What’s the Next Step?

Ever since the destruction of the Khilafah (Caliphate), we come and find that day by day our Ummah is humiliated more and more. From the war on the family home, to the bombs being dropped, and to the rulers who send our armed forces to events like the Phoenix Express. These are what we as an Ummah see and can’t fathom how we have gotten this far away from where we once where- a place of honor and dignity. We used to be the Ummah that was on top of the world, who the people of humanity aspired to be a part of from our education system to our actual judicial system. We had fairness and justice unlike any other system in the world, bringing peace and tranquility to all of humanity.

It’s a shame when we look back and see how far away it appears to be. Like it was a dream we had and not reality. Maybe some of us fall into the thought of it being too far away to get back to. We hear things like, “Oh, those Muslims don’t exist anymore.” Or even when we bring up our brothers in the armed forces we may be told, “There is no hope in them or from them.” It seems some members of the Ummah, the Ummah of Muhammad (saw), from the hardships we see and the dark and gloom the West has put us in, think that the light at the end of the tunnel is non-existent, as if they had turned their backs on the Ummah. They think that calling for the armies, consistently bringing up our role as an Ummah to revive it, or to actually put in the work to bring change is not something we must consistently strive for and aspire to, but is that what the Ummah should do? Give up?

The answer can only be found in the Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (saw).

The first prophet that was mentioned to Muhammad (saw) was Yunus (as). He was a prime example of what would happen when you turn your back on your duty which is to call for the way of Allah (swt). When he (as) turned his back, he ended up the stomach of a whale. His frustration with his Qawm led him to lose patience, and without the order of Allah (swt), he (as) turned his back on his people. And he realized, in the stomach of a whale, what wrong he had done.

[وَذَا النُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَى فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَن لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ]

“And ˹remember˺ when the Man of the Whale stormed off ˹from his city˺ in a rage, thinking We would not restrain him. Then in the ˹veils of˺ darkness he cried out, “There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except You. Glory be to You! I have certainly done wrong.”” [Surah Al-Anfal: 87]

When we take a look at how Muhammad (saw) responded to the attacks by his people, which were not only verbal attacks but also physical, where he was to leave his home and where he had sacrificed all he had just to give the Dawah, we see he (saw) never gave up. He stayed patient, inviting others to the Deen of Allah (swt), inviting others to the way of Allah (swt), calling on those in power to give him Nussrah. Rejection after rejection after rejection, but still he had not given up. Then one day, the Faraj (relief) from Allah (swt) came. Allah (swt) had granted the Nussrah, through the Ansar. Eventually it happened.

O Ummah of Muhammad (saw), the best Ummah brought forth for humankind.

Don’t lose hope in the Ummah, nor your brothers in the armed forces. Yes, many of us have lost our way, but as brothers and sisters in Islam, it is upon us to revive and pull one another to the way of Allah (swt). We must constantly remember that Allah (swt) does not leave a deed without it being recorded. We must remember that we are one body and the fever we are all feeling is one that needs to medicated and not neglected. We will only allow the illness to overtake us if we don’t treat this disease the colonialists have placed in our systems. So let us keep reminding one another of the duty commanded by Allah (swt). Let us keep calling the armies, and not give up, because they are Muslims like us and we are their brothers and sisters. We must not give up on them. Remember that the Messenger (saw) said, «إذا قالَ الرَّجُلُ: هَلَكَ النَّاسُ فَهو أهْلَكُهُمْ»“If a man says the people are ruined, he is the most ruined among them.”

O Muslim Armies,

The Ummah is suffering in every way possible. They have attacked the family, they have bombed our children and women, and they have led us to this deep and dark place. They have humiliated us again and again. It has been long enough, and it is time for you to take action. We know that your hearts ache for the Ummah. Now it is time to put those emotions into motion and move to liberate the Islamic world. It is time to give Nussrah to Hizb ut Tahrir, and work to bring change. Work to bring back the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) on the method of the Prophethood. It is a duty you will be asked of on the day when the witnesses stand. Put an end to your shortcomings and repent. It’s time to take a new step to bring change. Be of the likes of the Ansar and bring an end to the humiliation. It is time to stand and fight for the sake of Allah (swt).

[يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ]

“O believers! If you stand up for Allah, He will help you and make your steps firm.” [Surah Muhammad: 7]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Khadijah Hafidh