On Wednesday, the 6th of August, during the Prayers for Gaza event at the Islamic Community Center of Potomac, I was deeply moved by the recitation of the Dua Nasiri, the Prayer of the Oppressed. Hearing it recited in that sacred space, surrounded by a community gathered in grief and solidarity, gave voice to both the anguish and the unyielding hope of those who cry out for justice and mercy.
My thanks to Imam Tarek Elgawhary and Imam Refai Arefin for introducing me to this prayer and for sharing its history and meaning. Composed in the 17th century by Imam Muhammad Ibn Nasir, it became a spiritual act of resistance, sustaining people through foreign occupation and oppression. Its plea, “You alone are enough for us, O Lord”, remains as urgent today as it was then.
I share here a recording by Ghuydar Bashmaf, Bilal Atiya, and Sami Zaharna, offered for all who endure the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the Occupation of Palestine. May its words strengthen our faith, awaken our compassion, and move us to act for justice.
I also offer this prayer, inspired by Dua Nasiri:
A Prayer for the Oppressed — After Dua Nasiri
O Source of Mercy,
To whom the distressed turn and the forgotten cry out—
we lift our hearts to You.
To You who are near with compassion,
To You who shelter the weak,
we call out from the ruins of grief and the silence of injustice:
You are enough for us. You suffice.
Before You, we place our trembling hope.
Our strength is diminished, our voices are hoarse.
Children cry out from beneath the rubble,
elders weep beside shattered homes.
O Sustainer of those bowed down,
O Light that is never extinguished—
do not let despair close in around us.
Do not let cruelty prevail in the streets of Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City.
Do not let our hearts grow numb to the suffering of Your people.
Lift up those who are bowed low.
Restore the dignity stripped away by siege and fear.
Let justice fall like rain upon scorched land.
Let mercy rise like dawn over a weary people.
Break the grip of oppression.
Dismantle the systems that feed violence and domination.
Turn the designs of harm into pathways for peace.
Protect the innocent from every danger.
O Healer of wounds, O Mender of what is torn—
guide us to act with courage and compassion.
Teach us to resist evil without becoming it.
Keep our eyes open and our hearts soft.
And when we do not know what to do—
when our hands feel too small and our spirits too tired—
remind us that You are near, and that love is still stronger than fear.
O Holy One,
Hold the children in Your care.
Strengthen the parents who cannot sleep.
Protect the elders whose hope rests in prayer.
Bring healing, bring peace, bring liberation.
Ameen.
