.png){kind=spacer}
God's Sovereign Plan & The Purpose of End-Times Prophecy:
Exploring the Simple and Clear Mainstream Muslim Perspective
.png)
My name is Ayman Alhasan. My mother was born in Jerusalem, and my father was born in a town located approximately forty miles south of Nazareth. When I was very young, my mother shared a story from when she was about ten years old. Every day just before sunset, her mother would take her and her five sisters out of their home, up a nearby hill, and into the bushes. The girls wore their pajamas and had to bring their pillows, a quilt, some clothing, and the best walking shoes they had. No oil lamps or any other lights were allowed. They pitched camp in a place where they could view their home in the distance. As it got dark, they all had to keep very quiet. After making sure the children were all asleep, my grandmother would raise her head whenever she heard the slightest noise, check the house, and then lie back on her pillow, crying and quietly sobbing.
All the girls had to wake up at dawn. After packing their belongings, they would race downhill back to their home. After about two weeks, my grandfather returned. On that very day, they packed their things into light cloth sacks, locked the house, and walked away with their sacks in hand. “Don’t worry about your homework; you’ll make it up when we return home.” my grandmother said. Neither my grandmother, nor my mother, nor her sisters, nor any of the other hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families fleeing at the time knew that this would be a decades-long journey of suffering with no return. This exodus marked the beginning of the Nakba, a tragic chapter in which over 700,000 Palestinians were uprooted from their homes. They were driven by the terrifying threat of midnight reprisals from merciless killers who would massacre everyone—baby, child, woman, or man—just as they had in Deir Yassin, only two miles from my grandfather’s home.
The tears no one saw, the silent fear my grandmother endured, and the hardships my mother and her family underwent, touched me profoundly. Throughout my youth and teen years, I could not escape feeling for the silent suffering of the weak and helpless. At twelve years old, I rarely missed the world news on TV. When in bed after watching a story of human suffering somewhere in the world, I could not escape the excruciating thought that at that very moment, while I was about to fall asleep, someone was either being violated or was on the verge of being victimized as they pleaded for mercy. Since I was in no position to help, I felt that, at the very least, I owed the victims consideration for their plight at that moment. "You are not alone; someone cares and is thinking of you," I used to think. As I imagined their condition, I couldn't hold back my tears. The most agonizing thought was of terrified children who had lost their parents and were wandering around looking for compassionate and comforting love. I remember spending sleepless nights in bed, silently shedding tears while thinking of people I had never known in faraway lands.
Today, my extended family and I along with millions of refugees remain dispersed around the world. I was lucky enough to have landed in the US and privileged to meet some remarkable pastors. Their warmth, authenticity, and steadfast commitment to God have profoundly influenced me, reshaped my perception of American faith leaders, and strengthened my belief in their ability to effect global change. However, I've often pondered why so few of them openly express words of love, compassion, sympathy, or support for the countless innocent Palestinian children who have become victims of the seven decades conflict in the Holy Land. Initially, I considered that this might be attributed to a lack of awareness regarding the extent of suffering endured by the Palestinian people – as the saying goes, "out of sight, out of mind." In an endeavor to bridge this communication gap, I authored and published my first book, "Dear Pastors and Priests: Messages from Peace-Loving Muslim Families."
After Hamas’s military intrusion into Israeli residential territories on October 7th, 2023 and the killing and kidnapping of many Israeli civilians, the United States supplied significant firepower to facilitate the bombardment of Gaza, one of the world's most densely populated residential areas, including at least eight Palestinian refugee camps. However, I heard expressions of compassion primarily from my favorite pastors for the victims only on the Israeli side.
Acknowledging my limitations in addressing relevant theological complexities and with an aching heart, I humbly request on behalf of millions of Palestinian refugees that Christian faith leaders and students afford one courtesy to the victims: an accurate understanding of the faith and beliefs held by the majority of these victims, along with a truthful portrayal of that faith to their congregations. In Chapter 10, I extend a personal appeal to U.S. faith leaders on behalf of my mother and the entire Palestinian nation.
The Recital aims to provide pastors, chaplains, theology students, Christian scholars, and the general public with insights into the simple ways that peace-loving, mainstream Muslims understand their faith.
May God’s peace, salam, and shalom be with you, always and forever. Amen.
Ayman Alhasan
Kindle $5
.png)
Softcover $20
.png){kind=icon}