I recently got a message from a Muslim wanting to organize a “vigil” event for Palestine.
When I inquired to what that was, they said they changed the title of the event to “an honouring of our martyrs” but essentially they “will light candles and quietly gather to remember the martyrs”
I was wondering what the hukm on such a gathering is.
Bismillahi Ta’ala
Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah
I have addressed the issue of rallies and protests before here: https://fatwa.ca/taking-part-in-protests-rallies-and-marches-for-genuine-causes/
The same will be applied to any form of social or political activism. The parameters of deen will over-ride the activities conducted. If there are issues within the activity which go contrary to basic dictates of religion, then it is pointless to expect a positive outcome from it for the benefit of deen.
The other concern here would be “honoring our martyrs” which I have addressed separately under poppy-seed and Remembrance day. I will reproduce it below:
The custom of wearing a red poppy represents the blood shed by fallen soldiers from Napoleonic times. This was later brought into the custom of Canada to honor their fallen WW1 and WW2 soldiers.
It is a means of honoring the dead, hence it is part of sanctified custom. In this perspective, it is not permissible to wear it with the intent of honoring the fallen. Moreover, around Remembrance Day it is customarily understood as a Canadian way of honoring the dead.
In fact, even if we were to overlook the Canadian fallen soldiers, and assume we are remembering our own, then too it is not the way in Islam to remember our shuhada’.
One should avoid it completely.
Islam has its own ways of remembering our fallen shuhada’ and we do not need to adopt the customary ways of others to feel validated. We honor our shuhada’ for sake of Allah. And Allah has already given us ways of remembering them through a’maal saliha (good deeds) and Isaal e Thawab, or du’as of barakah for them. All these mechanisms need not be public or orchestrated either. They can be done every day and as much as one’s genuine ikhlas allows.
Wallahu A’lam
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi