CHILDREN WHO OPEN THE GATES OF PARADISE: THE LITTLE WITNESSES OF PALESTINE

No matter where you are, if we ask who are the most vulnerable, the most innocent beings in the world, children come to mind and heart. Whenever news arrives that they have been harmed, everyone’s heart aches… In recent years, such news has been coming daily from Palestine.

When we see children walking through the shattered streets of Palestine, we witness not only the pain of one land but also humanity’s deepest trial. Their submission does not come from fear but from their unshakable faith in ALLAH. For they know that the oppression they endure is not the end, but a test that opens the gate to eternal life.

Despite their young age, these children carry mountains of patience in their hearts. Their eyes do not carry fear, but hope - the hope of Paradise.

The Great Lesson of Innocence

Every morning when they wake, they look at the world with different eyes. For them, tomorrow is not just another day, but an opportunity to be closer to ALLAH. In their lives, toys are replaced by the mud between ruined homes, cartoons by verses of the Qur’an. The submission of an eight-year-old child saying, “Paradise is the abode of the martyrs”... It is precisely this clarity that makes it almost obligatory for us, as adults, to turn back and face what we have not dared to confront.

Sometimes, among the rubble, they run and play with a smile on their face; sometimes they take a step with courage toward a journey that ends in martyrdom. Every breath they take is like the expression of a secret covenant with ALLAH: “Our submission is not to the oppression imposed on us, but only to our Lord.”

The Unshakable Stance of Faith

The hearts of Palestinian children possess a purity unseen anywhere else in the world. They are the owners of the hearts who pray under the bombs, whose first words when pulled from the rubble are ”Alhamdulillah”. They are like teachers showing the whole world what true submission really is. The sparkle in their eyes comes not only from the joy of living but also from the longing to meet ALLAH.

When these children embrace their parents, it feels as if the whole world stops. For that embrace is not just a farewell, but a message: “We will reunite in the presence of ALLAH”. The parents’ tears may carry pain, but the children’s faces radiate peace.

Standing Tall Against Oppression

The faith-filled hearts of Palestinian children shake the power of the oppressor. Their fearlessness is stronger than the roar of weapons. For they know that the gates of Paradise stand wide open for their innocence. The adhans heard between the sounds of tanks are the most beautiful melodies they have ever heard. Their determined stance has been one of the driving forces behind the Sumud Flotilla. Sumud means steadfastness. And this flotilla, too, continues its path with steadfastness despite all obstacles.

A child who throws a stone with his small hands at the one who oppresses him is in fact revealing the power of faith against the oppressor. That stone is not just a stone; it is the cry of the oppressed, the voice of truth. The Sumud Flotilla, which stands for what is right, has set out for these children. And these children proclaim to the world: “Our strength does not come from weapons, but from our faith in ALLAH”.

The Sacred Meaning of Martyrdom

Every child growing up in these lands understands the sacred meaning of martyrdom at an early age. For them, death is not an end, but a beginning. They dream of running and playing in the gardens of Paradise. That dream is the sole power that gives them the courage to resist.

When a Palestinian child says, “I want to be a martyr,” it may sound to some like nothing more than words. But in truth, it expresses their greatest aspiration. They know that the children who become martyrs are among ALLAH’s beloved servants in the most beautiful places of Paradise.

A Lesson to Humanity

With their small bodies, they carry the weight of a great cause. And in doing so, they leave humanity with an unforgettable testimony. Every moment of their lives teaches us the true meaning of patience, submission and faith. Every image of these children we see on our screens plants the seeds of lasting change in our own world.

True submission is surrendering only to ALLAH.

True freedom is binding one’s heart only to ALLAH.

And the children of Palestine prove a truth: though young in age and lacking in means, their hopes are vast and their hearts are submitted to ALLAH as deep as eternity.

A Prayer Echoing in Hearts

Anyone who looks at the state of these children rethinks the meaning of gratitude, childhood, hope, belief, faith, submission, patience, and Paradise. Their story makes us question our own faith: “Could we too submit with such a pure heart?”

The little witnesses of Palestine are not only the pride of their land, but of the entire Muslim world. Their every breath is a lesson for us; their smiles, a teaching; their prayers, a guide.

And prayers flow from lips:

O ALLAH… Turn the tears of oppressed children into mercy. Grant us a drop of their patience. Make our hearts brave in the face of oppression and steadfast on the side of Truth.

Amin.

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Experiental Desing Teaching is a body of knowledge that generates strategies for designing our future, drawing on past experiences. 

It offers methods for people to be happier, more successful, and have better relationships.

The programs, which begin with "Who is Who" and continue with "Mastery in Relationships" and "Success Psyhology" help people become happier and more successful than they were yesterday.

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"Among billions of people, what could possibly be important about 'one' person?

Ask that 'one' person!"

Yahya Hamurcu

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