بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
We Must Discard the False and Rotten Gods of Nationalism and Tribalism into the Bins of History!
Due to nationalism, tribalism and the establishment of nation states and their borders in the Muslim lands, the identity of Muslims has become disfigured and disunited, where the Muslim Ummah was once united into one brotherhood and within one Islamic State, instead became divided into over 50 plus nation states and national identities following the destruction of the Caliphate on 28th of Rajab, 1342, at the hands of Mustafa Kamal, the “father of humiliation”.
This is despite the fact that nationalism and tribalism is despised and hated in Islam and where unity in all its forms must be under one Islamic leadership for Muslims.
It is narrated by Abu Da’wud that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
«لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى عَصَبِيَّةٍ، وَلَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ قَاتَلَ عَلَى عَصَبِيَّةٍ، وَلَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ مَاتَ عَلَى عَصَبِيَّةٍ»
“He is not one of us who calls for ‘Asabiyyah (nationalism/tribalism) or who fights for ‘Asabiyyah or who dies for ‘Asabiyyah.” And in another hadith the messenger of Allah (saaw) said concerning tribalism and nationalism, “Leave it, it is rotten.” [Muslim and Bukhari].
Ibn Ishaq narrates, that in his Khutbah, Abu Bakr (ra) said,"وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَحِلُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ أَمِيرَانِ؛ فَإِنَّهُ مَهْمَا يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ يَخْتَلِفْ أَمْرُهُمْ، وَأَحْكَامُهُمْ، وَتَتَفَرَّقْ جَمَاعَتُهُمْ، وَيَتَنَازَعُوا فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ، هُنَالِكَ تُتْرَكُ السُّنَّةُ، وَتَظْهَرُ الْبِدْعَةُ، وَتَعْظُمُ الْفِتْنَةُ، وَلَيْسَ لِأَحَدٍ عَلَى ذَلِكَ صَلَاحٌ"“Indeed, it is not permitted for Muslims to have two ameers. If that were to occur, there would be disagreement over their affairs and laws, the community of Muslims would be split and they would dispute each other. That would result in the Sunnah being abandoned. Innovation (bid’ah) would appear, discord (fitnah) would be widespread, whilst none of that would be righteousness for anyone.”
Sadly, we witness the situation of the Muslim world today like that of the Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj in the era of tribalism and the absence of ruling by Islam. To the extent that we see the ideas of the nation-state, nationalism and tribalism are worshipped as contemporary idols, sacrifices are made for them, men and women die and are killed for them, and wars are fought in their defence. Today, we witness national conflicts amongst Muslims in countries like Yemen, Pakistan-Afghanistan, Pakistan-Bangladesh and within Sudan. National borders that were drawn up by the colonisers are lines of division between the Islamic societies, while national flags wave as symbols of ignorance over the shattered body of the Ummah.
Consequently, Muslims are no longer helping one another due to these national borders but instead adopt a paralysing position of non-interference. To the extent that the genocide of Muslims in Gaza by the illegal Zionist occupiers, the torture of Uyghur Muslims in concentration centres by the Chinese Government in Xinjiang, or the displacement and slaughtering of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, were not prevented nor stopped due to these nation state borders.
It is not only wrong to honour these contemporary ‘idols' but it is also a duty to break and remove them from the face of the earth.
[أَتَتَّخِذُ أَصْنَامًا آلِهَةً إِنِّي أَرَاكَ وَقَوْمَكَ فِي ضَلاَلٍ مُّبِينٍ]
“Do you take idols as gods? Indeed, I see you and your people in clear error.”[Al-An’am: 74].
The Prophet of Islam (saw) stood firm against the idols and ignorant beliefs of his time, never backing down. When the polytheist leaders of Qureish pleaded with him to stop insulting their gods and to give up his mission, the Messenger of Allah (saw) declared, «لَوْ وَضَعُوا الشَّمْسَ فِي يَمِينِي وَالْقَمَرَ فِي شِمَالِي عَلَى أَنْ أَتْرُكَ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ حَتَّى يُظْهِرَهُ اللَّهُ أَوْ أَهْلِكَ فِيهِ مَا تَرَكْتُهُ»“By Allah, even if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, I would not abandon this mission until Allah makes this Deen prevail, or I die on this way.”
Therefore, it was only once the Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj abandoned tribalism and supported the ruling by Islam, that they became one force against the forces of kufr. Within the era of the Khilafah Rashidah (rightly guided Caliphate), the Muslims defeated the major powers, the Romans and the Persians, and then they became the leading state of the world. All this awaits Muslims if they abandon nationalism and tribalism, and appoint a single Khaleefah Rashid (righteous caliph) for all Muslims, from Indonesia to Morrocco.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, «ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةً عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ»“…Then there will be a Khilafah on the method of Prophethood.” [Musnad Ahmad].
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Tsurroyya Amal Yasna
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir