Absence of khelafa and the culture of mercenarism

Dr Firoz Mahboob Kamal

The pathology of failure

A Muslim and a kafir never live in the same way and not for the same objective and vision. There exist many non-reconcilable differences. Likewise, Muslims and kafirs do not build a state and their institutions for the same purpose. Like Muslims’ place of worship (mosque), Muslims’ state also differs fundamentally from a state of kafirs. Muslims build a state not only to build schools, roads, hospitals, the army, the judiciary, industries, and other welfare institutions but also to serve the agenda of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. And the agenda of Almighty Allah has been revealed unequivocally in the Holy Qur’an. In His Own vocabulary, it is, “li’yuz hira’hu ald’dini kulli’hi (to overwhelm (Islam) overall falsehood and religions).” For a Muslim, nothing is more important and sacred than investing money, energy, time, intelligence and even blood to serve such an agenda of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. It is indeed the greatest ibada (jihad) in Islam.

And it is the core responsibility of a Muslim state to educate, train, organise and mobilse its people to bring victory to this Divine agenda; no other agenda is more important than this. The Prophet (peace be upon him) of Islam and his companions raised a state to fully materialize this agenda. It is called khilafa or Islamic state. More than 60 percent of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) became martyrs for defending and expanding such a state. Because of this state and its mighty institutions, the Muslims could stand as the most powerful civilizational force on earth. After the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), khulafa-e-rasheda carried out the same mission. The Muslims in all ages are required to obey this most important legacy of the Prophet (peace be upon him). In absence of khelafa, the Muslims now stand like orphans; there exist no institutions to give them the lead.

None of the Muslim countries is Islamic; these are national, tribal, monarchical or secular states. Hence serving the Islamic cause is not their objective; as a result, the citizens can’t serve any Islamic agenda either. On the other hand, a state is never value-free; rather works as a heavily value-loaded institution of the ruling elites. Therefore, the state-run institutions and their policies impact deeply on citizens’ vision, mission, and objectives. Hence, a Muslim living under the occupation of kuffar or non-Islamic Muslims becomes non-functional, dysfunctional, or inimical towards the core agenda of Islam. As a result, about 1.5 billion Muslims couldn’t add any victory or glory to the agenda of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la.

Every man and woman is instilled with unimaginable economic, educational, intellectual, and scientific potentials. Only in an Islamic state, such potentials can be used in the service of Islam and the Muslims. Otherwise, they can be used as mercenaries by the enemies to fight against Islam’s resurgence.  In such a situation, even the mosques, madrasas, schools and universities become the breeding grounds for Islam’s enemies. One can see the grotesque failure of such institutions of the Muslim World to promote the Islamic objectives. In most of Muslim countries, both the government and the non-government institutions have proven to be massive industries to produce mercenaries. The products of these institutions work as political, cultural, economic, intellectual, and military mercenaries for the enemies both at home and abroad. Because of them, the most fundamental and the most obligatory tenants of prophet’s Islam like khilafa, sharia, hudud, shura, jihad, and Islamic education stand defeated and ignored even in the Muslim lands. In the past, the enemies could recruit hundreds of thousands of such mercenaries to fight two World Wars. Now they deploy the new generations of mercenaries to fight their wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Mali, and money other parts. The whole Muslim World is under their occupation. Hence, their guns, tanks, and fighter bombers do not fire against those who have occupied the Muslim lands of Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya, or Arakan; but against the Islam-loving men and women on the streets.

The dismal denial

The full meaning of Islam and Muslim can never be correctly understood in isolation. For that, it needs a full understanding of the Vision of the Almighty Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la vis-à-vis the creation of mankind on earth. Only with such knowledge, one can understand the real importance of the Holy Qur’an and the mission of a Muslim’s life. Such an understanding is indeed the first and foremost requirement to become a true Muslim. Otherwise, an ignorant man or woman would embrace some racial, familial, or cultural practices as real Islam and badly fail to grow up as a true Muslim. In fact, such failure of todays’ Muslims has now reached a catastrophic proportion. The Qur’anic Islam and the true muslimness –as were the distinctive features of the early Muslims, no more survive in any of the 57 Muslim countries. The modern Muslims are far detached from the fundamentals of Islam like sharia, hudud, khelafa, jihad, and shura; and have incorporated kuffar laws, infidel lifestyles, riba-based economy, and secular paradigm of statecraft as their own. In the name of education, culture, and national pride or heritage, they have already built huge government and non-government infrastructures to enhance the detachment. In fact, they practice Islam without Islam.

There shouldn’t be the slightest ambiguity in a Muslim mind vis-à-vis, Islam, as the only complete and comprehensive code of life given by Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la for the whole of mankind. The Holy Qur’an is the last and the final embodiment of that code. Hence, the Muslims do not need any legal, cultural or political graft for incorporation in the body of a Muslim state and its institutions. Any doubt in such completeness of Islam instantly nullifies a Muslim’s faith. In the absence of such an uncompromised faith in Islam, no amount of religious rituals help save one from the hellfire. The real distinctiveness of the Muslims lies in the fact that they are the people who not only declare their full and unadulterated belief in the comprehensiveness of the Qur’anic code; but also show their all-time readiness to implement that code. Any deliberate disobedience of any of the Qur’anic codes straightaway makes a person nonbeliever (kafir) –as occurred in the case of Iblis –the cursed Shaitan. Adherence to Islamic code is indeed the sure road to true success -both here and in the hereafter. Such adherence to Qur’anic guidance brings down the promised blessings of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la –as has been the case in the early days of Islam. On the other hand, any detachment from the Qur’anic roadmap invites the promised consequences –as reiterated in the Holy Qur’an. On this issue, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la has provided a lot of historical evidence in the Holy Qur’an. Even the ongoing calamities in the Muslim World give a testimony to that. Belief in Allah and jihad in His cause is the direct route to get help from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. Because of relentless adherence to Islam and sacrifices for its cause, a few millions of the early Muslims could receive enormous blessings from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. As a result, they could add series of victories and glory to Muslim history. Only this way, those poor Muslims could emerge as the most powerful global power on earth. Whereas today, about 1.5 billion Muslims and their 57 states –despite all the gas, oil, and another rich endowment, could make history only in decadence, defeat, and disgrace. Thus, it continues to prove that any deviation from the Qur’anic roadmap is indeed a sure infrastructure of failure and humiliation. It can take people down the road only towards the hellfire.

The obligation

The faith of a Muslim is always intertwined with some obligations. Accepting Islam means fulfilling obligations. Only because of belief in Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la and His apostle, one can’t attain Divine forgiveness or atonement. Even the infidels of Arabia used to believe in Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la; they used to name their sons Abdullah (slave of Allah) before the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The faith of a believer must get expressed through his or her politics, culture, behaviour, and actions; otherwise gets labeled as a hypocrite. And, while fulfilling the obligation, it isn’t an easy walkover. One needs to pass through assigned tests in every stage of life. In every step, he or she needs to survive with the Islamic mission and vision. His or her own mission and vision are not his or her own inventions; these are fixed only by Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. A Muslim’s assigned mission is to stand up with the full submission to His Qur’anic command. Such a stand-up (qi’am) of a Muslim shouldn’t be confined only within the five-time prayer or inside the mosques; rather must overwhelm all spheres of life with the spirit of enjoining the Truth and eradicating the falsehood (a’maru bil ma’ruf wa nehi’anil munker). This was indeed the life-long mission of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his rightly guided companions. Likewise, a Muslim’s vision must match perfectly with the Vision of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la which entails that Islam must prevail as a code of life over falsehood. Such a stand-up (qiam) for Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la’s is obligatory on all the believing men and women. This way a Muslim pays the price for his place in heaven. So the Divine decree comes from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la: “Tell (O’ Muhammad!): (O’ the believers) I urge you only in one thing, that rise up for Allah’s cause in twos or singly..” –(Sura Saba, verse 46).

