All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and those who follow him. To the Islamic Ummah in general, and to the carriers of the Da'wah for the re-establishment of the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) in particular:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
On this day, the twenty-eighth of Rajab in the year 1342 AH, corresponding to the third of March 1924 CE—exactly one hundred and two Hijri years ago—the colonialist disbelievers, led by Britain at the time and in cooperation with Arab and Turkish traitors, managed to eliminate the Khilafah state. Mustafa Kemal committed the crime of explicit disbelief (kufr buwah) by abolishing the Khilafah in Istanbul, besieging the Khalifah, and expelling him at dawn that day. Thus, this painful calamity occurred in the lands of the Muslims with the elimination of the Khilafah. It was the duty of the Ummah to fight the perpetrator of this explicit disbelief with the sword, as stated in the Sahih Hadith narrated by Ubadah ibn al-Samit (ra):
وَأَنْ لَا نُنَازِعَ الْأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ إِلَّا أَنْ تَرَوْا كُفْراً بَوَاحاً عِنْدَكُمْ مِنْ اللَّهِ فِيهِ بُرْهَانٌ
"And that we would not dispute the authority of those in power unless you see an explicit act of disbelief (kufr buwah) for which you have proof from Allah." (Agreed upon)
However, the Ummah did not rise up to shake that criminal and his accomplices in a way that would turn them back as losers; rather, the response was weak and did not rise to the level required!
Consequently, the history of the Ummah darkened. After the Khilafah had been its state of truth and justice, its countries are now divided into over fifty fragments. The enmity among its rulers is severe, to the point that the earthquake in Syria and Turkey—despite its intensity in the middle of this month—could not remove their division or restore their unity in a single state. Instead, they continued in their fragmentation as they were before the earthquake and after it, they do not take heed!
أَوَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ فِي كُلِّ عَامٍ مَرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ لَا يَتُوبُونَ وَلَا هُمْ يَذَّكَّرُون
"Do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice? Yet they do not repent nor do they remember." (TMQ At-Tawbah [9]: 126)
Nevertheless, the earthquake revealed that Islam is deeply rooted in the hearts of the common Muslims. While rescuing their brothers from under the rubble, they were shouting Takbeer, especially when rescuing a child whose mother gave birth to him and passed away under the debris... or the one covered by rubble whose visible hand held a tasbih he was using to remember Allah... or while trying to pull a woman from under a collapsed building, she asked for a head covering before being pulled out so her hair would not be exposed... or the one they called out to from under the ruins to rescue him, and he first asked for water for wudu and prayer so as not to miss the time... and the one they tried to rescue from the wreckage only to find him reciting the Quran from Surat al-Baqarah... or that girl who, while they were trying to rescue her, expressed her sadness because she could not perform that day's prayer... and during all of this, the Takbeer rang out... Allahu Akbar... These are the Muslims. May Allah have mercy on every Muslim who passed away during the earthquake, and may they be among the martyrs of the Hereafter by Allah's permission. May Allah grant the injured a healing that leaves no ailment behind... and may Allah help every survivor and grant them a good life spent in obedience to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw).
These are the Muslims, and those are the rulers in the Muslim lands; between them is a distance like that of the two Easts. All this contrast occurred during these one hundred and two years since the great tragedy of the Khilafah's elimination! Furthermore, the colonialist disbelievers, exploiting the absence of the Khilafah, added another painful calamity: they gave the Jews a state in the Blessed Land, the site of the Prophet's (saw) Isra and Mi'raj, and provided it with the means of survival. The first of these means is the protection of its security by the puppet rulers surrounding it. They used to be defeated before the Jews in every war that broke out, until they gave the Jewish state an image unlike the one Allah described:
وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَة
"And humiliation and misery were struck upon them." (TMQ Al-Baqarah [2]: 61)
The rulers did not stop there; they exerted every effort to shift the issue from removing the Jewish entity to negotiating with it, hoping it would withdraw from some of what it occupied in 1967!
Moreover, the Jewish state was and still is practicing the most heinous crimes in Palestine. The massacre, rather the epic of Jenin on 26/01/2023, is a witness to that. The army of the Jewish entity, with large, heavily armed forces, stormed the Jenin camp and carried out a massacre in which nine martyrs fell. During this, they committed the most extreme crimes of killing, demolishing walls over the wounded, and crushing with bulldozers. Then they continued their aggression on Nablus, stormed the Aqbat Jabr camp, killed and wounded... all this happens without the rulers in the Muslim lands moving to aid them. Rather, the "best" among them was the one who announced his mediation between the criminal and the victim. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded! And how could they do otherwise when they are rushing to commit the crime of normalization (tatbi') with the Jews? After the rulers of Egypt led this march of humiliation and disgrace, they were followed by the PA, and the rulers of Jordan, then the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco... and here is Sudan joining them in the crime, as Al-Burhan, the head of Sudan, received the Foreign Minister of the Jews, Eli Cohen, in Khartoum on 02/02/2023 to discuss normalizing relations! All of them do not care for the humiliation that surrounds them:
سَيُصِيبُ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا صَغَارٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَعَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَمْكُرُونَ
"There will afflict those who committed crimes debasement before Allah and severe punishment for what they used to conspire." (TMQ Al-An'am [6]: 124)
What is strange is that with every escalation or crime committed by the Jewish entity, its leaders are either yesterday or today in the embrace of Arab rulers or visiting them. Netanyahu was a guest at the palace of the Jordanian regime shortly before the Jenin crime! During the Jenin crime, the Authority was coordinating security with the Jews—by its own admission—because it claimed it would stop security coordination after the crime, which means it was ongoing! But what is even more strange and bizarre is that when a hero from the heroes of Palestine defends his land and people and kills seven Jews in a Jerusalem operation after that massacre, the rulers in the Muslim lands hasten to condemn it! The foreign ministries in Turkey, the UAE, Jordan, and Egypt condemned the Jerusalem operation in press statements!
Furthermore, Palestine is not the only one stabbed by these rulers; they have also surrendered or handed over other pure parts of the land of Islam. Kashmir was annexed by the Hindu polytheists to their state while the rulers of Pakistan remain silent... the Rohingya Muslims are being slaughtered in Myanmar (Burma) while the rulers of Bangladesh are as if they are asleep and cannot see... then East Turkestan, where China commits massacres, and the existing states in the Muslim lands are as silent as graves; if they do speak, they say the massacres are an internal matter for China!
كَبُرَتْ كَلِمَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ إِنْ يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا كَذِباً
"Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths; they speak not except a lie." (TMQ Al-Kahf [18]: 5)
The colonialist disbelievers were not satisfied with the humiliation they brought upon the Ummah, but they even insulted its creed. The extremist Paludan burned a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy building in Stockholm on Saturday, 21/01/2023, after the Swedish authorities permitted it... then their crimes of burning the Quran followed in The Hague and in Copenhagen on Friday, 27/01/2023. After that, Al-Azhar presented us, through its observatory, with a stronglyworded statement condemning and calling for standing against attempts to tamper with religious sanctities. No doubt, the scholars of Al-Azhar know that the response to burning the Quran is not through verbal condemnation; rather, the armies must move in support of the Book of Allah and His Deen. Burning the Quran is a declaration of war against the Islamic Ummah and its creed. The response must be a war that disperses those behind them:
فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُون
"So if you gain dominance over them in war, disperse by [handling] them those who are behind them that perhaps they will be reminded." (TMQ Al-Anfal [8]: 57)
O Muslims: Aggression against Muslims is not met with flowery words that are empty of substance, which neither nourish nor avail against hunger. Rather, aggression is met with the edge of the sword, with strikes that make the enemy forget the whispers of Satan... This is how the Muslims were when they had a Khilafah, and the course of events in their eras speaks to that. This is a matter that no one with sight or insight can deny... its examples are present in the history of Muslims as recorded in (Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by Ibn Kathir, Futuh al-Buldan by Al-Baladhuri, Tarikh Ibn Khaldun, Tarikh al-Islam by Al-Dhahabi, and other sources). I quote for you from them:
(- Then came the year 87 AH... in which Qutaybah bin Muslim invaded Baykand, part of Bukhara... By midday, Allah sent down victory upon them... A one-eyed man among them had incited against the Muslims and was captured. He said, "I will ransom myself for five thousand pieces of Chinese cloth worth a million." The commanders advised Qutaybah to accept, but Qutaybah said: "No, by Allah, I will not allow you to terrorize a Muslim a second time," and he ordered him to be beheaded.)
(- Then came the year 90 AH... in which Dahir, the ruler of Sindh, attacked a ship carrying Muslim women and took them prisoner. The Khalifah sent word to his governor to take retribution from that oppressor. Muhammad bin Qasim led an army, rescued the Muslim women, took retribution from that tyrant ruler, and conquered the land of Sindh.)
(- Then came the year 223 AH, and the King of the Romans attacked the lands of the Muslims, killing and capturing the people of Zibatrah. A woman cried out, "O Mu'tasim!" When this reached the Khalifah Al-Mu'tasim, he replied, "At your service!" He led an army, took revenge for the woman, and asked which Roman city was the greatest. He was told Amorium (near Ankara), so he conquered it.)
