Stand up for what is right
The writer, Zamena Manekia-Manji (Bujumbura, Burundi) is a writer for TMJ News. Born and raised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and currently residing in Bujumbura, Burundi, her writing has evolved from fiction to Islamic, contemporary, and historical writings. She works in the history and Islamic events department at TMJ News, where she previously worked as a breaking News writer. Zamena is also a writer for 313juniors, a YouTube channel that works to produce Islamic content for little children, trying to improve her writing with each task. Through her words, she hopes to shed some light on Islamic History and share her thoughts on contemporary views through an Islamic lens, slowly doing her part towards building a better and stronger society.
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his Holy month of Ramadhan was filled with earth shattering cries from our phones which kept flashing horrific scenes from Palestine, reel after reel. While we gorged on Samosas and Pastries during, they were reduced to eating Animal Feed. Whereas flourishing while Fasting refers to our power of self-control, restraint and patience, a huge part of Flourishment lies in channeling our pangs of hunger whilst fasting, towards helping the less fortunate across the globe and even standing up and praying for the oppressed. Maybe this is why Imam Khomeini dedicated the very last Friday of Ramadhan for the people of Palestine, the Day of Quds.Â
Whilst falling into a beautiful routine of Reciting the Qur’an during the day, having iftar with our families and heading to the mosques for hours of harmonious prayers to the Lord, this Ramadhan was also supposed to ignite a flame in our hearts, the flame of resilience, strength and bravery in the face of evil, especially after receiving harrowing footages of mass murders committed by the Israeli regime.
Perhaps we ought to learn a lesson or two from the Palestinians. Despite having no food, or having to swim through the sea to receive aid which was thrown into the sea as a way of humiliating the Palestinians, despite having their mosques leveled to the floor, despite losing everything they once had, despite living in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe, the Palestinians observed the holy month of Ramadhan with dignity, love and patience, hoping that the blessed month will lead to a ceasefire and when that did not happen, none of them lost hope but instead, the tragedies solidified their patience in the face of a horrific genocide.
this is why, if 30 days of fasting has truly flourished us, our stance for standing up for Palestine would have solidified, for according to my perspective, this year; we were forced to live through one of the greatest tests on our real stance against oppression. Do we still refrain from speaking up for Palestine for fear of not attaining a certain visa or for being cancelled? Did we attend the Annual Quds day Peaceful Procession in our respective cities? Did we pray sincerely for Imam Mahdi (ATFS) to repaper, for Palestine and for every oppressed nation across the globe? Or did we just shake our heads in dismay while watching a genocide unfold in front of our eyes?
If this holy month has further inspired us to stand up for the truth alongside achieving patience and self-control, then truly, we have flourished while fasting.
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