Therefore, a Muslim doesn’t need a huge army or party as a precondition to stand up for Islam, he must stand up even alone if fails to find a companion –as Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) stood alone in front of tyrant Nimrod and his tribe. For such an act of audacious steadfastness, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la made Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) the model for the believers of all ages to come -as mentioned in verse 4, sura Mumta’hana. Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) did the same in the court of Pharaoh. The last prophet of Islam Muhammad (peace be upon him), too did the same against the wolves of the Arab tribes. A Muslim’s stand-up (qi’am) on a prayer mat has indeed a very important symbolic implication; it is to inculcate the habit of standing up for the cause of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la in all fields of life. Not only it needs the full audacity but also it requires the readiness to sacrifice one’s life and wealth for the victory of His cause. In order to generate such an audacious dedication among the believers, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la makes a Holy pledge of recompense with the believers. So, it is revealed, “Surely Allah has purchased from the believers their life and their property for this that they shall have the paradise, and they fight in Allah’s way so that they kill and get killed; a promise which is binding on Him in Taurat, the Injeel and the Qur’an; and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? Rejoice therefore in the pledge which you have made (with Allah), and that is a great achievement.” –( Sura Taubah, verse 111). The companions of the prophet (peace be upon him) indeed made such a solemn pledge with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la. Hence, despite their numerical inadequacies, they stood up against the huge armies of Roman and Roman empires –the contemporary world powers. It is history that more than 60 percent of them sacrificed their lives to fulfil the pledge.

The culture of mercenarism

After such a solemn pledge with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la – as revealed in the above verse, how can a Muslim work for the known enemies of Islam? It is indeed fully incompatible with the faith, culture, politics, and body chemistry of a true Muslim to support or align with the agenda of any imperialist, colonialist, autocrat, infidel, nationalist, secularist, socialist, monarchist, autocrat, and other enemies of Islam. Such mercenarism is the sure road towards the hellfire. Only an established hypocrite can chase such a path of devilish deviation. The real faith or piety of a believer is not tested on prayer mats. Nor is it expressed in fasting or in pilgrimage. Hundreds of hypocrites and corrupt men took part in such rituals even in Prophet (peace be upon him)’s time. Rather, it is tested in his role against the murderous enemies of Islam. His submission to those enemies and any co-operation with them instantly nullifies his faith. In fact, it is his bold stand-up against the enemies with all of his merits and abilities that testifies his faith.

Any act of submission to the enemy’s agenda and fighting shoulder to shoulder with them is, in fact, the work of a typical mercenary. A true believer can never sell the greatest amana of his Almighty– his life and abilities to the enemies. It is a major sin in Islam. Hence, none of the Prophet (peace be upon him)’s companions joined the enemy army; neither did any Muslim during the Umaiyah and Abbasia khelafa time either. But later on, the Muslims made horrible history by working as the mercenary of the enemy. This is why when Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, and many other Muslim countries were occupied in 1917 by the British colonial Army, the majority of its troops were non-British and thousands of them were Muslims. More awfully, these remorseless mercenaries who made their livelihood by selling their souls to the enemies could hijack the Muslim states, too. For example, General Eskender Mirza, General Ayyub Khan, and General Yahiya Khan become the President of Pakistan in succession from 1958 to 1971. These three big icons of the Pakistan Army along with many thousands of others started their carrier as the most obedient mercenary of the colonial British Army. By 1947, more than 200, 000 Indian Muslims served as mercenaries in the British colonial Army! They fought World Wars and many wars of occupation for the imperialists in the different parts of the World and also strengthened the British occupation in India. Later on, they could occupy their own country Pakistan, too; and thus could successfully serve the enemy agenda by dismantling this largest Muslim country in the world. Thus the dream of the Indian Muslims for establishing a core Islamic civilizational state in the world was blown up in the wind by these mercenaries.

The picture in the Arab World is not different either. The Arab mercenaries are the people who under the leadership of Sherif Hussain of Mecca and his sons Faisal and Abdullah helped the British and the French to dismember Osmania Khilafa into 16 states and establish Israel. In World War I, more than 1 million Muslims from Egypt and other North African countries joined the British, French, Italian imperialists to fight against the Army of Osmania Khelafa. The same legacy of mercenarism still survives with greater success. Hence the Americans, the Russians, and the Indians need not deploy their own foot soldiers to occupy the target Muslim lands. For them, the home-grown mercenaries are doing the job. As a result, most of the Muslim countries stand dominated by the US-led western coalition. Whereas, it is the consensus of the Islamic jurists that jihad becomes obligatory on Muslims if an enemy army descends on Muslim land. Therefore, those who have an iota of iman, can they sell their souls to the enemies? But it is awful that such transaction of souls has got high currency among millions of Muslims. They are indeed the home-grown enemies of Islam.  The current downfall of the Muslims largely owes to them. 25/05/2021.