An Urgent Petition to God!

I am heartbroken that we are witnessing so many trials and atrocities committed against Muslim and non-Muslim peoples and we are seemingly helpless to stop it. We are protesting, begging, appealing, and threatening boycotts, writing letters to politicians, and asking the creation to help us, feed us, accept us, love us, tolerate us, befriend us, be just to us, to listen to us, send aid to us, to dialogue with us. Yet, the destruction continues unabated. The atrocities mount, the injustices continue by us, and against us. The annihilation and murderous rampage in Lebanon is just the latest in a long list of human savagery against its own kind.

I believe that the matter is beyond us, that it requires intervention by One who never sleeps, who hears every prayer, who keeps every promise, who is Just, and commands justice and who has power over all matters. It is the way of Prophets that in times of urgency, they call upon Allah ; that they acknowledge their wrongs, and turn to Him. Starting with the Prophet Adam and his wife; "Oh our Lord, surely we have wronged our own souls and if you do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, then surely we shall be amongst the losers."¹ The Prophet Jonah ; "And he cried out in the darkness, there is no God but thee, glory to Thee, surely I have been among the wrong doers."² Thus Allah said of him; "And had he not been of those who glorify (Me) he would have dwelt in his belly until the day that they are resurrected."³

And our Lord heard the cry of the pleading woman from above seven heavens: "Verily Allah has heard the word of the woman who argued with you regarding her husband and she complained to Allah, and Allah heard your discourse, surely Allah is the All Hearing and All Seeing."⁴ The Prophet Zakariyya , called upon His Lord and asked for a son in old age: "Oh Lord grant me from you a righteous progeny, verily You hear prayers; and the angels called him while he was praying in his niche (saying) verily Allah gives you glad tiding of Yahya as a confirmation and a word from Allah."⁵

I am ashamed to my Lord that we seem to be asking for everyone's help, when we have a Lord who merely has to say "be" and it becomes a reality. I am suggesting that we suspend all appeals for a moment, and appeal to the One who hears all prayers, who knows all events and who has power over all things. For a moment, instead of press conferences, boycotts, and pleas, we should turn our attention to Allah . I am confident that if we show Allah that we are willing to change, that we put our trust in Him, and turn collectively, to Him for help, He will help us. If we demonstrate to Allah that we are patient with adversity, surely our Lord is a Good Lord; He will send glad tidings upon us. "So give tidings to the patient, those who when affliction befalls them they say; "Surely we are from Allah and surely to him we shall return, upon such are the salawaat from their Lord and such are those who are rightly guided."

I swear by Allah, in whose hand is my soul, I believe that if we as a global Muslim community, call upon Him, He will answer our prayers. I am advising that we all repent to Him, and instead of collecting signatures, we collect trash from the street, sandwiches for the needy, money for the children in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Darfur, Watts, Harlem, and the ghettoes of Europe, Africa and Asia. Instead of political discourse during our Jum'ah prayers should we talk about Allah. We should glorify His Holy name, we should praise Him, call upon Him, pray together and beg him for mercy, for forgiveness, for change. Surely Allah hears those who praise Him

I was inspired to write the following supplication, and I am confident that if millions of us around the world, say this or something similar to it, with sincerity, we shall see a change in our condition very shortly. We have nothing to lose and so much to gain. Wa Allahu Must'taaan, a bihi tawfiq

Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad

Quranic Notes:

7:23 Al-Aaraaf
21:87 al-Anbiyaa
37:144 As-Saaffaat
58:1 al-Mujaadila
3:37-38 al-Imraan

Duaa for Global Change

Yaa Allah, we bear witness that there is no God except You and that Muhammad is your Messenger,

Yaa Allah, I have wronged my own soul and I beg for your forgiveness,

Yaa Allah, we the Muslims have wronged ourselves and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, then surely we shall be of the lost.

Yaa Allah, we believe in You, and in Your Book that you have sent, and in Your Prophet that you have dispatched to mankind,

Yaa Allah we bear witness that we are all paupers compared to you and that You are without need.

Yaa Allah, we bear witness that there is no mercy except Your mercy.

Yaa Allah, we bear witness that there is no safety except that which You grant, that there is no refuge except that which You give.

Yaa Allah, we bear witness that there is no humanitarian aid except that it comes from Your khazaa'in (storehouses), send sustenance to our hungry for you are Khairul Raaziqeen (the Best Sustainer).

Yaa Allah we bear witness that no one has power greater than Your power,

Yaa Allah, we bear witness than none is to be feared except You, yaa Rabbanaa, free us of our fear.

Yaa Allah we reject the tyrants and believe in you; for you are the Just, and you command justice, send justice to our suffering.

Yaa Allah, we bear witness that no one holds our future in their hand except You, we entrust our affair to You, oh wisest of the Wise, free us from our dependence except upon you.

Yaa Arrahmaan You are the Guardian of those who believe, guard us,

Yaa Haadi, You are the Guide and without You there is no guidance, guide us,

Yaa Allah, make us so that we do not ask except of You.

Yaa Allah, it is You that hears every cry, make us so we do not beg except from You.

Yaa Allah make us so that we do not seek to be loved, except by those whom you love, and show us the path to Your love.

Yaa Muqallib al-Quloob, turn our hearts to You, and make our faith firm in Your Word and in Your promise for surely Oh Beneficent One, you do not break Your promise.

Soften our hearts so we shall not be stingy, free us of greed, free us of consumerism, free us of our addiction to the marketplaces, free us of our attachment to this world.

Yaa Allah, make us so that we do not seek to be accepted by anyone except You,

Yaa Allah, make us so that we see Your signs and believe in them, and make us not of those who turn a blind eye to Your signs

Yaa Allah, we bear witness that there is no life except that which You granted, and that no soul is taken except that You send for it,

Yaa Allah, we bear witness that there is no glory except Your Glory, that there is no healing except Your Healing, heal us yaa Rabb, heal our hearts, heal our communities, heal our wickedness, heal our dependence on other than You, Glorious and forever Exalted be Thy Name.

Yaa Allah, You are the Lord of the East and the West.

Yaa Allah, you are the Lord of the righteous and the wicked.

Yaa Allah, you are the Lord of the Arabs and the Jews,

Yaa Allah, you are the lord of the Lebanese, you are the Lord of Israelis,

Yaa Allah, You are the Lord of the Iraqis, you are the Lord of the Iranians, You are the lord of the Kurds.

Yaa Allah, You are the Lord of the Sunnis, you are the Lord of the Shiites, you are the Lord of the Christians, and You are the Lord of the Muslims.

Yaa Allah, you are the Lord of the British, you are the Lord of the Americans, you are the Lord of the French, and You are the Lord of South Africa,

Yaa Allah, You are the Lord of Malaysia, You are the Lord of India, You are the Lord of Pakistan, you are the Lord of Chechnya,.

Yaa Allah, You are the Lord of Bosnia, You are the Lord of the Philippines

Yaa Allah, you are the Lord of Darfur, You are the Lord of New Orleans, You are the Lord of Indonesia, and You are the Lord of Afghanistan,

Yaa Allah, there is no creature in this universe except that You are their Lord and Master and to this we bear witness,

Yaa Rabbil Aalameen. Bring relieve to those who are suffering.

Yaa Allah, there is no man or woman who walks, crawls, rides, or flies upon this earth except that they will come before You on the Day of Judgment.

Yaa Allah, change the hearts of those who kill the helpless, of those who persecute the blameless, and of those who imprison the innocent.

Yaa Muntaqim, if you avenge the innocent, then You are the Lord of the innocent, if You punish the wicked, then surely they are Your servants, and if You forgive them for surely you are the Forgiving and the Merciful

Yaa Mutakabbir, rid me of my arrogance, rid us of our arrogance, for the arrogant shall not be granted entry into Your Garden

Yaa Malikul Mulk, you are the King of Kings, you give Your Kingdom to whomever you please, and You take it away from whomever You please, and You exalt whom You please, and you belittle whom you please and it is You who has power over all things.

Yaa Allah, it is You who turns the night into day and it is you who turns the day into night and it is You who takes life from the dead and it is You who take death from the living and you sustain whomever You please without measure.

Yaa Allah, the sun and the moon is under Your command, the wind and the rain move by your decree, and the heat of the sun compares naught to the heat of the hell fire.

Yaa Rabb, save us from the torments of hell, from the pain of death and from the punishment of the grave

Yaa Allah, make us not a trial for those who do not believe in you and forgive us for our sins, verily You are the Knower and the Wise

Yaa Allah, join the hearts of the believers for if we spend everything that was on the earth, held a thousand conferences, and uttered a thousand slogans, it would not join our heart, but is You and only You, who joins hearts

Yaa Allah erect us as brethren in faith, upon pillars of light on the day when neither money nor our children will benefit us naught, except he who comes to You with a clean heart.

Yaa Allah, our condition is bleak, we have disobeyed Your commands, we benefit from usury and withhold charity, we live in luxury and desert your houses of worship, we emulate the arrogant and despise the poor.

Ya Allah, We have been fooled into believing that we can change our condition without changing ourselves

Yall Allah, guide our scholars, and blind the tyrants, for whoever is blind in this world, he shall also be blind in the next world.

Yaa Allah, we have acknowledged our wrongs, we have repented for our actions and we have learned that it is you we must ask for help in our time of need, for surely You are the Hearer of all supplication.

Help us oh Lord of the worlds, guide us in our time of ignorance, and shower Your mercy upon the victims of unwarranted bloodshed for none despairs of Your Mercy except those who have gone astray.

Yaa Allah, disable the bombs of tyranny, the weapons of wickedness, and the car bombs that don't care, we seek refuge in you from the punishment of the grave, from the punishment of hell, from the trials of life and death, and from the trials of the Anti-Christ.

Yaa Allah, when thy servants ask us about You, we shall say that you are close, that You answer the call of the caller when he calls upon You, and we shall seek you, and we shall believe in You, that perhaps You will guide us aright.

Yaa Allah, extend Your peace and Your blessings to Your last Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah, the truthful one, and to his family, as You have extended such to Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. For amongst the entire universe, You are the Praiseworthy and the Majestic.

And our last cry shall be Praise to Allah, Lord of all the worlds

Your humble and needy servant, Abu Laith Luqman ibn Abdulkarim Muhammad Ahmad

Imam Abu Laith Luqman is freelance writer. He teaches a class on Spiritual Etiquette at Masjidullah in Philadelphia Pa. He can be reached at [email protected] or through his web site at: www.lotustreepublications.com