REFLECTIONS: Khilafah - The Key To The Ummah's Protection

The 28^th of Rajab (June 7^th) will mark the 92^nd anniversary of the fall of the Khilafah – the day that Islam ceased to exist in any land as a system and way of life. This anniversary should remind us of our obligation - as an Ummah - to resume the Islamic way of life through the re-establishment of the Khilafah Rashidah in the Muslim lands according to the method of RasulAllah (saw).

Last Rajab, we witnessed the horrific images from Syria, where the regime had massacred its own people in the city of Houla. Today, we continue to witness such horrific images – over 800 men, women and children were massacred in Banyas on May 4^th. The death toll in Syria has now reached over 80,000.

On May 6^th, hundreds of thousands of Muslims gathered at Motijheel Shapla Chattar, Dhaka, to protest against the vilification of Islam and RasulAllah (saw). Upon the orders of the oppressor, Sheikh Hasina, at around 2:30am, a heavily armed force of more than 10,000 personnel fired upon the unarmed, innocent Muslims, massacring 2,500 to 3,000 people. 

The Khaleefah: the Only Shield for Muslims

We should remember that each one of these Muslims was a precious human being in the sight of Allah (swt). In fact, Allah (swt) has made the killing of each one of these individuals a crime that is more heinous than destroying the Ka'ba! Crimes we have witnessed for decades because we have lost the shield that RasulAllah (saw) told us about in the following hadith:

“Indeed, the Imam (Khaleefah) is a shield, from behind whom you fight and by whom you are protected.” [Muslim]

The ruler of the Muslim Ummah is obligated to protect the honour of the Muslim men, women and children as RasulAllah (saw) and the Khulafa after him did. For example:

· RasulAllah (saw) – When a Muslimah had her awrah exposed in the market of Banu Qaynuqaa', a Muslim rushed to her assistance and was killed. However, Prophet Muhammad (saw) was able to send in reinforcements which resulted in the expulsion of Bani Qaynuqaa'.

· Mu'tasim – A Muslimah in 'Ammuriyyah (present day Ankara) was dishonoured by the Byzantines. When the Khaleefah Mu’tasim heard of her plight, he responded by sending a Muslim army to liberate that region and free the Muslim prisoner.

· Nur Al-Deen united, the Muslim Armies directed an assault on the Crusaders and through his general Salahuddeen Al-Ayubi, liberated Al-Sham.

· Sultan Abdul Hameed II – Refused to even discuss the sale of Palestine with Theodor Herzl and the Zionists. He said "I would rather push a sword into my body than see the land of Palestine cut and given away from the Islamic State." His statement clearly illustrates his responsibility and concern for the land and the people of Palestine, as it was not his own property to sell.

Islamic Rule: Representation and Justice

From the recent uprisings in the Muslim world, it is clear to all that the Ummah is fed up with the rulers imposed upon us by the colonial powers. However, it should also be clear that we do not need to import the concepts of freedom and democracy from those same nations who actively work to support these tyrant rulers, along with the systems and institutions that enable their corruption. Instead, we must call for the Khilafah - the Islamic State - as it is the only real solution. Islam prescribes the obligation to elect our ruler. This can be done via the Majlis al-Ummah (Assembly of the Ummah) that will produce a short list of candidates, from whom a Khalifah will be elected by the Ummah.

Furthermore, Allah (swt) has made it an obligation on us to refer solely to the Qur’an and the Sunnah of His beloved Messenger (saw) in matters of ruling, economy, and settling the affairs of the people. Allah (swt) has revealed:

"And rule between them by that which Allah has revealed and follow not their vain desires, but beware that they may turn you away from some of what Allah has revealed." [TMQ 5:49]

The Sahabah (ra) ruled by what Allah (swt) revealed and therefore those who were blessed to live under their rule witnessed the justice that we seek today. For example:

· Umar (ra) as the Khalifah, received some cloth and distributed it amongst the Muslims by giving them one piece each. It became apparent that he was wearing two pieces of cloth. Immediately, Salman al-Farsi (ra) said, "By Allah, we will not listen to you, because you prefer yourself to your people." In response, Abdullah ibn Umar (ra) then explained that he gave his cloth to his father. Salman al-Farsi (ra) responded by saying: "Now we shall listen to you."

· When it came time to appoint the successor to Umar (ra), Umar (ra) did not appoint his son. Instead, Abdur Rahman bin Auf (ra) sought the opinion of the people of Madinah to determine whether Ali (ra) or Uthman (ra) should lead.

