Chapter 47

Like dearest friends and most loyal companions, has the affair of our religion become so insignificant to us that we welcome those who war against it more warmly than we welcome the believers? O Allah, Your mercy, O Lord. ¶

Ninth: The Greek Muslims: The crusader government of Greece is persecuting the Muslims of Thrace, who number 170,000 Greek Muslims. Turkey ceded this part during the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne. Greek authorities have begun implementing a policy of 'naturalization' based on melting Muslims into the crucible of crusadism, promoting the argument that the Muslims residing in Greece are of Christian origin and must return to their roots and ancestry connected to Alexander the Great. They have worked to brainwash children and adolescents with propaganda that forces them to receive Christian teachings, which are contrary to Islam. The Greek authorities did not stop there; they even banned the giving of Islamic names to newborns, such as Ahmad, Muhammad, Hussein, Ali, Umar, and the like. ¶

The authorities began arresting Imams and scholars and banning the teaching of the Quran in mosques. The government prevented the Muslims of Thrace from owning real estate, despite their deep historical presence, and attempted to use pressure, coercion, and violence to force the Muslims to sell their homes and farms with the intent of weakening them and expelling them from their lands. Even the Muslim dead were not spared from harm; they invaded Muslim cemeteries and violated their sanctity, forgetting the simplest moral principles in doing so. This is in contrast to the fact that Christian cemeteries in Istanbul, Turkey, are preserved, maintained, and surrounded by walls and lush gardens—all of which is evidence of the high morality of Muslims, while the enemies do not respect any sentiment of the Muslims. ¶

The terrible silence and quietude regarding the suffering of Muslims in Thrace, the refusal to heed their pleas for help, or the failure to even consider their rescue, are matters that tear hearts apart and bring shame upon the Muslims and the entire world. ¶

Tenth: Muslims in Tunisia: Reports received from Tunisia indicate that a dispute has arisen between the Secretary-General of the ruling party, Mohamed Sayah, and the Prime Minister, Hédi Nouira. The former demands that the campaign against Islam be conducted in the Soviet manner, while the latter demands that the campaign follow the American method, which is the process of 'slow killing' (1). ¶

Whether the first or second method is pursued in the war against Islam in Tunisia, the beneficiaries are the enemies. Even if the Tunisian government achieves some immediate interests, in the end, it will reap nothing but destruction for itself and its people. ¶

Gamal Abdel Nasser shed the blood of thousands of believing youth, imprisoned many, and employed various methods; yet, what did Abdel Nasser gain for himself or his people? ¶

And the Shah of Iran, who humiliated his people, subjected them to the most severe forms of torment, stole their wealth, and left them groaning in pain and poverty—what became of the Shah? Abdel Nasser, the Shah of Iran, and Sadat have all departed to meet their just recompense before Him who knows the treachery of the eyes and what the breasts conceal, He who said: {Indeed, We, from the criminals, will take retribution}. ¶

It is the duty of Islamic nations and righteous governments not to grant their affection and support to those scoundrels who wish to tether Muslims to the tails of the East or the West, and to know the true nature of those with whom they deal and not to grant them their allegiance. ¶

(1) See: Al-Mujtama', Issue (468), 10th Year, dated 18/3/1400 AH, pp. 16-17. (*) Surah As-Sajdah, Verse (22). ¶

Except for those who deserve such loyalty, but where are those who understand and apply this? Something happened in Tunisia that had never occurred in the history of the Islamic state. The Communist Party entered the elections as a party recognized by the state and by those among the people who had apostatized from Islam. Likewise, the socialists, who are a faction of communism, also participated and received 16.4% of the vote (1). ¶

Meanwhile, (Mzali) described the Islamic Tendency Movement (Harakat al-Ittijah al-Islami) as a minority. Shortly before the elections, forty members of the Islamic movement were arrested and cast into the depths of prisons for no fault other than saying, 'Our Lord is Allah' (2). The electoral districts did not record even a 1.9% share for them (3). ¶

So tell me by your Lord, is this an Islamic state? Or are these a Muslim people? One that votes in favor of Freemasons, Communists, and Socialists, while drawing a curtain over the Party of Allah (Hizb Allah) and its people, as if Islam and the Muslims had no existence in this part of the world. To Allah belongs the complaint, and He alone is the object of hope; there is no power and no strength except in Allah, the Most High, the Almighty. ¶

Morocco is like Tunisia and the rest of the Islamic countries. In Morocco, a group of young Muslims has been detained for five years without trial on charges of killing one of the proponents of Marxist Communism (4). ¶

I wonder, if the victim had been a Muslim killed by Communists, would the Communists be detained for such a duration? And would they be treated inside prisons with the same killing, humiliation, and torture that Muslims are subjected to, or is the situation different for non-Muslims? ¶

In a letter sent by a group of Moroccan Muslim female students from a high school in the city of Tangier, they mentioned that the school principal gathered the veiled girls and told them, 'Cast away this hijab, or else I will cast you into the street,' using obscene and depraved language. One of them asks, 'Why does the 'favored' principal advise and demand the removal of the hijab, at a time when he encourages students who consume hashish, opium, and alcohol, and spend the entire night with foreigners? This happens with the principal's knowledge and sometimes his assistance.' (1) ¶

Observe how rulers preserve the rights of those who have exited the fold of Islam, as well as the rights of communists and Christians, while the rights of Muslims are wasted everywhere. ¶

The ruling of the Shariah requires every Muslim state to kill every apostate from Islam, whether they are a communist, Baathist, socialist, Freemason, or any other promoter of atheism and corruption on earth. ¶

It is the duty of Muslim peoples not to be content with the presence of such people among them, nor at the summit of power in their lands. How can they be, when these people humiliate Muslims for the sake of the disbelievers and to gain their approval? Are these people who fight Muslims and protect apostates—be they communists or Baathists—do they have anything to do with Islam, when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: 'And whoever is an ally to them among you—then indeed, he is [one] of them.' (2) ¶

Eleventh: Mozambique: The land of Mozambique still carries the name of the Muslim leader 'Musa bin Bique.' More than four million Muslims live there, constituting more than 40% of the total population. Its president (Samora) declared his hostility toward religion, to the extent that he said, 'I...' ¶

I anticipate a time when religion will be nothing but events of the past that have no value in the history of the Communist movement (1). ¶

There is nothing new in such an expectation from a Communist ruler, but what is new is the intensity of the violent campaign he launched against Muslims, which the Communist regimes in Angola and Ethiopia did not dare to undertake, as they did not dare to abolish religious holidays, whereas (Samora) announced their cancellation without hesitation. (The Stalin of Mozambique) has imposed atheism on Muslims in all schools and has issued an order banning the import of copies of the Holy Quran or their circulation in libraries. He has ordered the cessation of teaching the Holy Quran in schools and mosques, and likewise, the printing or importing of Islamic books is prohibited; he has imposed strict restrictions and very heavy fines. He banned the delivery of speeches and sermons in mosques and public places except with prior approval from the state, and he issued an order for mandatory conscription for both men and women. This is but a drop in the ocean; however, if we look at the stance of the countries and peoples who belong to Islam, we find that they support the (Samora Machel) regime with economic aid and moral backing. Some of them may be linked to him by loyalty due to their affiliation with Marxist Communism, and others may be ignorant or choose to ignore the position of this mercenary agent for the enemies of Islam. Indeed, Muslims do not deal with others from the perspective of Islam, and for that reason, they have become humiliated before their enemies, and before Muslims who are zealous for Islam. ¶

Twelfth: Uganda: Perhaps people, in the midst of the dangerous events sweeping the Islamic world, have forgotten the African country that was devoured by the Crusaders, and that country is (Uganda). The Crusader forces marched on Uganda under the hearing and sight of the Islamic world. ¶

And it [the West] stood by as a spectator until the Crusaders achieved what they desired. Upon seizing control in Uganda, they waged a war of extermination against the Muslims, manifested in killing, torture, confiscation of wealth, and the demolition of mosques(1). Anyone who declared their Islam was treated as a criminal. The new rulers worked to convert the Grand Mosque in the capital into a hotel, which they named after 'Nyerere', the Crusader head of the Tanzanian government. After Idi Amin, the new government abolished the Friday holiday and replaced it with Sunday. If this situation continues as it is, Islam will be completely erased from Uganda, unless Allah wills otherwise(2). ¶

