A Caliphate is likely to arise out of Syria’s ashes

4:44 PM September 3, 2012syriaupdateLeave a commentGo to comments

Article by M.A Niazi , Executive editor of the Nation 

One problem that Syria poses is that though the Syrian National Council, based in Turkey, provides an alternative, the Syrian people themselves might have different ideas. The slogan “Ash-shab yarid al-khilafat al-jadid” (“the people want the new Caliphate”) has been raised by protesters, giving rise to the spectre of a caliphate being established in Syria.

It must be understood that this is not a revival of the Ottoman Caliphate. It is actually an expression of a desire to have the Islamic system, symbolised and encapsulated in the ruling system. The Caliph will be expected to implement the other systems, such as the economic, the judicial, the social and the educational, all of which will be derived from Islam.

Such a caliphate has been said to be the goal of the militants behind 9/11 by US President George Bush. From the perspective of the militants, it would be a perfectly orthodox goal, for the Islamic ruling system has been the Caliphate, something for which the textual evidences abound. Syria has not only been in the Ottoman Caliphate and before that the Abbasid, but was even the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate. Such a Caliphate in the heart of the Middle East would challenge not just the other Arab regimes, but all Muslim regimes. In short, all those at the OIC Summit!

The situation becomes more complex when it is realised that the movement for a Caliphate has adherents in Turkey in the form of the Hizbut Tahrir. Though a global party which does not recognise national boundaries, it was founded by a Palestinian, Palestine being part of Syria till the break-up of the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in World War I, and thus has been operating in Syria now for a long time.

The Hizb has not only made waves as far as Central Asia, but also in Pakistan where Brigadier Ali Khan was only recently sentenced, along with four majors, for attempting to overthrow the government and the military leadership and introduce a Caliphate in Pakistan. It should also be noted that, while banned in Syria, it recently won over-turnings of bans placed in Turkey and Lebanon, which sandwich it to north and south respectively. It should also be noted that the Hizb remains banned in Iraq to the east. The American dominance there, reflected by its recent occupation, is also threatened by the fall of the Assad regime.

Qasm to Allah for establishing Khilafah in Syria by Hizb ut Tahrir

Map of areas that is under the control of Mujahideen in #Syria.

Approximately 65% of the country has been liberated by the lions of this Ummah!

the-islamic-world-and-oil

Alhumdullilah – by the mercy of Allah (swt) the Islamic world has been endowed with one of the most valuable natural resources in the modern world Oil. Of all proven oil reserves 65% are in the Middle East. If the known oil reserves of Muslim Africa are included — the proportion of the world’s oil reserves that lie in Islamic lands rises to over 70% – i.e. 7 out of 10 barrels of all know oil reserves.
If we add to this the 44% reserves of natural gas in the Islamic world, of which 36% lie in the Middle East, there is an enormous abundance of energy resources in the Muslim lands.
Given that much of oil in the Middle East was discovered in the 1960’s and that since then there has been almost uninterrupted production averaging several million barrels a day, the nations of the Arab world would be expected to be leaders in the region if not the world. As an example since 1965 Saudi Arabia alone has pumped a total of 941 billion barrels of oil. This is equivalent to Kuwait’s current total oil reserves. At a conservative $15 a barrel this amounts to revenues of nearly $1.5 trillion. However, the generated wealth does not appear to have resulted in development and progress when one looks at the region’s statistics:
• Despite being endowed with huge amounts of arable land, most Arab nations are not self-sufficient in food and many import large amounts of staple and basic foodstuff.
• Poverty – unheard of in some rich Arab countries a decade ago – is rising, with the proportions of people living on less than $2 a day growing.
• Regional underemployment is high despite high educational achievement in some countries. Actual unemployment is also growing.
• In the so called ‘rich’ Arab countries infrastructure built in the wake of the oil price boom in the 1 970s and I 980s is in disrepair at a time when demand for public services such as health and education have never been as great.
• Nationalist and territorial disputes threaten water supplies in the Middle East – one of the most arid regions of the world.
• None of the countries can be considered among industrial nations.
The veneer of city-states like Dubai, with its high rise apartment blocks, 5 star international hotels and the new Internet-city conceal fundamental and major structural problems facing the Arab world.
This analysis will show how despite the abundance of oil the Islamic world at the most basic level is unable to independently cater for the basic needs its people. Despite still possessing huge oil reserves many of these economies have large public sector debt and all face huge challenges in the near term. Population growth rates in the Arab world are among the highest in the world and the demand for health care and education is expanding rapidly. The young who make up a significant, in some cases a majority, of the population will soon need jobs and homes.
Failed States
Due to short-termism on the part of the oil companies as well as the desire by the Western oil companies to control the refining of crude and through it their hold on oil production and oil producing countries, the Arab countries are starved of manufacturing industries even in the oil sector. 2002 production data shows that while the Middle East produced nearly 30% of the world’s crude oil, a mere 8.7% was actually refined within the region. Without manufacturing there is no value added which means that there is no wealth creation, which is critical to build an industrial base and develop a modern self-sustaining economy.
Through Capitalist macroeconomic policy management – much of it inspired by the IMF – the Arab countries have neglected the agricultural sector and the fertile arable land over several decades. As a result where countries were once self sufficient in food, the same countries now import much of their basic stable food requirement. As an example Egypt imports over 50% of its 13m ton per annum wheat requirements when once it was able to supply its people from domestic production alone. Part of the reason for this is the desperate need to conserve water by importing virtual water – through food imports.
The by-product of much of the macroeconomic management – principally the structural adjustment programmes – which have cut public expenditure, has been increased poverty. Poverty once unheard of in the region’s rich nations has grown in the last decade or so. According the UN’s Arab Human Development Report, one out of every five Arabs lives on less than $2 per day. According to the same report, open unemployment in the region was estimated to be no less than 15% of the labour force. Egypt — with one of the most educated workforces in Arab world — derives most of export revenue from oil (raw material), Suez cannel dues and tourism. Human talent is wasted on a huge scale with PhD students acting as tourist guides as opposed to being part of the wealth creating, dynamic economy.
In the 1970s and 1980s hundreds of billions of dollars were spent – via five-year plans in the case of Saudi Arabia — to build public infrastructure. Extravagant sums were spent building the Jeddah and Riyadh airports alone. However, much of this is now in disrepair.
The region’s water supplies — particularly important due to the arid climate — are under threat. According to the UN Arab Human Development report fifteen Arab countries are below the water “poverty line” with less than 1,000 cubic metres per person per year. National leaders acting on short-term national interest have exacerbated the situation.
Motivated by pragmatism, nationalism and the desire to maintain the political status quo governments in the region without little exception:
• Subsidies industries that must be in the private sector;
• Nationalise companies that must be part of the public industries.
• Control capital flows but at the same time the political elite invest hundreds of billions of dollars of largely oil money in the economies and industries of America and Europe. It is estimated that between $400-800 billion of Arab funds arc invested abroad.
Many of the Gulf countries are in reality large cities and are not modern states at all. Many do not have the capacity or capability — standing army, agriculture and industry — for self-sustaining growth. The makeup of the Gulf region reflects the design of the colonist powers to break-up the Muslim world. The make-up does not reflect any productive bond between the people. Indeed, were it not for the oil many of the states of the GCC would find it difficult to achieve self-sustaining growth.
Despite several decades of oil production including the hike in prices in 1973, which generated hundreds of billions of dollars of revenue for Gulf exporters, most of the economic activity remains dependent on the governments’ spending of oil revenues. While government planers have developed infrastructure — roads, airports, hospitals and schools – particularly in the Gulf, there has not really been an imperative — until recently — to diversify economies away from oil. Consequently many of the economies remain precariously dependent for much of their economic growth — and much needed export earnings – on the international price of crude.
A number of reasons arc presented for the current state of affairs including:
• Islam. Theocratic/Islamic regimes — which know little about economics, let alone modern day demands from globalisation, technological change and international money markets.
• Cradle to grave welfare systems particularly in the rich Gulf States, which produce unproductive labour and budgets deficits. This in turn leads to foreign borrowing.
• Lack of a free market. High tariffs, nationalised industry, food and fuel subsidies create inefficient protected industries.
• The Arab! Israeli conflict. This creates political instability and deters foreign investment in the region, which is seen as a major contributor to economic growth.
• Over reliance on oil and a lack of industrial diversification exposes the economics to external shocks in oil prices.
• The freedom factor. Women lack ‘rights and freedom’ and so it is thought that half the economic potential of a nation is unused.
• No new/creative thoughts due to closed authoritarian societies. No free press.
These above reasons can be characterised as: Wholly incorrect; politically and ideologically motivated; and not going to the root of the matter.
Myth from Reality
Islam is not to blame because none of the countries in the region actually implementing it holistically and comprehensively. Indeed, if we look historically at what has been implemented in the region:
• 1970s: Nationalisation and state subsidies. After independence oil companies throughout the region were rationalised in some way or form- Iraq in the 1 960s and Saudi in the 1 970s as an example.
• 1980s: IMF restructuring policies. Many countries adopted advice from IMF economists of balanced budgets. The insistence by the TMF on Egypt to remove subsidies of stable foodstuffs led to food riots in Egypt in 1977 as an example.
• 1990s: Free-market policies. The IMF and World Bank prescription was: liberalise economies; which meant privatisation — particularly in the lucrative energy sector. Other initiatives included the removal of state subsidies, reform of banking including the charging a real interest rate to encourage savings and foreign direct investment. Saudi Arabia is an example here with deregulation and free market policies being pursued in order to encourage foreign direct investment.
Thus, the disastrous macroeconomic management of the economies has clearly been capitalist and most of the time the IMF and or World Bank or its agencies have directly prescribed the policies. Even when there has not been any need for IMF funds the Gulf and Arab country governments have sought the capitalist institutions’ advice. When these governments have nationalised and given subsidies it has been inspired not on ideological grounds but based on pragmatism and to benefit the ruling elite who gained directly from state procurement programmes. Nationalisation has also been used to keep the most profitable business in control of the political elite. Privatisations will not remove the potential for political corruption.
Much has been written about the over dependence of the Arab economics on oil. It is said that the decline in industrial nations dependence on oil compared to the I 970s, the variability in the price crude and the fall in OPEC ‘s share of trade in crude oil have impacted negatively on Arab countries. Diversification has been seen as the solution. However, this misses the point or the root cause. Oil in itself is not the core issue. Dependence wholly on the external market is. Thus diversification into tourism and international banking as is in the case of Dubai or the exporting of cash crops such as cotton as in the case of Egypt or deregulation of telecommunications to encourage foreign investment as in the case of Saudi Arabia will in no way reduce or remove the dependence on external markets.
An export growth strategy also has to be combined with a competitive exchange rate policy. Such a policy involves maintaining high currency reserves and its associated costs. The currency reserves that need to be held could alternatively be used in a productive way to bolster the economy. A competitive or devalued exchange rate tends to result in higher inflation and higher costs of basic and staple foods for the nation’s people and as a result hardship. At the same time inflation is likely to cause higher unemployment in export sectors and industries. Unemployed in turn causes problems for government finances as it reduces public revenues and increases demand on public finances.
The lack of sustainable growth in the Arab world is directly the result of export orientated policies. Growth never becomes broad based or self-sustaining because either there are external shocks like floods or poor harvests that reduce the exporting country’s potential to sell goods abroad and/or recessions in the developed countries – usually every 3-5 years — hit the countries export demand.
Capitalism’s Contradictions
On many issues the agenda presented by the Western nations and Capitalism, as solutions are not that at all. This is exemplified by the fact that on many occasions especially related to a countries vital interest these are not the policies and systems that the Western countries themselves implement.
Firstly, if we look at focussing development or growth strategy on exports. As has been illustrated this is not a root to self-sustaining growth because fundamentally the country is extremely vulnerable to factors outside its control. Moreover, if one looks at the composition of GDP among Western economies exports play a relatively insignificant role. In the USA, which has the world largest economy, exports represented less than 10% of GDP in 2002? These figures can be compared to Arab countries where exports represent sometimes 50% of GDP — as in the case of Kuwait. In Saudi Arabia exports account for a significant 30% of GDP. In both cases exports are dominated by just one category of commodity — petroleum products.
Secondly, a cornerstone of the IMF’s policy proposals to Arab countries throughout the I 980s was to achieve balanced budgets — for annual expenditure to equal income. This involved cutting public spending on education, health and infrastructure spending. However, this had a direct negative impact on human development in the region as was identified in the UN Human Development Report 2002. As an example -presented above – in the case of Egypt it led to food riots in 1977. The IMF and Western economists and bankers continue to handout this prescription, with Argentina the most recent casualty.
However, these are not the policies pursued by Western nations when their own economies are facing difficulties. As an example post September 11 2001 both the USA and Europe eased monetary policy considerably with interest rates falling to 40 year lows. At the same time public expenditure rose massively —particularly in the UK — with the aim being to ease the impact of recession. This is in stark contrast to the policy stance adopted against the people in the developing world — high interest rates and public expenditure cuts — who face an even more desperate situation with many already living in poverty and without social security handout as in the Western countries.
Thirdly, the fallacy of trade liberalisation. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) targeted Doha last year and preached the benefits of free and open trade, in particular encouraging Muslim countries to embrace laissez faire market polices and to move away from protectionism. The WTO in conjunction with the IMF and the World Bank argue that openness stimulates economic growth and therefore developing countries must dismantle their trade barriers and liberalise their economies – remove subsidies – in order to expand industry and reduce poverty. In particular, the USA (an important backer of the WTO) spoke of the need to launch new global trade talks aimed at reducing trade barriers, which restrict the free movement of goods and services between nations.
However, recent events have exposed the hypocrisy of such statements and policies. In March 2002, the US unilaterally raised trade barriers by imposing tariffs (import taxes) of up to 30% on steel imports in order to protect inefficient domestic steel makers from international competition. Indeed, this was not the first time that such hypocritical policies had been exposed. The US resorted to similar measures against steel imports following the Asian economic crisis in 1997. The US also heavily subsidises its farmers, with the recent farm bill significantly increasing these subsidies.
The European Union (EU) has openly criticised the US and has threatened retaliation against the trade harriers on steel which are hurting European steel exports. Yet the EU itself presides over one of the most heavily subsidised agricultural sectors in the world under the auspices of CAP or the Common Agricultural Policy.
Whilst these are among the most publicised examples of protectionism by the USA and Europe they are by no means the only ones. An international law firm (Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw) has calculated that of the 348 anti-dumping investigations launched in 2001, only India rivalled the US as being the most active user of these informal trade barriers to protect domestic producers. Meanwhile, the EU was the second most popular target for anti-dumping investigations — aside from the CAP – with regards to supporting/subsidising domestic producers.
Moreover, a recent report from Oxfam — Rigged rules and double standards trade, globalisation and the fight against poverty — ranks the EU ahead of the US, Japan and Canada as the most heavily protected industrialised economy to imports from developing countries. Among the most heavily protected sectors in industrialised countries are agriculture, textiles and clothing some of the most important export (or potential export) sectors for many developing countries in Asia and Africa.
Significantly, an internal agency within the IMF — Independent Evaluation Office of the IMF has very recently published a report, which highlights some of the failings of IMF lending in the late I 990s. To list a few of the admissions:
• The IMF failed to give proper warnings to the authorities concerned that crises were on their doorstep.
• Some of the IMF’s remedies turned out to be too painfully drastic for the problems at hand.
• The IMF prescribed macroeconomic policies, especially interest rates that were too tight —particularly in the early stages of its intervention usually at the height of the crises.
• As a condition of its aid, it demanded some structural reforms that were unnecessary.
Islam’s view towards the economy and economic growth
The economic system in Islam determines how to distribute the wealth, how to possess it, and how to spend it or dispose. This is based on a unique viewpoint that Islam has towards ownership that is different from Capitalism and Socialism.
Property and human effort are components of wealth and they are the means that produce benefit. Islam interferes directly in the question of utilising some properties — so it prohibits the use of some commodities such as wine and dead foodstuffs. Similarly, it prohibits benefiting from some of man’s actions such as prostitution. Additionally, regarding the method of possessing property and man’s effort Islam has put numerous laws regulating this ownership, such as laws of hunting, land reclamation, and the laws of leasing, manufacturing, inheritance, donations and wills.
However, regarding generating the production of wealth, Islam encourages that through motivating the people generally to earn. Islam did not interfere in defining the technical manner of increasing production or the quantity of production, rather it left that to the people to achieve as they like. This falls in the realm of economic science and as with other sciences is universal to all nations and it is not associated with a particular ideology. This encourages innovation and technical development to increase efficiency and output.
Thus Islam views wealth ownership and wealth utilisation differently from increasing production. The former being economic system based on a particular viewpoint, and the latter being part of economic science and therefore universally shared by all nations.
This is in stark contrast to Capitalism, which treats both economic science and system as one subject. So the distribution of commodities and services is included in the subject of the production of these services and commodities. The implication of such an incorrect understanding is that Capitalism solution to all economic problems is merely to increase production or economic growth.
Islam’s view towards the oil and gas sector
Crude oil is considered a Public Utility (Al-Milkiyyah Al-Ammah). Assets, which are public property, are those, which the Lawgiver stated as belonging to the community as a whole, and those He (SWT) prevented the individual from possessing.
lbn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Muslims are partners (associates) in three things: in
water, pastures and fire,” reported by Abu Dawud.
Anas narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas adding. “and its price is haram”.
lbn Majah narrated from Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Three things are not prevented from (the people); the water, the pastures and the fire”.
Ownership of oil and related factories
In the 1960 and 1 970 most Arab countries nationalised their oil sectors revoking past concession to a number of Western oil companies. As an example, in Iraq the Oil Ministry was a signed the task of overseeing the oil industry through the Iraq National Oil Company (INCO). This included oil exploration, engineering, design and all upstream and downstream operations. Nationalised property is neither public property nor state property. Under capitalism, nationalised industries are generally assets owned, run and managed by the state.
In Islam public property cannot be owned by the state as all individuals have a right to the property. State property such as Kharaj and Jizya can be given to some individual to the exclusion of others depending on the opinion of the Khalifah. However, with regard to the public properties, the State has no right to assign or give its origin (body) to anyone, although all peoples can benefit from them. The State has to manage the oil resources and related products together with the factories used to produce those products for the benefit of all Muslims. These factories are also allowed to be owned by individuals, where the state can hire them for a certain amount. However, the ownership by individuals, of the tools and factories does not allow them to use them in producing oil for themselves because oil is from the public properties for all Muslims.
Implications of public ownership
Public ownership is dogmatically condemned by Capitalism. This is because Capitalism propagates freedom of ownership and public ownership is to restrict or deny private individuals, companies and institution the right to procure assets ranging from schools and hospital to defcnce companies. It is argued that freedom of ownership brings with it incentives that pushes private companies to:
• Innovate
• Reduce costs and improve efficiency
• Focuses output on improving customer satisfaction
Additionally it is argued that privatisation
• Removes the potential for corruption which is likely when assets are publicly owned
• Removes costs from the public sector and thereby reduces public spending
Whilst Capitalist theory suggests this, empirical evidence of the realised benefits of private ownership arc rather mixed.
Press headlines criticising excessive profits among private utilities, which were formally in the public sector, are examples of the public’s dissatisfaction of some of the privatisations. In effect privatisation converted State monopolies in gas, water, electricity and telecommunications into private monopolies with ultimately the consumer paying the price.
In the UK, a recent report by a government body asserted a complete rethink in the involvement of the private sector in public projects largely because some of the so-called benefits of private ownership and private sector involvement have not been realised. Indeed, in many cases the opposite outcomes have actually transpired. As an example the report highlights the 10-fold increase in the costs of the IT system at GCHQ under the governments’ Private Finance Initiative.
The biggest failed privatisation in the UK has been on the railways. Under Rail track, a private company set¬up to maintain, build and develop the rail network, Britain’s railway system actually regressed. Following privatisation profits rose and directors’ pay climbed accordingly. At the same time the costs of running and maintaining the system surged, there was massive under investment in the infrastructure and safety appeared to be comprised with a spate of fatal accidents including the Hatfield rail crash, which eventually led to the government dissolving Rail track.
Finally, the idea that privatisation removes political corruption is very much questionable given that many of the government ministers and politicians that were involved in UK’s privatisations of water, gas and telecommunications ended up on the board of directors at the same privatised companies.
Thus the dogmatism with which public ownership is seen by Capitalism has to be questioned.
Furthermore — and just as importantly — in Islam public ownership is not nationalisation. The perception in Capitalist economies is that nationalised industries are ‘lame ducks’ financed by the tax payer and the private sector and managed by workers with jobs for life akin to a parasite.
In Islam Public Ownership is not Nationalisation
In Islam public ownership means responsibility and accountability. Capitalism believes individuals solely seek material interest while Islam motivates the Muslims to worship their Creator in all of life’s actions. With respect to public ownership this mentality is exemplified by Khalif Umar Abdual Aziz who when a man came to him to discuss some personal issues turned out the candle he used when deal with public affairs and light his personal candle in order to deal with the man~ s issues.
Thus Islam does not deny that individuals need incentives. This incentive is the same in the private and public sector — above all the Muslim seeks to worship his Creator and that is his foremost motivation in all actions. Such a mentality should ensure that the Muslim does not waste public resources. Indeed it will motivate him to look after the public resources to the best of his ability — reduce costs and raise efficiency -because the resources/wealth/property is an ammanah, which Allah SWT will account him for. The role of the Islamic State is therefore to ensure that the issue of responsibility and accountability is at the forefront of the individuals’ mind whether he is a worker or manager in the publicly owned oil sector.
Competition is arguably as important an incentive as ownership. Excessive profits in water, gas and the telecoms sectors in the UK resulted largely due to an absence of effective competition, which is particularly detrimental when the companies are privately owned, as there is little consideration of public interest. Thus the Islamic State — while keeping oil assets under public ownership — should encourage competition between its different oil producing and refining units using pay and rewards linked to productivity and efficiency.
The Islamic State while keeping oil assets under public ownership is allowed to hire or lease rigs, platforms, pipelines, tankers and refining plant and machinery to process the oil and get it to the market. Consequently, as long as there is competition within these industries, the State should produce oil and oil products competitively and efficiently.
Public ownership of assets also does not preclude the State clearly and precisely defining a service or an output that it wants to achieve — say the testing of oil samples — and contracting it to private enterprise or asking private enterprise to bid for such a contract. Indeed, any activity that can be clearly and precisely defined can be contracted to the private sector, which will have the incentive to innovate and be efficient.
The State should also establish bench marking between its various oil producing units to spread best practice (efficient) operations and processes amongst all. In effect this will remove inefficiency among the low performing operations.
Public ownership of oil will also ensure that long term investment and planning is devoted to a most valuable resource so that waste is minimised and oil is preserved for future generations. This is particularly important as short-termism in the private sector has led to waste and inefficiency.
A pertinent example here is the flaring of gas that occurs in Nigeria. Oil companies in Nigeria — many of which are household names in the West — have for a decade flared natural gases which are a by-product of the oil production in the region. The companies justify the wholesale wasting of this gas — not to mention the health and environmental damage it causes — by arguing that this is the cheapest option as it would cost too much to capture, store and transport the gas to market. This short sighted view has led to an enormous waste of resources given that Nigeria has an estimated 180 billion cubic feet of proven natural gas making it the ninth largest concentration in the world. In 2002, with more than 1,000 oil field located in the Nigerian delta, the country’s oil producing operations were flaring 75% of the gas produced — that’s equivalent to 2bn standard cubic feet of gas.
Public ownership of oil resources will also mean that the revenue generated is invested in the public interest and can be used for development. If the profits of the private oil companies are anything to go by this could provide significant funds for useful and productive public investment. To illustrate this, oil producers are among the biggest companies in the world with Exxon Mobil at number 3; Royal Dutch/Shell at number 10; and BP at number 15. An immense amount of development could be possible if this wealth is reinvested in the countries from which much of it is taken from. The Nigerian delta is among the least development regions in the world with desperate residents lacking in basic schooling and health care despite over a decade of oil exports from the region.
Oil produces many by-products such as synthetic rubbers, fibres, polystyrene, adhesives, road building material and most importantly plastics (it is estimated that 90% of all consumer goods use plastic). The State can assist businesses with easy and inexpensive access to oil in order to nurture and develop petrochemical industries. The State should also aim to be at the forefront (cutting edge) of new research and development into petrochemicals and gasses.
Islam’s view towards OPEC
OPEC’s eleven members (10 of which are Muslim countries) collectively supply about 40 per cent of the world’s oil output, and possess more than three-quarters of the world’s total proven crude oil reserves. OPEC under the leadership of Saudi Arabia manipulates the world oil market by assigning each member country a production quota — in realty fixing output. In fact, OPEC has been politically manipulated through Saudi Arabia to generally serve the interests of capitalist (oil consuming) nations. Saudi Arabia has acted as a swing’ supplier increasing or decreasing output to stabilise world prices to serve the interests of industrial nations.
Mohammad (saw) forbade practices like hoarding which manipulate the market.
Narrated from Ma’akal ibn Yasar that he said the Messenger of Allah (SWT) said: “Whosoever was involved in any of the prices of the Muslims, so as to increase it for them it would be due on Allah to place him in a great fire at the Day of Judgement”.
Thus, the practices of OPEC are contrary to the shar’a.
Conclusions
Thus, the Arab world specifically and the Muslim countries generally are at cross-roads: do they continue to fumble with pragmatic, inconsistent capitalist — IMF and World Bank — inspired policies and systems or do they embark on a radical solution. A solution that was applied and worked for 1300 years — the Khilafah State. The thoughts and systems applied in the Khaleefah brought the glory and honour and the development and progress from science and medicine to architecture and culture that this honoured Muslim Ummah currently yearns for.

