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A word of truth regarding Ibtihal Abu Al-Saad
Personal Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/EyadQunaibi ===== Twitter Account https://twitter.com/Dr_EyadQun
Personal Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/EyadQunaibi ===== Twitter Account https://twitter.com/Dr_EyadQun
Peace be upon you, dear brothers and sisters,
I listened to the interview of sister Ibtihal Abu Saad, published two days ago, in which she answers questions about how she prepared for the moment when she spoke the truth about the company "Microsoft." Her words were truly remarkable and filled with lessons. The most beautiful part was when she said, in translation:
"There were many fears, in addition to the fear of losing my job; such as the fear of being marked with a black stain for the rest of my professional life, and the fear of problems with my residency. Many worldly fears were present and in my mind, but when it became clear to me that the company was complicit, all my repentance was with one intention."
Here, her eyes filled with tears, and she said: "I did not want to stand before Allah on the Day of Judgment and confess to Him any complicity in this genocide. I knew that my staying at Microsoft, my silent stay in this prestigious job and comfortable position, would lead to that result on the Day of Reckoning. And this fear that overwhelmed me and took hold of my heart, it overshadowed every other fear of the immigration enforcement agency (meaning that they would come and take her to deport her from America) or any other practical fears."
Ibtihal was not an ordinary employee, my brothers. She went on to complete her studies at "Harvard" University with an American scholarship and appeared in the well-known magazine "Forbes." She knew that her stance would not only cost her all her privileges but could also destroy her professional future. And with her words, she said, "This is the fear that overshadowed it," meaning it overshadowed every other fear. This is great speech that people need to learn from. We ask Allah to reward her well, to establish her, to increase her reward, and to compensate her for what she has lost.
A point was raised that Ibtihal had previously participated in a scientific paper on the rights of "transgender" individuals and that she had participated in a liberal activity (SheHacks Boston) to support those who describe themselves as "non-binary" - meaning neither male nor female. Therefore, some said: Perhaps her motives in defending Gaza are "humanitarian" rights motives that include both right and wrong.
In reality, my brothers, the mentioned paper is old, as is her participation in the activity. I believe that all of this does not represent her current character, and we ask Allah to guide her to clarify this, for many look up to her as a role model, and she is worthy of this clarification by the permission of Allah. For her recent interview clearly shows her invoking the fear of Allah and seeking His pleasure in the stance she took - in what we consider -.
And she clearly said in her interview: "Anything you do for the sake of Allah, Allah will not let you down, and we know that Allah the Almighty wants us to fight for the oppressed and to be a voice that opposes any involvement in the genocide in Gaza. The presence of this intention will give you tranquility and help you to have the necessary trust to act."
And she quoted the saying of the Prophet peace be upon him: "Whoever leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah will replace it with something better." Her words are filled with such reverence for Allah the Most High and good trust in Him and seeking His help. And I believe that this eagerness and faith of Ibtihal is one of the good fruits of yours, people of Gaza; for Ibtihal had a living heart in which the ember of faith did not die out. This ember moved and shone light after seeing what her brothers and sisters in Gaza are going through.
A questioner may ask: "Were you not the one who said that we should not praise her because her motives are human rights motives?" I did not say this, my brothers. The post that I published was detailed and clear, and we added clarification to it. It was general rules without mentioning names. I deleted the duality on it as a precaution for what I heard before the sister's last interview was published. And with all of this, I am not concerned with saying that I do not make mistakes in my assessments. Even the reference to these general rules at that time may have been inappropriate. We are humans who make mistakes and hit the mark. If something seems right to me, returning to it is the dearest thing to me, and I do not find any reluctance in myself to do so.
As for the work of the Muslim woman in those environments or her appearance in interviews, we need to clarify; our speech is praise for the sister's stance in speaking the truth with great religious motives, good trust, and prioritizing the hereafter over the world. It is fitting for us to praise this good in her with ease and call for emulation in this good. And I personally was affected when I listened to her interview and consider that I learned a profound lesson from our dear sister. And this does not necessarily mean that we consider her a role model in everything, for neither am I a role model in everything nor are you. The absolute role model is the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him.
We say here to the Muslim woman who does not work at "Microsoft" or "Google" or any company, but rather raises her children and is a comfort to her husband: Do not feel, O righteous Muslim woman, that you are less than Ibtihal; if you raise your sons and daughters on good trust in Allah and on speaking the truth without fearing the blame of the blamer, and on prioritizing the hereafter over the world, and that they fear to meet their Lord the Almighty with the blood of a Muslim in their necks, then you are bringing forth for the nation of Islam men and women like Ibtihal. And it is not necessary that your fame be spread in the two worlds as long as the Lord of the worlds is aware of you.
In conclusion, we say to those who participate in tightening the noose on the people of Gaza and help the criminals to single them out for the sake of a little worldly gain: The stance of Ibtihal and similar stances is an argument against you on the Day of Judgment, and your gain is not worth even a tenth of what Ibtihal sacrificed. And if you want to belong to the nation of Muhammad peace be upon him, do not think that this honor is without a price.
And we say to our sister Ibtihal: We ask Allah to establish you, honor you, increase you in faith, trust, and support for the truth, and we ask Him, the Most High, for us and for you, that we meet Him while He is pleased with us, and that He says to us when we meet Him: "Enter it in peace, safe."
Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah.