These seven letters mark the beginning of Dearest Gaza, written during a time when the suffering of the Gaza Strip unfolded in full view of the world and many of us found ourselves watching from afar, unsure what witnessing truly demanded of us. They are not reports, arguments, or attempts to explain events, but reflections on faith, distance, responsibility, and what it means to belong to an ummah that feels both connected and powerless in the face of injustice. These letters form the first stones of this archive. They are an opening act of remembrance and witness, from which other voices may one day emerge to write, reflect, and carry forward the act of remembering.
Dearest Gaza,
The Qur’an teaches believers to hold two ideas together at all times. One is hope in the mercy of Allah. The other is awareness that every human being will one day stand before Him in accountability. These two principles shape the moral outlook of a Muslim life. Hope prevents despair, and accountability prevents indifference.
The Qur’an repeatedly reminds believers that injustice in this world does not escape the knowledge of Allah. There are verses in which Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ not to think that He is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. Such verses were revealed in times when the early Muslims were weak and facing oppression. They were meant to assure the believers that even when justice appears distant in this life, no act of injustice disappears from the record kept by Allah.
The companions of the Prophet ﷺ understood this deeply. Many of them lived through periods of hardship before the Muslim community gained stability. They learned to place their hope in the justice of Allah rather than in the immediate balance of power in the world. This hope did not make them passive. Instead it gave them the strength to remain steadfast and to continue working for what was right.
At the same time, the idea of accountability applied to everyone, not only to those who committed injustice. The companions believed that each person would answer for his own actions, intentions, and choices. This awareness shaped the way they lived, because they knew that their responses to the events around them would also be part of what they would answer for on the Day of Judgement.
For Muslims today, this teaching remains important. Hope reminds the ummah that oppression does not have the final word in history. Accountability reminds every believer that the knowledge of injustice places a responsibility on the conscience. Both principles appear throughout the Qur’an because they help believers navigate a world where justice and injustice often exist side by side.
Your struggle will not disappear from the record of this world or the next. The suffering endured by the people of the Gaza Strip is known to Allah even when human institutions fail to bring justice. For this reason Muslims are taught never to lose hope in the mercy and judgement of their Lord.
Ever your sister of the ummah you dignify.
