Faithful GUARDIAN
Assalam Alaikum and Welcome to the Faithful Guardian blog page. This page is dedicated to exploring intellectual and political ideas concerning the contemporary situation of the Muslim World and its quest for revival by restoring the Khilafah state. Please feel free to read, listen and watch our content.
FEATURED CONTENT
The future of muslims in the west
The world is changing. What was accepted to be a norm a few years ago is no longer so. Behaviors ...
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Building Masaajid
It is true that the Prophet (saw) said “Whoever builds a masjid for Allah, Allah will build for him likewise ...
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Are Muslim Palestine Activists Being Suckered into Marxism?
The recent occurrences in Masjid al – Aqsa have inflamed the feelings Muslims all over the world. Yet the response ...
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Understanding the Islamic Dawah in Todays Reality
Many Islamic activists suffer a confusion that causes in them a paralysis in action. In this age that has gone ...
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Sadarat-E-Nizam- The Presidential System In Pakistan; Cut From The Cloth of Old Failures?
Pakistan, since its inception has used the parliamentary system of government given to it by it’s British colonial masters. The ...
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Economic Liberation
https://www.facebook.com/100000433284126/videos/3943743548983382/ Zoom discussion on the Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) impact on the world ...
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Are Status Quo Muslims prolonging the Misery Faced by the Ummah and Mankind?
Dictionary definition: Status Quo - noun “the existing state or condition” The innocent 2 year old that is blown to ...
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LATEST POSTS
July 28, 2021ArticlesThe world is changing. What was accepted to be a norm a few years ago is no longer so. Behaviors of governments and institutions are changing. Behaviors of the public are changing and indeed laws are changing. So the future is uncertain and as Muslims we need to take on board some core points that can help us navigate through events. The points below need to be clear in our minds so that a course can be steered without compromising the deen.
1. It is not possible to live an Islamic life without an Islamic system of government i.e. the khilafah system that runs the affairs of the society according to Islam. This needs to be recognised otherwise we find ourselves going off at tangents to what Islam actually required from us.
2. Anyone who discards the role of Islam in regulating the affairs of society and accepts the status quo is at the very least sinful for acting on such a basis. This is wrong and unacceptable from the Islamic perspective.
3. Building institutions, think tanks, schools, colleges etc… under the permission of kufr is not a solution but a workaround. Meaning that they are concessions given under secular systems and not an application of Islam. By such arrangements we have temporarily fulfilled a need and not applied Islam, there are many ahkam that go unfulfilled and indeed replaced by western solutions. These are work arounds and should be understood as such.
4. Whilst Muslims have interests like building wealth, educating children etc. this must be taken in a context that whilst this may be possible today, the reality may change as western laws are fickle and changeable. The boom and bust cycles make it inherently unstable. Muslims have no Islamic political representation on the planet and are the ideal scapegoats for failing systems – just look at France.
5. In most Western countries there is an attempt at social restructuring. What this will mean for Muslims as part of western societies could be that they have to follow only a state authorised Islam if they are allowed at all. The prevent scheme in the UK might seem to have been a picnic- an easy ride if the proposed surveillance mechanisms, social credit scoring etc come to fruition. These will allow an unprecedented amount of control over populations.
6. Some Muslims view themselves to be a permanent feature of Western societies. This is built on the fact that many own property, have businesses and are now on the third or even fourth generation. This is a shortsighted view that lacks a worldly insight. Throughout history populations have been subject to forces that change the reality in which they live. The west is no different. Forces such as wars, famines, pandemics , political turmoil, economic ruin, new ideological trends and change of rulers all play a part in societal change and can leave minorities in a precarious situation. One needs only to look at Bosnia, Uganda , Kenya, India, Kosovo, Syria, Burma and others to see the effect changing dynamics. Muslims in al Andalus may have felt that they were permanent and they had the rule yet we find no Muslim community was spared once the ruling changed hands.
7. Muslims in the west are minorities , they have a different reality to those that live in the Muslim lands and therefore are more exposed to radical shifts in society. Societies with they same type of people are more cohesive in times of change or turmoil. Throughout history minorities have been driven out and in some cases genocides have been committed.
8. The reality is that many Muslims have become besotted with the Western way of life and ignore the fact Western societies are held together by a thin glue of laws on racism, hate speech and political correctness. This glue can come undone and in some circumstances especially dire economic ones the majority population can quite easily turn, populists can come to power and say your blood is not from here and you are unwanted. Whilst this is not sure to happen the possibility that it can needs to be taken onboard.
9. As for migrating from the west to the Muslim lands, the whole world is under the yolk of kufr. Whilst it may be more preferable for people to raise a family in Pakistan, Bangladesh or another Muslim country, this depends on their means and circumstances. An option that is not possible for all. Regardless of where we are we must understand Islam for what it is and our dawah must be focused on restoring Islamic governance.
10.Throughout the world Muslims are not in good circumstances and the challenges faced vary in different locations. Muslims must not rely on the West and should remember that ultimately they belong in the Muslim lands and that is why attention needs to paid to restoring the rule of Islam in the Muslim world.
11. Regardless of location, Muslims are subjected to the bombardment of cultural colonialism. The same feminist, LGBT etc… culture is pushed in Pakistan and Muslims lands through media, education and other means as it is in the west. The same attack on family structures exists in the Muslim world as in the West.
12. There are many misconceptions around the subject of dawah and what it entails in today’s reality. Dawah must be focused on returning the Islamic way of life by restoring the rule by Islam. It is quite ridiculous that some Muslims think it a priority to take Islam to some remote tribes and classify it as dawah whilst they the muslims themselves have no civilisation to call towards but only beliefs. There are many similar so called dawah projects that accept the status quo and ignore the fact that Islamic civilisation has been demolished.
13. When we study the life of the prophet (saw) his dawah was focused on establishing the authority of Islam and after achieving this the Muslims called the rest of mankind to 1) accept Islam and live like brothers 2) pay jizya relinquish control of their societies or 3) face the military consequence. Our dawah today must be focused upon resuming the Islamic way of life by restoring the the khilafah. Then the call to the rest of mankind can proceed. [...]
June 10, 2021ArticlesIt is true that the Prophet (saw) said “Whoever builds a masjid for Allah, Allah will build for him likewise in Paradise.” .
Indeed it is a commendable act from Islam. The unfortunate thing is that many Muslims fail to realise the significance of the masjid and how it fits within an overall context of the Islamic civilisation. Masaajid were never intended to be places where Muslims were permitted to pray with the permission of secular laws rather the role was far greater than that.
Whenever the Muslims in the past opened a new land they would build a masjid , not just to establish prayer , but rather to make it a base for interaction with the locals about Islam. Due to the extra reward for living on the ribaat (the frontiers) many ulema and dervishes would move to these areas. Islam was implemented over the people yet they were not compelled to accept Islam but when they saw the justice of the shariah many became Muslims and they were taught about the Islamic obligations. Effectively masaajid were used as base for integrating people from newly opened lands into the Islamic ummah.
In the last year or so it has become quite clear that the masaajid in the West can actually be used by authorities to control their populations and comply with the dictates of government. The unnecessary social distancing and masking issue is a glaring example of this where masjid committees unquestioningly go the extra mile to comply with what the authorities order. In the coming years we will see the masaajid will be increasingly used as tools of western states to manage their Muslim populations. All that glitters isn’t gold, whilst Islam commends the building of masaajid it does so in the framework of Islam as a way of life , so we as Muslims need to understand the realities accurately including the context.
In the West these days most Muslims view the masjid as a place simply to pray and have accepted that it is an acceptable worship that is allowed by the secular system whilst they largely ignore the rest of the deen- there is a stark difference between the masaajid Muslims build today and those in the era of Islam. Whilst many zealously spend all their activism (and it is a good deed) and work for constructing masaajid – most sadly forget that the Masjid is a representation of a civilisation that needs to be restored. If only they realised that more important work according to the Islamic scale of values would be carrying the dawah to restore the Khilafah. [...]
May 15, 2021ArticlesThe recent occurrences in Masjid al – Aqsa have inflamed the feelings Muslims all over the world. Yet the response in many cases is ill thought out. Some instinctively react to raise awareness about the issue, often attempting to lobby western politicians that are by an large Zionists. Others feel the need to demonstrate and protest. It is not unusual that many of the organisers have other agendas other than a purely Islamic one and co-opt the outrage felt by many believers. Muslims sadly are unaware that their good clean hearted sentiments are being channelled into other agendas.
In this article we are looking at how Muslims are drawn into supporting causes that are normatively seen as part of Islam such as the Palestinian issue, Islamophobia and women’s rights but reveal themselves to be fronts for a liberal Marxist agenda and why this is hugely problematic from an Islamic standpoint.
Muslim activists often draw upon Islamic guidelines in regards to “speaking the truth at all costs” to challenge oppression and cause change. Guidelines that the Prophet (saw) often spoke about in many ahadith such as
“If people see some evil but do not change about it, soon Allāh will send His punishment upon them all” (Sunan Ibn Majah).
Such ahadith aroused noble sentiments in the Sahaba as well as the generation after them (including reputable scholars such as Imam Malik) who spoke the truth and challenged injustice at the cost of the imprisonment, derision and even death at the hands of authorities. This sentiment is a noble one if it is embraced by Muslims the world over as it is a sign of imaan of the ummah of Muhammad (saw). This activism was prescribed by Islamic texts to follow an Islamic viewpoint on life. Those who spoke the truth in the earlier generations did so either to:
a) challenge the corrupt Quraishi viewpoint in society and form a public opinion that would lead to the establishment of Islam (in the case of the Sahaba), or,
b) to account tyrant rulers who strayed from Islamic political guidelines in order that they apply Islam correctly (in the case of Imam Malik).
In the west (Britain as of late, primarily America), some Muslim activists have been drawn into a liberal Marxist agenda when addressing the rising Islamophobia in government, media, and other layers of society. Marxism (for those who are not aware) is an ideology which seeks to remove classes in society that have been adopted and maintained by power structures (governments etc) by having the people en masse stand against these structures and create a society that is fairer in their opinion.
Although historically associated with Communism (where the purported aim was a fair distribution of wealth), Marxism has taken on a modern liberal form, in which liberal Marxists encourage identity-groupings based on whatever characteristic/behaviour a person feels aggrieved about and wishes the rest of society should forcibly made to accept at every cost (e.g LGBT, multiple gender identities, feminism) and to achieve an equality in society based on this against what are perceived as traditional norms (Heterosexual, 2 genders, Male and Female roles in society). This is what Marxism terms as “class struggles”.
Marxist-style activists often adopt pro Palestine campaigns in order to raise the ire of Muslims against the established system. Some Muslim activists see this common ground of activism shared by liberal marxist-types as welcome support in societies in which they feel they need all the support they can get to be heard and thus change the hostile anti-islamic climate to a more accepting one where they need not feel alienated. The problem with this union is that when liberal marxist-style activists also campaign for positions that conflict deeply with Islam (such as LGBT, feminism, transgenderism, political groupings based on race), they will also criticise Islam being as part of a religious power structure that they must also breakdown and reform in the interests of freedoms and rights.This puts Muslim activists who allied with them on a pro Palestine or anti-Islamophobia basis in a precarious position; they either have to agree to a Marxist-basis and call for the acceptance of positions that are vehemently prohibited in Islam, or be categorised by the liberal Marxists as just another power structure that needs to be “woke”, broken down and reformed to fit in with secular liberal definitions of equality.
Muslim activists who have bowed to the liberal Marxist agenda will then find themselves adopting all sorts of contradictory positions, even attacking Islamic beliefs themselves. High profile examples of this have been US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar who was lauded in the muslim community for exposing Zionist sympathies amongst US Senators in 2019, whilst in the same year also attended pro-LGBT rallies in Minnesota and introduced pro-LGBT legislation in congress with unflinching support. The same can be said of US anti-Islamophobia activist Linda Sarsour who is regularly vocal about her support of LGBT and how Muslims need to supportive of such because they too are facing discrimination. We can see a direct correlation of how Muslim activists who have fallen for the liberal marxist agenda actually begin to call for less and less Islam, then no Islam, and finally criticise Islam for not being liberal enough.
The problem with the liberal Marxist viewpoint is that it is intellectually dishonest in the grandest terms: The liberal Marxist agenda (just like it did historically under the purview of communism) aims to latch on to any grievance from any set of people in society that are being oppressed by the government to create anarchy in society so that a “revolution” may take place at the end where power structures are overthrown and society will be fairer. It does not matter to the liberal Marxist agenda that Islam fundamentally disagrees with it’s liberal, “progressive” outlook – it just requires the Muslim segment to be opposed like they are to the “power structures” that are halting progress. They will present themselves as friends of the Palestinian causes, against oppression of Muslims and use the momentum gained from muslim activists as “fuel” to create anarchy that will lead to the change that they desire. If the shallow pledges of support were not enough, the Marxist agenda then also loots the Muslim activist of their Islamic beliefs.
Islam, however, openly, clearly and intellectually explains it’s worldview on how a just and equitable world would function, and posits that the problems of today are as a direct consequence of how society has been organised. Islam makes it clear that activism can only be for a wholesale, from-the-roots-change in system for the problems in society to be resolved. The Prophet (saw) and his blessed Sahaba carried out dawah to change the public opinion in Arabian society amongst the people and also amongst influentials who held the keys to power, so that they could discard the previous, corrupt and oppressive Quraishi system, and replace it with an Islamic government that ruled by Islam. In this quest, the Prophet (saw) and his Sahaba were offered to compromise their Islam (as the liberal marxists agenda mandates) with promises of riches and benefits but they made sure that the Islamic call was unadulterated, even though it meant severe persecution and death for members of the group. What the Prophet (saw) and his Sahaba established, was not just an end to the Islamophobia of the Quraish, but the for the justice of Islam in all societal areas (such as economics, rule of law, dignified treatment of citizens) to be realised. They, unlike liberal Marxist activists, did not seek to change the system from within (if such a thing is even possible), rather they changed the whole of a rotten system, and in it’s place established a pure one.
Today, due to a lack of awareness of Islam as a complete system and a (contradictory) secular liberal standard on addressing problems in society, Muslims are being enticed into the agendas of others that are far from Islam.
In this regard, we need to be wary and understand activism today in it’s correct context; that of Islam requiring Muslims to work for the return of Islam to state and society and solving our problems without subservience to secular ideas and movements. Umar bin Al Khattab (who followed the Islamic method of societal change) summarised this perfectly:
“We were once the most humiliated people on earth and Allah gave us honour through Islam. If we ever seek honour through anything else, Allah will humiliate us again”
So in order to channel our energies productively, we need to put the responsibility where it belongs. There will be no solution to the occupation of Palestine until Muslims unite under a single state that launches the sizeable militaries to re-take Palestine. Indeed with the correct leadership and political will this is not a difficult matter – just look at the Israeli panic chaos to a few hundred rockets fired from a rag tag band of resisters. Muslims must apply pressure to the powers that be amongst them in their lands to apply Islam or step aside. [...]
March 16, 2021ArticlesMany Islamic activists suffer a confusion that causes in them a paralysis in action. In this age that has gone beyond political correctness many are confused. They need not be however. Should we always be polite and not upset people’s sensibilities? The other extreme of course is to unnecessarily cause offence, be brash, or egotistical. What’s the point of dawah in the West, isn’t it better to sign up a few courses and collect money on Saturday for charity. The concept of dawah is not at all clear.
It is true that the nature of Islamic dawah, has not changed after all it is based upon how the Prophet (saw) carried his call. Yet many fail to understand the Prophet’s (saw) call and often equate it to missionary work and individual reform – thereby completely misunderstanding the point. There needs to be absolute clarity on what dawah is so that the Ummah can adopt the correct concepts, criteria and convictions so that there exists and actual ideological support base for the state that is being sought.
In this article we go through some of the key concepts from Nizam al Islam chapter 4 The Way to Carry the Islamic Da’wah, by Sheikh Taqiuddin Nabhani
The purpose of the Islamic dawah
There is a misunderstanding about the purpose of Islam. Many understand it be individualistic, to live on an individual basis whilst the world around them is of no relevance. This clearly is a mistake as it defies the reality of what the Prophet (saw) brought , what he (saw) and the sahaba (raa) struggled for was to implement Islam and then expand it to the rest of the world. So today in a world where Islam is not implemented then we must direct our dawah to the restoration of Islam to life via implementation as a state. Many lose themselves in so called dawah activities that tinker around areas that can only be secured and implemented by a state. These merely serve to perpetuate the status quo.
“Therefore, the Muslims must resume the Islamic way of life if they want the revival (naHDah) to occur. However, they will not be able to resume the Islamic way of life unless they carry the Islamic da’wah by carrying the intellectual leadership of Islam, and establish, by this da’wah an Islamic State which in turn will carry the intellectual leadership of Islam by carrying the Islamic call.”
A more detailed discussion of what is meant by the term intellectual leadership can be found here
Therefore, carrying the Islamic da’wah in the situation where there is no Khaleefah, should include the call for Islam and the resumption of the Islamic way of life by working to establish the Islamic State which implements Islam and carries its message to the world. Thus, the da’wah is transferred then from a call within the ummah to resume the Islamic way of life to a call to the world carried out by the Islamic State, and from a local da’wah within the Islamic world to a universal da’wah.Accordingly, the Islamic da’wah should carry to the people the system by which they are to solve their daily life’s problems. This is because the secret to the success of the Islamic da’wah is that it is vivid and addresses man in a comprehensive manner as a human being, thereby bringing about a comprehensive and radical change in him.
The Prophet (saw) only accepted Islam and did not a Compromise with the reality around him.
Many Muslims are happy to live according to the systems that are applied, which without exception are non Islamic. Many Muslims in an attempt to be smart say well we live in the West (including some that profess to carry dawah) the call to khilafah is not pertinent here it’s for the Muslim world.
On this basis they divert their dawah to activities that have no bearing on the purpose of the dawah which is to revive the Islamic way of life by restoring a state. The dawah today should be carried as it was by the Messenger (saw) regardless of time or place otherwise it is a diversion from the entire message of Islam. The work of course should be linked to the reality a dawah carrier finds himself in but the aim has to be one, the restoration of the Khilafah state.
The Prophet (saw) opposed all that was in contradiction to Islam. Today many silently accept other than Islam and it’s thought. This is nothing but a surrender of the Islamic dawah to the forces opposing it and seeking to continue their hegemony over the Muslims.
The da’wah should be carried today as it was delivered in the past and should proceed in compliance with the example of the Messenger _, without the slightest deviation from that method in its general and specific details. No regard should be given to the difference in time, for this difference amounts to nothing more than the means and forms. However, the essence and the reality of life has not and will not change, regardless of the passing of ages and changing of peoples and places.
Thus, carrying the da’wah demands frankness, courage, strength, thought and to challenge all that contradicts the fikrah and tareeqah (idea and method) of Islam by facing it and exposing its falsehood, irrespective of the situation and its consequences.
Carrying the Islamic da’wah necessitates that the ultimate sovereignty (siyadah) belongs to the Islamic ideology, regardless of whether it agrees or disagrees with the masses and whether they accept it or reject it and oppose it, or whether it is in accordance with the people’s customs or not.
Accommodation is a form of Compromise
We need to accommodate other Muslims, let them do what they do and we do what we do .
This goes against the understanding of the Islamic way of carrying dawah. It is also a surefire way to melt into mediocrity and become another voice amongst voices. A Muslims should never compromise his concepts and he should seek to convince others, he cannot accept erroneous ideas even though all he can do is discuss them with those who hold them. Many accept that people calling for charity work, advocacy , lobbying and spiritual reform are legitimate forms of activism and put them on par to restoring Islam to society. These activities are permitted (in most cases) in Shara , but they can’t be considered to be dawah that absolves people from the fard of carrying dawah for Islam.
Often people that are carrying dawah accept this as an itjihadi difference. Only it’s not, these activities in most cases have no linkage to establishing the state and are entirely different activities to serve some need that a segment of Muslims may have. The reason to discuss with the activists of such projects is not to denigrate them but to remind them that their efforts too are required for the monumental task of re-establishing the state, if they are serious about working for Islam. They are no more than shuffling the deck chairs on the titanic in their current activities.
So such people need to be educated and not flattered or given plaudits for their efforts in the cause of Islam. They need to be re-oriented to the work for restoring Islam. They need to be reminded that Islam is a complete way of life and in a situation where Islam is not implemented that it is their duty to carry dawah for changing the reality .
The da’wah carrier (hameled da’wah) does not flatter the people, is not courteous to the authorities or cares for the people’s customs and traditions, and does not give any attention to whether the people will accept him or not. Rather he must adhere to the ideology alone and solely express it paying no regard to anything except the ideology. It is not allowed to tell the followers of other ideologies to adhere to their ideologies. Instead, they are invited without compulsion to embrace the ideology (of Islam) because the da’wah requires that there be no other ideology alongside Islam and that the sovereignty be for Islam alone.Delivering the da’wah requires a concern for the complete implementation of the rules of Islam without the slightest concession. The carrier does not accept any truce nor concession, negligence or postponement. Instead, he maintains the matter as a whole and definitively settles it immediately. He does not accept any intercession which would obstruct the truth
Completeness of the call
Another confusion that exists is that it is ok to call for Islamic ideas or rebut capitalism in general terms. So someone may talk about the life a companion, or an ayah of Quran, yet not make it clear why he was talking about this and what connection it had to explaining change. If he were not to link that to nature of Islam in its entirety, then his speech could not be considered as part of carrying the Islamic dawah. Rather a motivation and the aim would be preaching or guidance rather than reviving the Islamic way of life. Just as an Imam may talk about motivational subjects on Jummah , these would provide motivation and guidance to the attendees but this could not be conflated with dawah to revive Islam. One celebrity scholar said his job was to make people feel good about Islam (i.e. entertainment)
Therefore, care must be taken in delivering the Islamic da’wah to preserve the completeness of the idea and the completeness of its implementation without any compromise in the fikrah and Tareeqah. There is no harm in using any wasa’il (means) it demands.
Working For Objectives
It is very dangerous for a dawah carrier to work for no or vague objectives. He must get clear on what he is doing. That is to say that he understands that Islam is not present in the world and he needs to contribute to the reviving of it. He must then break this down to what the aims of his activism are, therefore he must set objectives for his dawah. If he were not to do this and just follow the dawah like a groupie then this would be very dangerous to his dawah. If the purpose is not clear then one can fall into a spiral of despair and abandon the work. This can happen, often after years of activity for the sake of activity. For this reason he must be thinking and always assessing effectiveness of his actions reviewing them and perfecting them. If he is a mere follower then he cannot be assured of continuity in dawah, as he would not understand or bear the possible storms that he may encounter and not deal with them when he does.
Carrying the Islamic da’wah necessitates that every one of its actions be undertaken for a specific objective. The carrier should always be aware of this aim and work towards achieving it, exerting himself relentlessly to fulfil it. Therefore, the carrier would not be satisfied by thought without action and would deem it to be a hypnotic and fanciful philosophy. Likewise, he would not be satisfied by thought and action devoid of any objective, considering this to be a spiral motion which ultimately ends in apathy and despair. Instead, the da’wah carrier has to insist upon connecting the thought with action and uniting the two in working for a specific objective which will be fulfilled in a practical manner and be brought into existence.It is impossible for the da’wah carriers to carry out the responsibility and to effectively discharge their duties unless they rooted within themselves the motivation towards perfection and completeness. They should constantly search for the truth, continuously scrutinize all that they know in order to purify their understandings (of issues) from any alien thoughts, and remove away from these understandings anything close to them (in meaning) that might possibly stick to them. This will keep the idea they carry, pure and clear. The purity and clarity of the thoughts is the only guarantee for Islam’s success and the continuity of this success.
The Why of Carrying Islamic Dawah
Why would anyone choose to carry the dawah in this day and age? The path of carrying dawah requires sacrifice of one’s time, energy and resources. It also can put one in the path of perils , rejection by people and treachery. It however is a grand bargain because in return for being steadfast, facing the challenges, dealing with the problems – lies the pleasure of Allah (swt) and that is the greatest source of strength if a person truly believes.
The da’wah carriers have to carry this duty as an obligation from Allah . They have to embark upon it enthusiastically and delightedly expecting the pleasure of Allah . They must not seek for their work any worldly reward or expect praises from people. They must acknowledge nothing except the pursuit of the pleasure of Allah_. [...]
March 10, 2021ArticlesPakistan, since its inception has used the parliamentary system of government given to it by it’s British colonial masters. The parliamentary system has come under much criticism in Pakistan as the Pakistani public are only allowed to vote for their local constituent of the party they wish to support rather than directly voting for a President – and that once a president has been voted in, their powers to change laws have been limited due to the lengthy process this requires in the parliamentary system, and because of instability caused by opposition parties making alliances amongst themselves, effectively curtailing any new legal propositions by the current president. This has been problematic as Pakistani local politics has been in a state of nepotism, corruption and feudalism since its inception in 1947 in the sense that whichever party has the most financial clout and social connections in an area is able to garner votes from its local constituency (both ethically and non-ethically) in an absolute majority (in many cases, laughably 100% voter turnouts). This has lead to party strongholds (PPP in Sindh, PMLN in Punjab and PTI in KPK.These problems with the parliamentary system in Pakistan, have lead for calls for the adoption of a presidential system. It is thought that it would be more successful because it would allow a beneficial separation of powers between the president and the legislature. In a parliamentary system, the prime ministers position in power is continually being threatened as his party may lose required seats in national election; such would not be the case in a presidential system where there would be a separate election for constituent seats and a separate election for president. Those who endorse the presidential system of government argue that it is better than a parliamentary system because it allows the stability that is missing under a parliamentary system.
Supporters of the PTI government of Imran Khan have claimed that Pakistan would be better off with a presidential system where the president can implement his vision and policy with greater freedom and autonomy rather than power-sharing with opposition political parties that have a large share of the legislature due to Pakistan’s political divide of different major parties having a stranglehold on different areas of the country. Some opposing commentators have argued that because of this very fractured ethnic heterogeneity (pakistan is made up of 5 provinces with distinct ethnic identities), a presidential system would make the inter-ethnic situation worse rather than better because it would give the ruling party undisputed control of passing laws it deems fit, to the credit of it’s stronghold province, and detriment to other areas of the country.
What seems to be missed in this debate, is the role of the ever-present corporate-military establishment of Pakistan; an establishment which would continue to hold the reigns of power no matter if a parliamentary system was to be replaced by a presidential system – just as it has done throughout Pakistan’s unstable history. In fact, such a change would allow the establishment even greater control on the public and makes it easier for them – and not the Pakistani public – to benefit from speedier legislation. The role of the establishment becomes a greater problem given the fact that successive American governments have had strong vested interests in Pakistan since the 1950’s and these interests have practically served as Pakistan’s foreign policy (backing of wars in Afghanistan during the Soviet era, and the Invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, drone strikes on it’s own innocent civilians in Waziristan and operation Zarb-e-Azab – all for American strategic and political interests). If the presidential system allows the President of Pakistan to pass legislation more efficiently, these laws would not be contrary to the American plan for the region, because the entenched military/political established would sure that it’s American masters are not undermined in the face of any advancement.
What is needed here is not just a change of administration involving the executive and the legislature, but a complete overhaul of political system where an elite establishment cannot have cannot have any vested interests that are to the detriment of the people. The Islamic Khilafah System in the only such system which would unite the different ethnic groupings on what they believed Pakistan would be about since it’s inception in 1947 – Islam. There has always existed a deep-seated love in the Pakistani public for anything that is considered Islam; Imran Khan (and others likewise) have had to refer to the prophetic “Madinah Model” of governance when appealing to the Pakistani public before elections. Likewise whenever there has been an attack on the honour of the Prophet (saw) – whether at home or abroad – the Pakistan awaam have gathered in their droves to voice their discontent and opposition.
The Khalifah would have complete control of power, however (unlike in the presidential system) he would not be allowed to legislate on whim as the laws governing various different areas that comprise a state (economy, education, social life, foreign policy) would be fixed according to Islamic directives from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Not only this, but if the Khalifah were to violate his position at the expense of the people, the Mahkamaat Al-Madhalim (The Court of Unjust Acts) would nullify his position and immediately arrange a new election for a successor. In short, the Khilafah system of governance affords complete control to the Khalifah to implement the laws of the creator, without vested elite interests and subject to definite accountability in case of error.
In this regard – with (or without) the Pakistani elite establishment, the proposed presidential system would just be another guise of bringing a police state to further oppress the people. It was not long ago Mohammed Morsi of Egypt was sworn in as President of Egypt and sought to increase his executive powers in a similar way to the presidential system that is being mooted in Pakistan, only to removed a year later and imprisoned as his actions did not allign with the country’s entrenched military and security establishment (that,unsurprisingly, were backed by US aid to the tune of $1.3 Billion). History since the very beginning of the inception of Pakistan has taught us time and time again that the will of the elite establishment is what any party must adhere to, be it in democratic periods and periods of military rule – either bow to it and create no change, or be exiled, imprisoned or killed. Islam is the only system that tackles the problem of ruling from it’s roots – by removing the vested interests of elites and in the process delivering justice; otherwise, as for the past 70 years, a merry-go-round of cosmetic changes and failures in government will continue to betray the people of Pakistan as they always have done. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesThe real elephant in the room is that Muslims fail to link their belief in Islam to their actions on a collective level. Muslims as an ummah will not rise again as a leading nation until they return the severed link between the aqeeda and the affairs of life. A few thoughts in the points below
The cement of Society
What bonds a society – we say it can’t be nationalism , patriotism, self interests , but rather a bond based upon ideology. By and large western nations are ideological based upon secular creed (put in its simplest form it doesn’t matter what came before life and what came after life just deal with it ). By and large Muslim countries whilst individuals believe that before life there was a creator and after life there will judgement and Jananah or Jahanum – this is not represented in institutions, policies or mainstream political discourse.
What is ideology
Ideology is a viewpoint about man life and the universe ( aqeeda) and how life should be lived based upon this viewpoint – both in terms of solutions to be applied and the way to apply those solutions. Example – In the west gay rights should be permitted based upon secularism , then legislation through democracy and then implementation via education and if needed via judiciary ( courts) and penal code. In Islam gay rights shouldn’t be permitted, this is implemented through the state, education and judiciary and penal code if required.
Muslim Societies
If one is to examine the Muslim world, whilst there are some that have made the connection between their belief and how they view problems should be solved, we see society as a whole remains stuck in confusion and hotch potch of western, nationalistic , benefit based solutions and the link between the aqeeda and solutions for life’s affairs is still not yet the pre-eminent view within these societies. Take Turkey or Pakistan as an example whilst there exist people that want link the Islamic aqeeda with the affairs of life , this intellectual political trend is weak – people prefer pragmatism, doing what you can , patriotism self interest etc.
States are only as strong as the thought they are built upon
The Western nations whilst we may see nationalistic trends, or Trumps decisions that apparently seem to defy any principles at all – when we scratch below the surface everything is consistently linked to the secular viewpoint on life. The average guy on the street will evaluate his life and his view on this basis as well. As such the western world inspite of having an incorrect viewpoint about life consistently refers back to this basis. As such the society moves forward ( sometimes not so smoothly look at brexit ). If Muslims were to establish a Khilafah and not rectify the confusion that exists in thought, then it will very easily be destroyed by infighting , insertion of agents that whilst seemingly achieving results for Muslims ( see Mustafa Kemal as an example the Turks called him Ghazi Mustafa Kemal whilst he was strangling the Ottoman State).
Golden age of Islam.
The period after the Khulafa Rashideen was seen to be a golden period in Islamic history. This was because the linkage between the Islamic aqeeda and how people lived and the rules they implemented were consistent and there was very little intellectual or political corruption i.e ideas based on other than Islam.
The purpose of the Dawah today
The need of the dawah today is to create a strong basis an Islamic ideological basis upon which a state can be established. What many Muslims see as being the priority of securing their interests, fighting Islamophobia, tarbiyah for their children and the call to ritualistic aspects of Islam . Or even the likes of Erdogan or the proponents of just doing a coup who are going for power are not doing the job properly. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesI think it is an important discussion for Muslims to put things into context I wish to make the following points. If I am wrong, inaccurate or totally off the mark in what I am saying then mention it in the comment and we can discuss it.
Knife crime is result of the nature of the system , and how people behave is built upon the values of that system. Knife crime is only a singular manifestation of a whole plethora of undesirable acts committed in society.It is not possible to solve this problem individually either amongst Muslims or the society as a whole. It it has to be a systemic change.The Muslims in this country live according to the norms of society , and are segment of the society and will be effected by knife culture etc. The same rules apply to all who live in society so can Muslims really give an Islamic solution . Apart from your immediate family you have no control over anyone. Your flogging a dead horse if you think you will achieve a comprehensive change amongst Muslims , the best you can expect is a few individuals here and there.The govt has thrown a lot of resources into addressing this and other crime issues – it has also co-opted non governmental organisations to help within their respective communities Green Lane Mosque being an example. The govt not only has law , police, it has an education system and many small quangos that in return for funding will do projects for the common good ( as perceived by the state) . The latest step is increasing police by 20, 000 members.By exposing individual freedom ( which isn’t the singly most dangerous concept as asserted ) it doesn’t make a jot of difference to the revival of the Muslim Ummah. It is not possible to reform the individuals without reforming the system that they live under. What we aim for is a change in the collective thinking towards the establishment of Islam as a system to live by. This is the productive work that needs to be the top priority.Dawah carriers if they are still loyal to Islams directives and not mindless activism have a duty to prioritise their actions to political ideological work that will have a direct impact on reviving the ummah via the restablishment of the Khilafah state, the rest frankly is a waste of time and energy that will achieve nothing but delay in the victory for Muslims. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesIn this period that we are going through, Muslims have not carefully analysed the issues that they are facing . Neither have they prepared a clear road map to extricate themselves from this state of affairs.
They have not attempted to analyse the root causes of the issues facing us. Rather many jump onto activities that they feel will help. Collecting charity in boxes, demonstrating for various issues . It is important that the problem is defined and the solutions can then be worked for .
In the paragraph below are some golden words from chapter 4 of the book Nizam al Islam. In a nutshell, actions must be taken for effective aims that are well thought out.
Carrying the Islamic da’wah necessitates that every one of its actions be undertaken for a specific objective. The carrier should always be aware of this aim and work towards achieving it, exerting himself relentlessly to fulfil it. Therefore, the carrier would not be satisfied by thought without action and would deem it to be a hypnotic and fanciful philosophy. Likewise, he would not be satisfied by thought and action devoid of any objective, considering this to be a spiral motion which ultimately ends in apathy and despair. Instead, the da’wah carrier has to insist upon connecting the thought with action and uniting the two in working for a specific objective which will be fulfilled in a practical manner and be brought into existence. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesHere are a few points that might be useful in considering what the Indian position is with regards to what is going on in Kashmir.
Narendra Modi is an extreme Hindu nationalist and secured a electoral win not on the strength of his policies but the rousing of populist Hindu identity amongst the 80% Hindu population. He has long held hatred against Muslims and turned more than a blind eye to the killing of Muslims in Gujrat in 2002. Ever since his election win where he won a strong majority 303 seats out 543 ( the nearest opposition party getting only 52) the killing, lynching and attempts at forcible conversion of Muslims by Hindu mobs and thugs has increased. He sees his Hindu zealotry and polarisation of hindus against minorities as a winning formula for electoral success into the future.As part of this drive to put Hindus first, the Indian government has revoked articles 370 and 35a which allowed Kashmir to have a significant amount of autonomy. Kashmir is the largest Muslim majority state in India. Just like in Pakistan no one who is not and indigenous Kashmiri is allowed to purchase land there. The implication of this is that through relocation of Hindus to Kashmir it will no longer remain a Muslim majority state . The Muslims therefore will become a minority as they are in other parts of India. This effectively resolves the issue as demands for either Kashmiri Independence or joining with Pakistan on the basis the populace is Muslim will no long stand true. The most likely scenario is that existing political structures will be dismantled and Indian occupied Kashmir will be split with governors being appointed direct by Delhi.
The signs are not good for the Muslims in Kashmir as elsewhere in India, the increase in military activities indicates that there will be a crackdown on the inevitable civil disobedience that will arise.
It seems Modi has been emboldened with the weak stance of Pakistan with regards to the Kashmir issue. Imran Khan recently massaged Trumps ego by asking for him to bring India and Pakistan to the negotiating table to resolve the Kashmir issue, this irked the Indians as they had already discussed their plan with the Americans according to reports.
In all likelihood the Indians realise that all Pakistan has done is little more than empty gestures to appease elements within Pakistan. It is not serious with the Kashmir issue that has festered for more than 70 years. Pakistan could have done so at Kargil when military victory over the Indians in Kashmir was imminent if it was seriously backing the Muslims in Kashmir.
Pakistan has consistently shown a weak stance towards Kashmir, which is not surprising as the mindset in establishment is not built upon any ideological basis( even as shallow as Modi’s Hindu racism).
Additionally the crackdown on Kashmiri Mujahideen movements in Pakistan and the lukewarm support to those in Indian occupied Kashmir has emboldened Modi. The official Twitter handle of Pakistani President Arif Alvi said: “India’s attempt to further change status of Jammu and Kashmir is against the resolutions of UNSC and against wishes of the Kashmiri people.” Modi like his Israeli mentors knows full well that UN resolutions are not worth toilet paper. Modi understands that going to the “international community” and the UN will not stop him from seeing through his plan to Hinduise Kashmir. As far as he is concerned he is settling the Kashmir issue. At this juncture it is unlikely that he has any ambitions beyond the existing line of control.
No other country Muslim or non Muslim ( barring Pakistans tepid response) including China, Iran, Turkey as yet have indicated opposition to Modi’s stance and solidarity with the Muslims in Kashmir. We all know that this is due to the silence of Muslim masses at large in accepting the politics that is implemented over them. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesMany Muslims think that there is some secret move afoot , that slowly but surely Turkey is heading to restore the caliphate and unify the ummah under its leadership. Of course we would all love for this to be true. A cold sober look at some of the ground realities to me suggests otherwise. Here are some points that might help inform our understandings.
Turkey is far from being a society that is united on single viewpoint on life( i.e all issues are seen from the Islamic prism), there are still a significant portion of the population that are hard core kemalists, as well as people that describe them selves as pious Muslims, conservatives and nationalists. At this point in time the societal viewpoint is still not clear. So in my view a nucleus for strong state based on Islam still eludes us.Turkish republicanism has left a very strong stain on Turkish society. We have to remember that Mustafa Kemal was seen as a hero by many Turks. In their eyes he saved the Turkish nation from oblivion. They were, after all defeated in the 1st world war , their lands ( current day Turkey) were about to be dismembered. The humiliation of the occupation by the Greeks still sends a chill down the spines of some Turks. Kemal was seen as a hero and thus he demolished the institution of khilafah and established the Turkish republic. Once in power he started strip Turkey of its Islamic heritage and promote his republican ideas.Mustafa Kemal’s republican party ( today’s CHP) has a symbol of 6 arrows . Each of these arrows represent the philosophy of the Turkish Republic . Each arrow represents the concepts of republicanism, populism, nationalism, Laicism, Statism and reformist. It is for this reason that you will never hear any state official including Erdogan ( I haven’t anyway) encouraging or prohibiting any actions on the basis of Islam.The state is secular Laïcité ( i,e the complete detachment of religion from state) this is different from secularism in the UK ( with the lords spiritual in the house lords ) or in the US. No religion is allowed to be expressed. This is still the basis of the society and to declare the caliphate this will need to be overturned. Any shift in the basis would not go unopposed in Turkey at this juncture.As the basis of politics in the country is not Islam. Even the so called Islamic infiltrators in the institutions like the Gulenists are clearly in the hands of the USA. Although Erdogan has attempted to clean up the institutions, he has filled up the positions with those that will not oppose him, it is not from any ideological affiliation. We can see that old allies of Erdogan like Ali Babacan, Abdullah Gul and Ahmet Davutoglu are talking about setting up some opposition to Erdogan. The point being that political unity on an ideological basis is not there, rather it is built on personality and interests and as a result can easily become corrupted.Ottomanism or neo-ottomanism. This is often used in Turkey to rouse nostalgia of Turkeys great past. Ottomanism it self is not a new concept . It was in fact used by the ottomans in their later stages based upon ideas of Montesquieu and Rousseau. It was a perversion of the concept of Millets ( i.e if you were a christian and jew you would be judged according to your own law in personal matters you were another millet ). It was an attempt from what I understand to create an ottoman identity ( with no reference to Islam) . It of course failed and was far away from the Islamic concept of citizenship. The term neo-ottomanism was coined by in Chatham House paper by David Barchard in 1985, where it was suggested that this might be a future course for the Turkish republicTurkeys relationships with the Muslim world and lands that were under the Ottoman states needs to be assessed. Turkey sees it self as a regional player and as such wants to reassert its influence with states that it had control over in the ottoman era and those Muslim states. This is not so as to unify on the basis of shariah rather this is a commercial necessity. It is of course convenient in establishing relationships with other Muslim countries but when one scratches beneath the surface it is commercial relationship that is sacrosanct, look at the incident with China and Uighur. Although Turkey has sided with Pakistan over the Kashmir issue , this is not necessarily borne out of brotherhood. This could also be due to Turkeys strategic vision of becoming the leading Muslim state and it having a greater interest in Pakistan than in India.Overall, it seems that the trajectory where Turkey is headed is one of regional player perhaps even a world player, that wants to be independent in its policies. An economically and militarily strong state that has deep relationships with its former territories, the Turkic people and Muslims at large. The shape I see Turkey taking is more imperial than that of a caliphate but Allah (swt) knows best how society will change in the future. On the plus side the khilafah will be more viable in a strong state than one that has been bombed back the stone age. [...]
March 4, 2021Articles“Do you see society being united on the single Islamic viewpoint as a precondition for Khilafah? And what does that mean practically?”
A brother asked the above question in a comment on another post. I felt it was better to address it as a separate post.
The reason for this is that many do not have an appreciation of how societies work ( or don’t work in some cases) .
So I have listed out some points below , and given my conclusion to the question. I welcome any challenge to my assertions , provided it is based of factual or shari evidence.
The cement of Society
What bonds a society – we say it can’t be nationalism , patriotism, self interests , but rather a bond based upon ideology. By and large western nations are ideological based upon secular creed (put in its simplest form it doesn’t matter what came before life and what came after life just deal with it ). By and large Muslim countries whilst individuals believe that before life there was a creator and after life there will judgement and Jananah or Jahanum – this is not represented in institutions, policies or mainstream political discourse.
What is ideology
Ideology is a viewpoint about man life and the universe ( aqeeda) and how life should be lived based upon this viewpoint – both in terms of solutions to be applied and the way to apply those solutions. Example – In the west gay rights should be permitted based upon secularism , then legislation through democracy and then implementation via education and if needed via judiciary ( courts) and penal code. In Islam gay rights shouldn’t be permitted, this is implemented through the state, education and judiciary and penal code if required.
Muslim Societies
If one is to examine the Muslim world, whilst there are some that have made the connection between their belief and how they view problems should be solved, we see society as a whole remains stuck in confusion and hotch potch of western, nationalistic , benefit based solutions and the link between the aqeeda and solutions for life’s affairs is still not yet the pre-eminent view within these societies. Take Turkey or Pakistan as an example whilst there exist people that want link the Islamic aqeeda with the affairs of life , this intellectual political trend is weak – people prefer pragmatism, doing what you can , patriotism self interest etc.
States are only as strong as the thought they are built upon
The Western nations whilst we may see nationalistic trends, or Trumps decisions that apparently seem to defy any principles at all – when we scratch below the surface everything is consistently linked to the secular viewpoint on life. The average guy on the street will evaluate his life and his view on this basis as well. As such the western world inspite of having an incorrect viewpoint about life consistently refers back to this basis. As such the society moves forward ( sometimes not so smoothly look at brexit ). If Muslims were to establish a Khilafah and not rectify the confusion that exists in thought, then it will very easily be destroyed by infighting , insertion of agents that whilst seemingly achieving results for Muslims ( see Mustafa Kemal as an example the Turks called him Ghazi Mustafa Kemal whilst he was strangling the Ottoman State).
Golden age of Islam.
The period after the Khulafa Rashideen was seen to be a golden period in Islamic history. This was because the linkage between the Islamic aqeeda and how people lived and the rules they implemented were consistent and there was very little intellectual or political corruption i.e ideas based on other than Islam.
Taking Power vs Establishing an Ideological Islamic State
To address this question (“Do you see society being united on the single Islamic viewpoint as a precondition for Khilafah? And what does that mean practically?) one needs to be clear on the aim that is sought. Some conceive the aim of establishing Khilafah as simply taking power by some means and them implementing Islam over the society- job done – but is it really?
If this is the aim then, it is conceivable to foist the Islamic system over some societies. As it is possible to foist dictatorship, democracy, capitalism etc… Some argue the consequences can be dealt with after taking power. In this scenario it is likely that the newly established state has been set up for failure (better a failed state than no state some may argue). Any state need support and confidence of the people it rules over otherwise it will become a tyrannical and oppressive and this was not the way of the prophet (saw). If the people are not really convinced with direction or cannot see what policies are based upon then it is likely the state will go from one crisis to another without achieving its objective as a state- i.e becoming a failed state. Or worse still commit zulm on the people. An effective state needs to be able to execute its resolutions and for that it needs public support and the silencing of its opponents internally for this it needs to built upon a singular viewpoint of life.
Establishing an ideological Khilafah State
If the aim is to revive Islam and as part of that there is a need to establish the state. Then the desired goal is that the thought is adopted by people from all strata’s of society, including those of influence. That they have a clear worldview based on Islam and agree that the solutions that have to be implemented within society have to come from Islam. There is a demand based upon adherence to the aqeeda for the political implementation of Islam, and then this serves to build a strong basis for the establishment of strong state that will be effective and progressing, rather than being mired with internal political dissent that will be exploited by its enemies. In this case it would be necessary to unify the society on a single viewpoint on life (I don’t mean that there would be no opposing views but the Islamic view would be the predominant one , any view based on on other than Islam should not have any real traction. After the implementation of Islam all other views would be cast aside much as the Islamic view is cast aside in the states based on secularism today)
8.The purpose of the Dawah today
The need of the dawah today is to create a strong basis an Islamic ideological basis upon which a state can be established. What many Muslims see as being the priority of securing their interests, fighting Islamophobia, tarbiyah for their children and the call to ritualistic aspects of Islam . Or even the likes of Erdogan or the proponents of just doing a coup who are going for power are not doing the job properly. The Islamic aqeeda is the driving force of an Islamic system. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesThe hinduvta state knows it and the Pakistani establishment know it. Not only is Pakistan economically bankrupt, but it is also ideologically and politically bankrupt.
The policies and ideas that have been implemented over the last 70 years are on their last legs. The challenges coming up may prove insurmountable unless Pakistan revisits what it is about and readjusts its politics.
The elites can no longer rely on the passiveness of the population. The Pakistani awam has been remarkably tolerant, no nation would endure the conditions that they have endured. There is a burgeoning population -with little economic prospects. The cost of necessities is spiralling out of control. Will the Pakistani establishment resort to the biting oppression Egyptian style military rule – it seems to be dirtection with the ISI now being focused on internal issues rather the regional ones.
Next door you have a belligerent India whose rulers would not bat an eyelid in killing millions of Muslims and have fantasies of absorbing Pakistan. They have poked Pakistan in the eye over Kashmir. Already they have threatened to use a nuclear strike first.
To the west after the US leave a Taliban government may well ditch Pakistan for all the treachery since 2001. A worst case scenario is that they may be encouraged to claim Khyber Pakhtunkwa as they have never accepted the Durand line and become hostile to Pakistan.
The Pakistani thinkers, strategy planners and elites all shamelessly dismiss the option of Islamic government. They need to start thinking independently and not blindly follow the West. It’s about time they realised that implementing Islam is the only viable way out of the mess Pakistan finds itself in.
The only way to resolve the economic issues is to reject the yoke of the capitalist economic system and implement the Islamic economic system. The only way to deter India from misadventures is to invoke the spirit of jhad and to develop heavy industry to support militarisation. Islam orders us that the Taliban should be treated the like brothers and Pakistan and Afghanistan should join together as one state.
Establishing the Khilafah is the nuclear option that India has nor bargained for. It can deal with all the issues faced by Pakistan. Pakistan can not rely on the US or China , it needs to stand on its own 2 feet and for that it needs to ditch the begging bowl and adopt Islam as its guiding force.
If the current trajectory in the thinking continues in the ruling circles then the future for Pakistan looks very bleak indeed. It’s time for Pakistani’s to think out of the box. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesMany make the argument that Pakistan is in no position to go to war with Modi. The economy, the smaller number of men, being outgunned in the sea, land and air except for number attack helicopters are cited as reasons. The assertion is that this is the reason that Pakistan can only resort to diplomatic means only Pakistan does not have the means. I respectfully disagree.
In fact, the real weakness is not the material means. Rather it is the lack of will power which comes from spirituality. This will power is lacking as there is no connection to Allah (swt) and his messenger (saw) when it comes to the affairs of state. Many in the ranks of govt and military might be good Muslims in a personal sense – this however is confined exclusively to the prayer rooms and their morals. Had there been a connection with Islam, the state of Pakistan would be prepared to use physical force to help their brothers and sister under brutal occupation.
This is what Islam demands and the Modi’s of the world would think twice before trying anything. As it stands, the Hinduvta state understands that Pakistan will not respond due to its pusillanimous state of mind.
Linking to the Islamic belief and following the commands of Allah (swt) is what gives the Muslims their strength and makes them a formidable power. Not doing so illustrates to the world that they are the froth on the oceans, the blood of their children and honour of their women is cheap. India is clearly an oppressor and committing zulm and Islam mandates that they need to be set right.
It is a sad state of affairs that after failure, after failure and crisis, after crisis that those that make the policies in Pakistan can’t work out their weakness. They should take onboard the saying that a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The connection to Allah (swt) is ignored when policies are being made and this is the weakness.
If we look at the Talibaan it was their spiritual strength that allowed them to fight for 18 years (so far) against the most powerful army in human history. There are many examples in Muslim history that show it wasn’t the material means that allowed victory over the enemies, but a deep conviction in Allah(swt) and abiding by his commands. It’s about time Pakistani’s took note of this fact. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesEver since the establishment of Pakistan, the Pakistani elites have been able to successfully control and manipulate the public through many styles and means this seems to be more difficult due to increased awareness amongst the masses.The pressure that has been caused by the Hinduvta state’s actions in Kashmir on the both the military and its civilian face has been intense. The public in Pakistan demands action and the weakness of the establishment against India exposes it for what it is- a clique looking after its own affairs with little vision for developing the country as a whole.The pushing of diplomatic means through the UN Security Council and the international community has been seen for what it is – worthless. As are the charades like standing for half an hour Fridays which has been widely ridiculed.The elites in Pakistan care very little if at all about the demands of Islam with respect to other Muslims. The only real concern about Kashmir is how it effects public opinion within Pakistan both amongst the military and civilians. For this reason they are pushed to make some gestures to placate the masses.For a long period of time, the trajectory of Pakistani policy has been to try to normalise relations with India. This makes sense for the elites as a stable Pakistan with no threats at the border would allow the country to be further exploited in collaboration with India.The Hinduvta government has no intention of changing it stance on Kashmir and is working to integrate Kashmir into its territory. This coupled with belligerent statements against Pakistan, threats to invade what the Indians call Pakistan occupied Kashmir and the general persecution of Muslims throughout India- all turn the heat up on the Pakistani establishment.A possible way to resolve the issue is a limited war that will show that India is unbeatable. Just like the phoney 6 day war where Israel claimed to have beaten its neighbouring Arab armies , creating the myth that Israel is unbeatable. In this scenario it might even be seen as a victory for Pakistan to keep its existing borders and possibly turn the LOC to an international border.It would be a risky manoeuvre and could backfire. If it can fool the people it would allow the pak establishment, India and the US to deescalate tensions settle the Kashmir issue. The Indians then could focus on countering China as part of the US strategy against China.This is a possible scenario but we have to see how things develop in the forthcoming weeks. If an Indo Pak war comes, we must not be naive to think that it is for the assistance of the Muslims of Kashmir. We all know too well that the pakistani establishments brains are in its pockets and that’s the main idea that drives them. To them normalising relations with India is a worthwhile action even if it means ditching the 8 million Muslims in Kashmir. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesThe status of the European countries remained as such till the Middle Ages i.e. till the end of the sixteenth century when the European countries started to assemble themselves to form one group capable of standing against the Islamic state. These countries were under the dominance of the church, and Christianity was the link between them. So these countries attempted to form a christian community and started to organise the relations between themselves. They agreed on a set of rules to organise relationships between themselves and this was the start of the establishment of the so-called international law.
Hence, the root of the establishment of international law was the assemblage of the European christian states on the basis of the christian bond to stand against the Islamic state. This attempt of assemblage led to the establishment of the international christian community which agreed on certain rules and measures. Included in these rules was the provision that all subjects of the countries belonging to this community should enjoy equal rights, and that these countries should have the same ideas and ideals, and that they should also accept to give to the Catholic Pope supreme spiritual authority over all countries, regardless of their school of thought. These rules became the nucleus of the international law. In actual fact the assemblage of these countries was ineffective and the rules agreed upon, failed to unite them. The feudal system was a real obstacle to the state in strengthening itself or in practising its foreign policy. The control of the church over the state, took away the authority and the independence of these states. Due to this situation a conflict took place in these countries which ended in the elimination of the feudal system.
At the time there was a collision between the state and the church which resulted in the removal of the church’s control over the domestic and foreign affairs of the state. The states remained christian however, and what occurred was an organisation and rearrangement of the relations between the state and the church, to secure the independence of the state. As a result of this, the states in Europe became strong, although, not strong enough to stand against the Islamic state. The situation remained as such, till the mid seventeenth century i.e. 1648 A.D. when in this year the European countries convened the conference of West-Valia ( West Phallia) . In this conference, the christian countries of Europe laid down fixed rules to organise the relations between themselves and formed the community of christian countries to stand against the Islamic state. The conference laid down the traditional basis of the so-called international law which was not a common international law, but a law concerning the christian countries of Europe. This law prohibited the admission of the Islamic state as part of the international community and excluded her from the international law. From this time, the so-called international community came into existence and consisted solely of European christian states regardless of them being monarchical or republican, Catholic or Protestant. Initially, the community consisted of the western European states, then it included all christian European states and then expanded more to encompass also, the non-European christian states. The Islamic state was deprived admission till the mid nineteenth century, when it became very weak to the extent that it was called the “sick man of Europe”. At that time, the Ottoman state asked to join the international community but her request was turned down.
She then persisted in demanding to be allowed admission until she was accepted, but with very harsh conditions, including the abandonment of Islam in her international relations and adopting some of the European laws. When the Ottoman state yielded to these conditions and accepted to abandon Islam in her international relations (i.e. accepted to act as a non-Islamic state) her request to join the international community was accepted, in 1856 A.D. After this, other non-christian countries like Japan joined the community. So the conference of West-Valia, convened in 1648 A.D., is considered to be the first conference that regulated the traditional basis of the international law. According to this basis, the political actions started to happen in a distinct shape, and collective international actions began to occur.
Taken from the publication Political Concepts by Taqiuddin an Nabhani issued in 1969. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesHere are few thoughts about Turkey setting up a buffer zone and forming a view point about the unfolding events.
Turkey has long suffered from cross border terrorism from the communist PKK and its supporters including the YPG in northern Syria. It has been a longstanding issue that has threatened the Turkish territorial integrity. Southern Turkey is home to a large amount of Kurds that could potentially demand to join onto any potential Kurdish entity that arose in the region.After the abandonment of north east of Syria by the Assad regime and the subsequent occupation of many areas by DAESH, the US armed the YPG and other militia groups to fight DAESH. After the defeat of DAESH the land east of the Euphrates came largely under Kurdish control under the name of Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF).The SDF have largely administered the region based upon Abdullah Öcalan’s libertarian socialist ideology. In personal laws like marriage for example the sharia laws were left and in place absolute equality between men and women was enacted. In economics there have been widespread occurrences private property being transferred to communal ownership. According to the region’s “Ministry of Economics”, approximately three quarters of all property has been placed under community ownership and a third of production has been transferred to direct management by workers’ councilsInstead of having the Syrian regime on its southern border Tukey now had the SDF, which became a major concern to it. Given the colonel Ralph Peters map circulated in US policy circles more than a decade ago that showed free Kurdistan and a much smaller Turkey – it became a bee in Turkey’s bonnet to protect its borders.It should be noted that since August 2016 Turkey has already established a safe zone in Syria that consists of a 3,460-square-kilometre area which encompasses around 499 settlements, including towns such SDF control over the border undoubtedly caused Turkey deep concern. as Afrin, alBab, Azaz, Dabiq, Jarabulus, Jindires, Rajo and Shaykh al-Hadid. By last July ( 2018) Turkey had built 6 military bases in the area. Turkish Minister of the Interior Süleyman Soylu declared in January 2019 that northern Syria is “part of the Turkish homeland” per the Misak-ı Millî of 1920.The current moves to create a 20 mile zone into Syria will now ensure that the entire southern border with Syria is free from control by other than Turkey.Erdogan has played his politics well in getting a concession from the US President Trump to withdraw American forces. Previously he nearly succeeded but Trump did a U turn. Erdogan persisted with the Turkish agenda to create the buffer zone for some time. The current green light given by Trump to Turkey seems to be at odds with the other elements of the US establishment including the military who view Trump giving the Turks permission as treachery of their Kurdish allies. that lost 11000 lives in the fight against DAESH. Congress has stated that it will push for sanctions against Turkey and Trump has said he will sign both primary and secondary sanctions against Turkey, should they need to be activated. This is probably a move by Trump to diffuse criticism that he is not doing anything about Turkey by his opponents.Internationally, the EU has said that it may impose a weapons embargo on Turkey – this would need to be agreed unanimously by all the EU member nations. France and Germany already have said that they will put an arms embargo against Turkey. Pakistan has said it supports Turkeys attempts to end terrorism in the region.The actions that Erdogan has taken are for the preservation of the Turkish state. To disrupt the threat from the PKK and expand the influence of Turkey to its south. Additionally Erdogan will in all likelihood use this as political capital as a way to address the discontent amongst the Turkish public about Syrian refugees by saying that he has provided a solution for the problem by relocating them to the safe zone in northern Syria. The added advantage being that it will dilute down the Kurdish population thus diluting the threat from the PKK.Some Muslims judge the actions of Turkey and Erdogan from the prism of hukm Shari rules. Is what Turkey is doing within the bounds of shariah or not? The fact of the matter is that Turkey does not take the basis of its actions as Islam or the sharia. Rather it undertakes actions upon what it views as necessities for it to continue as a state and its own expedient policy objectives. The point being if the basis of actions is flawed what is the point of judging that they are correct or not according to Shara. What matters is the reality of what is going on.Many Muslims are trigger happy to attack rulers as they view that accounting the rulers is an essential prerequisite to return the Khilafah. This is a flawed understanding that often dismisses the political reality in favour of rhetoric. This alienates many Muslims that agree with the restoration of the Khilafah but find the attacks against the rulers no more than shallow soundbites.Regardless of the actions of Muslim nation states the issue at hand is transforming Muslim societies so that they carry the correct view points based upon Islam. Understanding the political reality and the effects of different actions undertaken by the existing states need to be taken onboard so that the work to transform society is not viewed as impractical or theoretical by Muslims at large. This is what is meant by looking after the affairs people -a definition of politics.What Turkey is doing is securing itself as a state , strengthening its influence so that it may benefit the people of Turkey. The reality is that it is better that it does that, than become a failed state like Syria or Iraq. The work that is required is not just to account Erdogan about the actions that he undertakes but to transform the public opinion to demand the implementation of Islam and it’s rules. That is the work of political parties that are based upon Islam.As a final point it could well be that the SDF will now join hands with the Assad regime in order to repel the Turkish “invasion “, in which case Trumps red lines would be crossed it is a scenario that needs to be followed. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesWhat’s playing out in Britain is a tussle between, the “imperialists” that believe in the days of empire and that Britain should still be a great power. They think because the international system is in a state of change that Britain through its astuteness, treachery and savagery can regain its standing ( and enrich its capitalist classes) , by supporting wars , playing peoples off against each other so that it gain economically. This element of the establishment believes that it can achieve this. They are not really worried about the impact on the average man , the pieces can be picked up later – besides they think the population needs to be put work and their poverty is self inflicted.
The other faction in this are the ones that take a more pragmatic approach – they see that Britain is not what it once was – as Blair put it just with their population India and China can sit on us and it is better for Britain to work with Europe so that it has more clout. They realise that Britain is now a medium sized power. They have thrown up every obstacle that they could do derail Brexit but the clock is ticking.
British politics is stagnant and isn’t working, having been replaced by technical bureaucracy as in much of Europe. A no deal Brexit would reset the politics and clear out the entrenched political sluggishness and initiate new political thinking. The radical approach if applied carefully could reinvigorate British politics . If it is a no deal Brexit the entrenched order in politics would be swept away . If Britain stays in the European union (which is looking increasingly unlikely) it will dissolve into mediocrity , which for many arrogant Brits in the elites is an unacceptable position to be in. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesJust went to Isha at Dzhumaya mosque in Plovdiv Bulgaria. Having read that the Ottomans ruled over this land for more or less 500 years until the 1870’s when they lost the Russo Turkish war , I would have still expected more than the paltry dozen worshippers in a very large and beautiful Ottoman masjid. Most of the worshippers like me looked like outsiders visiting.
Perhaps it was the years of communist rule that all but extinguished religiousness of Muslims or even if they recognise themselves as such. Perhaps they moved away with the ottomans , or perhaps Muslims were always a minority as the way the Ottomans ran Bulgaria was to ensure that their authority was submitted to and the jizya and other levies were paid.
More likely it was the weakness in the way in which Islam was carried by the Ottomans, where they were quite permissive and accommodating to other belief forms. At the same time they were militarily minded but not deeply rooted in Islamic thought.
Most of the lands in which Islam was implemented to this day the people still hold on to Islam from Morocco to Indonesia. It is here in the balkans that we do not see whole populations except in pockets like the Bosnian Muslims or Muslims in Rhodopes Bulgaria in spite of Islam being applied over them.
This shows that it is not the might of the ruling that is all important rather the political and ideological thought that underpins it. When it loses its clarity, Muslims will not challenge other belief systems and succeed in transforming the societies adequately even though the authority of Islam is established over the lands. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesThe British general elections are looming. I have had all manner of discussions and heard numerous views amongst Muslims about what stance Muslims ought to take. You have the, don’t vote it is haraam point of view– which is true. Then you have the opposing argument, about what should Muslims do? There are those that swear blind allegiance to Labour. Others fancy the Tories as they reckon they will be good for business. A lot of this confusion arises as there is very little clarity about what Islamic politics is. Below are some of my views about key points to do with Islamic politics that might help clarify our stand point as Muslims.
Politics is to do with management of the interests of a collection of people. So we have politics amongst and in families, in corporations, in tribes and in and amongst societies – usually in the form of a state. The politics that has the greatest effect on people collectively is the politics conducted in society by the state and its politics internationally.The purpose of a politician is not in essence to swindle, deceive or manipulate people as commonly thought. Rather it is to bring the best solutions to cater for the people’s rightful needs. This is why in the UK both the Labour And Tory parties are appealing to different segments of society-that they will look after them in best way. By ensuring that they will invest in the NHS , safeguard employee rights , increase the minimum wage etc…etc … so that they can secure votes and political power to enact rules that will in their view solve the problems of the nation in the best way.The way that the interests, rights and responsibilities of society are viewed depends on the ideological outlook. Labour for example because of its socialist leanings tends to champion workers rights and big government spending to keep people and business in work. Whilst the Tories on the hand believe more in free markets and a more ruthless form on “on yer bike” capitalism. Both the views resonate with different elements within British society. The policies that both major parties espouse are based on the secular creed with variations in policies coming from the ideological orientation of the parties.Politics is only practically implemented through state power. It is impossible to implement any policy to solve an issue without having the power of the state behind it. The state being the mechanism to execute the rules in society. Muslims in the UK might at one time have believed that they could influence the schooling system in Birmingham to engender an Islamic ethos. Along came Michael Gove as education minister who used the state apparatus of OFSTED to designate the schools as failing applied pressure and then proceeded to enact policies in line with the government thought- no more Islamic ethos and not even a hope of it.So where does this leave Muslims in the UK? What Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) brought to us defines what our rightful interests are. The rights and duties defined by Quran and hadith and enshrined in Shariah law. The right to life, the right not to be slandered, the right to have private family life, the right to own property are all rights that are given by the shariah. The obligation to carry Islam to other nations for example is the keystone in Islamic politics. As is the duty upon the state to ensure that blood is protected , that no one goes hungry that they have adequate healthcare facilities etc. Islam has given defined the rights of people (Muslims and non Muslims) and has obliged the ruler to implement the shariah rule over them. These rights and duties whilst they my overlap with western thought are based upon the Islamic ideology.For a Muslim it is not an option to leave Islamic viewpoints and adopt western ones even if they overlap. Muslims must understand that the vehicle for Islamic politics is not present in the world today. The politics in Pakistan for example is pseudo politics – it’s a charade like the recent Maulana diesel march – a politics that was left by British with the intention to cripple the Pakistani people for generations to come. The politics only serves the Pakistani establishment and the colonialists who keep them there work to achieve their interests and the Muslims of Pakistan are left to fend for themselves. In the Gulf there is similar situation where tyrants are enthroned by the colonialists and the only politics that are enacted is to preserve their positions.Without the khilafah state being present, the politics in their lands – will never grant the Muslim ummah the rights and the way of life that shariah entitles them to. Infact it will increase the oppression and the difficulties in everday life.Many Muslims in the UK cannot envision Islam as a political system. It is important for Muslims to open their eyes and see the difference between the Islamic and western ideologies. The Islamic system is distinct – unique. It has its own way of doing politics and it is not possible for 2 systems to mix.Should Muslims participate in British politics? I don’t see Islam as an ideology being accepted in British political circles any time soon. If they do then the certainly would have to leave Islam at the door. Muslims in Britain understand Islam as a way of life it makes no sense for them to participate. Not participating in British political life does not mean that Muslims do not participate in any part of life. Election turnout figures show that a lot of British voters are apolitical and don’t do politics – so why should Muslims be overly keen. Rather Muslim politics must focus on the resurrection of the Khilafah.Muslims are obliged in enjoining the good and forbidding the munkar, which in essence is political activity. They must understand this is done in a context , whilst they may persuade an errant Muslim not to miss salah, the true political work of accounting policies, pushing for certain policies or addressing trends that contradict Islam that occur in society can only be done in the Islamic system government.If the Khilafah ruling system is not implemented then Muslim political activity needs to be focused on returning the system along with accounting the rulers they must think about solutions to societal affairs and how a viable Khilafah state can be brought into existence.Some Muslims view that they can address the ills of western society like drugs, prostitution or phenomena like knife crime. They are sadly mistaken as the causes of these things lie in the ideology that is implemented. Rather than trying to remedy these ills, they should focus on aiding the call for re implementation of Islam in the Muslim world. These problems are caused by the system implemented.If Muslims in the UK don’t understand or care about Islam then they will follow the likes of Sajid Javid and Sadiq Khan – western politicians of Muslim heritage. There will be many in this category as it is an inevitable consequence of living in ideological society that works to uproot Islam from the minds and hearts. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesWhat is the confusion amongst Muslims about elections? If you were to ask many of those that go to the ballot box, they agree with Islam, believe in Allah (swt) and his Messenger (saw), agree with praying and fasting and wouldn’t dream of eating pork. So what is the strange attraction to placing that X in a box? The answer rests in the fact that Muslims throughout the world not just in Britain are confused about their political identity.