Re-establishing the Khilafah – the comprehensive system of Islamic governance, education, courts, and other societal institutions entirely based on the Qur’an and Sunnah –is the only way of bringing a system of representative government that will ensure we are ruled by the Justice of what Allah (swt) has revealed.

Khilafah: One of the Highest Obligations

Allah has made the unity of the Islamic Ummah and the unity of the State as one of the vital issues in Islam. This is manifested in two cases: plurality of Khulafaa’ and rebellion against the Islamic State. Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

“He who pledged his Bay’ah (pledge of allegiance) to an Imam giving him the clasp of his hand and the fruit of his heart shall obey him as long as he can, and if another comes to dispute with him, you must strike the neck of that man.” [Muslim]

It has also been reported on the authority of Abu Said Al-Khudri (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

“If a Bay’ah has been taken for two Khulafaa’ (plural of Khaleefa), kill the latter of them.” [Muslim]

Hence, he made the unity of the State a vital issue when he prohibited the plurality of the Khulafaa’ and ordered the death penalty for the one who insists on establishing multiple leaders within the Islamic State after being advised against it. It has also been reported on the authority of Arfaja, who said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say:

“He who comes to you while your affair has been united under one man, intending to drive a wedge between you or fragment your group (Jama’ ah), kill him.” [Muslim]

Now that the Islamic State no longer exists, these ahadith indicate the level of priority we must give to ensure that the Ummah is united under the leadership of one Khalifah. We must understand that the unity of the Ummah is a “matter of life and death” and, therefore, we must exert our utmost effort to re-establish the Khilafah Rashidah in the Muslim lands.

The Return of the Khilafah

The current era of tyrannical rule over the Ummah was prophesized by Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the famous hadith narrated by Imam Ahmed (rh): “…there will be dictatorships that will last as long as Allah is willing...” However, the same hadith also predicts that, after this tyrannical era: “…there will be a Khilafah on the way of the Prophethood.” In addition, Allah (swt) has promised victory to the Ummah. He (swt) has revealed:

"Allah has promised such of you who believe and do good deeds that He will surely make them to succeed (the present rulers) in the earth even as He caused those before them to succeed (others); and He will surely establish for them their Deen which He has approved for them, and will give in exchange safety after their fear". [TMQ 24:55]

 We should therefore be motivated by this hadith and the ayah to look forward to the return of the Khilafah as the hope for the Ummah. However, this does not give us the excuse to sit back and wait for the Khilafah. We must instead study and comprehend the method used by the Prophet Muhammad (saw) to establish the Islamic State and follow his method in re-establishing it at this time. Just as RasulAllah (saw) and the Sahabah (ra) worked together in a group to accomplish the goal of establishing an Islamic state, we too must work within an Islamic political group. Allah (swt) revealed:

“Let there be from amongst you a group that call for goodness.” [TMQ 3:104]

The method of RasulAllah (saw) requires the group to study Islam, with the goal of attaining the Islamic personality, while interacting with the Ummah to create public opinion for Islam, and seeking the support of the people of power and influence for the re-establishment of the Khilafah. We must educate ourselves, as the Sahabah (ra) did in Dar Al-Arqam, and rid ourselves of the influences of non-Islamic concepts and thoughts. We must learn to accept the measures of halal and haram in our decisions and way of thinking. We must also work to convince the Ummah that the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saw) are the sole sources of legislation and that the Shari’ah of Islam is sufficient for us. Finally, we must work to convince the people of power and influence (such as the military) in the Muslim lands to give the nusrah (support) to Islam – just as the Ansar gave nusrah to the Messenger of Allah (saw) to establish the authority of Islam in the land. We must remember that those who fought RasulAllah (saw) later became the heroes of Islam that we look up to.  Khaled bin Waleed (ra), who fought RasulAllah (saw) at Uhud, later became the Sword of Allah (swt) who led the Muslim armies to victory. There are many "Khaled bin Waleeds" in the Syrian, Pakistani, Egyptian, Turkish and other Muslim armies today who will insha'Allah give nusrah to Islam.

Only intellectual and political means (e.g. discussion, leaflets, conferences, etc) can be used in the struggle to re-establish the Khilafah, as RasulAllah (saw) restricted himself to the intellectual and political struggle and forbade the Sahabah (ra) from using armed struggle to establish the Islamic State. He (saw) also did not participate in the political system of the Quraysh: Dar-al Nadwa (the parliament of Quraysh). Therefore, we are also forbidden to work through the non-Islamic political systems that are currently in place. If our goal is to implement the Deen of Allah (swt), we must only take the Qur’an and Sunnah as our reference point.

"And say: Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished away. Lo! Falsehood is ever bound to vanish."
[TMQ 17:81]