According to philosophers wisdommeans understanding truth for

what it truly is. This, however, is an inaccuratedescription, since understanding truth is but a fruitof wisdom. Wisdom is related to the existence of anumber of specific qualities in the thought processof the wise person.

The first quality is the presence of enlightenedthought. This quality enables the wise person tounderstand truth and to reach correct conclusionswhen judging realities. It also enables the individualto distinguish correctness among a sea of corrup-tion and stray thoughts.

I read in one newspaper and heardon radio and television that your

eminence is calling the Muslims to visit al-Quds andthat you are encouraging them to make this visit atsuch a critical state of the Palestinian issue.

In my capacity as one of the Arab Christians withwhom Umar al-Farooq (ra) signed a treaty that Jewswould not live with them in the holy city of al-Quds, I have a right to put forward my contributionto this subject.

When Abu ‘Ubaydah ('Amr b. Al-'Aas) (ra) arrived to open the landof Al-Quds, he requested that its people sign a treatyagreeing that their leader would be the Amir of thebelievers, Khalifah 'Umar b. Al-Khattab (ra).'Ubaydah wrote to 'Umar with this, and thus 'Umarprepared his traveling gear to depart for Bait-ul-Maqdis (Al-Quds).

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The 'Umari Treaty

COVER • ISSUE 3 • VOLUME 13

20

Trouble in theBalkans 22

Editorial

The recent offer and acceptance between Vajpayeeand Musharraf, of a summit concentrating onresolving the Kashmir conflict, brought to the forehow far the Kashmir peace process has really pro-gressed. Due to take place in early July, this summitwill mark the first high-level meeting between thetwo countries since the 'bus diplomacy' of twoyears ago. It will be the culmination of a series ofsteps undertaken since Musharraf came to powerwith a view to finally settling the decades old con-flict and attempting to create a mutually beneficialrelationship.

Kashmir: From Conflictto Conciliation 8

1. Massacres in Macedonia go unreported

2. Corruption Epidemic

3. The Pakistani Budget

4. Shanghai Five agree to fight Islamic revival

5. Execution of the criminal - Timothy McVeigh

6. Moulding the people into one Ummah

7. Friend or Foe

8. Anti-Muslim alliances come to the fore

9. Democracy id dead... long live apathy!

News fromaround the world6

Reference

The upsurge in violencethat has doggedthe Middle East for the last nine months

shows no signs of abating in spite of ardentAmerican efforts to engineer a fragile ceasefirebetween the Muslims of the region and the Israelistate. As Muslims of the region know only too well- ceasefire or not - the Israeli state continues in herfrenzied onslaught of the Muslims of Palestine.

4

First he was a General. Then he became ChiefExecutive. Now he is the President. On Wednesday20th June 2001 Pervaiz Musharraf was sworn intothe position of President of the Islamic Republic ofPakistan, watched over by the current HighCommissioner of India. In fact the Indian govern-ment wasted little time in recognising the newPresident, becoming one of the first countries to doso. Already the Indians had stated that they recog-nise the General as the Pakistani head of state andthis coupled with the attendance of their HighCommissioner at the swearing in ceremony indi-cates t

General, ChiefExecutive, PresidentMusharraf

Letter to Tantawi21

Rabi Al-Thani 1422 - July 2001

Israel and its struggle with the aggressive opposi-tion surrounding it, has consistently been in theheadlines for some time. The images portrayedshow how the state of Israel and its Jewish inhabi -tants are literally under siege from all sides. This,along with specific historical aspects, provides abasis for the current actions of Israel as the worldlooks on...

Iman (a belief with certainty) is the defining char-acteristic of the Muslim for without this he or shewould be a Kafir. In the following Ayat Allah (swt)informs those who believe that there is a condi-tion upon their Iman.

"Fa laa wa Rabbika Laa Yu'minoona Hattaayu'hakkimooka fee maa Shajara baynahum,thumma laa yajidoo fee anfusihim harajammimmaa qadayta wa yusallimooo tasleemaa."

Israel: Crime orJustice12

An Ideology on itsDeath Bed

Since the onset of capitalism and democracy, withthe conflict and injustices it established, thethinkers in the lands in which the ideology hadtaken hold could see that it had serious shortcom-ings. The social and economic oppression thatcharacterised it pushed individuals such as Marxand Engel to invent the ideology of communism,another erroneous creed. Century after century,capitalism was chastised by poets, journalists,philosophers and other Western thinkers alike forits hypocrisy and inconsistencies.

18

A Condition for Iman 14

5

11The Effect of Ijtihadon Scientific

Research in the Khilafahbetween the Muslim World and the West is becom-ing increasingly apparent. This disparity takes manyforms: economic, technological, military and alsothe standard of living via material progress. Duringthe Ottoman period, Muslims were unable to seeIslam's application, and indeed ability to providesolutions, in their ever-changing world. Lookingback to the history of the Khilafah, however, we seeMuslim scholars devising solutions to society'sproblems through the process of ijtihad.

16

Wisdom24

At least sixty-five people were arrested and elevenpolice officers injured in violent demonstrations inthe city of Banja Luka on Monday 18 June 2001.Muslims driven out from the city in 1993 returnedto the town in an attempt to rebuild a historicmosque but were hampered by Serb nationalists.

Two Cats,One Monkey

('Do Billi, Eyk Bandar')

26

E d i t o r i a lEditorial TeamJalaluddin PatelDr Imran WaheedFouad HusseinBaber QureshiBadrul RashidTaji MustaphaAbdul Hamid Jassat

Sisters EditorialTeamSameena AsgharDr Nazreen NawazZara RahmanDr Shagufta Malik

Production TeamBadrul RashidMokbul Hussain

Khilafah Magazine, Suite 298, 56 Gloucester Road, London SW7 4UBwww.Khilafah.com, email Magazine@Khilafah.com

J u l y 2 0 0 1 K h i l a f a h M a g a z i n e

N o C o p y r i g h t s

Since Islam rejects copyrights and patents you arefree to reproduce articles contained within thispublication. It is our kind request that when doingso you cite the author and source of the article.