(- Then in the year 582 AH... Raynald of Châtillon, the lord of Kerak, betrayed and blocked the way of a large caravan (of pilgrims) coming from Egypt, killing and capturing. Sultan Salahuddin prepared for war, called for troops from the lands, and vowed that if he captured him, he would kill him. Allah gave him victory over him in the year 583 AH in the Battle of Hattin, and then Salahuddin killed him with his own hand as a reward for his betrayal and banditry. Then came the liberation of Al-Aqsa on 27 Rajab 583 AH.)
(- Then in 1307 AH (1890 CE), the author of a play slandered the Messenger of Allah (saw) and tried to perform it in a theater in Paris. When Khalifah Abdul Hamid learned of this, he summoned the French ambassador in Istanbul, intentionally meeting him in military uniform. He threatened that if it were performed, the Ottoman State would declare the cutting of relations with France as a state of war. He addressed him sternly: "I am the Khalifah of the Muslims... I will turn the world upside down over your heads if you do not stop that play." France complied and banned the performance...)
The colonialist disbelievers realized then that any violation of the sanctities of Islam and Muslims would be met with the cutting of tongues and the breaking of feet... Today, the Holy Quran and the Messenger (saw) are attacked, and the lands of Muslims are invaded, and the aggression is not repelled! This is only because of the absence of the Imam, the Rightly Guided Khalifah, who protects the Ummah from the evil of its enemies. It is stated in the Sahih Hadith:
إِنَّمَا الْإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ، يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ، وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ
"The Imam is but a shield, behind whom you fight and by whom you are protected." (Agreed upon)
In conclusion, I repeat the call to you, O people of power and protection (Ahl al-Quwwah wal-Man'ah)... You are the only ones who can heal the chests of the Ummah from its enemies, the enemies of your Deen. You are the only ones who can break the humiliation that the Muslims have reached in their lands... So rise to your duty, may Allah bless you. Rise to support us, to support Hizb ut Tahrir to establish the Khilafah Rashidah. It is not just the path to victory in terms of describing reality, but primarily because it is a great obligation (Fard). Whoever is capable and does not work to establish the Khilafah and find the Khalifah who deserves the pledge of allegiance (Bay'ah), his sin is great as if he died a death of Jahiliyyah to indicate the severity of the sin, as the Prophet (saw) said:
وَمَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ فِي عُنُقِهِ بَيْعَةٌ، مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً
"And whoever dies without having a pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) on his neck, dies a death of jahiliyyah (ignorance)."
Secondly, the Muslims proceeded with the Bay'ah of the Khalifah before they began preparing the Messenger of Allah and performing the obligation of his (saw) burial, all due to the importance of the Khilafah. Thirdly, Umar (ra) on the day of his death set a period for electing the Khalifah from the six promised Paradise as three days and no more; if they did not agree on a Khalifah during that time, the dissenter was to be killed. This was in the presence of the Sahabah, and no objection was recorded from them, so it was a consensus (Ijma') of the Sahabah. We have passed "many sets of three days"! Thus, the establishment of the Khilafah is a momentous matter.
O Soldiers of Allah: We realize that angels will not descend from the sky to establish a Khilafah for us; rather, Allah sends angels to help us if we work seriously to establish the Khilafah. It is a true promise in the Book of Allah:
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلِفَنَّهِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ
"Allah has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them." (TMQ An-Nur [24]: 55)
And there is the glad tiding of honor in the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah after this oppressive rule. He (saw) said:
ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكاً جَبْرِيَّةً فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةً عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ
"...then there will be an oppressive kingdom, and it will remain as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then He will remove it when He wills to remove it. Then there will be Khilafah upon the method of Prophethood." Then he (saw) remained silent. (Narrated by Ahmad)
We also realize that the enemies of Islam will consider the re-establishment of the Khilafah as impossible, and they repeat the saying of their predecessors mockingly:
غَرَّ هَؤُلَاءِ دِينُهُمْ
"Their religion has deluded these people." (TMQ Al-Anfal [8]: 49)
But just as that saying was a source of ruin for those who said it, and Allah honored His Deen and gave victory to its people, so too today it will be ruin for them. For Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise, is with His sincere servants who work seriously, while His saying never leaves their hearts and limbs:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْراً
"Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent." (TMQ At-Talaq [65]: 3)
With every passing day, they draw closer to this "decreed extent," by Allah's permission.
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَى هُوَ قُلْ عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ قَرِيباً
"And they say, 'When is that?' Say, 'Perhaps it will be soon.'" (TMQ Al-Isra [17]: 51)
Wassalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
28th Rajab 1444 AH
Corresponding to 19/02/2023 CE
Your brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah
Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir