populations imposed by Israeli expansionism since 1948 has not merely gone unnoticed in the West, it's been actively covered up. Still, I'd go as far to say the Gazan (and West Bank, and Syrian, and Lebonese) Christians, sparse as their populations may now be, have been a dramatically disproportionate moral opposing force against the Zionist scourge. As a Christian, I pray that their courageous sacrifices are taken up by the Father to bring peace and justice to the Christian Holy Land where, until 1948, they lived peacefully alongside their Muslim neighbors.
The people of Gaza must take charge of their own destiny by electing worthy and combative individuals who will strive both among the people for the people and against foreign enemies to show the world the first real democracy in the modern world in the 21st century. This can be done through very selfless dialogue, independence of society from foreigners, cooperation and unity, agreeing on what everyone wants, and putting aside differences. They must announce to the world that this council is the Gaza Leadership Council. They must publish the name of this council on all virtual pages so that the people of the world will support it and create social and international capital. Of course, independent governments will recognize it in a way that the totalitarian savagery of capitalism cannot eliminate it. If it is expressed to all the people of Gaza, this is possible, although very difficult.
Fully agree. As a therapist, while treating “non-western” patients coming from collective life traditions,I learnt what a super power faith represents. Thank you for this very important article
From the Quran Surah Al-Imran 3: 173
ٱلَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا۟ لَكُمْ فَٱخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَٰنًا وَقَالُوا۟ حَسْبُنَا ٱللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ ٱلْوَكِيلُ
Those to whom hypocrites said, ‘Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.’ But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, ‘Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.’
As Muslims, we find great solace in the phrase Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel (حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ) -- "Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs".
I wish I could experience this depth of faith. Thank you for explaining it. This gives me much to think about in my own life....
I find this fascinating. I've been astonished and moved at the honourable resilience and depth of faith Palestinians show in the face of their suffering - as a European (and one familiar with trauma) it was awesome and mysterious to me; I had never come across anything quite like it. It has affected me deeply, and as a newcomer to learning about Islam, which is fascinating to me, I have been intrigued by the concept of sabr which every Palestinian I have been contact with has shown. I feel perhaps it is something one needs to understand with the heart, rather than a concept; and as you say Western society , individualistic and often isolating, often struggles with this felt and lived sense of faith , community and history. Thank you so much for this great article.
I have many friends in or from Gaza. Several have told me that Gazans pray regularly for their Israeli tormentors, asking Allah to show the Israelis mercy by changing their hearts and leading them to repent of their crimes. Gazans wrestle with rage, hatred, despair, fear, and desire for tevenge, of course, as healthy-hearted humans do under such abuse, but what informs their prayers (and their conversations with me) are mercy, hope, desire for justice, and faith that, despite all appearances, Allah has not turned his back on them.
Thank you Kevin. Yes that's the impression I have had too from my conversations. It's interesting that Gazans pray regularly for their tormentors.
Thank you for teaching we in the West a most important lesson. So much could be accomplished if we understood how to work with the problem rather than trying to get past or avoid the real experiences of life.
Reading your piece, Palestinian faith reminded me of the Book of Job.
This is my opinion as well. A collective faith is almost unbreakable and that Palestinians know how to endure the harshest of tests proves it. They are my chosen people. 🍉✊🇵🇸
The power of Faith and of Meaning as the grounding for carrying pain, grief, loss. May ALL Palestinians know that We See Them. We Stand With Them. We Pray With Them. ♥️⚖️🇵🇸
thank you this is so important❤️🩹
An excellent analysis of how faith strengthens the mindset and allows Palestinians in Gaza to cope with daily living despite the horrors faced
Your analysis could almost be a review of psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's famous essay, "Man's Search for Meaning," ironically, penned after his personal experience in a Nazi death camp. Frankl essentially comes to the same conclusion. That faith and belief are essential as human survival mechanisms. But your omitting the Palestinian Christian element from your analysis of the Gaza genocide is unfortunate. Not merely because Christianity is a hopeful, life affirming faith, but because the 95% decimation of indigenous Christian populations imposed by Israeli expansionism since 1948 has not merely gone unnoticed in the West, it's been actively covered up. Still, I'd go as far to say the Gazan (and West Bank, and Syrian, and Lebonese) Christians, sparse as their populations may now be, have been a dramatically disproportionate moral opposing force against the Zionist scourge. As a Christian, I pray that their courageous sacrifices are taken up by the Father to bring peace and justice to the Christian Holy Land where, until 1948, they lived peacefully alongside their Muslim neighbors.
The people of Gaza must take charge of their own destiny by electing worthy and combative individuals who will strive both among the people for the people and against foreign enemies to show the world the first real democracy in the modern world in the 21st century. This can be done through very selfless dialogue, independence of society from foreigners, cooperation and unity, agreeing on what everyone wants, and putting aside differences. They must announce to the world that this council is the Gaza Leadership Council. They must publish the name of this council on all virtual pages so that the people of the world will support it and create social and international capital. Of course, independent governments will recognize it in a way that the totalitarian savagery of capitalism cannot eliminate it. If it is expressed to all the people of Gaza, this is possible, although very difficult.