T r a n s l a t i o n o f t h e Q u r ’ a n

It should be perfectly clear that the Qur’an is onlyauthentic in its original language, Arabic. Since per-fect translation of the Qur’an is impossible, theterm ‘Translation of the Meaning of the Qur’an(TMQ) has been used, as the result is only a crudemeaning of the Arabic text.

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu,

that hasdogged the Middle East for the last ninemonths shows no signs of abating in spite ofardent American efforts to engineer a fragileceasefire between the Muslims of the regionand the Israeli state. As Muslims of theregion know only too well - ceasefire or not- the Israeli state continues in her frenziedonslaught of the Muslims of Palestine. Arafat,his cronies, and their colonial masters prom-ised the Muslims of the region that the'peace process' would bring many fruitsincluding political stability, security, interna-tional recognition and economic prosperity.Muslims, the world over, have come torealise the emptiness of such promises withthe region as politically volatile as ever, withinsecurity a fact of daily life, and with pooreconomic prospects for all.

With such a realisation it seems somewhatironic that in the adjoining continent of Asiaanother 'peace process' is being initiatedbetween India and Pakistan, and not surpris -ingly, welcomed enthusiastically by the USA.President Pervaiz Musharraf, the leader ofPakistan, will visit India on the fourteenth ofJuly for a three-day trip incorporating talksabout Kashmir. The Deputy Spokesman ofthe US State Department, Philip Reeker, said,"Pakistan and India have an opportunity tomake real progress towards a reduction oftension and resolution of their differencesthrough peaceful means". The IndianDefence Minister echoed those sentimentswhen he said, "India's commitment to peace,dialogue and cooperative coexistence withPakistan remains unaltered." Predictablyecstatic, given a golden opportunity tobetray the Muslims of Kashmir, the leader ofPakistan, General Musharraf, said "We shouldmeet...I would certainly like to meet him(Vajpayee)".

The Muslim land for sale in this 'peaceprocess' is the land of Kashmir, whoseinhabitants lived under the glorious Islamicrule for many centuries, after having beenliberated by Muhammad bin Qasim duringthe time of the Umayyad Khilafah. Thereinthey had enjoyed political stability, securityfor their lives, property and deen, interna-tional standing and economic prosperity.

For some time now, the government ofPakistan has been working to remould thepublic opinion of the people of Pakistanwho still yearn for the Islamic conquestsand for Islam to be at the centre of the

affairs of life. By promising economic pros -perity and political stability Musharraf hastried to prepare the people of Pakistan -who have fought several wars with India -for peace with India and for the resolutionof the Kashmir issue.

It is heartening to see that even in thesedark days without the Khilafah to guard theinterests of this Ummah and foil the plans ofthe Kuffar, that the masses from amongstthis Ummah remain an obstacle to thetreacherous plans of the colonialists andtheir agents from the ranks of the Muslimrulers who spend much effort and manyresources to corrupt the pure nature of themasses. Those who seek to betray thisUmmah by selling the blood of the Ummahfor a pitiful price, should take notice of theUmmah's anger and retribution and of thefate of their likes throughout history.

What we see today of peace negotiationswith the occupiers of Muslim land is thenatural consequence of the fact that the dis -believers' surrogates are running the affairsof the Muslims. They act as watchdogs forthe disbelieving Western powers; theyexploit the land and the people to servetheir interests and they preoccupy theUmmah with running after their daily bread,trivial problems and side issues, in order tosidetrack them from their major and onlyissue, which is the issue of establishing theKhilafah which Allah (swt) has made an obli -gation upon them, to resume the Islamicway of life in their homeland and export themessage of Islam to the whole world.

"And Allah has full power and control overHis affairs; but most among mankindknow it not." [TMQ Yusuf: 21].

Dr Imran Waheed

News TeamYusuf PatelRashad AliAhmad JassatMohammed AkmalWalid GubaraAmmar Zalloom

Publishing TeamFarhad KhodabakshFaisal RajaNurul Amin

Internet ProductionTeamAbu Yahya

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Published by Al-Khilafah Publications

The upsurge in violence

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K h i l a f a h M a g a z i n e J u l y 2 0 0 1

ReferenceExecutive General Pervaiz Musharraf, in a

message on the occasion of 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal,said: "We should pledge to cast our lives in conso-nance with the teachings of the Holy Prophet" Hesaid the nation should vow on this occasion to foilall internal and external conspiracies against thecountry. It should work to defeat the forces work -ing against peace and determine to frustrate thedesigns of terrorists. "Let us pledge to work dayand night for the welfare, prosperity and stabilityof the country in the light of the teachings of theHoly Prophet", said the chief executive.

Source: Dawn

Comment

Rhetoric and empty gestures about Islam are sec-ond nature to Pakistan's ruling establishment. Theaddress by self installed President Musharraf comesas no surprise. One wonders whether he trulyrealises the enormity of his pledge in casting ourlives in consonance with the teachings of the HolyProphet (saw).

In his role as head of state the Messenger of Allah(saw) faced enormous challenges and problems. Heset about addressing them according to the dic-tates of Allah (swt). Upon his arrival in Madinah theMessenger (saw) at once set about reconstructinga socio-political order based on the universal andcomprehensive application of Shari'ah laws - as andwhen they were revealed.

Madinan society was not simply a loose gatheringof Muslims; it had a structure and coherency to it.The Messenger (saw) established a political struc-ture to regulate the affairs of society. The new lead-ership in Madinah was faced with key issues relat -ing to social order. Madinah had to absorb an influxof immigrants, the Muhajireen, who had left theirhomes, wealth and livelihoods for the cause ofAllah (swt).

Pakistan's problems necessitate radical and com-prehensive change in the political, economic andsocial spheres. However Musharraf has undertakenno such reforms. He has redistributed power backto the armed forces along the same lines of thatundertaken by Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and Zia ul-Haq.

The secular constitution still lies in abeyance.Rather than call for a revamp along Islamic lines itis likely to be restored with some minor modifica-tions.

The federal set up of Pakistan, which enforces therepugnant idea of provincialism and nationalismremains and shows no sign of being abolished. Sorather than building a nation upon the idea ofMuakhah, as the Prophet (saw) had done, we seebrother look upon brother as a Muhajir, Sindhi orPathan with the associated ethnic infighting con-tinuing.