the-beginning-of-the-end-game-in-syria

After 18 months of fighting the al-Assad regime, the end game, by Allah’s grace in now in sight. The whole Ummah has watched with astonishment at not just the brutality of al-Assad but the mixed messages from the west, which played a key role in the slaughter, by giving al-Assad ample time to end the uprising.
When the uprising initially began in early 2011, both Britain and France immediately called for intervention whilst the US called for giving al-Assad time, as he was a reformer. As pictures beamed around the world of al-Assad’s slaughter, the US changed tact and began calling for his removal, whilst not actually doing anything. When this position became untenable, as the massacres continued, the US faced a dilemma, the Syrian National Council (SNC) and the Local Coordination Committee (LCC) failed to coalesce into a unified movement. The US hoped to possibly replace al-Assad with a new breed of loyalists, however undermined by internal squabbling and power struggles and having little credibility in the eyes of the people the US turned towards the UN to buy itself time.
Various proposals were put forward with regards to Syria from sanctions to UN observer missions and a resolution condemning the Syrian leadership with vague prospects of intervention. This action i.e. the involvement of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the resolution to the Syrian crisis, effectively placed the solution to the Syrian crisis in the hands of the superpowers, who themselves were all competing with each other.
The Kofi Annan plan, allowed the regime time and space to commit arguably its worst atrocities. The UN observers were as impotent as the earlier Arab league observer mission was at times complicit with the regime. The task of the observers was to inform the international community of unacceptable actions of those they had under observation. The international community was fully aware of the violence. The issue in Syria was not that the world was unaware of the violence, but that it was not willing to take steps to end it
End Game
In June 2012 a flurry of statements by US officials such as Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of staff, US Defence Secretary, the Secretary of State and the President himself began to ratchet up calls for military intervention. This after calling for everything short of intervention since the uprising began. This was due to the progress the Ummah in Syria made against al-Assad. The Assad regime failed in quelling the uprisings in Homs, Hama, Idlib and the stand-off has reached Aleppo as well as districts of Damascus – the seat of the regime. This worried the US as well as the al-Assad regime who then resorted to massacres such as Qubair and Houla as the people of Syria were not going to allow foreign powers to replace Assad with another puppet.
The magnitude of al Assad’s problems became clear July 6 2012 when the influential Tlass clan publicly broke ties with the al-Assads. This signalled the unravelling of the Sunni patronage networks that have helped sustain the minority Alawite-dominated regime for more than four decades. The next blow came July 18 2012 with a bombing at the National Security headquarters in Damascus eliminated several of the regime’s top security bosses.
The Syrian military faced a countrywide insurgency, with rebel pockets forming in most of the key governorates. Given al-Assad’s finite resources, the regime prioritized its operations. Whilst the military has not ceded any governorate to the opposition and continues to go on offensives aimed at destroying rebel pockets in critical areas. Large swaths of the countryside have effectively been ceded to the rebels as the government focuses on amassing enough personnel and firepower to maintain solid control over critical cities and supply lines, this is now cracking.
With the end game in Syria in sight there are a whole host of issues the Muslims of Syria will need to contend with in order to ensure their uprising is not hijacked by those with their own agendas. With this in mind we present the key strategic issues which the Ummah of Syria will need to contend with.
Internal Cohesion
Internal cohesion was maintained in the country by successive rulers through the secret service permeating every facet of society. Whilst much has been made of civil war and sectarianism, non-Muslims make up less than 25% of the country’s population. Unifying Syria into a cohesive society is one of the biggest challenges the new leadership will face, especially as foreign powers have designs on the nation. In overcoming these challenges we make the following recommendations:

