Conviction & Courage (20:72)

Bismillah (in the name of God)

قَالُوا۟ لَن نُّؤۡثِرَكَ عَلَىٰ مَا جَاۤءَنَا مِنَ ٱلۡبَیِّنَـٰتِ وَٱلَّذِی فَطَرَنَاۖ فَٱقۡضِ مَاۤ أَنتَ قَاضٍۖ إِنَّمَا تَقۡضِی هَـٰذِهِ ٱلۡحَیَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡیَاۤ

They said, "Never will we prefer you over what has come to us of clear proofs and [over] He who created us. So decree whatever you are to decree. You can only decree for this worldly life."

Translation by Sahih International. Surah Taha, verse 72.

Aerial view of UofT encampment site by @a1please posted on Instagram on July 3, 2024.

As clear as day, every day

Proofs of genocide flood our screens

Clear proofs we see with our own eyes and hear with our ears

Of our brothers and sisters murdered and in the most horrific of means

Displaced over and over again from homes to hospitals and schools to tents in open land

Young and old, tortured in ways that would not cross a sane human's mind

Endless are the images, videos, live streams, testimonies and more

Proofs that it seems like we're supposed to simply ignore

Sit still, don't speak so loud, keep the status quo

Or risk what you love of this world

But 'they' risked all they had of this world

'They' in the verse are the Pharaoh's magicians

They witnessed a miracle of Prophet Musa/Moses (pbuh)

His staff turned into a snake, devouring the magicians' snakes

They, the best of magicians at the time, knew this was no magician trick

With their own eyes, they witnessed a clear proof of the greatness of God

Far beyond the Pharaoh, who claimed to be the lord, the most high

So, against the status quo and the oppressive Pharaoh they know

They instantly and publicly believed in the Lord of Musa (pbuh)

Threatened with the amputation of their hands and feet

And crucifixion on the trunks of palm trees

They replied with the verse of this piece

Verse 20:72, let that be our response too

As we see clear proofs of the crimes of a pharaoh of our time

An annihilation of an entire population documented in real-time

All enabled by governments, companies, and institutions of this land

Preferring their power and profit over the proofs they too are witnesses to

Power they use to censor, threaten, and intimidate those upholding the truth

Human rights, international law and every other principle they say they stand by

To them we respond: "Never will we prefer you over what has come to us of clear proofs"

So decree whatever you are to decree-

Censor, shadow-ban, take down our social media posts

Pathetic propaganda, double standards, news media control

Threaten to fire, suspend, expel, arrest, unleash police in riot gear

Attempt to instill fear, like all tyrants do when they sense their end is near

Turn against your own students with legal action, violence, derogatory statements

Ironic how quickly you chose grass over the lessons you teach in class

But abuse your power, decree whatever you are to decree

You can only decree for this worldly life-

This worldly, lowly, temporary life we sure all love

But we won’t put it above the proofs and truths we see

We won’t look away, blind our hearts, or keep the status quo

And although we know that such tyranny will soon fall in this world

Although our fight is for justice and humanity in this world

Our ultimate goal is success in the everlasting next life

Where upholding the truth here elevates our ranks

That is the conviction fueling our courage

p.s. Surah Taha is my go-to comfort surah :) Here is my favorite recitation: https://youtu.be/NE3M26RNgzg