"O you who believe! Take not into your intima-cy those outside your ranks; they will not fail tocorrupt you. They only desire your ruin: rankhatred has already appeared from their mouths;what their hearts conceal is far worse. We havemade plain to you the Signs if you have wis-dom." [TMQ Ale-Imran: 118]

"Let not the believers take the disbelievers asfriends/supporters (awliya) instead of believers,and whoever does that is not of Allah in any-thing except if you fear from them something tobe feared (tuqat). And Allah warns you againstHimself and to Allah is the return." [TMQ Ale-Imran: 28]

"Give tidings to the hypocrites that for them is apainful punishment. Those who take the disbe-lievers as (awliya) instead of believers." [TMQAn-Nisa: 138-9]

"O you who believe! Take not the Jews and theChristians for your friends and protectors: theyare but friends and protectors to each other. Andhe amongst you that turns to them (for friend-

ship) is of them. Verily Allah guides not a peopleunjust." [TMQ Al-Ma'idah: 51]

"The unbelievers are protectors one of another:unless you do this (protect each other) therewould be tumult and oppression on earth andgreat mischief." [TMQ Al-Anfal: 73]

"Or think you that you Shall be abandoned asthough Allah did not know those among youwho strive with might and take none for friendsand protectors except Allah His apostle and the(community of) believers? But Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that you do."[TMQ At-Taubah: 16]

"O you who believe! Take not for friends andprotectors those who take your religion for amockery or sport whether among those whoreceived the Scripture before you or amongthose who reject faith; but fear Allah if you haveFaith (indeed)." [TMQ Al Ma'idah: 57]

"O you who believe! Take not My enemies andyours as friends (or protectors) offering them(your) love even though they have rejected theTruth that has come to you and have (on thecontrary) driven out the Prophet and yourselves(from your homes) (simply) because youbelieve in Allah your Lord! If you have come outto strive in My Way and to seek My GoodPleasure (take them not as friends) holdingsecret converse of love (and friendship) withthem: for I know full well all that you concealand all that you reveal. And any of you that doesthis has strayed from the Straight Path. If theywere to get the better of you they would behaveto you as enemies and stretch forth their handsand their tongues against you for evil; and theydesire that you should reject the Truth." [TMQ Al-Mumtahinah: 1-2]

Q u o t a t i o n

5

Instead of initiating the Islamic policy of redistrib -uting wealth amongst the Ummah, Musharraf'sregime has carried on securing more foreign loans.Loans which the unaccountable will squanderaway but which the impoverished masses will haveto pick up the tab for in the form of higher pricesfor foodstuffs and energy, inflation and devaluationof their currency.

Musharraf has revealed that he aims to cast his lifein the mould of secular minded politicians beforehim. Through his hollow reforms he aims to castthe lives of millions of Muslims in consonance withthe teachings of the secular disbelieving West.

Ahmer Feroze

Reference

Chief

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4Massacres in Macedonia go unreported

The world's media has kept silentabout recent events in Macedonia.News reports and eyewitnessaccounts from human rights organi-sations show the deliberate policy ofthe government that has both direct-ly and indirectly facilitated the mas -sacre of Muslims.

Examples of this policy include thedestruction and desecration ofancient mosques such as the threehundred year old Hatuniye Mosque,which had signs of the cross all overit. Women and children have beenseparated from their husbands, withno explanation and no indication oftheir whereabouts. Whole regionssuch as Lipkovo are under siege fromtanks and army regiments.

It is very clear that the West choosesto report events and massacres onlywhen it suits them. Hence the mas -sacres of Muslims in Uzbekistan,Tajikistan, Albania and Macedonia gounreported since it is not in theirinterests to highlight them.

This attitude should not surprise us.One finds that it was the same Westthat disarmed the Muslims of Bosniaand then allowed the Serbs to mas -sacre the Muslims in the "safe haven"of Srebrenica. Indeed, the same Westthat handed Macedonia to the brutalCommunist Josif Tito, and the samewhich upholds the embargoes onIraq.

When Sultan Murad I conquered thisregion he placed his tutor SahinPasha as governor of Macedonia andin the corresponding yearsMacedonia prospered under theKhilafah.

Jilani Gulam

Corruption Epidemic

Early in June, Abdul Sattar, Pakistan'sforeign minister called for the inter-national community to help combatthe scourge of corruption in thedeveloping world. He stated in apress briefing in London that, "I thinkthat corruption is a scourge equiva-lent to drug trafficking or terrorism."

This disease has engulfed the wholeworld; developed and developingcountries alike. For instance, corrup-tion is a major part of Indian gover-

nance. The Tehelka scandal shookIndia with its revelation that a broadrange of politicians were literallycashing in. The IndonesianCorruption Watch (ICW), in its year-end report for 2000, revealed thatpolitical parties were the focus ofcorruption in the country.

The US is plagued with corruption;past cases include Nixon's Watergatescandal, Chiquita's 'Banana war' andthe buying of US congressmen.

In the UK, the former Conservativegovernment was renowned for itsscandals and the present Labour gov-ernment is no different in allowingbig business to buy influence in poli -cy making as illustrated by theHinduja affair.

Western institutions have been tryingto combat corruption but to no avail.They claim causes of corruption arealways contextual, rooted in a coun-try's policies, bureaucratic traditionsand political development.

They fail to realise that corruptionand its various forms are all sympto -matic of one main cause - the appli -cation of man-made law through thepursuit of self-benefit and interest,essentially deeply rooted in theCapitalistic ideology.

"Corruption has appeared on landand sea because of the handiworkof men" [TMQ Ar-Rum: 41]

Muhammad Fawzi

The Pakistani Budget

Shaukat Aziz, Pakistan's Minister ofFinance has managed to procure a fif-teen per cent General Sales Tax (GST)on sugar, oil and ghee. The tax wasagreed with the InternationalMonetary Fund in order to securefurther funds to 'support' the ailingeconomy. GST on all raw materialsused by industries such as iron andsteel are also set to increase from fif-teen per cent to twenty per cent,from July 1st 2001.

The budget for the fiscal year2001/2002 is designed to open thePakistani market to multi-nationalsand the like. Not surprisingly the stip-ulated IMF conditions take prece-dence over the needs of the Muslims

of Pakistan. The budget means thatthe Rs 465 billion projected tax rev-enues will in large be re-routed to theIMF in the form of debt servicing pay-ments.

Pakistan is a country where the pop-ulation on the whole is neither rich,nor educated. They are people whotoil their daily bread from their land.The imposition of such Western ori-entated taxes is a glaring insult to thesincere blood and sweat of thosewho work hard for a Halal living.How is it that those in authority, likeShaukat Aziz, manage to fall awayfrom the straight path time and timeagain? Perhaps he, and others likehim, should ponder over the ayah:

"Oh man, what has seduced youfrom your Lord Most Beneficent."[TMQ Al-Infitar: 6]

Dilpazier Aslam

Shanghai Five agree to fightIslamic revival

The presidents of the ShanghaiCooperation Organization membercountries recently completed theirtwo-day summit in Shanghai. Thegroup, commonly known as the"Shanghai Five," admitted a sixthmember, Uzbekistan, releasing a state-ment pledging cooperation in thefight against "terrorism".

What déjà vu! This is nothing new, asreports of such meetings by leaderswho have vested interests in CentralAsia conjure up memories of thepast. Was it not the leaders of theMushrikeen of Makkah who con-spired in Dar al-Nadwah, to kill theMessenger of Allah (saw) in order toimpede the success of the nobleHijrah that heralded the establish-ment of the Islamic State? Indeed, itwas in such meetings like theShanghai Five summits that theQuraish pretended to safeguard'peace' in the Arabian Peninsula justas Akayev and Karimov claim tosecure the 'independence' of CentralAsia. Just as Allah (swt) destroyed theplots of the Mushrikeen then, He(swt) will also put an end to theintrigues of these rulers and theirprotectors. And this is not difficult forHim (swt).

The number of diplomatic visits

made by the US to Uzbekistan alone,in order to endorse the Karimov lead-ership with the US seal of approval,and to furnish her with manyweapons in addition to offering her"advice" in combating the Da'wa toIslam, is a very clear indication thatthe US is directing these regimes. Itwould seem that the American influ-ence, is under threat by the sincerecarriers of the Da'wa, who seek todestroy her hegemony and who aimto return to the application of Islamupon society.

Allah (swt) says: "They plot and planand Allah plans, and Allah is thebest of planners" [TMQ Al-Anfal: 30]

Kysar Sharif

Execution of the Criminal -Timothy McVeigh

The execution ofTimothy McVeigh, aGulf war veteran,took place onMonday the 11th ofJune, for the bomb-ing of the Alfred P.

Murrah Federal building in OklahomaCity in 1995, killing 168 men, womenand children. The Federal govern-ment was happy to bring this execu-tion to public attention as it regardedit as a murderous criminal act, whichcould only have been performed bysomebody evil or insane. The Federalgovernment of America should becareful to make such commentsupon this issue, as it is in danger ofmaking itself an instigator and per-former of such criminal activities andis also in danger of labelling itself andits policies as evil and barbaric.

One does not need to look any fur -ther than American policy towardsIraq. An apt example is the bombingof Iraq for the last eleven years,where innocent men, women andover a million children have beenkilled, maimed or deformed as aresult of the chemical warfare usedagainst them by the American gov -ernment. Is this not a murderouscriminal activity? The American gov -ernment claims to be attackingSaddam Hussein and not the peopleof Iraq; yet McVeigh had the sameidea in mind when he plottedrevenge against the American Federalgovernment, which he believed to be

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4"out of control". The execution ofMcVeigh was witnessed by over 300people, which included families ofthe victims, government officials andmedia journalists. The world willinsha-Allah witness the death of thecriminal capitalist nation of Americaand all other Kuffar states when theArmy of Jihad, under the orders ofthe Khalifah Rashidah, is unleashedupon them, calling them to accountfor their crimes and injustices carriedout against the Muslims and Islam.

"And they (the Messengers) soughtvictory and help (From their Lord(Allah)), and every obstinate, arro -gant dictator (who refuses tobelieve in the oneness of Allah) wasbrought to a complete loss anddestruction." [TMQ Ibrahim: 15]

Themina Ahmed

Moulding the people into one Ummah

Recently violent protest erupted inAlgeria's eastern region of Kabylia.These protests came from Algeria'sBerber population who are a signifi-cant minority, accounting for 20-30%of the population. On one night morethan 100,000 Berbers rioted throughthe streets of Algeria denouncing thearmy-backed regime's repression inKabylia. They have long claimed dis-crimination, suffering from social andfinancial deprivation. Bouteflika (theruler of Algeria) immediatelyannounced a cabinet reshuffleinvolving several ministries, includ -ing finance, public works and com-munications. However, commentsfrom an official from the SocialistForces Front (FFS) refuted theactions by saying "What's happeningdoesn't require a change in the cabi-net, it's putting the whole systeminto question."

Indeed what is required in Algeria is achange of system. The decade ofproblems in Algeria is what happenswhen a regime rejects Islam. Thepeople of Algeria have suffered far tolong and the recent events involvingthe Berbers illustrate the failure ofman-made systems.

Little does Bouteflika know that theIslamic Shari'ah caters for all people,times and places. The Islamic systemthat lasted for 1300 years not onlygoverned the affairs of Muslims but

those of non-Muslims because it is asystem that has been revealed byAllah (swt), the creator of the uni-verse.

"And let not the enmity and hatredof others make you avoid justice. Bejust: That is nearer to piety, and fearAllah. Verily, Allah is well-acquaint-ed with what you do." [TMQ Al-Ma'idah: 8].

Amin ar Rashid

Friend or foe?

The Director of theUS CentralIntelligence Agency(CIA), George Tenetconducted a tour ofthe Middle East for

the purpose of bolstering the fragileceasefire. He was joined by a wholehost of highly influential Westernmediators, including the EuropeanUnion foreign policy chief JavierSolana, Swedish Prime MinisterGoran Persson, and also theSecretary-General of the UnitedNations Kofi Annan.

George Tenet, has requested thePalestinian Authority to prevent peo-ple from attacking Israeli positions,to end incitement in the media andto arrest militant gunmen. He followsa long line of American-Jewish politi-cians involved in mediating betweenthe two sides, such as HenryKissinger, Dennis Ross, MadelineAlbright and William Cohen. This isfurther indication that the Palestinianleadership disregard the rule of Allah(swt):

"O you who believe! Take not theJews and the Christians for yourfriends and protectors: they are butfriends and protectors to each other.And he amongst you that turns tothem (for friendship) is of them.Verily Allah guides not a peopleunjust." [TMQ Al-Ma'idah: 51]

Moreover it is haram to make peacewith an enemy who is occupying

Islamic Land. The Messenger of Allah(saw) said, "Whosoever gives away ahand span of Islamic land willreceive an equal hand span in hell."Therefore the obligation that liesupon the Muslims is not to find a'Muslim friendly' mediator, but ratherit is for the Muslim rulers to end theoccupation of the Islamic lands byfollowing only that which Allah (swt)has revealed.

Omer Hussein

Anti-Muslim alliances come to the fore

A web site run by militant Hindus inQueens and Long Island, New York,USA, was recently shut down by itsservice provider, only to be resurrect-ed by radical Jews in Brooklyn a fewdays later. The web site advocatedhatred and violence towardsMuslims, which is the common factorin the alliance between the Jews andHindus. This anti-Muslim bond hascaused Hindus to march alongsidethe Jews in the annual salute to Israelparade on Fifth Avenue whereas theJews joined the Hindus in a protestoutside the United Nations regardingthe treatment of Hindus inAfghanistan.

Rohit Vyasmaan who runs one of theHindu websites states, "Whether youcall them Palestinians, Afghans, orPakistanis, the root of problem forHindus and Jews is Islam".

Such a statement comes as no sur -prise to an Ummah who has becomeaccustomed to suffering torment andoppression at the hands of the Jewsin Palestine and at the hands of theMushrik Hindus of India. Howeversuch measures of desperation breedconfidence amongst the Muslims asthey have come to recognise that theformation of such organisations andthe co-operation between them ismerely another feeble effort on thepart of the Kuffar to thwart the plansof the believers.

"The unbelievers are protectors oneof another: unless you do this (pro -tect each other) there would betumult and oppression on earthand great mischief." [TMQ Al-Anfal:73]

Faisal Raja

Democracy is dead…long live apathy!

The turnout at the British generalelection dropped to an 80-year lowwith only 60 per cent of the elec-torate bothering to cast their vote.Non-participation is yet to reach thehigh levels of the American politicalsystem, which saw only 51 per centof the electorate vote in last year'spresidential elections. But theturnout in Britain did fall dramatical-ly from 1997 when it was 74 percent.

Western society is overtly aboutgains; the 'what's in it for me' culturehas detached people from politicsand politicians; a detachment naturalfor such societies which do not feel apart of the process of decision-mak -ing. Rather politics is seen as the illic-it business presided over by old menin suits and ties whose actions areinextricably linked to the interests ofbig business.

Conversely, Islam's conception ofpolitics is far from the culture of lin-ing one's own pockets, as it relates tothe enjoining of good and forbiddingof evil in society. This was in the pasta natural state of being, the life-bloodof an Ummah that was united by asingle goal and a common concep-tion of maintaining their unity andensuring that the Kuffar were giventhe opportunity to live under Islam.Such Muslims adopted politics inorder to fulfil the mission of Islamand the legacy of the Prophet (saw),whether they were a farmer, trader,scholar or ruler.

Islam encourages a thinking societynot a politically unaware society likeCapitalism. This is why under theKhilafah after the death of theProphet (saw) the discussions thatdominated the minds of the peoplewere not about cricket, reality gameshows or the like but rather aboutpolitics, Fiqh, Tafseer, hadith and theArabic language. This is why withinthe masses, great scholars like ImamAsh-Shafi'i and Abu Hanifah, greatMufasireen like Imam Qurtubi, writ -ers of the Seerah like Ibn Ishaq, IbnHisham, masters of the Arabic lan-guage like Al-Asmai', war experts likeKhalid ibn Walid and outstandingpoliticians like Ibn Abbas, Harun ar-Rashid and Sultan Abdul Hamid IIwere developed.

Yusuf Patel

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wars against the Sikhs, he was awarded the adja-cent principality of Kashmir. The Treaty ofAmritsar confirmed: "Maharaja Gulab Singhacknowledges the supremacy of the British gov-ernment and will in token of such supremacypresent annually to the British, one horse, twelvegoats, and three pairs of Kashmiri shawls." Thegranting of Muslim Kashmir to a Hindu began astruggle that has not finished to this day.

The 1947 Partition was the second major blow tostrike the Muslims of the region. Established onthe principle that the Muslim and Hindu majorityprovinces of British India would accede toPakistan and India respectively, this resolutionquickly fell apart when it came to Kashmir.Although majority Muslim, its ruler was a HinduMaharaja who delayed accession in an attempt togain independence. The Muslim population,already in revolt, was quickly assisted by tribes-men from across the border in an attempt to unitethe land with Pakistan. Faced with this crisis, theMaharaja acceded to India, and troops from bothnations went to war. The resulting cease-fire leftPakistan in control of one third of the former statewith India taking the greater share, including thecapital and the heartlands of the Kashmir Valley.

The problem did not end here. After another warin 1965 that left the de-facto border, the line ofcontrol, unchanged, suppression of secessionistactivity continued. This culminated in the massuprising initiated in the mid-80s, marking theestablishment of armed groups fighting jihad toachieve liberation. The response from the Indianside was brutal. Troops swamped the region, withkilling and torture of the civilian populationbecoming the primary tools of containment. Ageneration of Muslims in Pakistan were beingbrought up watching the nightmare in Kashmir,and driven by their passion for Islam; support andassistance to the cause became a way of life. Butby the late 1990s, with tens of thousands dead,many more injured, a population dishonoured,and a political leadership in stagnation, the con-flict seemed to be in stalemate. However, as wasthe case in other Muslim crises around the world,a third option had been secretly initiated and was,in this case, given the name 'Track II.'

