Press Release
When will Sitting on the Seat of Governance become an Act of Worship and Seeking Closeness to Allah?!
(Translated)

In his address to the youth at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum, President Omar al-Bashir, President of the Republic, said: "...because by Allah Almighty, we consider sitting on the chair to be an act of worship and seeking closeness, we do not seek closeness to Allah through deception and forgery..." When will sitting on the seat of governance be an act of worship and seeking closeness to Allah?!

We answer this question by presenting some of the foundations that make governance and ruling an act of worship and seeking closeness to Allah, then we will apply them to the reality of our government in Sudan, so that we can judge whether governance is an act of worship and seeking closeness to Allah:

1. When governance and ruling are based on the Islamic Aqeedah, and the constitution by which is ruled is based on the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (saw), what was reached by the consensus of the companions and Shar'i Qiyas.

2. When the ruler is pledged a Shar'i Bayah through which he takes up the rule to govern the people by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (saw) and he applies on them the Islamic provisions and solutions in governance, economics, society... and others.

3. When the ruler suffers hunger to satiate his people. Sayyidna ‘Umar al-Faruq (ra) remained hungry when the people were hungry during his Khilafah "Caliphate" and he uttered his famous saying, while his stomach was grumbling from eating dry bread with oil: "Grumble or do not grumble, you will not taste meat until the Muslims are satiated with it!"

4. When the shepherd does not cheat his flock, because the governor then knows his fate, for the saying of the Messenger of Allah (saw):

«مَا مِنْ وَالٍ يَلِي رَعِيَّةً مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَيَمُوتُ وَهُوَ غَاشٌّ لَهُمْ إِلا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ»

"There is no Wali who is followed by a people of Muslims and dies having cheated them, but Allah has forbidden him from paradise."

Extrapolating the reality of the foundations on which the governance in Sudan lies, we find:

First: Governance and ruling are based on Western democratic capitalism, not on the basis of the Islamic Aqeedah.

Second: The Constitution, which we are ruled by, is the transitional constitution of Nevasha that separated the South and set the rest of the regions to secede. It ignited wars in Darfur, the Blue Nile, South Kordofan and others. In addition to it (i.e. Nevasha) being a dictate of the West that has nothing to do with Islam. The government has been echoing that it will implement Islam, which factually means (and this is the reality) that it does not implement Islam.

Third: The government in Sudan revels in public money, indulges in usury, and collects Haram money from tolls and indirect taxes, in violation of what has been explicitly stated in Islam. The Prophet (saw) says:

«لاَ يَحِلُّ مَالُ امْرِئٍ إِلاَّ بِطِيبِ نَفْسٍ مِنْهُ»

"The money of a man is not Halal, unless he distributes a good scent."

The Muslim does not distribute a good scent unless he takes money with a Shar'i right to do so. The result has been that the government impoverished the people, and is still looking for ways to impoverish them.  The talk about the increase in fuel prices and wheat is but an example of the policy of impoverishment and starvation. The government has become like a slave whose master has insured him his money and his family, and he wasted the money and left his children homeless.

If you, Mr. President, really perceive the seat of governance to be an act of seeking closeness to Allah and of worship, repent to the One that can return your innocence, and return from what you have amounted of disobedience to Allah and ruling with other than what Allah has revealed. Declare it to be an Islamic state, a rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" on the method of Prophethood. Through it you return the rights to their owners and satisfy your Lord, where people are treated with justice and charity. Do you not love that Allah will forgive your sins and show you mercy, He is forgiving and compassionate. Allah Almighty says,

(اسْتَجِيبُوا لِرَبِّكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لا مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِن اللَّهِ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ مَلْجَإٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ نَكِيرٍ)

"Respond to your Lord before a Day comes from Allah of which there is no repelling. No refuge will you have that day, nor for you will there be any denial." [Ash-Shura 42:47]

 Ibrahim Osman (Abu Khalil)

Official Spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir Wilayah Sudan