This is not surprising. The politics in the Muslim world is defunct, after the demolition of the Khilafah, the direct occupation of the lands by rapacious imperialists. Then the imposition of strong man tyrants it is hardly surprising Muslims are confused about their politics. The Muslims in the West see a system of electoral politics that by and large addresses the needs of the population. Why shouldn’t they adopt the way of the West as far as they can see, it works and there is no alternative?
The truth of the matter is that they do not understand or envisage what it means to implement shara in today’s modern reality. Who is to blame for this? Are they as individuals or is it the Islamic groups that preach to the people to rectify themselves alone or perhaps those learned Ulema that preach attaining perfection before even thinking about the wider picture? The unstated message in many masaajid week in week out, is pray, fast and give charity if you like but avoid commenting on anything to with societal issues or politics according to Islam, you are not good enough or learned enough.
This leaves the space wide open for Muslims to adopt corrupt political ideas. What is the effect of this? For starters it secularises Islam and introduces the western way of thinking to address life’s issues. So LGBT becomes permitted or outside marriage relationships become ok. It is the change in the ideas that leads to the change in the behaviours. Today, it is becoming a norm that it is acceptable for a young man and woman get together socially prior to marriage. It is the lack of the correct political identity paves the way. It begins to change the outlook and change the tastes. Look what happened to all those Muslims that joined any of the political parties. Look at Sajid Javid, Sadiq Khan or Baroness Warsi they view things in the same way as Michael Gove or Boris Johnson because politically they share the same basic viewpoint based on secularism. Corruption in the political ideas is corruption in the deen.
The one who today prays in the masjid and performs all his rituals according Islam – what will be the effect on his children or their children after that – if he accepts corrupt political ideas. Is he not introducing a selective Islam that will disable his kids minds from understanding the ideas of society as being Islamic or not?
It is important that Muslims throughout the world regardless if they are in Jakarta or New York, understand their deen in a complete way. That they understand secular ideology and how it differs from Islam. Already,we see in our communities the bitter fruits of family discord and all manner of miseries due to the confusion in ideas.
So our political identity needs to be centred on an understanding that without the call for khilafah we have no political identity – we are assimilated – like a cube of ice in a pot of boiling water. We need to get deep into the systems of Islam and its rules and call for them. Without having a clear conception of our political identity the future looks bleak. This is one of the reasons why we cannot talk about the issue of Khilafah enough. All other calls go nowhere near tackling the issues facing Muslims at their root. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesAt the time of the Prophet (saw) in medina, the sahaba (raa) and the near 1300 years of Islamic rule after that. In the midst of Muslims we had
• The best of people
• Those that were committed to the deen ,
• Those who lived for it and died for it.
• The shuhadaa
• The Fasiqoon those that rebelled against Allah (swt )
• The A’asi sinful characters
• The zindiqs and munafiqoon
• Those that refused to pay zakat
• False prophets
• Jews, Christian and magians
• Adulterers and Fornicators
• Murderers and thieves
• Educated and uneducated
• Those who prayed and those that abandoned prayer
• The drinkers of Khamr
• Subversives , spies and crusaders
• Mongols and their spies and agents
• Weak Minded and insane
• Intellectuals and egoists
• Blind followers and mujtahids
• The selfish an selfless
• The poor and rich
• The zahid and those that live lavishly
• The loyal and the traitors
• Famines
• Wars and conquests
• Invasions and Massacres
And the list can carry on with all the different characteristics of humans beings and Muslims
Many of those who carry an Islamic call fail to see the elephant in the room. All these different types of human characteristics good or bad are managed by the shariah rules, implemented by a judiciary and a ruling system. In addition to a strong public opinion about what is right and wrong Uthman ibn Affan (ra) spoke the truth when he said he who is not corrected by taqwa is corrected by the Sultan. So in the Shariah the Jew was given his right , the murderer is tried and dealt with in the light of the shariah, the insane or the sick are also given their rights.
Today it seems Muslims think that they have to address each character flaw or issue in piecemeal way. It is a new phenomena, not witnessed in the previous eras, that today we have all manner of organisations, calling for all manner issues.
The individual preaching, tazkiya and tarbiya of people was never the major focal point of the dawah at the time Prophet (saw) and the companions. Indeed charity organisations , (businesses that dress themselves as doing great good for the ummah) have never been seen in Islamic history.
Don’t get me wrong some of the work calling to aspects of Islam has its place but it certainly isn’t the main work. How can it be , giving dawah to non muslims on a mass scale , fighting Islamophobia etc are unattainable goals with out a state backer.
Some Muslims involved in work for the deen pick an issue and then focus in on it , a particular flaw or problem they identify.It is not possible that this type of dawah will ever manage all the different stripes of human nature that exist in society- and inevitably involves running around in circles until exhaustion and quitting due to lack of results.
Surely the priority then is not to busy oneself in preaching and teaching which has very little net effect on the revival of the ummah. Rather it is to make effort to return the basis of Muslim thought towards the implementation of shariah. This means to address change ideas on the collective level amongst Muslims.
Yes this means being aware of the politics in our societies and the erroneous ideas circulating in them. This means understanding what Islam is. This means calling for the implementation of Islam via Khilafah state and an Islamic judiciary.
The enemies of Islam ( with a a little help from their Muslims friends) succeeded in removing 3 issues to disrupt the management of a Muslim societies. Firstly the lack of clarity on how and why the rules Islam should be implemented, second the relegation of Islamic judiciary from the affairs of state and society to personal affairs. Third the removal of a centralised Khalifah that oversees the implementation of the shariah. Unless we focus our energies to engage in this work to correct these points to whatever our capability individually or in groups and associations – then we might as well be rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesPakistan has a written constitution but whatever it contains is often ignored or used only for political point scoring between different factions. The truth of the matter is that a lot of the principles that are implemented by the Pakistani establishment are undocumented but perceptible.
Once it becomes clear what is being implemented only then will Pakistan be able to come out its perpetual crises. As long as people are unclear change is not possible and the cycle of impoverishment, decline and decay will continue.
The founding principles of Pakistan have a lot of emotional and wishful thinking surrounding them. One argument that was used before Pakistan’s formation, during it and to this today – that Pakistan was created for Islam. Although the rhetoric and the emotion led people to conclude that it is the new Madina – the reality of what was left behind by the British Raj was to serve Western colonial interests and not the interests of Muslims living in that land.
Today’s rulers continue to execute these founding principles. Some of these founding principles are derived from historic documentation of why the British wanted to split India and others from policies that clearly lead back to these principles.
Article 1. Founding Principles
1.1 To protect Western interests by using Pakistan’s geographic and strategic location.
1.1.1 To prevent USSR and its successors from reaching Middle Eastern oil and gas resources, blocking any advance to the gulf or to India.
1.1.2 To provide strategic depth to protect colonial interests in Arabian Gulf region by have a stable platform from where to have air and military bases.
1.1.3 To ensure that the West have a pliant state to enact their geopolitical ambitions in the region as the Indian independence movement (Congress) would no longer have cooperated with Britain and thus she would have been removed from the subcontinent .
1.1.4 To enrich the local elites in return for being pliant agents that wilfully cooperate with colonial interests – even to the detriment of their own people
1.1.5 To have and maintain a military, that can defend the borders, maintain the status quo and serve to aid the interests western geopolitical demands in the area.
1.1.6 To have the population serve as a captive market for colonial corporations goods and services. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesI have seen some discussions on FaceBook that question what is happening in East Turkestan as an issue that is being blown out of proportion by the US, so that the issue can be used as tool to pressure China. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter:
Any issue like this is susceptible to exploitation by various players to achieve their agenda. In this case it is clear that the US has an axe to grind with China and is mobilising elements to raise the issue to gain leverage against China.The reality of the Chinese regime is that it is well capable of inflicting the atrocities that it stands accused of. There is overwhelming evidence that they have a well developed programme under to erase the the Islamic and traditional identity of the Uighurs. Camps , Han men living with Muslim women , the forcible eating of pork , the enforced consumption of alcohol etc have been well documented. The process of the erasure of Islam amongst the Uighurs is well developed and executed.This fits cleanly with the Chinese desire to secure East Turkestan as Chinese territory and ensure that their belt and road initiative faces no issues from and ethnically and religiously diverse area.The barbarity is nothing new for communist regimes , the soviets with their gulags were just as brutal . This is standard communist party modus operandi.Muslims exposing and raising the issue should be careful of who is exploiting their work to high light the plight of our Uighur Muslim brothers and sisters. They therefore need to frame the discussion in the correct context.There are some calling for the US congress to act and apply sanctions. Others are mobilising for charity others hope that the international community or someone should do something .The fact of the matter is that there is not one single state on the face of the planet , that bases its policies on the Islamic aqeeda. The Muslim lands have a confused politics that is tied to trying to secure financial benefit , saving the thrones and executing the policies of colonial masters. This is what is giving the Chinese a free hand to inflict the oppression on Muslims within their domain.If Pakistan was an ideological state based upon Islam it could tell the Chinese that we will withdraw any cooperation from your belt and road initiative. Turkey could do the same . The gulf states could tell the Chinese sorry we will not provide any oil supplies instead of telling the Chinese that it is their right to oppress the Muslims. The will power is not there because Islam is not there.The only way to truly and productively help is to link the correct solution to the problem – the reestablishment of Khilafah state it clearly and unequivocally. This stops the issue from being hijacked by others.Simply raising awareness of what is going on without pushing people to call the establishment of the Khilafah as a clear solution will be exploited for the benefit of others.Too often Muslims highlight the problem but provide no solution or a solution that fits with the existing status quo This is a diversionary tactic that has been used far too long to derail the call to establishing the Khilafah.The solution to the Uighur issue and all the other issues facing Muslims is to have a state that represents Islam on the international arena. That can only done by the Khilafah state. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesThe communists have long been known for their brutality and ruthlessness. It is reported that under Josef Stalin 20 million people met their ends under repressive communist apparatus. It suggested that more than 40 million people died as a result of the reforms that were brought by Mao Zedong the chairman of the Chinese communist party. The deaths were due to amongst other things caused by communist economic dogma that caused famine.
China has long viewed its Uighur population as a threat. Firstly, it is ethnically and culturally different to its majority Han population. Secondly, the geography that it occupies has a strategic position in the belt and road project that China wishes to embark upon. The Chinese have always feared that this area could be difficult for them to control.
The actions that have been embarked upon by the Chinese regime can only be described as an attempt to expunge any semblance of Islam and Uighur identity from the whole of Xinjang. Under the excuse of preventing terrorism.
Huge sections of the Uighur population have been swept up into internment camps. Chinese officials claim that the detainees are getting help to rid themselves of a dangerous thought virus i.e. any form of adherence to Islam. There have been reports that whilst the men are away that Han Chinese settlers come and live with families and even accounts of forced marriage and worse. Children are separated from parents and being sent to boarding schools where they are brought up under communist party doctrine. It is forced assimilation for the Muslims of the region – coercion for Muslims to leave Islam and become loyal to the Chinese communist party.