Having first come to light in early 2000, backdoornegotiations involving high-level diplomats start-ed to be reported in the press. Spokesmen fromNew Delhi and Islamabad toned down the hard-line rhetoric that was a staple part of the war ofwords over Kashmir. With Musharraf's declarationthat there was "no military solution" to theKashmir issue, and an unprecedented cease-fireannouncement by the Indians, a case of terroristshaving suddenly become trustworthy, it was clearthat moves were underway to reach a settlement.Confirmation was received when PakistaniMinisters began almost weekly announcements ofIslamabad's readiness to begin open talks, withthe final declaration being New Delhi's letter ofinvitation to Musharraf.

Thus, the unthinkable act, of abandoning jihadand establishing peace with the old enemy, was

and acceptance betweenVajpayee and Musharraf, of a summit concentrat-ing on resolving the Kashmir conflict, brought tothe fore how far the Kashmir peace process hasreally progressed. Due to take place in early July,this summit will mark the first high-level meetingbetween the two countries since the 'bus diplo-macy' of two years ago. It will be the culminationof a series of steps undertaken since Musharrafcame to power with a view to finally settling thedecades old conflict and attempting to create amutually beneficial relationship.

For the Muslim Ummah it is yet another astound-ing admission of an attempt at making peace withan enemy who has caused terrible distress andsuffering to countless millions - a chronicle ofshattered hopes and reckless rulers, who havefailed to protect the honour of their nation or the

dominance of their deen. The impending finale tothe Kashmiri saga once again reminds us of theabysmal situation that we are in. It is imperative,therefore, to evaluate the issue at hand and allowthe revealing light of revelation to point to thesolution.

Unfolding the Tragedy

It was only after the decline of Muslim power inthe subcontinent, with the rise of initially Sikhrule and then the establishment of the British Raj,that the present problem of Kashmir was created.Under the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh, the estate ofJammu was awarded to one of his Hindu leaders,Gulab Singh. Later, in 1841, Gulab Singh allowedthe British to march through his territory to fightthe Muslims of Afghanistan. Coupled with the sup -port that he extended to the British during their

Kashmir: FromConflict to

Conciliation

"Kashmir bane ga Pakistan, Ban ke rahe ga Pakistan.""Kashmir will become Pakistan, and will

remain Pakistan after doing so."

A national Pakistani slogan in support of Kashmir

"We are ready for talks. Anytime,anywhere and at any level."

General Pervaiz Musharraf

The recent offer

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about to be realised.

Marshalling the Troops

With the heady pace of progress, it can become alltoo easy to think that the idea of negotiating awaythe Kashmir issue and embracing a sworn adver-sary has taken place without resistance. Indeed, asuperficial study might well leave us perplexedwith the ease with which the Kashmir causeseems to have been abandoned by its most ardentprotagonists. However, it has required a great dealof struggle and political manipulation to get to thestage where we find ourselves at present. A num-ber of fronts were simultaneously opened to iden-tify the effects of the Kashmir struggle onPakistan, create a bogeyman on whom to pin theblame and point out the benefits of the govern-ment position.

The campaign began by pointing out that thegreatest problem of Pakistan was economic. Thiswas primarily the result of the excessive drain onthe national exchequer caused by the largedefence budget. A resolution to the Kashmir con-flict, it was argued, would reduce this substantial-ly. Pakistan simply could no longer bear the costof the liberation struggle.

Having set the basic premise, a bogeyman wascreated. Inevitably this became 'fundamentalist'Islam. The largest thorns in the side of the gov -ernment strategy were the Jihadi groups, bothKashmiri and Pakistani based. Having widespreadsupport among the people and engaging in anoble cause, they held a significant amount ofpolitical clout. However, they had now become aburden. Increasingly, Pakistani newspapersbecame full of headlines and editorials laying theills of the nation squarely on the shoulders of irra-tional Islamists, who despite having great zeal,failed to realise that compromise and concessionwere the backbone of international politics. Overmany months the government became increas-ingly vociferous in ordering the Islamic groups toreduce their 'unlawful' activities. Speaking to agathering of ulema on the occasion of Milad,Musharraf said, "the world thinks that we are ter-rorists and responsible for violence around theworld." He urged the audience to help his gov -ernment to change the country's image, saying,"Pakistan's support of the Kashmiri freedomstruggle is confined only to diplomatic backing."

The critical moment came with the announce-ment of Hizb ul-Mujahideen, the largest jihadigroup in Kashmir and a wing of Jamat-i-Islami, thatthey had declared a temporary cease-fire. Thissent shock-waves through the community, imme -diately polarising opinion to either for or againstnegotiation. The process of moulding opinion forthe peace process had taken off.

Gradually the main Islamic groups started to fallinto line. A lack of ideological Islamic understand-ing and domination by an all-pervasive atmos-phere of compromise meant appeasing state-ments were soon issued. At the three-dayInternational Deoband Conference held near

Peshawar in April 2001, an unprecedented resolu-tion was passed "urging the political leadership ofIndia and Pakistan to find a peaceful and just solu-tion to the Kashmir problem to save the subcon-tinent and Asia from a nuclear confrontation."Jamat-i-Islami party spokesman, Amirul Azeem,was quoted by the Jang Newspaper on 26th Mayas saying, "We welcome India's talks offer but itshould be meaningful, with the sole aim of imple-menting the United Nations resolutions on a ref-erendum in Kashmir." Other religious politicalparties released similar statements.

In another calculated move, Imam Bukhari ofJamia Masjid Delhi urged fellow ulema in India to"stop making irresponsible statements againstIndia." Criticising his Pakistani counterparts, headded that Pakistani Ulema had caused "embar-rassment" to Muslims in India. He further clarifiedhis by stating both parties must adopt a "flexiblestand. Violence creates violence. Violence or waris not the solution to any dispute." Clearly, thegovernment had managed to secure the necessaryfatwas legitimising its actions from both sides ofthe border.