These problems we have mentioned are not the entirety of the issues facing Muslims in the Islamic world today. Islam is not only being fought in these countries; rather, there are countries more deeply attached to Islam where, despite this, Islam is fought through various means. As the poet says: Wherever you look for Islam in any land, you find it like a bird with clipped wings. How often did a hand we once controlled turn against us, and now a people we once ruled governs us(3). ¶

Among the most powerful descriptions of the reality of Muslims is the following poetic verse: In every land there is a shackled country living in chains and distress. Rejected by those born of its own loins, and betrayed by those who grew from its own soil. They have been cruel to it while being its own people, during the trials and tribulations of time. They have joined those who consume its flesh and assisted the usurper in his usurpation. The traitor earns a living from selling it and strives with the one who seeks to crucify it. Tongues ramble to lead it astray, and fingers reach out to plunder it(4). ¶

(1) See previous source, same location. (2) See Al-Mujtama', issue 479, 11th year, dated 21/6/1400 AH, p. 13. And see Al-Balagh, issue (616), Sunday, 18/1/1402 AH, p. 11. (3) Poets of Islamic Dawah in the Modern Era, Vol. 2, p. 65. (4) Previous source, Vol. 1, p. 34. ¶

The reality of Muslims today, regarding loyalty for the sake of Allah and disavowal for His sake, is what the poet of the Da'wah portrays in the following verses: ¶

O people, lend me your ears, for I am casting fire, not mere words. I am not the one complaining, but a nation that has begun to wail like orphans. It sees evil but does not forbid it, and keeps away from good. It appeases every deceiver, even if he spreads forbidden ideologies among its children. It hopes for guidance from its enemies and seeks their judgment and arbitration. How many brazen faces have we applauded, and how many fools have we made our leaders? Our voices have grown hoarse in their praise, while they are but arrows and swords for the enemies. And we have defamed the person of noble intent, unjustly accusing him with aggression and slander. (1) ¶

One might ask oneself: Why is Islam fought with such force and brutality, even by some who claim to belong to Islam? ¶

The answer is that the enemies of Islam, despite their diverse leanings and varying sects, have agreed upon one thing: to war against Islam and resist it. This is because the Islamic religion ruins their base plans and vile objectives, which can only survive in the shadow of a Jahili (ignorant) society that takes individuals as deities besides Allah. ¶

(A) Colonialism: It knows with absolute certainty that it has no life alongside the existence of Islam, because Islam mandates its followers to be mighty in their lands and honorable in their homelands. This is something colonialism neither approves of nor accepts. ¶

(B) Tyrants, oppressors, and enslavers: They are fully confident that they have no place in the presence of true Islam, because... ¶

Islam, first and foremost, fights against injustice, tyranny, despotism, brutality, oppression, and transgression against people without right. ¶

(c) The Libertines and advocates of moral decay, corruption, licentiousness, and vice: They know full well that the establishment of Islam signifies their death and the drying up of their stagnant swamps, for Islam calls for a noble, honorable, and clean life, free from all filth and impurity. ¶

(d) The advocates of Communism and Socialism who claim to fight injustice — as their parrots repeat: They know that they have no place in a country that strives to implement true Islam, because the primary goal of Islam is to achieve social solidarity among the members of the Muslim Ummah, to establish justice on earth, to ensure equality in the distribution of collective wealth, and to spread love, brotherhood, and peace. Social solidarity is the spider's web that the advocates of Communism and Socialism cling to. If their justification for existence is removed, how then could these people maintain their usurpations and the usurpations of their masters in Muslim lands? They are all as the poet says: Like bats blinded by the light of day, to whom the dark parts of the night are agreeable. (1) ¶

From this preceding review of the tragedies and calamities of Muslims, and the role of Muslims in general and governments in particular in supporting the believers afflicted at the hands of the enemies of Islam from the East and the West, or at the hands of their loyal agents, we find the bitter truth which states: "The Muslims have suspended this great principle of the principles of Islam, and have cut the strongest tie of faith. They have not shown allegiance for the sake of Allah to those who deserve allegiance, nor have they shown enmity for the sake of Allah to those who deserve enmity. They did not stop at this stance, which is equally adopted by the people of truth and falsehood alike, but they have turned the image upside down." ¶

