Press Release
O Sheikh Al Azhar: The Khilafah is an Obligation from Allah (swt), so Be One of those Who Call for its Establishment
(Translated)

If the international conference for fighting terrorism which the honorable Al Azhar to be held on the 3^rd and 4^th days of the upcoming month of December in order to fighting the terrorism of America and its arrogance, oppression, and shedding the blood of the Muslims in Iraq and Ash-Sham, we would have believed the claim of Al Azhar's representative, Dr. Abbas Shuman, who said that: "The Grand Imam Dr. At-Tayyeb has decided that the organization of the Al Azhar meeting for fighting extremism and terrorism should be purely from Al Azhar, in order to be far away from serving any political or apolitical objectives internally or externally." However, for the conference to be held in order to talk about extremism and terrorism in the Arab world, that actually makes it serving malicious political or apolitical objectives internally and externally, especially that the current regime considers fighting what it's calling terrorism is top preoccupation and its top priority. In addition, America is launching is new crusade war against the Muslims in Iraq and Ash-Sham under the same pretext of the war on terrorism, and the conference in Jeddah for fighting terrorism which was held in last September to justify to America that vicious attack on the sons of the Ummah in Iraq and Ash-Sham is not far away from us.

Sheikh Al Azhar mentioned in his opening speech two important issues which frighten the Kufr West and makes them calculate their moves a thousand times, which are Jihad and the Khilafah "Caliphate". So he said, "Jihad has not been prescribed in Islam except to defend oneself, religion, and the country... and the justification for fighting is aggression and not infidelity... and announcing Jihad and going through with it is inacceptable for anyone to handle it except the guardian (Khaleefah)." We here shall not go into a discussion about refuting the false allegation that Jihad is prescribed except in defense only, as it is one of the ideas that emerged into the Islamic thinking and no one talked about it from the modernists of the Ummah's scholars. It is instead a pollutant of the ideological and cultural invasion of the Muslim countries in the past two centuries. However, we will say to his honorable; if the justification of the fighting in Islam is aggression as you claimed, then why didn't you demand from what you consider the guardians to announce Jihad in order to repel the Jewish aggression on Palestine and their violation of the Masjid Al Aqsa, except that if you don't see them as aggressors or you see them as truthful, or neighbors and friends who have a good neighborly relationship with us, or that you see that the people of Egypt do not have any business in what's happening to the people of Palestine?! Isn't what America is doing in Iraq and Ash-Sham an aggression that should be repelled? Or do you not see the children, women, and elderly being killed by America and its damned allies?

As for your remarks of the Khilafah "Caliphate" that it is not from the creed (Aqeedah) and the fundamentals of religion, but it is a section of the Shariah, then you are right in that, but does this mean that there is no value for the sections of the Shariah?! Does this mean that we neglect it and not work for its establishment?! Isn't the Khilafah "Caliphate" an obligation mandated by Allah (swt) upon the Muslims?! The evidence for that are plenty in the Book of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah of His Prophet (saw), and these are some examples though there are more:

As for the Book of Allah, Allah (swt) says,

[فاحْكُمْ بَينَهُمْ بِما أنْزَلَ اللهُ ولا تَتَّبِعْ أهْواءَهُمْ عَمّا جاءَكَ مِنَ الحَق]

"So judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you." [Al-Ma'ida: 48]. Also, Allah (swt) says,

«وأنِ احْكُمْ بَينَهُمْ بِما أنْزَلَ اللهُ ولا تَتّبِعْ أهْواءَهُمْ واحذَرْهُمْ أنْ يَفْتِنوكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أنْزَلَ اللهُ إليْك»

"And so judge (you O Muhammad SAW) between them by what Allah has revealed and follow not their vain desires, but beware of them lest they turn you (O Muhammad SAW) far away from some of that which Allah has sent down to you." [Al-Ma'ida: 49]

As for the Sunnah, the Prophet (saw) said:

«مَنْ خَلَعَ يَدًا من طاعة لَقِيَ اللهَ يومَ القيامةِ لا حُجّةَ لهُ، ومَنْ ماتَ وليسَ في عُنُقِهِ بَيعة ماتَ ميتةً جاهلية»

"Whoever removes his hand from obedience (to the ruler) will meet Allah with no proof for himself, and whoever dies without the pledge of allegiance (to the ruler) upon his neck dies a death of Jahiliyya" [Narrated by Muslim]. Also, he (saw) said:

«كانت بنو إسرائيلَ تَسُوسُهم الأنبياء، كلما هَلكَ نبيٌّ خلفهُ نبي، وإنهُ لا نبيَّ بعدي، وسَتَكونُ خُلفاء فَتَكْثُر، قالوا فَما تأمُرُنا؟ قال: فُوا بِبَيْعةِ الأول فالأول وأعطوهمْ حَقّهم، فإن اللهَ سائلهم عمّا استَرعاهُم»

"The tribes of Israel were ruled by the Prophets, every time a Prophet deceased he was followed by another Prophet, and there will be no Prophet after me, and there will be Khulafaa (successors) and they will be many." The companions then asked: "What do you order us?" To which the Prophet (saw) replied: "Fulfill your pledge of allegiance to them one after another, and give them their rights, and truly Allah will ask them about their responsibilities." [Narrated by Muslim]

As for the consensus of the companions (ra); they have agreed upon the need of appointing a Khaleefah for the Prophet (saw) after his death, and they agreed upon appointing the Khilafah "Caliphate" to Abu Bakr (ra), then to Umar (ra), then to Uthman (ra) after the death of each one. They have delayed the burial of the Prophet of Allah (saw) for two nights until they gave allegiance to Abu Bakr as the Khaleefah of the Muslims, and you, O Sheikh Al Azhar, know that very well.

Strangely, for the Sheikh Al Azhar At-Tayyeb to leave the Khilafah "Caliphate", which is the system of life in Islam and the title of unity, to search for another form of unity such as the European Union as he said: "Our Ummah, besides what Allah (swt) has specialized us with from among the rest of the people in the elements of unity and union, from language, gender, ethnicity, religion, history, and geography, and besides our Arab League and the Islamic Cooperation Organization, which have been established more than half a century ago, we still lack a union that is similar to that of the European Union." So you see him replacing the good with that which is lesser, but rather he dismisses the Khilafah "Caliphate" which he mentioned in his opening speech that it is of Shariah.

O you Sheikh Al Azhar, O scholars of Al Azhar, and O scholars of the Ummah, the path is clear without any doubt, and the solution is between your hands for all what the Ummah is suffering from plagues and hardships, it is to join the louder voice in the Ummah which is demanding the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" Al Rashidah upon the method of Prophethood, as it alone can stop the aggression and forced fleeing of the Ummah's sons, and it will safeguard the blood of the Muslims and uproot America and the West from the Muslim countries, as the Imam is a shield where people will fight behind him and rely on him. So, be the true inheritors of the Prophets and raise the banner of Islam up high, and take the hands of the oppressors and frame them with the truth fully, and say the word of truth and do not fear the blame of blamers in the existence of Allah (swt), and know that Allah (swt) will ask you on Judgment Day about your work according to what you know from the Book and the Sunnah, so show it to the people and do not conceal it.

[وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ]

"And verily, this (i.e. Allah's Commandments mentioned in the above two Verses 151 and 152) is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious)." [Al-An'am: 153]

Sharif Zayed
Head of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Wilayah Egypt