بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The People of Shaam Wrangle between the Islamic Project and the Secular Project
(By the Rope of Allah and not by the Ropes of the West)
(Translated)
After the disbelieving (Kufr) West brought down the Khilafah "Caliphate" State in the year 1924 CE and divided the Islamic lands into pitiful statelets, they imposed rulers over the necks of the Islamic Ummah who were agents to them. So they rule the Muslims with the secular systems (the systems of the western disbeliever), they fight against anyone who calls for the return of the rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" (Caliphate) upon the methodology of the Prophethood and they protect and safeguard the borders that the enemies of Islam drew whilst declaring their loyalty to nationalism and their hostility towards Islam. They went about attempting to misguide the Ummah utilising a variety of styles: So they institutionalised national patriotic anthems and sanctified the flags that their masters drew for them by saluting them every morning. The French mandate flag was institutionalised by Henri Bonsu as the flag of Syria in 1930 CE within the constitution that was published in the official state newspaper in February of 1932 which specified the form of the flag in its fourth article in the first chapter. This flag was amongst the flags that were established to consecrate the division and prevent the unification of the Islamic lands once again.
At the beginning of the revolution against the criminal regime of Bashar, the people of Shaam first raised the regime’s flag and demanded freedom from oppression and tyranny. It wasn’t long however until they exchanged it with the French mandate flag without awareness or fully comprehending the true reality of the what it symbolised in terms of subservience. That was because the revolutionaries’ aim of raising this flag of the French mandate was merely to distinguish between themselves and the regime without it crossing their minds that it represented the flag of the mandate (i.e. colonialism). Then when their objectives became crystallised upon the basis of Islam and their guiding principles became defined upon the basis of the Quran and Sunnah, they added to their demand of bringing down the regime further demands that were in line with their Islamic identity. And so they demanded the establishment of the rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" upon the path of the Prophethood and they raised the Rayah (banner/flag) of their Prophet Muhammad (saw) which was symbolic of their call. It reached the point that the mandate flag almost became extinct and no trace of it was witnessed in most of the regions apart from in misleading media images which aimed at gaining foreign support from here and there.
After the imposition of the truce (ceasefire) by America and Russia and some of the factions involved in the struggle presenting themselves to the negotiating table under the heading of a secular democratic civil state which rules by other than what Allah has revealed which resulted from the Vienna conference, after that, some of the supporters of the American political solution from amongst the secularists worked to restore the promotion of the French mandate flag once again and they were assisted in this by the media outlets which falsely claim to be subjective and neutral. That corresponded with an attempt, after all of the killing and torture, after all of the sacrifices and after all of the blood that had been caused to flow in the blessed land of Shaam, to return the revolution to its starting point when its call was peaceful. That is so that all of that is in harmony with the truce that America has imposed and in harmony with what it is calling to in terms of the solution in Syria which is a political solution. What these have carelessly failed to see is that the people of Shaam have made a great distance in their revolution having left the notion of the civil democratic state and the French mandate flag which symbolises that behind their backs. That is after their objectives became crystallised upon the basis of Islam which is reflected in their demands for the establishment of the rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" state upon the path of the Prophethood and the raising high of the Rayah (banner) of the Messenger of Allah (saw) which symbolises that.
Some of the secularists and some of the benefit seekers and ignorant attempted to disparage this Rayah by portraying it to be merely a rag or piece of cloth in order to undermine it and to promote the French mandate flag. They were oblivious to the fact that the Rayaat (banners/flags) represent symbols and not just a piece of material as they claim. The biggest evidence for this is the rejection of the people of Shaam to raise the flag of the regime again or to raise any other flag and that is because all of them are symbolic of specific matters that the people who raise them have set down.