(1) Al-Durar al-Saniyyah, Vol. 9, p. 364. ¶

They waged an unrelenting war against the allies of Allah (awliya' Allah), exploiting every possible means to do so, and they supported the disbelievers completely in word, deed, and belief. They have persisted in realizing this false concept and blatant disbelief (kufr al-bawwah) with all the power and means they possess to achieve this goal, which is among the demands of the disbelievers to eradicate Islam and the Muslims. ¶

However, our hope in Allah (Azza wa Jall) is great that He will return the Muslims to the methodology of Islam, so that they may take the allies of Allah as friends and show enmity towards His enemies, and that is not difficult for Allah. ¶

[Page number 86] ¶

Conclusion: It has become clear to me from what we summarized in the findings of the preceding discussions of this treatise that 'loyalty (muwalat) and enmity (mu'adat) in Islamic Shariah' rests upon the foundation indicated by the Holy Quran and the purified Prophetic Sunnah, both of which are revelation from Allah Almighty: the former in both wording and meaning, and the latter in meaning without wording. This great principle of the foundations of Islam was applied in the early period of this Ummah when it was serious in its Islam and sincere in its affiliation to Islam and the Muslims. The Muslims in the first generation were like a single body in their pains and hopes; with them, the tree of faith was lofty in its branches, dewy in its leaves, blooming and fruitful, drawing from the pure spring: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (ﷺ). However, this did not last long, as souls became corrupted by turning to draw from murky sources and stagnant, foul-smelling marshes. Thus, the leaves withered, the branches faded, and the structure of the Islamic Ummah weakened. The first crack that struck the Ummah at its heart was... ¶

Weakening the spirit of loyalty and enmity (al-muwalat wal-mu'adat) among Muslims, or diverting the concept of loyalty and disavowal from its proper place to where it should not be. This rift began with the start of the conspiracies of the Jew Ibn Saba and has continued to widen until our present era, where Muslims are still being burned by the fire of division, fragmented loyalties, and a lack of concern for the issues of Islam and the Muslims. ¶

The motivation behind this research for me was to understand the status of al-muwalat wal-mu'adat (loyalty and enmity for the sake of Allah) in Islamic Shariah. Through my study of this topic in the Holy Quran, the Prophetic Sunnah, the actions of the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them), and the pious predecessors of this Ummah and its eminent scholars across different eras and various regions, it became clear to me that love for the sake of Allah and hatred for the sake of Allah, and the actions of the heart and limbs connected to them, are a great principle of the foundations of Islam. A person's Islam is not valid without them, as the Almighty says: "And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], 'Worship Allah and avoid Taghut'" (Surah An-Nahl: 36). ¶

The research has confirmed the reality of Islamic unity and that Muslims were, and must remain, like a single body; if one part of it suffers, the entire body responds with sleeplessness and fever. This is evident through the forms of loyalty and enmity that Muslims applied realistically in various eras and diverse places. ¶

I was deeply troubled by the great calamities and disasters befalling Muslims, which were met with indifference and apathy by Muslim rulers and their peoples. I believed that those who stood as spectators toward Islam and its issues, or who took refuge in terrifying silence during the struggle between truth and falsehood, were in grievous error and great sin. My expectations proved correct, as the research led me to important results regarding this matter, as follows: ¶

First: Whoever does not love Islam and its people, and does not hold animosity toward their opposites, is deficient in faith and Tawheed (monotheism) if he is a Muslim. This deficiency may lead him to Shirk (polytheism), provided there are no circumstances or indicators to divert him from that. Second: Whoever does not reject Shirk and show enmity toward its followers is not a believer, even if he worships Allah and declares His Oneness; because the validity of Tawheed requires disbelief in the Taghut (false deities) and its followers, and disbelief in the Taghut means hostility toward Shirk and its people. Third: Whoever hates Islam and hates those who join the Muslim community is a disbeliever (Kafir), even if he claims to be a Muslim and acts upon it. Fourth: Whoever calls to the principles of Kufr, or strives to support and aid the disbelievers, loves those who engage in this, and hates those who oppose it, is a Kafir, even if he claims to be a Muslim and alleges that his actions do not contradict Islam. Regrettably, all four of these categories are widely present among Muslims today—a presence that contradicts the essence of Islam and what Muslims ought to be. Contemporary disbelievers cannot be compared to contemporary Muslims in the realm of Al-Muwalaat (allegiance) and Al-Mu'adat (enmity); for the disbelievers uphold this matter with full strength and resolve, while Muslims are indifferent to it and do not even give it a passing thought. As proof, we shall present two incidents—one occurring among the disbelievers and one among the Muslims—and then examine the magnitude of these incidents and the reactions from both sides. ¶

So that it may become clear to us how the disbelievers care for one another, and how Muslims remain indifferent toward one another, no matter how dire the circumstances or how great the calamity. ¶

We present the first incident regarding the disbelievers: Police officers in Poland beat three workers who were members of the 'Solidarity' trade union. The reaction to this assault was that ten million workers went on strike the next day to protest the beating of those three individuals. ¶

Observe how their mutual loyalty and support manifest! ¶

As for the second incident: we present it in the context of contemporary Muslims. The number of those martyred in Afghanistan from the time of the Soviet intervention until December 27, 1981—the end of the second year of occupation—reached 800,000 martyrs, not counting the refugees, the displaced, the orphans, the widows, and the disabled, whose numbers reached 2.4 million people. ¶

Despite all this, some heads of Arab states send messages to Brezhnev and Babrak Karmal expressing sincere affection, satisfaction, and appreciation for these butchers, as if they had not usurped a single inch of land and had not killed a single innocent person. ¶

Would it not have been more befitting for those who were unsuccessful in supporting Islam and the Muslims in Afghanistan to remain silent when they were incapable of fulfilling their duty? ¶

Such is our state and the state of our enemies regarding loyalty and enmity. ¶

(1) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Radio, morning news bulletin, Friday, 25/12/1401 AH. (2) See Al-Mujtama magazine (Kuwait), issue (550), 11th year, dated 13/1/1402 AH, p. 23. Also see Al-Balagh magazine, issue (616), dated 18/1/1402 AH, p. 18. (3) See Al-Irshad magazine, issue (9), 3rd year, Ramadan 1401 AH, p. 49. Also see Al-Yamama magazine, issue (675), 30th year, dated 17/1/1402 AH, p. 14. ¶

Tell me by your Lord, is there anything cheaper in the whole world than the blood, lives, and rights of Muslims? Are the corpses of Muslims not scattered across Afghanistan, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and so on? Yet, no eye sheds a tear, no heart grieves, no hand provides aid, and no tongue speaks out. So, are Islam and the Muslims in a sound state? O Ummah, who has remained humiliated before your killer for so long, until when will you bow your head for guilt? Do you not see that pure blood has been spilled on every side, amidst the sound of those weeping? Until when will you accept humiliation, submissively, before every rebel, fool, and usurper? Indeed, there is a grand conspiracy against Islam and the Muslims, the threads of which are woven in secrecy in some Islamic countries, while its provisions are applied in broad daylight in others. However, the situation remains as the poet says: What shall I say, and who will understand my words? If I scream, who will hear my cry? My sorrow for a group whose ranks have torn apart, becoming a deadly example of division. A trinity of evil in hostility has embraced to annihilate the religion of honor. All enemies have mobilized their energies against guidance and light, against elevation. And the Arabs are drunk in conflict, as if they never knew the threads of fitna (strife). Even those who often appear to represent Islam, their share of Islam is nothing but resounding speeches and false promises. (1) See: Majallat al-Ummah, Issue No. 11, Year 1, Dhu al-Qi'dah 1401 AH, p. 59, 'Sarkhat al-Ummah' (Cry of the Ummah), poetry by Abd al-Ghani Ahmad al-Tamimi. (2) Diwan Shu'ara' al-Islamiyya, Vol. 3, pp. 80-81. ¶

The poet says: And those who claim love for Islam, their swords are drawn alongside the enemies against their own brilliant sons They use it to deceive or to shield themselves, yet they derive nothing from it save for empty rhetoric. ¶