The 11 million Muslims of East Turkestan may be considered by some to be a Chinese ethnic minority group. This from the view point of Islam is incorrect. They like Muslim minorities in Europe or India are in fact members of the Muslim Ummah, numbering 1.8 billion, approximately one quarter of the population of the planet. The view of Islam with respect to the relationship between Muslims and Muslims is clear. They must help and support each another.
“Those who disbelieve—they are friends and protectors of one another . Unless you do it also (i.e. maintain solidarity among yourselves as believers) there will be unrest on the earth and great corruption.” (Al-Anfāl 8:73)
With all the resources possessed in the Muslim Ummah, the manpower in the subcontinent, the riches of the Gulf and a total combined armed forces amounting to millions of men. Why is it that China today acts with impunity against Muslims within its midst? Some correctly blame the Muslim rulers but it is superficial to leave it at that. The truths of why the rulers of the Muslim lands behave with such incompetence and impotence need to be fathomed and explored so a solution can be understood.
Not a single Muslim state has acted to stop China from what it is doing. Imran Khan of Pakistan famously said “Frankly, I don’t know much about that”. Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia said that it was China’s “right” to use the brutal tactics that it employing for the purposes of de-radicalisation and extremism. President Xi of China thanked UAE for backing China’s repressive policies against the Uighur Muslims. President Erdogan of Turkey is reported to have said “It is a fact that the people of all ethnicities in Xinjiang are leading a happy life amid China’s development and prosperity,” although this was paraphrased by a state-run Chinese daily news paper.
This clearly shows that Muslim rulers are not prepared to challenge China’s behaviour. Whilst Prime Minister Mahatir of Malaysia said that he will accept Uighur refugees and the Turks have allowed demonstrations on their streets there has been little else to help.
Most of the pressure being applied against Chinese policies against the Uighurs is by the US. Who are raising the issue as a stick with which to beat China. This is not because the US has any love for Muslims. They have killed millions of innocent Muslims in their so called war against terror.
Whilst Pakistan might be thinking about CPEC, the Gulf States about the large Chinese market for the sale of oil and Turkey about military cooperation in weapons having upset the US. What these states lack is the principle of adherence to Islam as the basis of their priorities. Whilst the economic benefits are understood, the priorities of state are not underpinned by Islam. For this reason such hukam (rulers) and governments are oblivious to the plight of the Muslims of East Turkestan. This has to be tackled not just understood.
Whilst many Muslims will feel sympathy for the Uighur Muslims it is not enough to be left at that. It is a duty to call for Islam as being the basis of government. Muslims at large should no longer tolerate the forms of government foisted upon them from the colonial era. They should no longer think that they are hopeless and must take their destiny into their own hands.
Muslims must not adopt the same criteria as their rulers judging their action upon benefit and harm only, rather they must understand that the criteria of Islam which is wide and obliges Muslims states to exhaust all possible means assist oppressed Muslims where ever they may be.
To help our Uighur Muslim brother and sisters, we in the West must put our efforts into aiding the re-establishing the Khilafah state. We may face a similar plight at some point. Else we will have to rely on the likes of MBS and Imran Khan to help us and that will be no help at all. This is the only practical solution. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesSome chickens have come home to roost for Muslims living in the West. First came Trumps Muslim ban, a clear statement that Muslims are not welcome in the USA. Far right movements throughout Europe clearly don’t want Muslims in their midst – mainstream parties in governments have taken on their views and are beginning to turn them into laws and policies. The recent elections in the UK rammed the point home, if it wasn’t obvious before. Practising Muslims are not welcome and to be accepted they would need to become Muslim in name only. Multiculturalism is as dead as dodos.
The events in India are alarming, Muslims there are from that land, but the government wants them to disappear- it seems a genocide is in the offing. The Muslims of East Turkestan have been there for centuries and now they are being rounded up so that they lose all links to Islam. This naturally causes disquiet for many of us living in Western Lands, after all our elders always told us that you will not be accepted here- learn your language and have a place to go to back home.
The truth of the matter is that Muslims in the West are not a community but a Diaspora. What is a Diaspora? The dictionary definition is “the dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland”. We are viewed as such by both the people and governments in the West. That’s a hard fact that needs to sink in – if our actions do not take this into account then we risk being caught out for our flawed assumptions at some point in the future.
For the West to accept Muslims it is conditional on them having to renounce large parts of Islam or all of it. Look at the compromises of the Muslim in name only MP’s or the so called ulema that made haram a fard in the elections. Even renouncement may not be enough .This is not a price a Muslim with an iota of iman can accept.
Although many of the lands are in the Muslim world are in poor shape currently, they are full of great potential. We have little alternative to focus our energies to change the way those lands are run. This requires a great deal of intellectual, political and fiqhi work.
The links between Muslims in the west and their homelands are vast. Politically, intellectually and economically. To assist the work there in the modern age is necessary. The call for Khilafah is the only practical work that may salvage our future. When a system turns against you, you need to have state power that represents you and will apply itself to safeguard its diasporas. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesThe image above is a clip from p 25 -26 of Shk Taqi Uddin Nabhani’s book Political Thoughts.
Makes a profound point that the imperialists made Muslims think that the only thing possible what is what can be done in front of them immediately . The ballot box , democracy , politics in parties set in imperial designs….. So the next time we hear someone say Khilafah is a long term goal and not possible for us to achieve … we know the indoctrination is having its effect and we need to counter it with long term goals and work .. to resume khilafah is entirely possible if we commit to it and remove the brainwashing. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesIt’s a cold night in Birmingham they say it’s going to be subzero.
On my journey back after meeting up with some brothers I noticed this man sitting on a junction in the road. In a pitiful state- waiting for some kind souls to give him some loose change .
Giving some change is the immediate thought that comes to mind to help the man’s plight , especially for Muslims. I started to wonder why I see people like this scattered across junctions all over Birmingham.
It just confirmed to me the failings of capitalism. Birmingham is the second city in one of largest economies on the planet. Yet the people have to suffer like this. Perhaps it was individualism that destroyed any family bonds that could have helped this individual. After all individualism is a toxic concept that breaks the bonds of family but is trumpeted a virtue in the Western world.
Or perhaps it is the capitalist economic theory that says as long as the GDP is growing all is well. After all as long as there is food on the table then people should be able to come and get it to fulfil their needs. Everyone can achieve the capitalist dream. An absurd and callous theory that ignores, what is to be done for the elderly , the mentally unwell and the disabled.
The Islamic economic system is different. The state is obliged to ensure everyone has the basic necessities like food, shelter and clothing .
The prophet (saw) said Uthman ibn Affan reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There is no right for the son of Adam other than these things: a house in which he lives, a garment to cover his nakedness, a piece of bread, and water.”Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2341
Rulers like Imran Khan and his team of economic hitmen that want to bring a western inspired welfare state so they can justify taxes – need to realise that it isn’t the western economic model that’s going to rescue Pakistan’s economy. It is a failed economic system that only works for those with the capital at the top levels of society. Rather it will only be under the Khilafah that the people of Muslims countries will be assured the necessities of life.
Returning to the man sitting in the freezing cold the permanent solution to this man’s predicament is when Muslims implement Islam in their countries and then work to liberate humanity from the clutches of capitalism. [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesThe Pakistani establishment serves to this day imperial powers, originally British , currently American and possibly in the future Chinese . This is why they were installed in the first place to be watch dogs for the interests of others.
They have no ideology other than to serve their masters and line their own and cronies pockets – no real concern for the Muslims of Pakistan apart from continually duping them with false new political dawns . The population is there for exploitation and flowing taxes to service global finance institutions.
The quote below says it all – the British knew one day they would have to leave
“We must not dream of perpetual possession, but must apply ourselves to bring the natives to a state that will admit of their governing themselves in a manner that may be beneficial to our interests as well as their own.”
The future can not change until Islam is brought as system and a state and that is the real political work that is required not the facade of shallow circus politics of those whose minds and hearts are connected with their masters in the west or east . [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesRather, the current Islamic generation is empty of any thought and of any productive way of thinking. Instead, it inherited the Islamic thoughts as an academic philosophy, in the same way that the Greeks inherited the philosophies of Aristotle and Plato. It also inherited Islam as rituals and religious dogma, in the same way the Christians inherited Christianity. At the same time, it became fascinated with Capitalism after witnessing its successes, and not through comprehending the validity of its thoughts; and from its submission to its rules, and not from comprehending how these solutions emanate from the Capitalist viewpoint of life. Therefore, the Ummah is devoid of the Capitalist thoughts intellectually, although it lives according to the Capitalist way of life. The Ummah also became devoid of the Islamic thoughts in practice, although it conducts some of its rituals and studies its thoughts.From the book the Economic system of Islam by Sheikh Taqiuddin An-Nabhani [...]
March 4, 2021ArticlesIn the International arena Turkey is tangled in the following, this is by no means an exhaustive list
At least paying lip service against the implications of Trumps deal of the century – i.e saying Jerusalem is a red line for us .Supporting the United Nations backed govt in Libya against General Khalifah Haftar and the players backing himCommitting Turkey to fight the Syrian regime if they try to take Idlib so he can avert a flood of refugees coming to the Turkish border and to look strong after the death of Turkish SoldiersChallenging the US , on various fronts like S400 deal and the Kurds in Northern Syria and generally being awkward in playing ball with themWarning the Greeks against making any move against the Imia IsletsPutting his foot down by asserting Turkeys right to drill for gas around CyprusSnubbing the Russians by signing military technology deals and a pledge to the tune of $200 million to the Ukrainian armyTrying to expand Turkish influence into Tunisia, Algeria Sudan and working with may countries deeper in AfricaOpposing the East Med gas pipeline that is planned from Israel, Cyprus, Greece to supply EuropeFrance has sent 2 warships to to support Greece and is irked by Turkey approaches to gain influence in North and other parts of Africa
To engage in such entanglements effectively a state needs to have the following
A stable basis on the domestic front , whilst Erdogan may have purged the institutions of opponents – true strength does not lie is having loyalty based on personality – rather it is loyalty to the mission which is based on ideological principles. What is the mission that Erdogan is embarked upon , is it to build a Turkish empire with objective to enrich the Turkish economy? Or is it built on sentimentality of being an empire in the past only this time secular not Islamic ?Domestically Turkish society is divided between secularists, nationalists and the traditionally Islamicaly oriented. To have a strong base to conduct foreign policy initiatives, the society needs to be ideological, with Turkey being composed largely of Muslims this ideology needs to be Islam. Yet we see no sign of that expressing it self openly or government policies. We see watery efforts like increasing Imam Khatip schools, tweaks to the curriculum, or increasing the price of alcohol without banning it. There is nothing that signals that society has taken onboard Islam as the basis of all it’s affairs, domestically and internationally.Whilst its encouraging to see that a country in the Muslim world is attempting engage in the International arena on its own terms. This looks to be a false dawn for Muslims. True revival occurs only when the society itself embraces an ideology , bases its viewpoint towards its interests not just on economics but the vision set by Muhammad (saw) to spread Islam to the World.To be a truly strong player on the international arena, depends not only on your military and industries but upon your ideology. There is no stronger ideology than Islam and if Erdogan and the people of Turkey want to take the lead amongst the Muslim ummah they have to embrace this fact in order to be truly revived and restore dignity to the Ummah. [...]
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