Unity: A Ramadhan Perspective

Unity: A Ramadhan Perspective

This article must be read in conjunction with the PowerPoint presentation 'All Muslims are obliged to start Ramadhan on the same day'

Yet again this year there has been confusion regarding the sighting of the moon to determine the start of the holy month of Ramadhan. I have personally experienced this in England, Florida and now in Edmonton in Canada. It seems that there is no place on Earth where Muslims reside where they have disputes on this issue. It is ironic that Ramadhan is supposed to be a time where the Ummah of Muhammad (saw) worldwide shows their unity despite their differences in race, colour, wealth and ethnic origin. Instead year after year, the start of fasting as obliged by Allah (swt) exposes the embarrassing and very ugly face of disunity, an actual physical disunity. If there is ever an advertisement for the non-Muslims *not* to be attracted to the truth and beauty of Islam, then this is it. Why is it that this all-too-clear problem is experienced by millions of Muslims around the world, yet they do not address or attempt to address the very real causes of it? Instead they carry on regardless and just follow the leaders of the communities in their respective areas. I will hope to explain in this article that this very real problem can in fact very easily be resolved with a simple solution.

There seems to be a few opinions going round and saying that they are all valid. These are the local, regional and global moonsighting.

A question was asked that how can we start and end fast on the same day when the moon is sighted around the world on different days. It is true that the moon is sighted by the naked eye on different days in different countries. But does that mean that we fast on different days? You could ask another question. Don't we pray our salah on different days? If I pray zuhr here in Edmonton, then you are praying Maghrib in the UK at the same time. Does that mean we're praying on different days? The UK is seven hours ahead of Edmonton hence we are praying at different times. Although it is true that Maghrib is the start of a new day in the Islamic calendar so the UK will go ahead one day while the Muslims in Edmonton have to wait seven hours before they can pray Maghrib. But the point at issue here is that our Calendar is the same but it depends on the rising and setting of the Sun in your part of the world. The dates of the Islamic calendar are the same for us all over the world so we are unified on this. The only thing is that some countries are ahead or behind other countries by a certain number of hours due to the position of the Sun in their part of the world. Therefore we are praying at the same day, indeed we perform Salaat-ul Jummah on the same day.

The issue of the start and end of Ramadhan is the same as the issue of the start and end of all the months in the Islamic calendar so we follow the lunar calendar and not the solar calendar. Since there is only one Moon (how can you get more simple than this?), and since it does not overtake the Sun nor gets overtaken by the Sun, it rises and falls just like the Sun in a consistent and orderly manner. When the Sun sets, the moon rises, and when the moon sets, the Sun rises. These are very clear signs for people on Earth to comprehend the marvel of Allah (swt)'s creation. These are also a way for us to measure our days and nights and organise our lives according to them. When Allah (swt) orders the Muslims to start and end fasting based upon the sighting of the Moon, it means *all* of us have to do this at the same time. So by answering the question on the previous paragraph, it is the one and the *same* Moon that we see in different parts of the world, just like we see the one and same Sun. So whoever sees the Moon, then the month of Ramadhan has started for *all* the Muslims in all over the Earth. This is because we follow the one and the same calendar with the same dates. If a country decides to start Ramadhan one, two or even three days later, then in effect, this country has rejected the Islamic calendar!

To give an example of how the start of a month is worked out, this is best explained below for the explanation of moonsighting due to the Earth's rotation.

Once a single Muslim has sighted the Moon in any country of the world, then this person announces it to the rest of the world which we can do these days with technological help. In Islam the day starts at Maghrib time, so if the Moon was spotted in North or South America on Thursday after Maghrib at 10pm and the rest of the world hasn't seen it. Then Europe would be able to start fasting as it will be Fajr time. The Earth spins in an anti-clockwise direction, so then it will obviously be the turn of Iceland, then Greenland and then North and South America who can then follow suit when Fajr comes (as they will be sleeping during the night before Fajr). The rest of the world such as the Middle East, Asia and Far East would have to stop eating and start fasting (even in the middle of the day) just like the Prophet (saw) did. If the news of the moonsighting reached them too late for them to start fasting (ie. its Maghrib time already), then they have missed the fasting on the prescribed day and therefore would have to make it up (Qada') after Eid. See the diagram below (ignore the International Date Line and the coloured lines of Monday and Tuesday):

On the other hand, if the moon was sighted in the Middle East after Maghrib at 10pm and the rest of the world hasn't seen it. Then the Far East will have to start fasting as it will be Fajr time there. Then it will be the turn of Russia, Asia, Middle East and Europe as they will be sleeping during the night or at least it will be beyond Maghrib time and so cannot start fasting immediately yet. North and South America will have to wait until Fajr time of the next day to start fasting. This is because they will be a day behind the rest of the world as they will have not reached Maghrib yet.

There is no such thing as a local or regional moonsighting. There is only a single or a multiple moonsighting which is then binding for all the Muslims all around the globe. This concept of a local and regional moonsighting implies accepting the concept of Nationalism, and that the physical borders separating the Muslims from each other are valid in Islam.

The Messenger (saw) said: "He is not one of us who calls for nationalism or who fights for nationalism or who dies for nationalism."

As a result these opinions of a local or regional moonsighting are invalid and must be rejected by the Muslims outright as they contradict Islam. Islam mandates that we Muslims the world over must be united by one Imam under one State.

