PHOTO // EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA
O
ur lives consist of countless events, in which our responses and reactions accumulate to form what would eventually become our legacy. We find on many occasions that the events we face do not revolve around us alone, but concern humanity as a whole. The ways we address matters of our personal lives hold just as much value as the ways we address matters concerning society. Despite many efforts to minimize our existence in order to handle our own affairs, the world works in such a way that what affects others, will affect us just the same. Part of our legacies are the existential joys we often witness and choose to take part in. Other times, we witness the sorrows of this world, that if we put in effort to mitigate, will also eventually be part of our legacy. It is known that Allah SWT will ensure all affairs are handled, though we still play a role in amplifying joy or mitigating sorrow amidst the many events we face in life. When we witness the injustices of this world, our souls simply cannot remain silent. Nor should they.
22 | THE MUSLIM VOICE | NOVEMBER 2023
Our beloved Prophet SAW told his Ummah,
“You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6011). I wonder then, if we are meant to live and breathe as one, why is silence so prevalent among us? We fall into silence in moments when it is most detrimental, when horror is inflicted upon our people, holy lands, and the innocent (regardless of faith). The oppression faced by communities within our Ummah is not meant to be endured by them alone.