• The      adoption of a new constitution – A constitution should be adopted that      enshrines the relationship between state and society and defines the      organs of state and how accountability can take place. The ummah of Syria      need to change the basis the nation from a vague concept of Arab      nationalism and al-Assad to Islam. This is because Islam is indigenous to      the nation and will provide it with a coherent system to organise state      and society.
• As      the basis of Islam is the Qur’an and Sunnah a new constitution that      outlines the detailed Islamic position on the economy, social system,      accountability and judiciary should be drawn up, made public so every      citizen can see the laws it will be judged by. This will create a coherent      society and create unity amongst the populace.
• The      constitution should clearly state the obligation of political parties and      the establishment of the Majlis of the Ummah, which will have the power to      impose certain restriction on the ruler. This mechanism will allow for      accountability to take place in an institutionalised manner. This will      allow for a close relationship between the ruler and ruled and create a      society which cannot be penetrated from the outside as changes can be      brought and discrepancies can be raised directly through this domestic      institution rather than turning to outsiders.
• The constitution should also clearly outline the rights non – Muslim citizens will enjoy. This will coalesce the Alawites and Christian minority and ensure they do not become objects of foreign agendas.

Security
No nation is independent unless it controls its own security. Sovereignty does not exist unless a nation can secure its borders and is self-sufficient in this. Whilst much has been made of Syria’s chemical weapons, which is reality is a pretext of possible foreign intervention, the Ummah of Syria will need to take over the country and bring the countries heavy industry and weapons arsenal under its control. This will be essential in the case of military intervention by foreign powers and also for the wider Islamic aim of reunification with the wider Muslim world.  In overcoming these challenges we make the following recommendations:

• Once al-Assad is removed from power the first job of Syria’s new leadership will be to consolidate the nation’s firepower, so its borders can be secured and in order to deter those with designs on the nation. Currently the nation has 215,000 soldiers with a similar number in the reserves. Its includes eight armored divisions and three mechanized divisions, these will need to be brought under the new leaderships authority, there equipment includes 4,700 tanks, 4,500 armored personnel carriers, 850 surface-to-air missiles, and 4,000 anti-aircraft guns. This includes the air force’s 611 combat planes.
• Syria possesses 130 surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries. These have had significant resources devoted to them in terms of maintenance and upgrade and would complicate any potential foreign intervention. These batteries will need to be secured after the overthrow of al-Assad.
• The security services in the Arab world are notorious for their brutal methods of torture, often being the only line of defence for the rulers of the region. Syria’s Military Intelligence Directorate – Makhabarat, plays a major role in the region and not just in Syria. It has been the architect in creating various groups who acted as non-state actors in the region. During Syria’s occupation of Lebanon, the Syrian secret service exercised political authority in the country. The role of the secret service should be changed to protecting the people from foreign interference, rather than internal policing. They should also be paid a wage commensurate to this, to weed out corruption.

Foreign interference
Syria was an artificial creation by the deal made by the French and British in the Sykes-Picot agreement in 1918. Whilst European influence was replaced by the US after WW2, the West ensured the minority demographic ruled over the majority, who would always need foreign help to remain in power. Successive rulers remained loyal to the West protecting their interests in the region, which ensured military hardware kept flowing into the country. Stratfor’s outlined its view on the post Assad scenario: “Foreign diplomacy surrounding the conflict, rather than the rebels fighting within Syria, will determine what the endgame looks like. Stratfor expects a scramble among the foreign stakeholders in Syria to protect their interests and emerge from the growing chaos with some degree of leverage.” In order to deal with foreign interference the following recommendations should be pursued:

• Removing US interference will be central to the future of the Muslim world as well as Syria. To achieve this US tools need to be eliminated, which it has used in the region. Since the US came to the Muslim lands it has used agent rulers, economic aid, money, funding and military sales as key tools in keeping influence in the region. Each of these will need to be deconstructed and removed.
• Former members of the al-Assad regime need to put on trial for the crimes they have committed. Justice needs to be brought to the millions who suffered at their hands. These trials should be completely public. Similarly members of the Syrian National Council (SNC) should be not be permitted to return to the country as they are close to the West and  their loyalty to new Syria cannot be guaranteed.
• Nuclear weapons still today remain the ultimate weapon for war and deterrence. Syria will need to deter those who have designs on the Muslim lands. Whilst Islam has in origin forbidden the use of nuclear weapons as they cause widespread destruction whereas the Islamic foreign policy is to revive humanity with Islam not to exterminate it. Islam however permitted the Islamic state to do with the enemy similar to what it does to them. On this basis Syria’s nuclear programme should be revived for deterrence purposes.
• The rogue status label has been developed in the capitals of the West to justify interference in the Muslim lands and to subvert any call for the return of Islam. Dealing with this requires Syria’s new leadership to go on the offensive and expose this lie by exposing the plots, plans and actions of the West. The West has engaged in many heinous crimes that no state in the world has exposed or taken advantage of. The US lied about WMD’s in Iraq in order to gain the countries coveted black gold. Its greed showed no limits when it was exposed in the Abu Gharib scandal. The Wests cosy relationship with the likes of Ben Ali, Gaddafi and Mubarak has never been used by another state to embarrass the West.
• The Ummah’s best defence is reunifying with the Muslim world. By annexing and expanding very quickly, any foreign aggressor will be dealing with a much larger area. As Afghanistan and Iraq has shown, the longer the supply lines have to travel the weaker the front lines. It should also be borne in mind that the US makes use of a number of military bases that have been provided to them by the Muslims’ rulers, cutting such supply lines will severely hinder US capabilities.

Conclusions
The beginning of the end has started in Syria and Russia, Britain, France and the US are all attempting to arrange the end game in Syria with something that suits their interests. The West has been unable to create a new breed of loyalists who will serve their agenda and have been caught short as the ummah took her destiny into her own hands. With the call for Jihad coming from the mujahideen, and will many in Syria openly calling for Khilafah inshallah the game is about to end for the West.

Khilafah Akan Segera Tegak di Suriah Meski Barat Hendak Mencegahnya

Ketua DPP Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia Rokhmat S Labib menyatakan bahwa sebentar lagi khilafah akan tegak dan takkan ada yang bisa menghalanginya.

“Khilafah sebentar lagi tegak sekalipun Barat berupaya sekuat tenaga untuk mencegahnya, karena siapakah yang mampu menghadapi kekuasaan Allah SWT?” ungkapnya saat berorasi dalam Tabligh Akbar Solidaritas Suriah yang diselenggarakan DPD I HTI DKI Raya, Ahad (10/2) di Masjid Al-Bina, Senayan, Jakarta.

Sesungguhnya, lanjut pengasuh rubik tafsir di majalah politik dan dakwah Al-Wa’ie ini, hanya ada satu kunci mengapa umat ini belum menerima khilafah, yakni karena mereka belum mendengar tentang khilafah. “Oleh karena itu kita harus berjuang secara bersungguh-sungguh untuk menyampaikan kepada umat tentang kewajiban khilafah, karena khilafah adalah wajib dan yang mewajibkannya adalah yang menghidupkan serta mematikan kita,” tegasnya yang diikuti dengan pekikan takbir seisi ruangan.

Sedangkan orator lainnya, Ketua DPP HTI Farid Wadjdi menyatakan, umat Islam di Suriah telah menyatakan bahwa revolusi Suriah dalam rangka menyambut seruan Allah SWT.

“Semua di Suriah mengatakan bahwa revolusi Suriah adalah untuk Allah SWT dan demi Allah SWT!” pekiknya.

Farid lebih jauh juga menjelaskan tentang kelayakan Suriah menjadi Khilafah Islam serta tantangannya ketika pertama kali berdiri. “Ada empat hal yang membuat Suriah layak menjadi khilafah,” ungkapnya.

Pertama,  keamanan di tangan kaum Muslim. Kedua, rakyat Syam telah siap menerapkan syariah Islam dan menerapkanRUU Khilafah. Ketiga, dari segi opini umum rakyat Suriah menginginkan Khilafah Islamiyah meski media sekuler tidak mempublikasikannya. Keempat, dari segi potensi sumber daya mulai dari jumlah penduduk di atas 20 juta jiwa, pangan dan SDA yang melimpah. “Sehingga membuat Suriah layak menjadi Daulah Khilafah,” ujarnya.

Selain itu, tambah pemimpin redaksi tabloid Media Umat ini, ada juga ancaman dari Barat ketika khilafah tegak.

“Tantangan Khilafah pertama berdiri adalah serangan dari Barat, tapi ini akan sulit karena mereka akan menghadapi seluruh umat Islam ditambah lagi Barat yang sedang krisis,” analisanya.

Dalam acara yang dihadiri sekitar 3000 peserta laki-laki dan perempuan yang datang dari berbagai wilayah se-Jabodetabek ini, juga diputar video perjuangan dan testimoni para pemimpin brigade-brigade revolusi Suriah serta tayangan khusus pernyataan Juru Bicara Hizbut Tahrir Suriah, yang mengatakan bahwa, dukungan terhadap Hizbut Tahrir di Suriah sudah semakin besar. “Saat ini umat Islam di Suriah sudah tidak bisa dipalingkan lagi dari perjuangannya menegakkan Khilafah,” ujarnya dalam video yang diputar dihadapan peserta yang penuh sesak di ruangan atas maupun bawah masjid ini.

Dalam Tabligh Akbar yang mengangkat tema “Apa yang Sedang Terjadi di Suriah?” ini, hadir pula sebagai orator: Tun Kelana Jaya (Media Centre Hizbut Tahrir Asia), Faisal Abas (Ketua DPD I HTI DKI Raya), dan Abu Harits (Relawan yang Pergi ke Suriah). (mediaumat.com, 10/2)

MENJADIKAN BARANG YANG DIBELI SEBAGAI JAMINAN, BOLEHKAH?

Contributed by Redaksi
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Last Updated Thursday, 27 May 2010

MENJADIKAN BARANG YANG DIBELI SEBAGAI JAMINAN, BOLEHKAH?

Tanya:
Ustadz, bolehkah barang yang kita beli dijadikan jaminan? Misal, kita kredit motor lalu BPKB motor itu kita jadikan
jaminan kepada penjual (dealer)? (Dewi, Malang)
Jawab:
Dalam jual beli kredit (baiâ€TMu at-taqsith) penjual boleh mensyaratkan jaminan/agunan (rahn) dari pembeli. (Adnan Saâ€TMduddin, Baiâ€TMu At-Taqsith wa Tathbiqatuha al-Muâ€TMashirah, hal. 187). Namun jaminan ini wajib berupa barang lain, bukan barang objek jual beli. Karena menjadikan barang yang dibeli sebagai jaminan (rahn al-mabiiâ€TM) tidak boleh secara syarâ€TMi.
Inilah pendapat fuqaha yang rajih menurut kami. Imam Syafiâ€TMi, seperti dikutip Imam Ibnu Qudamah, menyatakan jika dua orang berjual beli dengan syarat menjadikan barang yang dibeli sebagai jaminan atas harganya, jual belinya tidak sah.
Sebab jika barang yang dibeli dijadikan jaminan (rahn), berarti barang itu belum menjadi milik pembeli. (Al-Mughni,
4/285).
Imam Ibnu Hajar Al-Haitami berkata,"Tidak boleh jual beli dengan syarat menjaminkan barang yang dibeli." (Al-Fatawa al- Fiqhiyah al-Kubra, 2/287).

Imam Ibnu Hazm berkata,"Tidak boleh menjual suatu barang dengan syarat menjadikan barang itu sebagai jaminan atas harganya. Kalau jual beli sudah terlanjur terjadi, harus dibatalkan." (Al-Muhalla, 3/427).
Memang ada fuqaha yang membolehkan. Kata Imam Ibnu Qudamah,"Menurut Imam Ahmad, jaminan berupa barang
yang dibeli sah." (Al-Mughni, 4/285; Al-Fiqh †̃ala Al-Mazhahib al-Arbaâ€TMah, 2/166). Imam Ibnul Qayyim berkata,"Boleh mensyaratkan jaminan berupa barang yang dibeli." (Ighatsah al-Lahfan, 2/53; Iâ€TMlam al-Muwaqqiâ€TMin, 4/33).
Pendapat inilah yang diadopsi Majmaâ€TM Al-Fiqh Al-Islami bahwa,"Penjual tidak berhak mempertahankan kepemilikan
barang di tangannya, tapi penjual boleh mensyaratkan pembeli untuk menjaminkan barang yang dibeli guna menjamin
hak penjual memperoleh pembayaran angsuran yang tertunda." (Ali as-Salus, Al-Qadhaya al-Fiqhiyah al-Muâ€TMashirah, hal. 605).
Namun menurut kami, pendapat ini tidak dapat diterima. Karena menjaminkan barang objek jual beli adalah syarat yang menyalahi konsekuensi akad (muqtadha al-†̃aqad), yakni hak kepemilikan dan melakukan tasharruf (perbuatan hukum) seperti jual beli atau hibah oleh pembeli. Imam Taqiyudin an-Nabhani berkata,"Jika seseorang menjual suatu barang
kepada orang lain, lalu mensyaratkan orang itu untuk tidak menjualnya kepada siapa pun, maka syarat itu tidak berlaku
tapi jual belinya sah, karena syarat itu menafikan konsekuensi akad (muqtadha al-†̃aqad), yakni kepemilikan barang dan melakukan tasharruf padanya." (al-Syakhshiyah al-Islamiyah, 3/52).
Syarat yang menyalahi hukum syaraâ€TM tidak dapat diterima, karena sabda Nabi SAW,"Syarat apa saja yang tidak ada
dalam Kitabullah, maka ia batil, meski ada seratus syarat." (HR Bukhari dan Muslim). (Imam Shanâ€TMani, Subulus Salam, 3/10).
Selain itu, syarat itu tertolak berdasar kaidah fiqih : Kullu syarthin khaalafa aw nafaa muqtadha al-†̃aqad fahuwa baathil (Setiap syarat yang menyalahi atau meniadakan konsekuensi akad, adalah syarat yang batal). (M. Saâ€TMid al-Burnu, Mausuâ€TMah al-Qawaâ€TMid al-Fiqhiyah, 8/418).
Kesimpulannya, tidak boleh menjadikan barang yang dibeli sebagai jaminan dalam jual beli kredit. Yang dibolehkan
adalah jaminan berupa barang lain, bukan barang objek jual beli. Wallahu aâ€TMlam.

Yogyakarta, 27 Mei 2010
Muhammad Shiddiq al-Jawi
(shiddiq_aljawi@yahoo.com) 

Kebijakan Khilafah Terhadap Perayaan Keagamaan Orang-orang Kafir

Posted by Admin on 12/20/2012 11:39:00 AM in Feature, Headline, seputar khilafah | 1 comments

Oleh: Syamsuddin Ramadhan An Nawiy

Khilafah adalah negara yang tegak di atas akidah dan syariat Islam. Akidah Islamiyyah adalah asas negara; dan syariat Islam merupakan satu-satunya hukum untuk mengatur urusan negara dan rakyat. Khilafah Islamiyyah tidak akan mengadopsi atau mendakwahkan pemikiran dan hukum yang bertentangan dengan Islam. Walaupun Khilafah harus mengakomodasi keragaman agama dan keyakinan selain Islam, memperlakukan orang-orang kafir dengan adil, serta memenuhi hak dan kebutuhan mereka dengan cara yang makruf, namun, itu tidak berarti Khilafah Islamiyyah akan memberikan dukungan bagi penyebaran agama dan keyakinan selain Islam, dalam bentuk apapun.

Sebab, Khilafah tidak hanya bertugas melakukan ri’ayah suunil ummah belaka, namun ia juga diberi taklif mendakwahkan Islam agar orang-orang kafir masuk ke dalam agama Islam. Khalifah dan pejabat-pejabat negara yang Muslim, sebagaimana kaum Muslim lainnya, diberi tanggung jawab yang sama dalam hal dakwah dan terikat dengan hukum syariat. Oleh karena itu, larangan memberikan bantuan dan melibatkan diri dalam aktivitas-aktivitas keagamaan orang-orang kafir—seperti ibadah dan perayaan agama mereka–, tidak hanya berlaku bagi umumnya kaum Muslim saja, tetapi juga berlaku bagi Khalifah dan pejabat negara.

Adapun dalam konteks kebijakan Khilafah terhadap perayaan keagamaan orang-orang kafir, dapat dirinci sebagai berikut:

Pertama, Khilafah melarang kaum Muslim merayakan atau melibatkan diri dalam perayaan hari raya orang-orang kafir, apapun bentuknya. Pasalnya, Islam mengharamkan kaum Muslim terlibat dalam perayaan-perayaan keagamaan orang-orang kafir. Sahabat besar seperti Ibnu Abbas, Abdullah bin Umar dan para tabiin, seperti Mujahid, Mohammad Ibnu Sirin, dan sebagainya, menyatakan bahwasanya kaum Mukmin dilarang merayakan hari raya orang-orang musyrik.” [Imam Qurthubiy, Tafsir Qurthubiy, juz 13, hal. 79; Imam Ibnu Katsir, Tafsir Ibnu Katsir, juz 3, hal. 329-330] Beberapa fuqaha juga berpendapat senada mengenai firman Allah SWT al-Furqan: 72. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal berkata, “Kaum Muslim telah diharamkan untuk merayakan hari raya orang-orang Yahudi dan Nasrani. Kaum Muslim juga diharamkan memasuki gereja dan tempat-tempat ibadah mereka.” [Ibnu Tamiyyah, Iqtidla' al-Shiraath al-Mustaqiim, hal.201].

Imam Baihaqi menyatakan, “Jika kaum Muslim diharamkan memasuki gereja, apalagi merayakan hari raya mereka.” [Ibnu Tamiyyah, Iqtidla' al-Shiraath al-Mustaqiim, hal.201] Imam al-Amidi dan Qadli Abu Bakar al-Khalal menyatakan,”Kaum Muslim dilarang keluar untuk menyaksikan hari raya orang-orang kafir dan musyrik.” [Ibnu Tamiyyah, Iqtidla' al-Shiraath al-Mustaqiim, hal.201-202] Al-Qadliy Abu Ya’la al-Fara’ berkata, “kaum Muslim telah dilarang untuk merayakan hari raya orang-orang kafir atau musyrik”. [Ibnu Tamiyyah, Iqtidla' al-Shiraath al-Mustaqiim, hal.181] Imam Malik menyatakan, “Kaum Muslim telah dilarang untuk merayakan hari raya orang-orang musyrik atau kafir, atau memberikan sesuatu (hadiah), atau menjual sesuatu kepada mereka, atau naik kendaraan yang digunakan mereka untuk merayakan hari rayanya. Sedangkan memakan makanan yang disajikan kepada kita hukumnya makruh, baik diantar atau mereka mengundang kita.” [Ibnu Tamiyyah, Iqtidla' al-Shiraath al-Mustaqiim, hal.230-231]

Pada masa-masa kejayaan Islam, pemerintahan Islam saat itu –sejak masa Rasulullah SAW–, kaum Muslim tidak diperbolehkan merayakan hari raya ahlul Kitab dan kaum musyrik. Rasulullah SAW pernah bersabda mengenai hari raya orang-orang kafir, “Setiap umat memiliki hari raya sendiri-sendiri. Idul Fithri adalah hari raya kita.” [HR. Bukhari dari 'Aisyah ra]

Tatkala mengomentari hari raya bangsa Persia, Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Allah SWT telah mengganti dua hari yang lebih baik daripada kedua hari itu (nairus dan naharjan: hari raya bangsa Persia), yaitu Idul Fitri dan idul Adha.: [HR. Abu Dawud, Turmudzi, Nasaa'iy, dan Ibnu Majah]

Riwayat-riwayat ini menunjukkan dengan jelas, bahwa Rasulullah SAW telah melarang kaum Muslim merayakan atau melibatkan diri dalam perayaan hari raya orang-orang kafir.

Pada masa pemerintahan khalifah Umar bin al-Khaththabb, beliau telah melarang kaum Muslim merayakan hari raya orang-orang kafir. Imam Baihaqiy telah menuturkan sebuah riwayat dengan sanad shahih dari ‘Atha’ bin Dinar, bahwa Umar ra pernah berkata, “Janganlah kalian mempelajari bahasa-bahasa orang-orang Ajam. Janganlah kalian masuk ke gereja-gereja orang-orang musyrik pada hari raya mereka. Sesungguhnya murka Allah SWT akan turun kepada mereka pada hari itu.”. [HR. Imam Baihaqiy]

Realitas di atas menunjukkan bahwa sejak masa sahabat ra, Islam telah melarang kaum Muslim melibatkan diri di dalam perayaan hari raya orang-orang kafir, apapun bentuknya. Melibatkan diri di sini mencakup perbuatan; mengucapkan selamat, hadir di jalan-jalan untuk menyaksikan atau melihat perayaan orang kafir, mengirim kartu selamat, dan lain sebagainya. Perayaan hari raya orang kafir di sini mencakup seluruh perayaan hari raya, perayaan orang suci mereka, dan semua hal yang berkaitan dengan hari perayaan orang-orang kafir, musyrik maupun ahlul kitab.

Kedua, memberikan sanksi bagi kaum Muslim yang terlibat perayaan keagamaan orang-orang kafir. Adapun kadar dan bentuk sanksinya diserahkan sepenuhnya kepada qadliy. Pasalnya, pelanggaran dalam masalah ini termasuk dalam kasus ta’zir.

Ketiga, khalifah tidak akan melarang atau menghalang-halangi orang-orang kafir merayakan hari keagamaan mereka. Pasalnya, orang-orang kafir diberi kebebasan dalam menjalankan peribadahan mereka di dalam Daulah Islamiyyah, pada batas-batas yang ditentukan oleh syariat Islam. Sejak masa Nabi SAW dan Khulafaur Rasyidin, orang-orang kafir dibiarkan merayakan perayaan keagamaan mereka. Mereka hanya melarang kaum Muslim untuk melibatkan diri dalam perayaan mereka.

Keempat, khalifah tidak akan memberikan bantuan, atau melibatkan diri dalam perayaan-perayaan keagamaan orang-orang kafir. Pasalnya, seorang khalifah, sebagaimana kaum Muslim yang lain, wajib terikat dengan hukum syariat larangan melibatkan diri dalam perayaan hari raya orang-orang kafir. Lebih dari itu, seorang khalifah maupun pejabat-pejabat negara Khilafah tidak akan memberikan ucapan selamat, kata sambutan, atau memberikan hadiah perayaan kepada orang kafir. Sebab, perbuatan-perbuatan seperti ini hukumnya haram.

Inilah kebijakan Khilafah Islamiyyah terhadap perayaan keagamaan orang-orang kafir. Kebijakan di atas disusun dengan mempertimbangkan tugas seorang khalifah untuk menerapkan syariat Islam di dalam negeri dan menyebarkan risalah Islam ke seluruh penjuru alam. Tugas ini meniscayakan seorang khalifah untuk tidak pernah condong sedikit pun dengan kekufuran dan kemaksiatan–termasuk tidak mengeluarkan kebijakan mendukung perayaan keagamaan orang-orang kafir. Sebaliknya, seorang khalifah wajib mendakwahi orang-orang kafir, baik di dalam maupun luar negeri, untuk masuk ke dalam agama Islam. Hanya saja, dalam konteks pengaturan urusan rakyat, Khilafah akan memperlakukan orang-orang kafir secara adil. Hak-hak mereka sebagai warga negara Khilafah Islamiyyah dipenuhi dan dilindungi sebaik-baiknya. Wallahu a’lam bish shawab. (mediaumat.com, 19/12)[www.al-khilafah.org]

Panji-panji Rasulullah Saw Berkibar di Berbagai Daerah di Bumi Syam Dalam Aksi Jumat Pemimpin Kami Selamanya Baginda Muhammad Saw [f/v]

Posted by Admin on 1/27/2013 07:37:00 AM in berita, Feature, Internasional, suriah | 0 comments