“And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favor on you when you were enemies. He brought your hearts together, so that through His blessing you became brothers; and (how when) you were on a brink of a pit of fire, He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.” [TMQ al-'Imraan 3:103]

“And those who disbelieve are allies to one another, (and) if you (Muslims of the whole world collectively) do not do so (i.e. become allies as one united block with one Khalifa - single Muslim ruler for the whole Muslim world to make victorious Allah’s deen), there will be Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism, etc.) and oppression on earth, and a great mischief and corruption.”

[TMQ al-anfaal 8:73]

“Verily! This Ummah of yours is one Ummah and I am your Lord so worship Me.”
[TMQ al-anbiyaa' 21:92]

It is the Imam (or Khaleefah) of the Muslims who has the power (with plenty of experts, advisors and scholars at his disposal) to determine correctly if the Moon has been sighted in any part of the globe. Then it is he alone who by the permission of Allah (swt) will make the final decision as to when the month of Ramadhan has started and ended. Then the Muslims all around the globe whether they're living in the Khilafah or not must hear and obey him. This is one of the beauties of Islam and a powerful invitation (Daw'ah) to other non-Muslim nations to embrace the deen.

It is important to note that differences amongst the Muslims cannot occur when the texts (Qur'an and Sunnah) are definite and clear and also they are definite in their meanings. The many mentioned Ayats and Ahadiths regarding the moonsightings are definite and clear in text and meaning, therefore Ijtihad is not permitted and differences cannot occur. In areas where differences may occur (when the texts are indefinite or the meaning is indefinite), they may or may not be permitted to exist. The differences in personal worship may exist but differences in buying and selling or the issues relating to divorce are not permitted to exist. For example, the difference between Abu Bakr (ra) and Umar (ra) regarding divorce while Abu Bakr was the Khalifah was settled when Abu Bakr adopted his opinion and made it binding. Then Umar (ra) and the people had to follow Abu Bakr's (ra) opinion and ignore his own opinion. Once Umar (ra) became the next Khalifah then he adopted his own opinion and the people follow it.

On the other hand, on definite matters such as the issue regarding the moonsighting, this is where the Khalifah uses his authority and declare just one moonsighting for the whole Ummah. Abu Bakr (ra) fought a false prophet who claimed that Muhammad (saw) was not the final prophet and removed this division. He (ra) also fought the Muslims who apostatized because they refused to pay the Zakat. These are clear definite matters of the text and meaning which required decisive action.

The Khalifah has the right to adopt an opinion which he believes to be correct in order to create unity and harmony amongst the Muslims. There are two Shariah principles which state the whit of the Khalifah:

·         'The Imam's decree settles the disputes'

·         'The Imam's decree is obeyed openly and privately'

The Khalifah is the mechanism by which to resolve all our disputes correctly and in an Islamic manner, and only he has this sole right to enforce his opinion for the Muslims to follow and resolve disputes.

What we are seeing today are the symptoms of the main problem which is the absence of the Islamic Khilafah State with the Khalifah as the Head of State who is the sole leader of the Muslim Ummah. In the Hall of Bani Sa'ida when the Ansar were busy discussing about appointing the first Khalifah of Islam, Abu Bakr (ra) rejected a suggestion from the Ansar when they suggested succeeding the Prophet (saw) with two leaders, one from the Ansar and one from the Muhajireen. Abu Bakr (ra) replied: “It is forbidden for Muslims to have two Amirs for this would cause differences in their affairs and concepts, their unity would be divided and disputes would break out amongst them. The Sunnah would then be abandoned, the bida'ah (innovations) would spread and fitnah would grow, and that is in no one's interests.” He (ra) knew that problems would arise without that one leader to lead the people. In fact, this description by Abu Bakr (ra) exactly matches the description of the reality of the Muslim Ummah today! Isn't this worth thinking and contemplating deeply about? And then actually doing something about it?

There is no point in Muslims saying that we are one Ummah when the meaning of this phrase does not go beyond their lips. Being one Ummah literally means just that. One Ummah united physically, geographically, politically and spiritually under one State and being ruled over by just one Imam. This State is called al-Khilafah (Caliphate) and it is a Fard Ayn, an individual obligation to work to re-establish it. Then by appointing the Khalifah can the Ummah be unified and he can then resolve our never-ending disputes, and finally we can then become the leading nation in the world once again.

OD

Addendum

It is interesting to note that as mentioned previously, Earth has only one moon. The argument of some Muslims who reject the sighting of other Muslims around the globe just because they haven’t seen it in their own areas makes no sense. Are they’re waiting to see a different moon? If Earth has more than one moon then there may be a case here as there will be multiple sightings of different moons in different days. But those Muslims when they eventually see the moon on a different day, are actually seeing the very same moon! Its just that other Muslims living elsewhere happen to see it first.

Perhaps they want to go and live in Jupiter? Jupiter has 62 moons the most famous of those being Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Or maybe Saturn which has 33 moons the most famous being Titan. There are plenty of opportunities to decide which days to start fasting on those planets. But back on Earth there is only one moon, hence only one calendar and only one Ramadhan.

Al-Sham: The Heart of Islam

Rasulallah (saw) said: "Behold, indeed the heart of the abode of the believers is al-Sham."

[Ahmed]

Hadiths on al-Sham (the region consisting of Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon etc):

On the authority of Zaid Ibn Thabit Al-Ansari that: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say, ‘How blessed is Al-Sham! How blessed is Al-Sham!’ “And how is that, Oh Messenger of Allah?” People asked him. ‘Those angels of Allah have spread their wings over Al-Sham’, he answered.' 'The Prophets built Bait Al-Maqdis (Al Quds),' Ibn Abbas added. 'And the Prophets lived in it, and there is not an inch in Bait Al-Maqdis where a Prophet has not prayed or an Angel has not stood.' [Tirmidhi]

“This rule (i.e. the Khilafah) will be after me in Medina, then in Al-Sham, then in al-Jazeera
(peninsula), then in Iraq, then in Medina, then in Bayt Al-Maqdis (Al-Quds), and when the rule is established in Al-Quds, that would be its place, and thereafter nobody will be able to remove it.”

Ibn 'Asakir quoted Yunus Ibn Maysara Ibn Halbas as saying that Rasoolallah (saw) had stated: "This matter (namely the Khilafa) will be after me in Madina, then in Syria, then in the Jazira, then in Iraq, then in Madina, then in Jerusalem. If it is in Jerusalem, its home country is there, and if any people expel it, it will not return there for ever."
[Ibn 'Asakir, Tahdhib Tarikh Dimashq al-Kabir, Volume 1, p42. (Dar al-Masiyrah, Beirut, 1979]

Mu'adh Ibn Jabal (ra) quoted the Prophet (saw) as saying: ‘O Mu'adh! Allah the Almighty will enable you to conquer Al-Sham, after my death, from Al-Arish to the Euphrates. Their men and women will be garrisoned until the Day of Judgement. Whoever from amongst you chooses one of the coasts of Al-Sham or Bait Al-Maqdis (Al-Quds) is in Jihad until the Day of Judgement.’

Ibn Sa'd quoted 'Abd Al-Rahman Ibn Abi 'Umayra al-Mazni, “There will be a Baya’a of guidance in Bayt Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem).”
['Ala' al-Din Ali al-Mutaqi Ibn Husam al-Din al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Umal fi Sunan al-'Aqwal wa al- 'Af'al,(Mu'asasat al-Risalah, Beirut, 1979), Vol 14, p.148, Hadith No. 38199]

It was narrated by Saeed b. Almusayyab that he said "There will be an ordeal in Ash-Sham so often that when it goes down from one side it goes up from another. This ordeal will not end until a caller from the sky will call the name of your Ameer". This means that the ordeal will prolong until the establishment of the Khilafah.

Note the following statement was narrated by a companion of the Prophet Muhammad (saw): It was narrated by Suliman b. Hafez Al-himyariy that he said "There will be an ordeal in Ash-Sham that will be frequent like the frequency of water in the water skin but will be removed after you become repentant and after you become so hungry but in that ordeal the smell of bread will be better for you than the smell of musk".

Narrated by Suliman b. Hafez Al-himyariy that a man said to him forty years ago that he heard Kaab Al'ahbar saying: "When the ordeal of Palestine becomes agitated it will be frequent like the frequency of water in the water skin, when it is removed you will be repentant and few".

Narrated by Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra), “I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say, ‘There will be Hijra (migration) after Hijra. The best of the inhabitants of the Earth will live in the place where Ibrahim (as) made Hijra and the evil will remain elsewhere on Earth.’” [Abu Dawud]

“Two Hijrah's will take place, and the latter will be to the place where your father Ibrahim (as) had immigrated (i.e. Palestine).”
Note: Hijrah occurs when Muslims emigrate from Kufr lands to the Islamic state.

Imam Ahmed reported in his Musnad (5/35) that the Messenger (saw) said:
"If the people of as-Sham (Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria) went astray then there would be no goodness amongst you, but however there will continue to be a group supported from my ummah, and they will not be bothered by those who disapproved until the day of Judgement".

The Imam Ahmad related in his Musnad that Abu Umama Al-Bahili quoted Rasoolallah (saw) as
saying: "A group from my Ummah are still knowledgeable about the truth, they are vanquishing their enemy, and those who disagree with them cannot harm them until Almighty Allah's command comes to them. They are thus." "O Messenger of Allah," he was asked, "where are they?" "In and around Jerusalem," Rasoolallah (saw) replied.
[Musnad al-Imam Ahmad, Vol 5 p 269 (al-Maktab al-Islami Lil Tiba'a wa al-Nashir, Beirut)]

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News and Media:

Enormous crowd calls for Khilafah and death to "Israel" infront of 4 UN Observers

Fantastic message delivered to UN Observers on 20th April 2012, "We want to remove the Giraffe (Bashar) and we want to bring back the Khilafah! O Syria, do not fear!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQgMmgBxi_o&feature=player_embedded

World famous Sh Nabeel Alawadi: Syria is a sign of a coming great change [Beautiful words!]