The starting point of any sound Islamic movement is to expose the Jahili (ignorant) reality in which most Islamic countries live, to strip this reality of its false veil, to reveal it for what it truly is—representing kufr (disbelief), shirk (polytheism), and hypocrisy—and to describe it with the very descriptors that define its reality, so that people may become aware of the truth of their situation and the state to which they have arrived regarding Islam and the Muslims. ¶

Thus, they shall ally with states and individuals according to their closeness to Allah, and treat them with enmity according to their distance from Him. ¶

Our duty is not merely to establish proof against people regarding apostasy, disbelief, or disobedience; rather, the duty demands that we invite individuals and governments to adhere to the Straight Path, after we have clarified the danger looming over them in this world and the Hereafter, should they align themselves with the enemies of Allah and show hostility toward the allies of Allah. ¶

'Muwala' (loyalty/alliance) in Islam is the practical application of the concept of brotherhood in faith. The Almighty said: 'The believers are but brothers.' Faith-based brotherhood is not a slogan devoid of speech and action; rather, true brotherhood requires mutual support and cooperation among Muslims to establish truth, annul falsehood, repel the aggressor, and grant refuge to the oppressed. It is not permissible, neither according to Shariah nor reason, for a Muslim to leave his brother to struggle alone against the forces of evil, aggression, injustice, and tyranny while he watches as a spectator who is unconcerned with the matter. It is imperative to stand with one's Muslim brother in any state, and therefore it is incumbent upon the Muslim brother to... ¶

He guides his brother if he goes astray, prevents him from overstepping, defends him when he is attacked, and fights alongside him if he is transgressed against and his sanctity is violated. This is the meaning of mutual support (tanasur) that Allah has ordained, and the meaning of loyalty (muwalat) that Allah has willed. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The similitude of the believers in their mutual love, compassion, and empathy is like that of a single body; when any part of it aches, the entire body responds to it with restlessness and fever' (1). ¶

For a Muslim to abandon his brother is a grave matter, and it serves as a pretext for the abandonment of all Muslims, as the contagion of selfishness, self-love, and preferring comfort and personal interest over sharing the pains and hopes of others spreads. Consequently, evasion of responsibility becomes common among Muslims, until their enemies eliminate them one by one. Thus, pride, chivalry, assisting the distressed, and aiding the afflicted die out among them. ¶

Eventually, the oppressed and the weak will lean towards the enemies, whether willingly or by compulsion, due to the injustice they suffer and the abandonment they face from their own brethren. He will then withdraw away from them, and the bonds of brotherhood between him and those who abandoned him and surrendered him to the enemies will be severed. ¶

Each of us hears and sees what has befallen the Muslims, which causes hearts to shatter and souls to tremble; yet, we have offered nothing. Each of us proceeds with his own affairs and seeks his own pleasures, as if the matter does not concern him in the slightest. ¶

This mutual abandonment has brought upon the Muslims humiliation, shame, disgrace, and abjectness. Islam has waged a fierce war against this dangerous trend and cursed those who sit in the shadows of isolation, selfishness, and immediate personal interest. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Let none of you stand in a place where a man is being beaten unjustly, for the curse descends upon those who were present when they did not defend him' (2). ¶

(1) Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim - see: Nuzhat al-Muttaqin, Sharh Riyad al-Salihin, Vol. 1, p. 246, Hadith no. (226). (2) Narrated by Al-Tabarani - see: Huquq al-Insan (Human Rights), Muhammad al-Ghazali, p. 62. ¶

It is incumbent upon every Muslim, when witnessing an injustice, humiliation, or calamity befalling their brother, to demonstrate their readiness to support and aid him so that he may secure his rightful due and avert the oppression being inflicted upon him. It is narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ): "Whoever walks with an oppressed person to help him secure his right, Allah shall make his feet firm on the Bridge (Sirat) on the day when feet shall slip." Furthermore, it is narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim; he does not wrong him, nor does he forsake him, nor does he despise him..." (Hadith). ¶

Thus, whoever leaves his brother to starve, to be left naked, killed, imprisoned, or torn apart at the hands of oppressors—while having the capacity to feed him, clothe him, and ward off the harm of the oppressors through various means—what will he say when he stands before his Lord? Will he say: "I was among those who were heedless of this"? ¶