 Pelangi indah memulai pagi Jumat di salah satu sudut kota di bumi Syam. Matahari segera bersinar memberikan kehangatan dan cahaya yang menerangi, semakin yakin kemenangan keesokan harinya sangat dekat dengan izin Allah. Ribuan warga, di seluruh daerah dan kota di bumi Syam, baik tua, para pemuda dan anak-anak menyambut hari Jumat kali ini untuk meneruskan seruan perjuangan mereka di tengah-tengah sekaratnya rezim bengis Assad yang kian mendekati ajalnya. Jumat ini, 25/01/2013, ribuan warga di berbagai kota dan desa-desa turun ke jalan-jalan sambil meninggilan panji Rasulullah Saw dalam aksi "Jumat Pemimpin Kami Selamanya Baginda Muhammad Saw". Tema aksi revolusi ini tentu saja sangat mematikan Amerika, dan negara-negara Barat beserta sekutu-sekutunya, termasuk Rusia, dan Liga Arab beserta para penguasa dan pihak-pihak yang berupaya membajak revolsui Syam. Rakyat Syam dengan tegas menyatakan revolusi mereka serta siapa yang menjadi arah revolusi mereka, yakni Muhammad Saw. Aksi ini bertepatan dengan bulan Rabiul Awal di mana Baginda Muhammad Saw telah dilahirkan yang kelak diutus sebagai Rasul dengan membawa petunjuk dan agama yang haq untuk dimenangkan atas seluruh agama. Mereka tidak takut apa pun, sekalipun tank-tank Assad atau tindakan-tindakan keji geng Assad siap menikam mereka. Namun, warga Syam dengan keimanan kepada Allah dan Rasulullah Saw., tak menyurutkan langkah mereka atas tuntutan dan revolusi Islam mereka. Di Daraya, sejak pagi tank-tank berada di jalan-jalan berusaha menghancurkan kota serta bangunan-bangunan di sekitarnya. Di Dara', pertempuran terjadi. Pesawat-pesawat tempur Assad menembakkan roket serta membom kota. Bentrokan terjadi antara pasukan Assad dengan Tentara Pembebasan. Meskipun di tengah-tengah suara pesawat, para penduduk tampil menjadi para pahlawan tak gentar serta tak ada rasa takut mereka berdiri di Kafara Nabil di Idlib. Warga meneriakkan yel-yel khas revolusi yang diberkahi, "Labaik-labaik-labaika ya Allah!". Di Mashriin, warga berkumpul di jalan-jalanan kota sambil mengibarkan panji-panji Rasulullah menyanyikan lagu-lagu revolusi. Di Douma, ribuan warga, tua, muda dan anak-anak dengan penuh semangat keluar dari masjid dan berkumpul di jalan-jalan sambil meninggikan panji-panji Rasulullah Saw bertuliskan kalimah "laa ilaaha illallah muhammad rasulullah". Di Binsyi, ribuwan warga memadati jalan-jalan sambil mengibarkan panji-panji al-liwa Rasulullah Saw sembari meneriakkan yel-yel dalam aksi Jumat Pemimpin Kami Selamanya Baginda Muhammad Saw. Para pemuda juga mendominasi aksi di daerah 'Irbin sambil meneriakkan yel-yel baginda Rasulullah Muhammad Saw. Sementara itu di pedesaan Damaskus, bertepatan warga keluar dari Masjid, sedangkan pesawat-pesawat tempur terbang di atas mereka bolak-balik di langit timur Gouta untuk waktu yang lama mencoba membuat cemas warga, semoga Allah melindungi kaum Muslim. Di Idlib, Kafararaumah, warga berkumpul di jalan-jalan sambil membawa poster bertuliskan pesan-pesan mereka. Mereka bersemangat sembari menerikkan haya'al jihad. Sementara di daerah Haas, Idlib, ribuan warga berkumpul untuk ikut serta dalam aksi Jumat Pemimpin Kami Selamanya Baginda Muhammad Saw. Aksi warga juga berlangsung di Damaskus dan Homs. Ribuan warga menunjukkan kecintaan mereka kepada baginda Rasulullah Saw dan menegaskan bahwa revolusi mereka merupakan revolusi Islam. Di Allepo (Halab), di beberapa daerah, warga termasuk para pemuda dan juga banyak anak-anak berjalan di jalanan sambil meninggikan panji-panji rayatul 'uqob Rasulullah Saw. Sementara di daerah lainnya, ribuan warga menuntut penegakkan Khilafah, dan mereka Hizbut Tahrir dan umat menginginkan Khilafah Islamiyyah. Mereka juga meninggikan ar-royah Rasulullah Saw, panji Islam sambil membawa spanduk "Al-Khilafah, Haq, Janji Allah dan Kewajiban". Demikianlah, warga bersorak-sorai seolah-olah tengah menyambut kemenangan untuk sebuah revolusi yang insya Allah diberkahi. Tuntutan mereka jelas, tidak berharap kepada sistem demokrasi melainkan mereka hanya menginginkan sistem Islam, sebagaimana sistem yang dibangun Muhammad Saw sejak awal mula kemunculan Islam. Semua ini hanya mengingatkan kita kepada baginda Rasulullah Saw tercinta yang bersabda: "Saat ini akan tiba masa berperang, akan senantiasa ada segolongan dari umatku yang menampakkan (kebenaran) di hadapan manusia, Allah mengangkat hati-hati suatu kaum, mereka akan memeranginya dan Allah Azza wa Jalla menganugerahkan kepada mereka (kemenangan), dan mereka tetap dalam keadaan demikian, ketahuilah bahwa pusat negeri kaum mukminin itu berada di Syam, dan ikatan tali itu tertambat di punuk kebaikan hingga datangnya hari kiamat." (HR Ahmad : IV/104; an-Nasa`i : VI/214-215; Ibnu Hibban : 1617-Mawarid; al-Bazzar dalam Kasyful Astaar : 1419; dari jalan al-Walid bin Abdurrahman al-Jarsyi dari Jabir bin Nufair). [m/f/r/tahrir.syria.revo/syabab/www.al-khilafah.org] Lihat Foto:

The Coming Of Imam Mahdi, Sayidina Isa And Ad-Dajaal

Humanity has seen many problems and experienced many crises and calamities throughout its history, from the time of Aadam (as) to the current age. Today, the current generation is witnessing an extreme form of corruption and brutality which is spreading misery over the whole world. The capitalist ideology has made the world a playground for the powerful and rich to pillage and plunder the land, lives and wealth of the masses. As a result of these circumstances and this onslaught many people can start to feel overwhelmed and feel that they themselves are completely unable to change their situation. The Christians and the Jews were the first who when facing hardships instead of increasing their resolve to tackle them began to talk about the end of the world and the second coming. They justified their fatalistic behaviour and inaction to tackle the problems they faced by stating that they would be saved by the second coming. Today when Muslims face tremendous difficulties and challenges it is saddening to see that so many of them have also begun to adopt this mentality. Some Muslims who have fallen into this trap have begun to justify their view by interpreting the Islamic texts in a way which has led to inactivity and fatalism. The effect of this interpretation has led many Muslims to do nothing to remove the causes that have led to the predicament of the Islamic Ummah. Rather, they spend much of their time justifying inactivity by looking for the signs of Dajaal and waiting for the Al-Mahdi and the return of Isa (as) to rescue the Ummah from the clutches of the West. It is important to understand the mentality we need to have when looking to the divine texts and how they should regulate our behaviour and attitudes. It is clear that the attitude of fatalism that affects some Muslims is something which is not applied in all aspects of life. We see many who have a fatalistic attitude towards the political situation, but do not have it when it comes to seeking the rizq (provisions) which Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala), Ar-Raziq provides. Many Muslims work extremely hard, sacrificing time, effort and even emigrating, leaving behind families and loved ones in order to find work. This is despite the fact that it is proven through definitive text (qati thaboot) that is definitive in meaning (qati dalalah) that Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala) provides the rizq. It is also evidently clear that many Muslims who have a fatalistic attitude when it comes to their own life, will protect it. They will not stay in front of the bus, when it is racing towards them. When an illness comes to them, they will seek treatment from their doctor and if he is unable to help, they strive hard to seek the best possible treatment. They will refrain from going to dangerous places to protect their own lives and will also protect others whom they love. This is despite the fact that Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala) has stated in many definitive texts (qati thaboot) that are definitive in meaning (qati dalalah) that Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala) is the cause of death and the expiration of the ajal (life span). When we look to the divine texts, some of them come to us dealing with matters of Iman. These texts have a bearing on our Iman (decisive belief) and must be based on text which is definite, and the meaning must be definite too. There are many ayat of the Qur'an which determine elements to do with Iman such as the ayah: ”O you who believe! Believe in Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala) and His Messenger and the scripture which He has sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denies Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala), His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day Of Judgement, has gone far, far astray" [TMQ An-Nisa: 136]. The Sunnah which is definite in text [thaboot] and meaning [dalalah] is the Mutawatir. The Mutawatir report is divided into two categories. Firstly, verbal (lafzun) Mutawatir like the hadith: "Whosoever intentionally lies about me let him reserve his place in the Hellfire." Secondly, the Mutawatir by meaning (manawi), such as when the transmitters concur on a matter occurring in different incidents such as the Sunnah of the morning prayer being two rakats. As far as hadith of prophecies, they discuss about things that are not in the reality and are therefore beyond the limits of our minds. Hence we cannot make a judgement on these matters. We can only fully understand and confirm them as the reality plays out. The honourable Sahabah (ra) knew many hadith of prophecies but they only understood them as the situations actually played out in front of their eyes. Also more importantly they did not use these hadith as a means to sit back and do nothing, waiting for the event to happen, but they worked hard to carry out the obligation which was set by Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala). So for example Ibn Hisham relates it in his Seerah through Ibn Ishaq that: Salman al-Farsi said: "(During the battle of Khandaq) I was digging in one corner of the trench at which time one rock gave me difficulty. Allah's Messenger came near me and saw my difficulty as I was digging. He came down and took the pick from my hands. Then he struck and a great spark flashed under the pick. He struck again and another spark flashed. He struck a third time and a third spark flashed. I said to him: My father and mother (be ransomed) for you, O Messenger of Allah! What is that I saw flashing under the pick as you were striking? He said: Did you see this, O Salman? I said: Yes! He said: The first time, Allah opened Yemen [in the South] for me; the second time, He opened the North (al-Sham) and the west (al-Maghrib) for me; and the third time, he opened the East (al-Mashriq)." (Ibn Hisham relates it in his Seerah (Beirut, dar al-wifaq ed. 3-4: 219) After this news spread amongst the Sahabah, they did not sit back, and wait for it to occur. On the contrary, they strived hard, expending their utmost effort to achieve the obligation of opening up new lands for the sake of Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala). It is very important to keep the correct viewpoint when reading such informative hadith about events that are to occur in the future. In summary there are 5 key points to keep in mind. 1) The first thing to look for in these hadith whether they instruct Muslims to perform actions in advance of the event occurring The Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) is reported to have told the Sahabah (ra) to seek protection from the tribulations of ad-Dajaal with the following dua; Abu Hurairah (ra) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) said: When anyone of you utters Tashahhud (in the Prayer) he must seek refuge with Allah from four (trials) and should thus say: O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the torment of Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trial of life and death and from the evil of the trial of Meshih Al-Dajaal. 2) The next thing to look for is whether they offer any course of action for Muslims when the event happens. An-Nawwas ibn Sam' an reported that the Sahabah asked Allah's Apostle, how long will he (Ad-Dajaal) stay on earth?' He (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, 'For forty days, one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of the days will be like your days'. We said, 'Allah's Apostle, will one day's prayer suffice for the day equal to a year?' Thereupon he said, ‘No, but you must make an estimate of the time (and then observe prayer). [Sahih Muslim] In this hadith Muslims are instructed to calculate the times of prayer, as opposed to missing them, at the time when we experience the 'one day like a year' which corresponds with the coming of Ad-Dajaal. 3) Encouragement for those striving on the path towards the re-establishment, protection, and conveyance of the deen of Allah In a hadith from Abu Umamah, the Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) said: "A group of my Community will remain constant to the truth, conquering their enemy until the command of Allah comes to them while they are still in that condition." He was asked, "Messenger of Allah, where are they?" He replied: "In Jerusalem." [Ahmad and Tabarani] 4) Another important matter is not discussing in the detailed matter related to the unseen. Discussion in the metaphysics and what is beyond the sensed reality, debating it and claiming that one's opinion is better than the others is a debate which takes up precious time, and takes the attention away from the vital work that is required from the Muslims. Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala) mentions this regarding debating with the people of the book the number of men who sought refuge in a cave from their corrupt community. "So the people will now say, "They are three, their dog is the fourth"; and some will say, "They are five, their dog is the sixth" - just blind guesses; and some will say, "They are seven, and their dog is the eighth"; proclaim "My Lord well knows their number - no one knows them except a few"; therefore do not debate concerning them except what has occurred, and do not ask any of the People of the Book(s) anything concerning them’. [TMQ Al-Kahf: 22] 5) These hadith must never be used as a basis of inactivity, hopelessness and laziness These hadith are not a means to ignore the obligations set by Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala), such as the work for the Islamic revival, just because they inform us that the revival will one day occur. An even more dangerous and incorrect view than this is the mentality that working for these obligations, such as the work to resume the Khilafah Rashida, is something impossible to achieve by our own work because Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala) will establish this for us at a time of His I choosing. The coming of Imam Mahdi If we look to some of the hadith regarding Imam Mahdi such as the one below Abu Dawud also published from Umm Salamah by way of Salih Abu'l-Khaleel from a companion of his from Umm Sal amah, that he said, "There will be disagreement at the death of a Khilafah, so a man from Madinah will come out fleeing to Makkah, and the people of Makkah will come to him and bring him out (as a claimant for the Khilafah) against his will and swear allegiance to him between the Corner (of the Ka'bah in which the black stone is) and the station (of Ibrahim). An expeditionary force will be sent against him from Sham (Syria) and the earth will swallow them up in the waterless desert between Makkah and Madinah. When people see that, the Abdal of the people of Sham will come to him and the companies of the people of Iraq and they will swear allegiance to him. Then a man of Quraysh will arise (in rebellion) whose maternal uncles are (the tribe of) Kalb, and an expeditionary force will be sent against them and they will conquer them, and that is the expeditionary force of Kalb, and there is disappointment for whoever does not attend (the division of) the spoils of Kalb. So he will divide up the wealth, and he will act among people according to their Prophet's Sunnah and he will throw Islam by its neck on the earth. He will remain seven years then die and the Muslims will pray over him" [Abu Dawud Book 36, Number 427] The hadith on Imam Mahdi show us a number of things. He will be one of the Muslims from this Ummah, with some hadith indicating he will be a descendent of Muhammad (salAllahu alaihi wasallam). He will not carry out any miracles or receive any revelation but will rule with justice which will bring prosperity for the Khilafah state. He will not know that he is the Mahdi, as the hadith indicates that he will be reluctant to take the allegiance (bay'ah), and he will need to be convinced to take it. The Hadith explicitly states that he will follow the death of a Khaleefah, and there will be a dispute about the next one. The Ummah will be debating who to give bay'ah to, and they will give it to him. All this indicates that the Ummah will have a Khilafah state, and that they will know how to appoint a Khaleefah. These points also indicate that the Mahdi will learn Islam from around them, as he will receive no revelation. The hadith states what he will act among the people according to the Sunnah which again indicates that it is the Ummah which will have to be ready to teach and groom the Mahdi to take up the tasks of Khaleefah. Therefore there is no indication for some Muslims to remain inactive and do nothing; certain event must pass before his arrival such as the re-establishment of Khilafah state, and the preparation of the Ummah to resume the Islamic way of life. This obligation still lies upon the Muslims and not upon Imam Mahdi. The descent of Isa (as) and the destruction of Dajaal And (remember) when Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala) said: "O `Isa! I will take you and raise you to Myself.'' [TMQ Al-Imran: 55] The meaning here is that Isa (as) was raised up by Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala) and his mission had ended. There are many hadith regarding his return, By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the son of Maryam (`Isa) will shortly descend among you as a just ruler, and will break the cross, kill the pig and abolish the Jizyah. Then there will be an abundance of wealth and nobody will accept charitable gifts any more. At that time, one prostration will be better for them than this life and all that is in it. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurairah said that the Messenger of Allah(salAllahu alaihi wasallam) said, How will you be when Al-Masih, son of Maryam (`Isa) descends among you while your Imam is from among yourselves In another long hadith narrated in Sahih Muslim by Abu Hurairah it mentions the fitna of Dajaal and the power of the illusions that he will have to confuse the Muslims, it also mentions the descent of Isa (as). Like the storm when driven by the wind. He will come to a people and will call them (to his worship), and they will believe in him and accept his call. He will order the sky and it will rain, the land and it will grow (vegetation). Their cattle will return to them with their hair the longest, their udders the fullest (with milk) and their stomachs the fattest. He will come to a different people and will call them (to his worship), and they will reject his call. He will then leave them. They will wake up in the morning destitute, missing all of their possessions. He will pass by a deserted land and will say to it, `Bring out your treasures', and its treasures will follow him just like swarms of bees. He will summon a man full of youth and will strike him with the sword once and will cut him into two pieces (and will separate between them like) the distance (between the hunter and) the game. He will call the dead man and he will come, and his face will radiant with pleasure and laughter. Afterwards (while all this is happening with Ad-Dajaal), Allah will send Al-Masih (`Isa), son of Maryam down. He will descend close to the white minaret to the east of Damascus. He will be wearing garments lightly coloured with saffron and his hands will be placed on the wings of two angels. Whenever he lowers his head droplets fall. Whenever he raises his head, precious stones that look like pearls fall. No disbeliever can survive `Isa's breath, which reaches the distance of his sight. He will pursue Ad-Dajaal and will follow him to the doors of (the Palestinian city of) Ludd where he will kill him. A group of people, who, by Allah's help, resisted and survived Ad-Dajaal, will pass by `Isa and he will anoint their faces and inform them about their grades in Paradise. Shortly afterwards, while this is happening with `Isa, Allah will reveal to him, `I raised a people of my creation that no one can fight. Therefore, gather my servants to At-Tur (the mountain of Musa in Sinai).' Then, Allah will raise Gog and Magog and they will swiftly swarm from every mound. Their front forces will reach Lake Tabariah (Sea of Galilee) and will drink all its water. The last of their forces will say as they pass by the lake, `This lake once had water!' Meanwhile, `Isa, Allah's Prophet, will be cornered along with his companions until the head of a bull will be more precious to them than a hundred Dinars to you today. `Isa, Allah's Prophet, and his companions will invoke Allah for help and Allah will send An-Naghaf (a worm) into the necks of Gog and Magog! The morning will come, and they will all be dead as if it was the death of one soul. Afterwards, `Isa, the Prophet of Allah, will come down with his companions to the low grounds (from Mount At-Tur). They will find that no space of a hand-span on the earth was free of their fat and rot (rotten corpses). `Isa, the Prophet of Allah, and his companions will seek Allah in supplication. Allah will send birds as large as the necks of camels. They will carry them (the corpses of Gog and Magog) and will throw them wherever Allah wills. Afterwards, Allah will send rain that no house made of mud or animal hair will be saved from, and it will cleanse the earth until it is as clean as a mirror. The earth will be commanded (by Allah), `Produce your fruits and regain your blessing.' Then, the group will eat from a pomegranate and will take shelter under the shade of its skin. Milk will be blessed, so much so that the milk-producing camel will yield large amounts that suffice for a large group of people. Meanwhile, Allah will send a pure wind that will overcome Muslims from under their arms and will take the soul of every believer and Muslim. Only the evildoers among people will remain. They will indulge in shameless public sex like that of donkeys. On them, the Hour will begin. For anyone who contemplates on this hadith it is clear that Isa (as) will return, he will be a ruler, and follow the Shariah of Muhammad (salAllahu alaihi wasallam). Many hadith will indicate that he will have a discussion with the Khaleefah of the Muslims i.e. there will already be a Khaleefah/Imam of the Muslims and Isa will be a citizen of the Islamic state. This again indicates, that the situation for the return of Isa (as) will be when the Khilafah state exists, which again is motivation for us to work to re-establish it, as Isa (as) will not return until it is established. Also the hadith explicitly links the fact that the Khilafah state will be the shield from the fitnah of ad-Dajaal. This is one of the reasons why Muhammad (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) said; The Prophet of Allah (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) said: ”The Imam (Khaleefah) is a shield for them. They fight behind him and they are protected by (him from tyrants and aggressors). If he enjoins fear of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, and dispenses justice, there will be a (great) reward for him; and if he enjoins otherwise, it redounds on him.” [Muslim] So going through the hadith on this subject there is no basis found why anyone should be inactive and rely upon these honourable hadith as a means to do nothing and sit idle waiting for the return of Imam Mahdi and Isa (as). Many Muslims use these Ahadith to justify their inactivity in working to change the political situation and to bring back the Khilafah State. They incorrectly believe that this earth will be filled with injustice until Imam Mahdi appears and revives the Muslim Ummah. There is in fact no indication from these, or other Ahadith, that we are relieved from fulfilling our obligation of comprehensively establishing Islam if the Islamic State is absent, and working in all situations to make the deen of Allah (subhanhu wa ta’aala) dominant. Source: Khilafah Magazine Posted by Islamic Revival at Saturday, August 19, 2006 Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Labels: Khilafah