 

http://nahdaproductions.org/islamic-revival/arab-world/item/573-world-famous-sh-nabeel-alawadi-syria-is-a-sign-of-a-coming-great-change-beautiful-words 

Aleppo (Halab): Thousands call for Islamic Caliphate in Syria [translated chants!] | March 2012

 

http://nahdaproductions.org/islamic-revival/arab-world/item/571-aleppo-halab-thousands-call-for-islamic-caliphate-in-syria-translated-chants-%7C-march-2012 

Also a lot of good videos in this section:

http://nahdaproductions.org/in-focus 

Here are also two further useful links below:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/from-the-archive-blog/2011/aug/01/hama-syria-massacre-1982-archive 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8571164/Syrias-Butcher-of-Hama-living-in-10-million-Mayfair-townhouse.html 

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Q&A: Understanding the politics of the ongoing Syrian uprising

http://www.hizb.org.uk/current-affairs/qa-understanding-the-politics-of-the-ongoing-syrian-uprising

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Prophecies:

Imam Ahmad, Al-Hakim and Abu Dawud quoted 'Abdullah Ibn Zughb Al- Ibadi who heard from 'Abdullah Ibn Hawwala Al- Azdi that: "Rasoolallah (saw) put his hand on my head, and then said: 'Ibn Hawwala, if you see that the Caliphate has taken its abode in the holy land, then the earthquake, the tribulations and great events are at hand, and the Last Hour on that day will be closer to people than my hand is to your head."

[Musnad al-Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Volume 5, p.288 No. 21449; Sunan Abu Dawud, Volume 3, No. 2173]

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, "There will be Nabuwa with Rehma (Prophethood with Mercy). The there will be Khilafah with Ba’yah (pledge). Then Allah will change it when He wishes. Then there will be Mulkan ‘Adoodan (Rule by force). Then Allah will change it when He wishes. Then there will be Mulkan Jabriya (against people’s will). Then Allah will change it when He wishes. Then there will be Khilafah Ala Minhajin Nabuwa (on the path of Prophethood). The earth and the sky will bestow their treasures." [Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal]

/“The Prophecy will remain among you for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will lift it when He wishes to, then it will be a Khilafah Rashidah (rightly guided) on the method of the Prophecy, it will remain for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will lift it if He wishes, then it will be a hereditary leadership which will remain for as long as Allah wills, then He will lift it if he wishes, then it will be a tyrannical rule, and it will remain for as long as Allah wills, then He will lift it if He wishes, then it will be a Khilafah Rashida on the method of the Prophecy, then he kept silent.”

Narrated by Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman: An-Nu'man told on Hudhayfah's authority that Allah's Messenger (saw) said, "Prophecy will remain among you as long as Allah wishes it to remain, then Allah Most High will remove it. Then there will be a caliphate according to the manner of prophecy as long as Allah wishes it to remain, then Allah Most High will remove it. Then there will be a distressful kingdom which will remain as long as Allah wishes it to remain, then Allah Most High will remove it. Then there will be a proud kingdom which will remain as long as Allah wishes it to remain, then Allah Most High will remove it. Then there will be a caliphate according to the manner of prophecy." Then he stopped. Habib said: "When Umar ibn AbdulAziz became caliph I wrote to him, mentioning this tradition to him and saying, "I hope you will be the commander of the faithful after the distressful and the proud kingdoms." It pleased and charmed him, i.e. Umar ibn AbdulAziz." [Tirmidhi]

[Ahmad and Bayhaqi, in Dala'il an-Nubuwwah, transmitted it]

Islam will reach the whole world as the Prophet Muhammad (saw) said in the hadeeth "Islam will reach where day and night had reached and my Ummah will reach where it was being reached." And in another hadeeth the Prophet says "..and at the end there will be Khilafah on the footsteps of the early prophethood.”

“Allah has shown me the east and the west and the authority of my Ummah shall reach to whatever was shown to me of it.” [Muslim No.2889, and others Abu Dawud]

Imam Ahmed recorded from Tanim ad-Dari that he said, I heard the Messenger of Allah saying “This matter (Islam) will keep spreading as far as the night and day reach, until Allah will not leave a house made of mud or fur, but will make this Deen enter it, whilst bringing might to a mighty person (a Muslim) and humiliation to a disgraced person (the one who rejects Islam). Might with which Allah (swt) elevates Islam (and its people) and disgrace with which Allah (swt) humiliates disbelief (and its people).”

Muslim reported on the authority of Abu Hazim, who said: "I accompanied Abu Hurairah for five years and heard him talking of the Prophet's saying: The Prophets ruled over the children of Israel, whenever a Prophet died another Prophet succeeded him, but there will be no Prophet after me. There will be Khulafa'a and they will number many. They asked: What then do you order us? He said: Fulfil the bay'ah to them one after the other and give them their due. Surely Allah will ask them about what He entrusted them with." [Bukhari, Book of Traditions of Prophets, No 3196]

Abu Dawud has narrated on the authority of Qays b. Abi Hazm: "That Abu Bakr (ra) after he had glorified and praised Allah (swt) he said: O people! You read this ayah but you do not understand it:

"O you who believe! Guard your own souls: If you follow the right guidance none can hurt you from those who have gone astray" [al-Maida:105]

‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say: "The people when they see the tyrant and do not restrain his hands, Allah will be about to punish them all". And I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say: "Any people amongst whom sins are committed, and they could change them but they did not (change), Allah will be about to bring a punishment which engulfs all." [Abu Dawud: Book of Battles/3775]

Al-Baihaqi narrated on the authority of Ali (ra) that he said "the people will not be straightened except by an imam (khalifah) whether he is good or bad". [hadith number 14286 in Kanz Ul Ummal]

Upon appointment as a governor of Hims (part of modern day Syria) by Umar bin al-Khattab (ra), Umayr bin Sa’d (ra) said to the people: “O people! Islam is a mighty fortress and a sturdy gate. The fortress of Islam is justice and its gate is the truth. If you destroy the fortress and demolish the gate you would undermine the defences of this deen. Islam will remain strong so long as the Sultan (Khilafah) or central authority is strong. The strength of the Sultan neither comes from flogging with the whip, nor killing with the sword but from ruling with justice and holding fast to the truth.”

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Karimov's "Uzbekistan (Kleptocratic state) is the biggest family business in the world"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWfwgcSEBKc&feature=youtu.be

Interview describing Islam Karimovs kleptocratic state.

Kleptocracy is a form of political and government corruption where the government exists to increase the personal wealth and political power of its officials and the ruling class at the expense of the wider population... This type of government corruption is often achieved by the embezzlement of state funds."

Interview Scott Horton, Contributing Editor of Harper's Magazine
by editor in chief of Uznews.net Galima Bukharbaeva

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Syria event in Sheffield, UK:

Lebanon event

International Conference: “The Ummah’s Revolution: The plans to abort it, and inevitability of the Islamic program”

http://www.hizb.org.uk/real-change/international-conference-the-ummahs-revolution-the-plans-to-abort-it-and-inevitability-of-the-islamic-program

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Lastly I'll leave you with a pic I found below:

Syria: The axis of world evil

Don’t Weep over the Grand Delusion of an Assadic Resistance


by Abdul-Latif Halimi on Tuesday, 14 February 2012 at 08:06 ·



(Bashar and the Saudis)

It will not be long before Bashar al-Assad will sit naked and battered, haemorrhaging to death on the curb of history like other uninhibited despots before him. As his regime hurtles chaotically out of control amidst an ever-reddening blur of desperate savagery, allies are solemnly administering Last Rites, predators and victims are circling for a feast they have long yearned for, and the many lies, secrets and bones buried in the family mausoleum are finally about to be undug.

Amongst the secrets is one already mentioned in popular circles by the late singer, Ibrahim Qashoush. A few months ago, Qashoush stood on a platform in central Hama and sung in support of the uprising like he usually did. However, one of his lines was a late addition: ‘O Maher [Al-Assad, the brother of Bashar] you are a coward; an agent of the Americans’. Though apparently inconsequential, a few days later Qashoush was found dead with his throat slit open.

Such secrets pertaining to the agency of the Assad family are already obvious to those who know the regime most intimately. The minoritarian Assad regime has long deployed and exploited fraudulent notions of pan-Arabism and political resistance only to mandate its existence. For beyond the popular sloganeering, the Assad regime is deeply intimate and at ease with its alleged enemies.

The Assads' blatant historical cooperation with the United States of America on key strategic issues and latent agreement with Israel are easily demonstrated. And these forty years of treachery to the ‘Arab and Palestinian cause’, supposedly the cause de celebre of Damascus, have left visible remnants in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and, of course, Syria that are visible to all.

Case One: Israeli-Syrian Peace Negotiations and Mutual Confidence

The Golan Heights, a plateau of great strategic importance at about a fifth the size of Lebanon, has been occupied by Israel right throughout the tenures of Hafez and Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian military, however, has not engaged the Israeli Defence Forces in an attempt to liberate its own occupied territory since 1973. Instead, an agreement in 1974, signed by the government of Hafez al-Assad, has allowed Israel to extend a de facto annexation over the Golan Heights with no challenge.

Furthermore, Hafez Al-Assad had even promised Benyamin Netanyahu to give up parts of Syrian territory to Israel in a prospective peace deal. Far from ‘liberating Palestine from the river to the sea’, as Al-Assad once claimed he’d do, he offered to give up the Hermon to Israel so that the Jewish state might keep an eye on its eastern border. Netanyahu, in statements documented by Israel’s leading paper Yedioth Ahronoth, says: "He gave me the Hermon. I must say that I was surprised, but he gave me the Hermon and I was pleased."

Such concessions, which contradict the apparent commitment to ‘liberating Palestine’ and instead seek to achieve peace and recognise Israel, are a historical forte of the Assad regime. The 1991 Madrid Peace Conference, which the Syrian government participated in and followed up with direct talks with Israel right throughout the 90’s, was a precursor to flirtation and talks between the two parties the following decade.

Between September 2004 and July 2006, the Syrian and Israeli representatives reached a ‘formulation for peace’ through secret talks. The Assad regime was willing to sacrifice Hamas, its alleged ally, in an attempt to appease Israel in the agreement. These negotiations continued unhindered under Turkish mediation between 2008 and 2010, despite Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in 2009 that led to the death of more than a thousand civilians in Gaza.

This willingness on the part of the Assads to make peace with Israel, normalise relations with it and recognise its existence paints an image contrary to the popular rhetoric of the Syrian regime. And it is for this very reason that Israel’s leading security and political officials have expressed great concern at the thought of the Assad regime collapsing.

For example, Amos Gilad, the Director of Political-Military Affairs at the Israel Ministry of Defense, stated that the removal of Assad would be a ‘devastating crisis fοr Israel.’ Similarly, Israel’s prominent daily newspaper, Ha’aretz, ran an editorial immediately after the start of the Syrian uprising declaring Assad to be ‘Israel’s favourite dictator of all’ and that ‘it seems Assad has wall-to-wall support here, as though he were king of Israel’.