Therefore, the ruling of the flag takes the ruling of that which it is symbolising. As such, the French mandate flag symbioses nationalism, division and subservience to the disbelieving west. That is whilst the Rayah of the Messenger of Allah (saw), which ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra) described in the Hadeeth recorded by At-Tirmidhi in Saheeh chain as: “The Rayah (banner) of the Prophet (saw) was black and his Liwaa’ (standard) was white”, symbolises the unity of the Muslims and is symbolic of their Aqedah (belief) and the system of their life that their Rabb (Lord) (swt) has made obligatory upon them. And their Noble Messenger Muhammad (saw) has given glad tidings with it by the establishment of the rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" upon the path of the Prophethood. That is because ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra) was speaking about the Rayah of the Prophet (saw) when he said: “The Rayah of the Prophet (saw)” and he was not talking about the Rayaat (banners and flags) that existed at the time of the Prophet (saw) and which merged under the flag of the Prophet (saw) and used to be representative of the regiments which were part of the Muslim army at that particular time.
As for those who claim that raising and lifting high the Rayah of the Prophet is a source of Fitnah (strife and trouble making) then we say: Indeed, the Fitnah is to impede the Deen of Allah and it is not holding onto the Shar’a of Allah. That is because Allah (swt) said:
[إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ]
"Verily, those who put into trial the believing men and believing women and then do not turn in repentance, will have the torment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the burning Fire” [Al-Burooj: 10].
And He Ta’Aalaa said:
[فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ]
"And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment beware, lest some Fitnah (trials, afflictions) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them” [An-Nur: 63]. And He ‘Azza Wa Jalla said:
[يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الشَّهْرِ الْحَرَامِ قِتَالٍ فِيهِ قُلْ قِتَالٌ فِيهِ كَبِيرٌ وَصَدٌّ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ وَكُفْرٌ بِهِ وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَإِخْرَاجُ أَهْلِهِ مِنْهُ أَكْبَرُ عِندَ اللَّـهِ وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ]
"They ask you concerning fighting in the Sacred Months. Say: "Fighting therein is a great (transgression) but a greater (transgression) with Allah is to prevent mankind from following the Way of Allah, to disbelieve in Him, to prevent access to Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah), and to drive out its inhabitants, and Al-Fitnah is worse than killing” [Al-Baqarah: 217].
This is in the case where the Shaari’ (Legislator) has made Fitnah the blocking and hindering from the path of Allah.
And we say that it is deeply regretful that some of them have considered the Rayah of the Messenger of Allah (saw) to represent a Fitnah whilst considering raising the flag of the French mandate to represent a symbol of unity! As for those who attempt to prevent the raising of the Rayah of the Messenger of Allah (saw) due to their fear of the disbelieving West then we say to them that which Allah (swt) has said:
[فَاللَّـهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَوْهُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ]
“Allah has more right that you should fear Him, if you are believers” [At-Taubah: 13].
O People in the blessed land of Shaam:
The true and real struggle upon the land of Shaam is not only the struggle over flags and banners. Rather it is a struggle between the Haqq (truth) and the Baatil (falsehood), and a struggle between the Islamic civilisation and the civilisation of the disbeliever West. It is a struggle between the ideology of Islam with its Aqeedah of ‘Laa Ilaaha Illallah Muhammadur Rasoolullah ‘and what emanates from its in terms of systems and rulings for life and between the Western ideology with its Aqeedah of the separation of the Deen from life and society in addition to what emanates from it in terms of man-made democratic systems. So do not let the enemies of Allah entice you from your Deen as there can be no happiness in other than the Shar’a of Allah and there is no way out for the Muslims from subservience and oppression apart from through the establishment of the rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" upon the path of the Prophethood. So work alongside those working to establish it and know that the Nasr (victory) is from Allah (swt) and it doesn’t not come from anyone other than Him. Allah (swt) said:
[يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّـهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ]
“O You who have believed if you support (the cause of) Allah He will support you (with victory) and make your foothold firm” [Muhammad: 7].
And know that the Nasr (victory) is by Sabr (patience and perseverance) and that with distress comes relief and with hardship there comes ease.
And Allah Ta’Aalaa said:
[وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا]
“And hold fast to the rope of Allah and be not divided” [Aali ‘Imraan: 103].
H. 19 Jumada II 1437
M. : Monday, 28 March 2016
Hizb-ut-Tahrir
Wilayah Syria