To Our Respected Brother and Chief Editor of the Sudanese Newspaper
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,
Subject: A Response to the Article: “Nationalism is the Cure”
(Translated)

On January 2, corresponding to the first of Rabii' al-Awwal 1435 AH, an article was published in your newspaper by al-Ustaadh Babakir Faysal entitled ‘Nationalism is the Cure' (Issue No. 2882). After having reviewing the article which criticizes Hizb ut Tahrir's press release (published on the 15^th of December, corresponding to the 12^th of Safar 1435 AH) entitled; ‘Nationalism is a Cure which in Reality is a Disease and Islam is a Cure for the Disease of Tribalism and Regionalism'. The article raised several points that deserve a response; which we respond to with the following:

Firstly: The issue of rights and duties that are given on the basis of the Islamic Aqeedah, and not on the citizenship has infuriated the author and he considered it turning back the clock and that non-Muslims would be second-class citizens. Our question to the brother writer: Is nationalism a comprehensive idea about the universe, man and life from which we can see a clear way life in all of its aspects for people to follow, or that people in any country, are in need of an idea on which to organize their lives?!

Islam, my dear brother, is based on an ‘Aqeedah from which systems of all facets of life emanate; political, economic, social, and others. And they are Ahkam Shar'aiah (Divine Laws), based on either clear cut text from the Qur'an and Sunnah or proper Ijtihad. The latter however, is not left to the people to judge what they perceive to be their interest, as claimed by those who you made them your reference.  But rather Ijtihad occurs only on issues in which there is no clear-cut text. It has its experts, conditions, controls and the notion of maslaha (interest) is not defined by the people but rather it is determined by the Lord of the people,

(أَلا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ)

"Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?" [Al-Mulk: 14]

Secondly: As for non-Muslims being second-class citizens, this claim is untrue, for non-Muslims are citizens of the state, they receive what we receive and they have responsibilities like us. In responding to the claim that they are second class citizens it would suffice that one alludes to the story of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and the Jew, at the time ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib was Amir al-Mu'imineen when the two stood in front of the judge during the famous story of the ‘shield'. The judge ruled in favor of the Jew due to a lack of evidence put forward by Amir al-Mu'imineen for his eligibility for the shield. It was that reason the Jew became a Muslim. Know my dear brother that there isn't a system that is more just than that of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, but men oppress. The only issue raised by the West and those seduced by Western culture is the issue that non-Muslims cannot take up positions of governance. Despite the fact that this is a Hukm Shar'i and an obligation upon Muslims to apply, it is also realistic a non-Muslim cannot rule over Muslims and implement Islamic law upon them. Would Western society allow a Muslim to rule over them with Islamic law?! Or even the Socialist system to be implemented on them? Of course not. So, why do you want Muslims to abandon their Deen and Aqeedah which obligates them to implement Islam and to be governed by other systems? Allah (swt) says;

(وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ ولا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلالا مُبِينًا)

"It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error" [Al-Ahzab: 36]

And He (swt) says:

(فلا وَرَبِّكَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا)

"But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission." [An-Nisa: 65]

And He (swt) says warning those who do not rule by what Allah revealed:

(وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ)

"And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers." [Al-Ma'ida: 44]

In regards to women, they will not find honor and dignity except under the shade of Islam, which considers her an honor that must be protected. The Prophet (saw) said: «ما أكرم النساء إلا كريم، وما أهانهن إلا لئيم» "none but a noble man treats women in an honorable manner, and none but an ignorant treats women disgracefully" He (saw) also said:

«الجنة تحت أقدام الأمهات» "Paradise lies under the feet of mothers"

The West however wants her nude, enticing temptations and thus rendered her into a cheap commodity in vulgar advertisements. Islam, through its Ahkam Shar'iah provided both men and women with rights, as well as with obligations based on virtue of them being human. As well as ordaining rights unique to women, and rights unique to men. One such right that is unique to men and not given to women is the right to take charge of ruling. Thus the head of the state and all those engaged in ruling such as the Mu'awinin and the governors (Wali) must be men.

That is what the Prophet (saw) said, not the Islamic movements, and the Hadith of the Prophet (saw) on the matter is clear and explicit:

«لَنْ يُفْلِحَ قَوْمٌ أَسْنَدُوا أَمْرَهُمْ إِلَى امْرَأَةٍ» "The people who appoint a woman over their affairs cannot be successful".

This is not to devalue women but rather for a wisdom that is known to Allah.

Third: The author's argument, that the Islamic system is a mere slogan which cannot be implemented, evokes amazement. It is as though the author wanted to negate a period that extended from the establishment of the Islamic State in Medina to the Khilafah "Caliphate" in Turkey. A time of more than thirteen centuries during which the Islamic State was the global leader politically, militarily, culturally, and academically, none of this needs explanation. This however ended when the Kaffir West, which today prevails over the minds and lands, was able to abolish the Khilafah "Caliphate", tear apart the Muslim lands into tiny, cartoonish, nationalist, meager states, which formally hold independence but in reality and factually are colonized. Influence over minds is most obvious, as there are sons from among Muslims who detest Islam and its systems. They do not profess their hatred, but they avouch it by fighting those who seek to restore Islam in the reality of the state and of society. They describe them with backwardness and ignorance, and think that progress and elevation will materialize by embracing Western ideas and regimes.

As for what the writer mentioned of the experiments attributed to Islam: Islam is completely guiltless of them! Most of these experiments were unsuccessful attempts to reconcile Islam and secularism to please the West and its stooges in the Muslim lands. They have forgotten that Allah is good and accepts only goodness and that if truth was mixed with falsehood, it will only result in falsehood:

(فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ الْحَقِّ إِلَّا الضَّلَالُ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصْرَ‌فُونَ)

"And what can be beyond truth except error? So how are you averted?" [Yunus: 32]

The truth of the idea and the truth of its solutions have to be evaluated by looking at the foundations of the idea, measured against the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (saw), instead of looking at the history of Muslims or the failure of pragmatic Islamic movements.

Fourth: The Khilafah "Caliphate" is not a historical entity as claimed by the author. Rather it is a general leadership for all Muslims, whose establishment was made an obligation upon them by Allah. It is the Muslim's specific political entity, through which the provisions of Islam are implemented and Islam is preserved. Allah Almighty ordered Muslims to refer to Islam in all their affairs. He (swt) said:

(وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ)

"And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims." [An-Nahl: 89]

Allah even demanded to apply Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, when He (swt) said:

(وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ولا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ)

"So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth." [Al-Maida: 48]

Islam cannot be implemented except in the shade of a state. The Prophet (saw) defined the form of this state and its organs. He (saw) applied it in practice, as he was a prophet and the governor. He (saw) said:

كَانَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ تَسُوسُهُمْ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ كُلَّمَا هَلَكَ نَبِيٌّ خَلَفَهُ نَبِيٌّ وَإِنَّهُ لا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي وَسَتَكُونُ خُلَفَاءُ تَكْثُرُ قَالُوا فَمَا تَأْمُرُنَا قَالَ فُوا بِبَيْعَةِ الأَوَّلِ فَالأَوَّلِ وَأَعْطُوهُمْ حَقَّهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سَائِلُهُمْ عَمَّا اسْتَرْعَاهُمْ"

"Bani Israel were ruled by the Prophets. Whenever a prophet perished, he was followed by a prophet. There is no prophet after me, but there will be many Khulafa'." They said: "What do you order us?" He said: "Fulfill the Bayah to them one after the other and give them their due. Surely Allah will ask them about what He entrusted them with."

As for the obligation of the Khilafah "Caliphate": It is sufficient what was reported by Imam Al-Qurtubi, rahimahullah, in his commentary on Allah's saying:

(وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْملائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً...)

"when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority."" [Al-Baqarah: 30]

Al-Qurtubi said: "This verse is the basis of the appointment of an Imam and Khalifah who is heard and obeyed, who has the last word, and who implements the provisions of the Khaleefah. There is no dispute about this obligation among the Ummah or the scholars, except what was reported from Al-Asm, who was deaf in relation to the Shariah, as well as those who said his saying and followed his opinion and his doctrine." (Al-Jami' Li Ahkam Al-Qur'an, Tafsir Al-Qurtubi, Volume I)

Fifth: The author mentioned a text that suggests the Prophet was a nationalist!!! He said: "When the Prophet (saw) was expelled from his nation Mecca, he addressed it by saying: ‘Allah knows that you (Mecca) are the most beloved land to my heart, and had not your people expelled me from you, I would not have left.'" However, we have not come across this narration in this wording in any of the Authentic Collections. As a matter of fact the texts all point to the fact that the Prophet (saw) loved Mecca because it was the most beloved land to Allah, as it contained His Sacred House. It was narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (saw) said:

"إني لأخرج منك وإني لأعلم أنك أحب بلاد الله إليه وأكرمه على الله ولولا أن أهلك أخرجوني منك ما خرجت"

"I leave you knowing that you are the most beloved land to Allah and the most honored with Allah. Had not your people expelled me from you, I would not have left." (Musnad Al-Harith, addition by Al-Haythami)

Sixth: What united the rivaling tribes on the Arabian Peninsula was not the land (i.e. nationalism). Rather what brought them together was the great Islam with its Aqeedah and its provisions. It smelted peoples and nations and made them one Ummah, the Islamic Ummah:

(إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ)

"Indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so worship Me." [Al-Anbiya: 92]

Today the Ummah is not divided except by this obnoxious nationalism that makes the Muslim from the people of Egypt a stranger and a foreigner in Sudan and the Muslim from the people of Sudan a stranger and foreigner in the land of Hijaz and so on.

Seventh: The pluralistic democratic system which promotes rights and duties on the basis of citizenship is a system that is contrary to Islam, which we are convinced of and believe in, in its totality as well as its details. It is the Western capitalist system that is based on the separation of religion from the state and from politics and the state. Whereas in Islam politics amount to Shar'i provisions that have to be abided by. The talk about the advancement of rights and duties on the basis of citizenship is a big lie and a dangerous misdirection, as in this case advancement is based on the ideas of Western capitalism brought along by men, instead of revelation from Allah or based on what came through revelation. We do not want the "optimum", we want the correct system, which gives us happiness in this world and saves us from a painful torment on the Day of Resurrection. This is the system of the rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" on the method of Prophethood, which Allah has promised to His sincere slaves:

(وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ  مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِي لا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ)

"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 and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that - then those are the defiantly disobedient." [An-Nur: 55]

It is the promise of the Beloved (saw) who gave us the glad tidings of the return of the Khilafah "Caliphate" after the oppressive rule, of which we are witnessing the final days, insha Allah. He (saw) said:

"ثُمّ تكونُ مُلْكاً جَبريَّةً، فتكونُ ما شاءَ الله أنْ تكونَ، ثُمّ يرفعُها إذا شاءَ أنْ يرفعَها. ثُمّ تكونُ خِـلافـةً على مِنهـاج النبوة"

"Then there will be oppressive rule, and it will last for as long as Allah wishes, then He will lift it if He wishes. Then there will be a Khilafah "Caliphate" on the method of Prophethood."

We ask Allah to grant us the word of truth and to allow us follow it, we ask Him for rightness in our convictions and to allow us to hold onto them - for surely Allah is the Sovereign and has the power over it.

Ibrahim Othman (Abu Khalil)

Official Spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir

in the Wilayah of Sudan