Such sentiments have also been expressed by the Syrian regime itself. Rami Makhlouf, President Bashar al-Assad’s cousin and one of his confidants, waved the stability card at Israel during his May interview with the New York Times when he stated: “If there is no stability here, there’s no way there will be stability in Israel.” As such, only through the survival of the Assad regime can Israel maintain its stability and security, creating a relationship in diametric contradiction to the grand claims of the Syrian regime and its supporters.

Case Two: The Gulf War and Syria’s Cooperation with the United States

During the 1991 Gulf War, the Assad regime chose to actively support the US-led campaign that resulted in the death of thousands of Iraqi civilians. Despite the fact that Saddam Hussein was fighting a coalition led by the West and lobbing scud missiles at Israel, Hafez al-Assad still opted to side with the United States of America and send in troops to support the campaign. Singlehandedly, such should have been sufficient to nullify the regime’s pan-Arab and resistance credentials forever.

Furthermore, the Syrian regime cooperated with the United States of America in Lebanon. President Bush Senior and subsequent presidents entrusted the Syrian regime with controlling and occupying Lebanon for fifteen years following the Taef Accord to end the Lebanese Civil War. The security agencies of both countries also cooperated extensively during the war in subduing Palestinian resistance groups and arming militias loyal to their mutual strategic interests.

This cooperation between the US and Syria also extends to intelligence, the most notable recent case being that of Maher Arar, who was transferred between Syrian and American hands under the charge of being a member of Al-Qaeda. Ironically, this process took place during the tenure of George Bush, who allegedly designated Syria as part of the 'Axis of Evil', and had supposedly cut off relations with Damascus after the assassination of Rafiq Al-Hariri in Lebanon in 2005. 

Such cases demonstrate a heightened level of confidence and trust between Washington and an autocrat who has demonstratively and apparently done nothing but denounce the United States of America. Of course, the real relationship between the Assads and American administrations of the past four decades was beyond strong; one manifestation of which is in the confidence between Bashar al-Assad and John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an ardent pro-Israel senator.

Kerry, Congress's point man on engaging the Syrian regime, met Assad six times in two years and called him, along with Hillary Clinton, a reformer even after the violent crackdown in March of 2011. Assad even found a confidant in Kerry according to the Wall Street Journal. The Journal recounts how‘Kerry described how the Syrian leader bemoaned the growing conservatism in Syria’ and the fact that Assad’s wife ‘had to wear a head-scarf when visiting Damascus's historic Umayyad mosque’.

Assad’s strong relationship with American senators, House representatives and diplomats is further demonstrated in cables released by Wikileaks. In a meeting in March of 2009, just five weeks after the end of the Gaza War, Assad met American diplomats and denounced Hamas as ‘uninvited guests’ akin to the Muslim Brotherhood his father massacred in 1982. And in contrast to such enmity towards resistance forces, Assad emphasised that he ‘saw two key common interests between Syria and the US: peace in the region and combating terrorism’ and that the two administrations ‘shared a common interest on 70 percent of the issues at hand’.

Case Three: A Bloody Contribution to the Palestinian Cause

One of the great ironies of the Syrian regime’s history is that its mechanised divisions have murdered Palestinians above all. In 1976, the Syrian military invaded Lebanon to assist right-wing Christian forces, who happened to be allies of Israel, against the Palestinian forces led by Yasser Arafat. A few weeks later they again lined up alongside racist Christian militias, such as the Guardians of the Cedars, to commit unspeakable atrocities in the Tel az-Za’atar refugee camp.

Over three thousand Palestinian refugees, essentially the most downtrodden and oppressed of any community in the Middle East, were slaughtered in cold blood by Syria and the Christian, Israeli proxies in Tel az-Za’tar. To add insult to injury, the camp was then bulldozed and its refugees relocated and scattered all over Lebanon, many to be eventually slaughtered by the Syrian-Israeli double-agent Elie Hobeika and his militia in the Sabra and Shatila massacre.

Bashar al-Assad recently revived his father’s fetish for Palestinian blood by using gunboats and ground troops to attack a refugee camp off the Syrian coast in August, 2011. Dozens were killed and over five thousand people were forced to leave according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Conclusion

The Assads might not have been blatant and direct allies of the West and Israel like some other forces in the region over the past four decades, but they were definitely complicit to the international, West-dominated political order. They were without doubt in agreement with the United States of America on strategic issues and in active, serial cooperation with Israel. All the while, they upheld a popular façade of resistance and anti-Americanism. As Israel’s foreign minister said in November 2010, ‘Assad is enjoying the best of both worlds’.

While the regime may have funded resistance groups for an array of purposes, its own artillery has only found the flesh of those in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Not a single bullet has been fired over the Golan Heights or at Israel for forty years, and that remains a supreme reality that supersedes all the rambling propaganda the regime is now putting out.

So when the brave people of Syrian rip down the imaginary curtain once and for all, the resistance paradigm in the Middle East will not be compromised. In fact, the seeds for a genuine and authentic challenge to Israel will be taking form and re-shaping the Levant forever. This is the beginning, not the end.



(Bashar and Ahmedinejad of Iran)

(Bashar and Hassan Nasrallah of Hizbullah and Ahmedinejad of Iran)

(Bashar and Erdogan of Turkey)

(Bashar and John Kerry of USA)


Syria - Iran - Turkey - USA  - Saudi Arabia


See the links? Don't forget Bashar has the support of Russia and China:

Syria - Iran - Turkey - USA  - Saudi Arabia - Russia - China


Dig deeper into the truths and you may as well lump country after country in the chain:


Syria - Iran - Turkey - USA  - Saudi Arabia - Russia - China - UK - Europe - Israel - Egypt etc etc


They are all in it together, and we the Muslim Ummah are alone except that we have Allah swt on our side and they have the devil. It is a shame that not one Muslim country has sent their armies to fight the Syrian army and remove Bashar al-Assad and his government. Egypt? Turkey? Qatar? Saudi Arabia? Or why not all of them? It is clear to us that these Muslim governments do not like the Arab Spring and do not want the Muslims to remove their leaders and unite together and re-establish the Khilafah. Their masters the western powers does not want this to happen either hence the cooperation between all of them.


On another note, some people in the West (non-muslims) are saying that the West are siding with the Islamic fundamentalists/revolutionaries. The West simply do not want the people in the Muslim world to kick out their installed tyrants and dictators who serve their interests and keep the population down and backward.


While Russia and China are blatantly support the Assad regime, the USA, UK and the West are secretly supporting them behind closed doors and granting Assad green light to continue killing his people. However they know that Assad is soon on his way out just like Gaddafi so they are using the Arab League (especially Qatar and Saudi Arabia) and even more especially Turkey to organise the opposition to the Assad regime to replace him when he leaves.


No doubt these opposition will be more 'moderate' but will again be the same complaint servants like Assad who will serve the Western interests.

The Prophet (saw) said that a Muslim does not get bitten from the same hole twice...

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A Statement from Hizb ut-Tahrir Syria to the Muslim Scholars

On the 15^th of Rabee’ ul-Awwal 1433, corresponding to 7^th Februrary 2012, 107 Muslim scholars issued a declaration regarding the events in Syria. This statement included fatawa about the sanctity of the Muslims’ blood and their right, and that it is impermissible for members of the army or security services to kill anyone or to remain in their posts. They expressed support for the (Syrian) Free Army, and called on the Arab and Islamic countries to take a serious position towards the Syrian regime, and towards the states supporting it, like Russia and China. In addition, they called on the opposition to join ranks so that they could build their state on the basis of justice, protection of rights, establishing the freedoms, and institutions that would protect the country and its interests. They also announced their support for any effort which would prevent shedding of the Syrian people’s blood, and that such efforts should lead to free elections, a fair distribution of power and compensation for victims and their families.

It is indeed good that Ulema from many different Muslim lands have joined together, which emphasises that the Muslims’ causes are one; however it is highly blameworthy that this declaration does not contain any Islamic solution. It is as though it was intended to please certain authorities with whom Allah subhana wa ta’ala is not pleased – in other words the Western Kafir Capitalist states, and the regimes who do not rule by what Allah has revealed. It is obligatory that the declaration of Muslim scholars should be comprehensive, definitive, clear, bold and should put the right points in the right places, expressing the true position of Islam regarding what is happening in Syria and the rest of the Muslims’ lands. They should send a genuine call to all the Muslims, so that they take a stance which is sincere to their Lord and to their Deen. They should declare that the Islamic Ummah – in her causes, her peace and her war – is one Ummah, and she cannot be separated by walls or borders. Nor can she remain separated by regimes cultivated by the West to divide her according to their interests – the same West which now fights over our lands as the wolves fight over the sheep.

We in Hizb ut-Tahrir Syria remind these ulema’ first of all that they are the inheritors of the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam), and they are the trustees of his Deen; Allah has taken a covenant from them that they must convey the truth to the people, and not conceal it.

We also remind that Allah sees and hears them, and among the Sharee’ah rules that they would be sinful for concealing and not conveying are the following decisively proven rules:

• The Muslims of Syria are obliged to overthrow the regime in Syria because first and foremost, it is a regime which does not rule by Islam

• The method of change must be according to the method of Rasoul Allah (sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam). It must be a clean work, which is undertaken by all of the Muslims, including their scholars, leading personalities, the general masses and the people of power amongst them, by their own hands, as they are the ones who have the power to change the situation practically in their land.
• 
  
• The people of power in Syria must know that they have two Shar’i obligations: protection of their people, and supporting their deen in order to establish the Islamic Khilafah state, as the Ansar supported Allah, his Messenger and the Muslims in Madeenah Munawwarah.

• The call for a civil, secular, irreligious state is a call of falsehood, as such regimes are regimes of Kufr which it is forbidden to adopt, implement or call for.

• Foreign intervention in the Muslims’ lands is forbidden, whether this was America and Europe, who hypocritically claim that they support the people of Syria, or Russia and China who are open in their enmity towards them. All of these states are united In their enmity towards Islam and in fighting it, however each of them uses their own methods.

• Calling for UN Security Council intervention is forbidden, as its legislation is Kufr legislation, and its goals are tied to the objectives of the major powers, particularly America.

Along with this, if these scholars intend to be sincere men of knowledge, they should declare that the situation of all of the Muslims in their lands is one, and thus the Sharee’ah solution for them is one – that the tyrant regimes which do not rule the Muslims by what Allah has revealed must be removed and the Islamic state must be established in their place.

O distinguished Ulema in all of the Muslims’ lands:

Indeed the time has come that you say the word of truth, after a long period of silence, and that you work for the establishment of the promised Islamic Khilafah state, after a long period of waiting. It may indeed be that the homeland of the Khilafah may be Ash-Sham (Syria region), which Allah has blessed. Take your share of the reward in this critical time of the labour, which may give birth to the Islamic state.

Allah ta’ala says:

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

“Allah has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that – then those are the defiantly disobedient”
[Surat un-Noor, verse 55]

Hizb ut-Tahrir

Wilayah of Syria
17^th Rabee’ ul-Awwal 1433
9^th February 2012

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Syria: Our Test of Sabr

by Manal Badar

To our horror, Bashar Al-Assad continues to ravage and massacre his people, a people who are under his dreadful custodianship. Such a paradox! That Bashar Al-Assad holds such a position rather than protecting and guarding his people from harm's way, while he is the clear and present danger to his population. He heavily bombards any threat in his path be it a recently widowed woman, premature infant, or elderly man. His ruthless acts have truly tested the Eman (faith) and courage of the Syrian people. Men and women alike favor death over surrender in light of the savage unceasing violence. This death, inshallah, is considered an honorable death in the sight of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Despite the heavy shelling from the Syrian military destroying homes, schools, and hospitals, people still persevere and remain determined to have their voice heard.

Penetrating deep into the hearts of these tireless protesters, we find a unique trait captivating onlookers. What keeps them determined and focused, knowing that may not live to see the following sunrise? Their minds and hearts are filled with distinct feature non-Muslims may find it nearly impossible to comprehend, yet Muslims grasp it fully thereby inspiring others to continue their struggle for a victorious reform. This blessed feature is Sabr (patience) in the face of adversity.

Sabr often times confused as silently standing by witnessing the oppressions and wrongs of our society. Distancing ourselves from the vital issues and keeping ourselves busy with the spiritual aspects of Islam's rituals: tasbeeh, duaa, unconcerned with the Ummah's state of affairs. All the while, people including ourselves suffer from injustice and hardships. This type of silent suffering has greatly contributed to our Ummah's decline. Misconceptions and fear from government repercussions have played a major role in this.

Yet the true definition of Sabr is the opposite of silently accepting injustice or isolating oneself from the evils of society. Sabr is speaking the word of Haqq (Truth) in front of the oppressor. Sabr is resisting the tragedies that afflict our Ummah without fear of repercussion. Sabr is going about real change to achieve true revival in our precious Ummah. The Believers understand Allah's سبحانه وتعالى Laws so thoroughly that they are willing to suffer any consequence towards triumph, enduring torture-filled imprisonment, loss of wealth, and the ultimate sacrifice: loss of life.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ

الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ

"And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return. They are those on whom are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones." [Al-Baqarah, 2:155-157]

After reading the inspiring Ayaat of Allah سبحانه وتعالى in their prayers deep in the night, it instills great motivation that drives the Muslim to stand up for the Haqq (Truth) in the face of a brutal tyrant and his terrible regime. The deep understanding of Qadda and Qadr allows the true believer to act bravely and forcefully without any worry about this temporary life, for these blessed defenders of the Haqq long for the eternal life. A glorious life as promised to them by the Creator Himself. We take these Believers as our examples who exemplify the strength of their sabr and Imaan.

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "It is a punishment that Allah sends to whom He wills. Allah has made it a mercy for the believers. There is not a servant who finds himself amidst a plague but he stays in that land in patience hoping (for Allah's reward) and knowing that nothing can harm him except what Allah has written then this servant will be given a reward like that of a martyr." (Al-Bukhari)

What an honor to die as a martyr to be placed within the same ranks as the great warrior Hamza (ra) on the Day of Judgement for all the creations to witness.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that." (Al-Bukhari)

Remain steadfast our dear brothers and sisters. Inshallah while enduring the great calamities brought down upon you that you shall enter the Heavens pure and untainted as the day you were born.

Syria, rest assure. Jannah (Paradise) is so close to you that your bloodshed will not be lost in vain. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم expressed the goodness and blessing of the Ahl ash-Sham, "O Allaah bestow your blessings on our Shaam. O Allaah bestow your blessings on our Yemen." (Al-Bukhari) Carry that glad tidings with you to your grave. Inshallah our Ummah's calamity will soon be relieved and Islam's glorious light will fill our skies as promised by the Creator of the universe. Allah swt comforted His Believers with the following ayah:

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يُدَافِعُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ خَوَّانٍ كَفُور

"Indeed, Allah defends those who have believed. Indeed, Allah does not like everyone treacherous and ungrateful." [Al-Hajj, 22:38]

Manal Bader

Bayt al-Maqdes

18 Rabi' I 1433

10/02/2012

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Massacre in Homs: the last throws of a tyrant?

http://www.hizb.org.uk/current-affairs/massacre-in-homs-the-last-throws-of-a-tyrant

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O Muslims of Syria: Stay firm upon the Haqq because verily this regime is on the brink of a pit of fire

http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/analysis/middle-east/13358-o-muslims-of-syria-stay-firm-upon-the-haqq-because-verily-this-regime-is-on-the-brink-of-a-pit-of-fire

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March to support the uprising in Syria, Sat 18th February