One Year After the Fall of the Assad Regime: Essential Reflections
(Translated)
Al-Rayah Newspaper - Issue 579 - 24/12/2025
By: Ustadh Nasser Sheikh Abdul Hay*

The celebrations commemorating the liberation rekindled feelings of pride, joy, and elation at the downfall of a tyrannical despot and a modern-day idol. However, on this anniversary, it is beneficial to recall the following points, which may, by the Permission of Allah (swt), bring about positive change:

First: The fall of the Assad regime, and the flight of the criminal Bashar al-Assad, were not sudden events. Instead, they were paved by immense sacrifices and a cumulative awareness built over fourteen years of unwavering conviction, patience, dedication, and struggle. This was coupled with the formation of a powerful public opinion that demanded the opening of fronts to overthrow the regime, and liberate the people from its evils, thus demonstrating the fragility of its foundations and paving the way for its collapse. Victory was a blessing from Allah (swt) Alone, Who orchestrated the circumstances and smoothed the way for the end of five dark decades of Assad's tyranny.

Second: No sooner had Allah (swt) honored us with the downfall of Bashar al-Assad than some conspiring nations rushed to falsely and hypocritically claim credit for his departure. Among them was the Turkish regime, which had been calling for reconciliation and normalization with Bashar, and welcoming his return to the Arab League and integration into the regional sphere.

Third: America today, which claims to stand with Syria, is the same America of yesterday, which supported Bashar al-Assad and provided him with every cheap tool to save him and prevent his downfall. It is the same America that gave the green light to Russia, Iran, their militias, and Hezbollah in Lebanon to carry out the dirty work of rescuing him and crushing the revolution. And it is the same America that supports the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its militias to impose its vision of a solution on the current administration. This embrace of the SDF is nothing more than their awareness that they are a valuable pawn in America’s hands, moved to serve its interests, not the Syrian people.

Allah (swt) said,

[مَّا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلاَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ]

“Neither those who disbelieve among the People of the Scripture nor the polytheists wish that any good should be sent down to you from your Lord.” [TMQ Surah Al-Baqarah:105]. And the poet said: أعيذها نظراتٍ منك صادقةً *** أن تحسب الشحم فيمن شحمه ورم “I seek refuge for it from your truthful glances, lest you mistake for tallow in that whose tallow is malignancy.” It is worth recalling that America rushed to contain the situation in Syria after the liberation, so that matters would not get out of its control and out of the broad outlines of its policy there. America’s maneuvers, statements, and political, economic, and military actions regarding the Syrian issue were within this framework.

Fourth: It is essential to emphasize a fundamental political truth: the lifting of US sanctions is inextricably linked to conditions and concessions, and the current administration will not be the first to suffer the consequences. It has become clear to everyone that lifting the sanctions is tied to the consolidation of the state’s secularism, pardoning the most notorious criminals from the remnants of the old regime — some even being placed in positions of power — and paving the way for normalization with the Jewish entity, despite its blatant disregard and contempt. Indeed, impunity only breeds further transgressions. This is in addition to suppressing the spirit of revolution and Jihad that has taken root in the hearts of the revolutionaries, and combating anything related to working towards the implementation of Islamic Shariah Law within a state. The pretext of “minorities,” and the excuses and cover-ups it provides, are merely tools to impose the American vision and its insidious projects, along with the necessary treacherous and cunning figures, whether from the remnants of the old regime or others who pledge allegiance to the West. It is worth remembering that the American Caesar Act sanctions targeted the people, not the regime. Otherwise, why were they not lifted after its fall, except under a dangerous series of conditions, both secret and public?

Fifth: Anyone who thinks that America’s support for him is permanent is mistaken. America is known for exhausting those who serve it in order to replace them with another when their services end, or America finds a replacement for them.

Sixth: The United Nations and its Security Council are dens of intrigue, not a source of hope for peoples to solve their problems and end their tragedies. We all know the poison of UN Resolution 2254, which aimed to return us, humbled, to the rule of the fugitive Assad.

Seventh: The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are not charitable organizations. Instead, they are usurious (riba) institutions that aim to exploit, impoverish, and subjugate nations and regimes to the will of the capitalist West, led by America. Therefore, it is naive to accept loans from them under the pretext that they are grants and not loans, especially given officials’ statements that the conditions these institutions demand in exchange for the money they provide money that carries deadly poison under glittering slogans!

Eighth: There are serious, but pathetic, attempts to discourage us and portray us as weak, to sow despair, frustration, and subservience in order to legitimize and justify every transgression related to groveling before the international order under the guise of achieving security, economic recovery, and national reconstruction.

We are strong in our Deen and honored by our Lord, Allah (swt). Our land is replete with lions of Aqeedah (doctrine) who humbled the defunct Bashar regime despite the support it received from America and its allies. It is the strength of conviction and Aqeedah that has firmed the men of Islam in ash-Sham. It is worth remembering that all the elements of strength are present. What is needed is political will and a resolute decision that fears the blame of no one before Allah (swt).

Ninth: The identity of our revolution, and the demand of our Ummah, is Islam, and nothing else. This truth will not be altered by the shameful shift towards calls for nationalism, secularism, and Western democracy, which separate Deen from life and the state.

Tenth: The heart of the revolution is the salt of the earth. It is the one that has stood firm, strengthened, and confirmed itself. It is the one whose men’s heroism reminds us of the epics of the conquerors. It is the natural and authentic support, after the grace and assistance of Allah (swt). Therefore, it is impermissible to disown it and rely on the illusion of international support and conspiring nations.

Eleventh: The aggression and tyranny of the Jewish entity will not be stopped by policies of appeasement, flattery, or complaints to the United Nations and the international community, which are all complicit in our humiliation. This Jewish entity, which occupied our land, martyred our people, violated our sanctities, and waged war against our Deen, understands only one language and one radical solution, the truthful words of which are inscribed in Surah Al-Isra, a promise that is to be fulfilled.

Twelfth: The impact of the revolution, its chants, slogans, and principles, and the overthrow of the defunct Bashar regime — despite the support of all the world’s evildoers — has reached every corner of the Muslim World, by the grace of Allah (swt). The entire Ummah is restless, yearning for a transformative earthquake through which Allah (swt) will heal hearts and establish His Deen on earth through a state that will unite the scattered Muslims, and bring them together under the banner of a single Imam who will once again address the heavens.

The celebrations commemorating liberation, with their fervor, chants, and messages both domestically and internationally, affirm the vitality of this Ummah, the resolve of its people, and the rising level of awareness within it. This awareness is accumulating, enthusiasm is growing, and clouds are gathering before the rain, by the Permission of Allah (swt). It is a pulse too strong to be suppressed, distorted, or misled; a voice whose time has come to be heard, and a reality whose time has come to be. For the sun can never be hidden by a sieve.

In conclusion, it is the Way of Allah (swt) on earth to sift, purify, and test. He, the Exalted, says,

[عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُهْلِكَ عَدُوَّكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ]

“Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successors in authority in the land, so that He may see how you act.” [TMQ Surah Al-Araaf:129]. Therefore, our gratitude to Allah for the blessing of liberation must be practical, through implementing His Shariah Law and establishing His Deen, lest we become, may Allah (swt) forbid, like those who unravel their yarn, after it has been spun strong!

* Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Syria