What did Muslims Lose in the Absence of the Khilafah?
(Translated)
By Ustath Saeed Radwan Abu Awad (Abu Imad)

With the establishment of the first Islamic state in Medina, the Ummah of guidance, justice and mercy was born, filling the world with light and justice, after injustice and darkness had covered the Earth. The Ummah dominated the world and brought people out from the worship of servants to the worship of the Lord of servants, and from the injustice of kufr ways of life to the justice of Islam. Islam assimilated peoples within it such that there was no difference between Arabs and non-Arabs, blacks and whites. It ruled with justice by the command of Allah (swt), Who said,

[يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ]

“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah (swt), even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives.” [TMQ Surah an-Nisaa 4:135]

After the passing of the Prophet (saw) to the Highest Companionship, the Khilafah came, and people were pleased with it for many centuries, both non-Muslim dhimmis and Muslims. It was the model of good, caring guardianship and justice, as well as a refuge for all the oppressed.

So what does the Khilafah represent? And what did Muslims, indeed all people, lose through its absence?

- The Khilafah is a general leadership for all Muslims in the East and West of the Earth, preserving Deen and governing the world according to the Shariah Law of the Lord of the Worlds.

- The Khilafah is an ideological state, with a belief from which a comprehensive system of life emerged, that regulates people’s relationships in the smallest details. Allah (swt) said,

[الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِيناً]

“This day I have perfected your deen for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as deen.” [TMQ Surah al-Maaidah 5:3] And Allah (swt) said,

[وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَاناً لِّكُلِّ 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.” [TMQ Surah an-Nahl 16:89]

The Islamic Ummah has not newly born today, nor is it dependent on others in constitutions and laws. Its legislation is from the Creator (swt) of the universe, man, and life, whose Knowledge encompasses everything. It is a legislation free from whims and desires, unlike the legislation of humans, in which you will not find a single law except that it serves a specific group, whether oil or weapons companies, or greedy investors and capitalists. Allah (swt) says,

[وَلَوِ اتَّبَعَ الْحَقُّ أَهْوَاءهُمْ لَفَسَدَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ بَلْ أَتَيْنَاهُم بِذِكْرِهِمْ فَهُمْ عَن ذِكْرِهِم مُّعْرِضُونَ]

“And if the truth had followed their whims, the heavens and the earth and whoever is in them would have been ruined. Rather, We have brought them their message, but they, from their message, are turning away.” [TMQ Surah al-Muminoon 23:71].

Islam obligates the Muslims with the establishment of a state that preserves its aqeedah, implements its Shariah, and carries its risaalah (message), protects deen from deficiency, and gives it the characteristic of obligation. So it transfers Islam as an aqeedah and legislation from the realm ideas in the bellies of books to a tangible reality and binding Shariah laws, and regulates the foreign relations of the state with other states.

The state is not partial and incomplete. Instead the state implements Islam as a whole, a system of life, Deen from which the state is derived, and no one can establish his state except he who takes it completely and without deficiency, as the Messenger of Allah, (saw) said,

«إنَّهُ لَا يَقُومُ بِدِينِ اللهِ إِلَّا مَنْ حَاطَهُ مِنْ جَمِيعِ جَوَانِبِهِ» “No one can establish the deen of Allah except he who surrounds it from all its aspects.” [Narrated from Ali (ra) by Ibn Kathir in Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihaya]

On this basis, the noble Companions (ra) pledged Bayah to their Prophet (saw) to hear and obey in ease and hardship, in comfort and distress, to sacrifice wealth and life, and to do what is right in all circumstances, not being afraid of the blame of the blamer, for the sake of Allah (swt), and not fearing anyone but Allah (swt).

The Islamic state arose and confronted the tyrants of the earth, Arabs and non-Arabs, and brought the peoples into the Deen of Allah, so they were happy with it and became the masters of the world. This is after the defeated had been saying,

[إِن نَّتَّبِعِ الْهُدَى مَعَكَ نُتَخَطَّفْ مِنْ أَرْضِنَا] “If we follow the guidance with you, we will be snatched from our land.” [TMQ Surah al-Qasas 28:57]

The Khilafah was the unifier of its entity, the conqueror of its enemy, the builder of its glory and honor, the preserver of its Deen and honor, the protector of its land, dominated the lands for its authority, and the pleasing of its Lord (swt).

After a long struggle with the tyrants of the Earth, the enemies of Islam realized that the Khilafah is the source of the strength of the Muslims, so if it is abolished, Islam will disappear and they will inflict a fatal blow on the Muslims. So the tyrants demolished the Khilafah with the help of traitors, who dressed up with the garb of Islam and Arabism, but coveted the glitter of the world.

With the demise of the Khilafah, Islam was removed from relations and turned into a priestly religion, according to which it was theoretically based in libraries, without any effect on life. Muslims lost their Deen and their worldly life.

With its demise, the body of the Ummah was torn apart into weak entities that were falsely and slanderously called states and nations. Nationalism replaced Iman and Deen, so awareness disappeared and minds were enslaved.

With its demise, the Jewish entity was planted as a cancer in the body of the Ummah, a spearhead for its enemies, and an obstacle to the unity of the Ummah and its revival.

With the Khilafah’s demise, the enemy drew the nationalistic borders of the Muslims, formulated their constitutions, installed their agent rulers, and surrounded their rulers with a corrupt political medium.

It recruited security forces to brutally oppress the Muslims, and created for them false media and hypocritical media figures to kill awareness and distort the facts. It bought for them deceitful government clerics who issue fatwas in accord with the gold and sword of the tyrant. The enemy created groups for them that restrain the Islamic street with empty Islamic slogans devoid of any Islamic vision, offering the people’s necks to the regime. They thus become a safety valve for the regime, covering up its treachery and corruption and patching up its shortcomings. When their revolutions started, the enemy sponsored counter-revolutions in different ways, including armed revolutions linked to its supporters.

With the demise of the Khilafah, the state that looked after the affairs of the people was gone, the armies that protected the land and its people were hijacked. The land was occupied, blood was shed, sanctities were desecrated, chaste women were raped, and the armies were shackled in their barracks, watching and counting the losses!

With the demise of the Khilafah, wealth was plundered, oppressive taxes and duties were imposed, so poverty intensified, unemployment spread, education deviated, minds were corrupted, vice spread, and virtue disappeared.

With the demise of the Khilafah, we lost our independent political decision-making and our lands became usurped regimes that are hostile to their deen and people. We became beggars before the international order that is the responsible of our suffering. After the ruling of kufr and dunya, we became humiliated and without dignity, at the tail end of the Third World countries. With its demise, Muslims lost this world, the hereafter, and their lands became areas of influence, and farms for a spiteful colonizer, living as slaves within them.

This is the Khilafah and this is what its return means, without which we were forbidden to spend three days. The Prophet (saw) said,

«وَمَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ فِي عُنُقِهِ بَيْعَةٌ، مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً» “Whoever dies without the Bayah to a Khaleefah on his neck dies a death of ignorance.” [Muslim]

No one opposes the return of the Khilafah Rashidah, which unifies Muslims, subdues their enemy, preserves their Deen, governs according to the Shariah Law of their Lord, and protects their blood, honor, and sanctities except a kafir, a traitorous, selfish agent, or a coward who fears people more than he fears Allah (swt).

A Muslim must not use helplessness as an excuse, for by Allah (swt), Iman in hearts and an aware, sincere political leadership, supported by a popular support base, cannot coexist without Allah (swt) granting them victory, even if all the powers of the earth were to unite against them.

How can Allah (swt)’s people be defeated with such! Their Prophet (saw) said to his Companion, Abu Bakr (ra),

«مَا ظَنُّكَ بِاثْنَيْنِ اللهُ ثَالِثُهُمَا» “What do you think of two when Allah is their third?” And their Lord, glory be to Him, said to them,

[وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ إِنَّ اللهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ] “Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.” [TMQ Surah al-Hajj 22:42]. And Allah (swt) the Most High said,

[وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئاً]

“Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors upon the earth, just as He (swt) made those before them successors. He will surely establish for them their deen which He (swt) has approved for them. He (swt) will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, whilst they worship Me, not associating anything with Me.” [TMQ Surah an-Nur 24:55]. And Allah (swt) said,

[إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّن بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ]

“If Allah (swt) helps you, none can overcome you. But if He (swt) forsakes you, who is there that can help you after Him (swt)? And in Allah (swt) let the believers put their trust.” [TMQ Surah aali Imran 3:160]