Hamza Yusuf – Don’t Curse the People of Syria

			Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim Allah Allah, Allah say Mohammed Al Hamdulillah Salam Alaikum peace be
upon all of you. I'm addressing an issue that arose a few days ago on the day of Ashura. Somebody I
think uploaded a clip of a part of a longer discussion from a rattler in 2016 in Turkey,
		

			which was during the period of the attempted coup in Turkey. And
		

			unfortunately, I went into an area, I think that I really regret which was speaking about the
		

			the terrible tragedy in Syria. And I think what troubled me the most was that the the, the clip
actually had the title that I was mocking the victims of a horrific,
		

			just, I think one of the most unjust things that we've seen in our lifetime. So anybody that would
suggest that I just, it was so odious to me, I, I don't know anybody in my family who are not
Muslims. That would do that. And, and, and so I certainly being from that family would never do
something like that. I would really ask forgiveness for anybody that misconstrued that or took
offense from that, because that would never be my intention. I also want to say that there's no way
that I can determine why things happen only God knows. I don't know the mind of God. And I would
never assume that it's absolutely wrong. We do have a tradition and that tradition, I attempt to
		

			always understand the what is God telling me or what is God addressing?
		

			Because I believe in a God that that is active in the lives of human beings and in the life of this
world. And so that that's always my attempt to understand that I take full responsibility the
prophets I send him said man was at a heightened thaliana de la one minutiae de vida detica.
		

			Whoever finds good, let him thank Allah And whoever finds other that let him blame only himself. So,
I am somebody who the prophets Allah was we call him an incentive, Cameron is his impeccable human
being everybody else is a sinner and makes mistakes could lucam hopper O'Hara hopper in the tower
when all of you make mistakes? And the best people who make mistakes are people that ask
forgiveness. I asked forgiveness at least 100 times every day for my sins. And I also hope that
people will overlook any mistakes that I make, because that's what I tried to do with other people.
The religion that I embraced, I understood it to be a religion of sitter of veiling people's faults,
		

			I understood to be a religion of having good opinion of people, I understood to be a religion, of
looking for excuses for people. I've tried never to call out people and I have immense love and
sympathy for the Syrian people who have been egregiously wrong
		

			and oppress for a long time. And many of my teachers were Syrians. He shot at about 100. He was one
of my primary teachers in the United Arab Emirates when I was studying there as a young man. Shit,
how did that OBC shift Ned Shami was my first teacher in RP that was chef and as a warm rod, who was
wonderful Syrian scholar, so I had many Syrian teachers. Many of them were actually refugees in the
UAE from the hammer massacre, and and i was there during that time. So I remember very much hearing
the stories of what happened. And certainly chef Mohammed Al COVID, is I consider him one of my most
important teachers. And I think he's one of the most extraordinary living scholars and revivals of
		

			this tradition. Another thing I just want to say about zaytuna College, which is a college that I
founded with my mom's aide, who studied in Syria, that in many ways, this is actually an extension
of Syrian knowledge because every single one of our teachers that teaches here, Islam or anything to
do with Sera, Hadith Quran, including our Turkish scholar are our scholars that studied with the
exception of one that studied with Syrian scholars and and are largely indebted to a Syrian
scholarship for what they teach and their knowledge. So in many ways, this is an extension of the
Syrian Islamic tradition, which to me is one of the most important ones and one that the Prophet
		

			sighs him praise. The Prophet said let the soup boo. I had a sham
		

			Never curse the people of Sham, which is greater Syria. And this morning, I called a very close
friend who's Syrian,
		

			who I've known for a really long time. And he's just an extraordinary human being.
		

			And I felt the pain in his voice. And it really troubled me. And he said, I have two pains is that I
have the pain
		

			of what you said. And then I have the pain of what's being said about you.
		

			So I think that that sums it up. So I would ask his forgiveness for any pain that I caused him and
any pain that I've caused anybody. Our religion is a religion of forgiveness. The Quran says what
are the Boo whom you're from, if they get angry, they forgive, and the quality of our religion and
the idea that I would intentionally cause pain to any Muslim, especially with these open wounds that
are now in Kashmir in so many places in our community. And in conclusion, I want to say this idea
somehow that I would support a tyrant or somebody that again, it's so odious to me. When a lot of
these troubles broke out. I actually translated a poem called that I entitled The prayer of the
		

			oppressed, it's by Imam Mohammed bin now Salah diary. And in the dedication, I said to Rachel
Corrie, a gentle Lamb who resisted the oppressor without hatred or rancor in her heart, and pay the
ultimate price to Chris Hedges, and all those who have, despite its political incorrectness, stood
by the Palestinian people in their just cause to the people of Darfur to the 6 million victims of
the 21st century Holocaust of the Congo, to the Kashmiris, the Iraqis, the Afghans, the chestnuts
and every other victim of the many tragic oppressions I have witnessed in my lifetime, to victims of
oppression everywhere, whose only weapon is the power of prayer. This work is humbly dedicated.
		

			That's where my sentiments lie. It lies with the oppressed, not with the oppressor, and anybody that
would suggest otherwise, I'll meet them on the controller, I have nothing to say about that, again,
I with really sincere contrition in my heart for any pain that I've caused.
		

			very dignified and noble people that
		

			are going through immense pain, along with many other of our Muslim community, including the
Yemenis, again, who are many of my teachers were from Yemen. So I, I hope that that we can spread
unity in our community, that we can overcome these tribulations. There's a lot of young people that
are leaving Islam just because of the confusion.
		

			I really think this vindictiveness and this bitterness, and this Spirit of Vengeance, I think it's
something that's, that is really deeply rooted in, in in a loss of a strong connection with our
Lord. And I would hope that people would just see how dangerous this is, especially for our young
people. This institution that I'm going to be leaving this world soon enough, I'm at the age that
the prophets I saw him was when he left the world. I am 63 years old. And this institution is not
me.
		

			It's not my mom's aid. It's not Dr. hat. We helped establish it. But we're hoping that it will
survive and thrive for our community in this country. What people are learning and studying here is
amazing. We have amazing teachers. So I would just hope that that people recognize that I think
there are forces out there that would really like to see
		

			harm. And I think Unfortunately, there's people that are just looking for any mistake that I make,
and I will make mistakes, I have made mistakes, which is why we make Toba every day.
		

			And I think
		

			that's it, I just
		

			I hope people again could find it in their hearts, to
		

			to just forgive. That's what I feel we need more than anything. I'm putting up the essay that I
wrote on oppression, in this book, The prayer of the oppressed, and I really hope that you read it
because it'll give you some insights into my perspective, which I think comes out of a deep
intellectual and spiritual tradition of our of our scholastic community. And so my real hope is that
people will actually take the time to read it and just ponder it and think about it and and try to
see the world
		

			wisdom in tribulation, either below common uptodown If Allah loves the people, he will try them so
		

			subtle modicon warahmatullahi wabarakatuh