O people, Allah commands you not to be helpers to the people of injustice. O my people, do not support those whom He does not support, and do not become brethren to those who are His enemies. You offer the enemies obedience and submission whenever they desire, yet you offer God disobedience. I fear for you a grave calamity, which you will have no power to repel when it arrives. ¶

However, every Muslim must realize that no matter how great the cunning of our enemies becomes, no matter how much affliction we suffer, no matter how severed the ties of mutual cooperation between us become, and no matter how much some among us may align themselves with our enemies, all of this does not absolve us of our responsibility before Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and before our brothers who remain steadfast on the path of Islam. The difficult circumstances surrounding us... ¶

Our enemies, both domestic and foreign, should not be the scapegoat upon which we hang our shortcomings and our failure to support our brothers. Facing harsh circumstances is the ultimate test of faith and the benchmark of Tawhid (monotheism). Allah the Almighty says: 'Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe," and they will not be tried? But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars' (Surah Al-Ankabut: 2-3). I wish to reassure those gripped by doubt and despair regarding this Ummah’s ability to fulfill its duties, due to the dark and sorrowful images we mentioned earlier, that this situation—despite its distance from the true reality of Islam and Muslims, where identity is lost, memory is erased, spirits are snatched away, wealth is plundered, and minds are shackled, where enemies and collaborators find amusement in the sight of believers as blood flows from their pure bodies, and those who have not yet joined them find patience in hope—is not hopeless. We find that the tree of faith has been watered by the blood of the martyrs, and the flame of Jihad has been stoked by the moans of the wounded. Thus, from the midst of this pitch-black night, a believing group and a vanguard of mujahideen emerged, turning the enemies' balance of power and their schemes upside down. Just as the enemies were about to announce and celebrate the death of this Ummah and its surrender to them, they were surprised by the resurgence of faith from the piles of rubble they had covered with the concepts of Jahiliyyah (ignorance) and its laws for a century. Here is Turkey returning to Islam after being deprived of it for two-thirds of a century; in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, there are caravans of believers despite the colonizers and their lackeys; and in Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Indonesia, Pakistan, and other Islamic lands, there are caravans of believers despite the efforts of the disbelievers and collaborators. This is not strange to the heart and consciousness of a believer, for it is a verification of the words of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in a long Hadith where he said: ¶

"A group of my Ummah will always remain manifest upon the truth; those who abandon them will not harm them, until the command of Allah comes"(1). ¶

It is narrated from him (ﷺ) that he said: "Verily, Allah has protected you from three things: that your Prophet does not invoke evil against you so that you all perish, that the people of falsehood do not prevail over the people of truth, and that you do not unite upon misguidance"(2). ¶

Thus, the enemies of Islam have no choice but to stand with heads bowed over the wealth they have spent and the efforts they have exhausted, as they witness the authenticity of this religion and its immunity to annihilation. They witness the resilience of this small group of believers in the face of falsehood, oppression, and tyranny. These enemies and their cohorts have realized that Islam is the spirit of this Ummah, and that the children of the Quran and the followers of Al-Mustafa (ﷺ) cannot be stripped of their religion because they believe in the words of Allah, the Almighty: "Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah; He causes to inherit it whom He wills of His servants, and the [best] outcome is for the righteous"(3). ¶

Before I bid farewell to the noble reader, I wish to state that there is no rectitude for this Ummah except by that which rectified its earliest generations: loving for the sake of Allah, hating for the sake of Allah, showing loyalty for the sake of Allah, and showing enmity for the sake of Allah. ¶

O travelers of the path! Yes, the religion is the bond for the believers, and yes, it is the strongest of ropes. This is the way, so do not forget its landmarks, and beware of following the footsteps of those who strayed from it. Its foundation is 'Ad-Din' (the Religion), Monotheism is its hue, and Justice is its grand legislation and its pillar. ¶

(1) Narrated by Abu Dawud in his Sunan, Vol. 4, p. 98 (Book of Tribulations). It was also narrated by Ibn Majah and Al-Tirmidhi. See: Taysir al-'Aziz al-Hamid fi Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid by Sulaiman ibn 'Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, p. 322. (2) Narrated by Abu Dawud in his Sunan, Vol. 4, p. 98 (Book of Tribulations). (3) Surah Al-A'raf, verse (128). ¶