While the Ummah was gradually being cajoledinto accepting a negotiated settlement, normalisa-tion and integration of Pakistan's future with Indiacontinued. As an example, the Jang Newspaperreported on 9th June that "Pakistan is expected toallow import duty reductions on more than 200Indian products in the next federal budget." Thiswas in contrast to the imposition of IMF enforcedtaxation upon the ordinary citizens of Pakistan.The population became accustomed toannouncements like "senior official at Petroleumministry said on Wednesday (13th June) thatdomestic fuel prices, ranging from 9.4 percent to14.48 percent has been raised as part of a quar-terly price review." So while Muslims continuedto bear greater burdens under ever increasing tax-ation, the old enemy received preferential treat-ment.

Diversionary Voices

The solutions on offer to the Muslims in the sub-continent have always been frail, and Kashmir hasbeen no exception. The dominant factor through-out is reliance on outside forces, particularly theUnited Nations. Indeed, it is sometimes stated soforcefully, as to be nauseating. In the words ofMushahid Hussain, the Information Minister inJune 1999, "Pakistan will continue its moral, diplo-matic, and political support to the cause of theKashmiri people, which derives its legitimacyfrom the United Nations resolutions." This state-ment is a reflection of the dominant opinion ofthe leadership of Pakistan, and also the opinionimposed upon the greater part of the Ummah. Itis clear that the UN is regarded as the only legiti-mate body from which an opinion can be accept-able. This explains why individuals have alwaysbeen so eager to denounce any other basis as ille-gitimate. The other aspect to this statement iswhat it leaves out. Support of the Muslims inKashmir is extended in every sphere except themost crucial: military assistance. Once again, this

displays a mentality conforming to the presentview of acceptable international relationsbetween sovereign nation-states. The stubbornrefusal to question this basis is what lies at theheart of the continued failure to solve theKashmir problem.

A cursory glance at the actions of the UN wouldreveal to any observer that, far from being an inde -pendent body, it is clearly under the control of thedominant world power of the time. It follows thedirection set for it and undertakes actions justifiedfor it. Thus, under US leadership, it is acceptable tosupply weapons to the Taiwanese in their struggleagainst the Chinese, yet unacceptable for Muslimsto give military aid to Kashmir. Undertakingnuclear tests results in sanctions being placed onPakistan, but these are absent when the US choos -es to renege on its signed international agree-ments (ABM Treaty) and increases global instabili-ty in the process by development of the NationalMissile Defence. Criticism is targeted at nationsfor not implementing the democratic system, butsilence is reserved for the undemocratic basis ofthe UN Security Council.

Far more dangerous than this acknowledged igno-rance is the failure to regard Islamic thought as aviable solution to the present predicament. For astate having the title 'Islamic Republic', there isobviously a lack of confidence and a great deal ofresistance to Islam being an acceptable source ofguidance by a large part of the ruling structure.Thus, the words of Allah (swt) stated in Surah Al-Ma'idah:

"O you who Believe! Do not take the Jews andChristians for your friends and protectors. Theyare but friends and protectors of one another.And if any of you takes them as friends and pro-tectors he is one of them" [TMQ Al-Ma'idah: 51].

are left ignored. The prohibition of giving alle-giance to bodies like the UN, as clarified by theabove ayah, must be a central part of our politicalthinking.

This attitude has disastrous consequences for astate established to implement a precise world-view. Neglect of its fundamental basis and theimplementation of a mosaic of other rules andcanons has left the nation without an ideologicalframework or a vision of dominance. Instead, thisis replaced with a plethora of contradictory andconflicting ideas and a system enforced upon apopulace that is fundamentally opposed to it.Thus, while the Kashmir conflict continues to fes-ter, voices calling for an increased internationali-sation of the issue are not unheard of. What theseindividuals fail to realise is that the issue has beeninternationalised since its very inception. Theinternational community and the UN wereinvolved from the very first war in 1948 and reso-lutions have followed ever since. However, thevery act of allowing foreign powers, with their

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own interests to defend, to gain a foothold in theregion is what prevents a just solution. Thus, theMuslims of the region are left as idle observerswhile UN observers watch to ensure that theinterests of the dominant power are upheld. Inaddition, as well as this, the approach also negatesthe clear injunctions of Islam. Allah (swt) states:

"Allah (swt) does not allow for the disbelieversto have any way (of authority) over the believ-ers" [TMQ An-Nisa: 141].

To place those who reject our viewpoint towardslife as authorities over us, and to accept them tojudge in our disputes based on non-Islamic inter-national law, is plainly rejected.

The critical observer would find that the currenteconomic, political and social crisis in Pakistan, farfrom being caused by the observance of Islamicprinciples, is the direct cause of the democraticCapitalist system. It is not an Islamic system thathas been enforced in Pakistan over the last 50years, but a democratic, western-law dominatedsystem. Thus, the present state of the country ismerely a reflection of the failure of the democrat-ic system. It is the desperate attempt to avert theeyes of the nation from this glaring fact thatresults in the avalanche of anti-Islamist propagan-da.

Realising the Potential

It is apparent that the Kashmir conflict is just onesymptom of the failed policies of the 'IslamicRepublic of Pakistan'. With an external debt of $40billion, economic instability and political turmoilas its characteristic features, it is the whole systemof the state which is undermining any form ofprogress. What needs to be discarded is the con-cept of 'Republic', and all associated notions, sym-bolised in the nation's name and a refocus on thesignificance of 'Islamic'. Although a detailed elab-oration of the Islamic political system of Khilafahis beyond the scope of this article, what is neces-sary is an appreciation of the Islamic rulingmodel.

The Khilafah State is a centralised ruling structurewith all mandatory powers delegated to theKhalifah. The Khalifah derives his legitimacythrough the receipt of bay'ah from the Ummah.His responsibility encompasses implementationof the entire body of Islamic laws immediately inthe land where he is appointed and seeks to proj-ect the influence of Islam to the global arena.Rasoolallah (saw) said in a hadith narrated in theSahih of al-Bukhari, "The children of Israel (Jews)were ruled over by the Prophets. Whenever oneProphet died, another succeeded him, but afterme there will be no Prophet, but there will beKhulafah and they will be many." The Sahabah(ra) asked, "What do you order us to do?" He (saw)said: "Fulfil the bay'ah to them, one after one. Givethem their rights for Allah (swt) will questionthem about their responsibility."

Before we focus on the Kashmir issue, we alsoneed to take stock of the potential that exists inthe land of Pakistan. There are many encouragingsigns. With a large, young and able population,Pakistan is strategically located with an amplesupply of most natural resources. Historically anarea of Muslim dominance, it still hosts many whoare able to see the path to rising power. Coupledwith a well-trained and powerful military, pos -sessing nuclear deterrence, it could be well suitedto rapid ascendancy.

What Islam could give this dynamic populace isfirstly a unique political worldview. Allah (swt)says:

"Surely we have sent down to you the Book(Qur'an) in truth, that you might rule betweenMankind by that which Allah (swt) has shownyou" [TMQ An-Nisa: 105].

Allah (swt) also says:

"It is He who has sent His Messenger(Muhammad saw) with guidance and the deenof truth, to make it dominate over all otherdeens, even though the disbelievers may hate it"[TMQ At-Taubah: 33].

Thus, a vision is carved out for the Ummah thattheir sight is on conquering and ruling the world.The McMahon Line and the Durand Line do notlimit their horizons, but their vision ought toencompass gaining superiority over all othernations and systems. This vision of taking chargeof the affairs of the world is what prepares theMuslim for the required actions.

The Islamic hukm on the Kashmir issue is straight-forward enough. Allah (swt) says:

"And fight in the way of Allah those who fightyou" [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 190].

However, what the Muslims have been led tobelieve is that they are incapable of this fight.They would also be stigmatised internationally ifcaught 'breaking the rules.' The crying shameregarding this stance is that one would imaginethat the state under discussion was an incapable,weak state. Whereas the reality is that we are talk-ing about a nuclear power that produces its ownarms, tanks and missiles. Far from weak, theUmmah in Pakistan is very strong if only itrealised that strength flows from the power ofyour ideas rather that the reach of your missiles.What is disgraceful is the report in the Jang on the9th June stating, "An advance group of 265Pakistani soldiers from a total contingent of some4,000 troops has arrived in Sierra Leone for peace-

keeping operations, the UN mission in SierraLeone (UNAMSIL) said." Clearly, Muslim soldiersfighting various militias under the authority of theBritish and Americans have greater honour thandefending the daily massacre across the border!

The Khilafah State would, from the outset, seek toestablish the principle that protection of Muslimsand those oppressed by the Capitalist systemrequires our intervention. Not following the rulesof the UN, but the rules of Allah (swt):

"And what is wrong with you that you fight notin the cause of Allah (swt), and for those weak,ill-treated and oppressed among men, womenand children whose cry is, Our Lord! Rescue usfrom this town whose people are oppressors,and raise for us from You one who will protect,and raise for us from You one who will help"[TMQ An-Nisa: 75].

In addition the military policy would be over-hauled from being meek and defensive, to onebased on the projection of military might. Theundertaking of military exercises and heavyinvestment in military research and developmentwould achieve the desire of Islam to strike fearinto the hearts of our enemies, rather than theUmmah being made to cower under foreignthreats. Allah (swt) says:

"Make ready all you can of (armed) force and ofhorses tethered, that thereby you may dismaythe enemy of Allah and your enemy, and othersbeside them whom you know not. Allah knowsthem" [TMQ Al-Anfal: 60].

Included with this would be economic sanctionsand blockade against targeted nations.

A global media campaign would also be launchedexposing the hypocritical stance of the majorpowers in order to undermine their leadershipand make Islam the accepted alternative to theglobal Capitalist system. Exposure of the undemo-cratic nature of the UN, the selective applicationof international law, the occupation of the Gulf bythe Americans and Masjid al-Aqsa by the Jews, theshackles of international debt, as well as the dis-cussion on proving the truth of the IslamicAqeedah, would be prime candidates for debate.The Khilafah would utilise the sharpest minds andthe smartest of Islamic politicians to undertake aworldwide drive to wrest the reins of internation-al public opinion from the present democraticextremists and demonstrate the superiority ofIslam in all spheres. Combined with an aggressivepolicy of reunification of Muslim land, theremoval of borders and the establishment of the

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Shari'ah in totality, the Khilafah would indeed her-ald the birth of a new order in the world, onedemanded by our deen, and the only solution toall of our problems.

We should realise that the Kashmir peace processwill ensure that after we have been thoroughlyprocessed, we will be left in pieces. We must notaccept the line of control but demand control ofthe lions in our armies. This will give us the capa-bility to move from conflict to conquest. Theestablishment of the Khilafah is the necessaryrequirement in order to realise these aims. This isthe message, which needs to resonate in the val-leys of Kashmir and throughout the Muslimworld.

Allah (swt) says:

"And those who disbelieve are allies of oneanother, and if you (Muslims) do not do that(i.e. establish unity under one Khalifah), therewill be fitnah and oppression on earth, and agreat mischief and corruption" [TMQ Al-Anfal:73].

Hassan Mujtaba

a General. Then he becameChief Executive. Now he is the President. OnWednesday 20th June 2001 Pervaiz Musharraf wassworn into the position of President of the IslamicRepublic of Pakistan, watched over by the currentHigh Commissioner of India. In fact the Indiangovernment wasted little time in recognising thenew President, becoming one of the first coun-tries to do so. Already the Indians had stated thatthey recognise the General as the Pakistani headof state and this coupled with the attendance oftheir High Commissioner at the swearing in cere-mony indicates that they recognise Musharraf'sPresidency.

The position of President formerly belonged toRafiq Tarar who speaking from his hometown ofLahore said that he had only been informed of thismove a few days prior to being removed.Musharraf made two amendments to theProvisional Constitutional Order, which hadallowed Tarar to continue in his position asPresident after the military coup in 1999 and thendeclared himself President with immediate effect- all this ironically in an attempt to bring himselflegitimacy as a leader, in light of July's summitwith Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

If one were to examine the motives behind suchmoves then the true nature of the betrayal of theUmmah would become apparent. For some timenow the Indian and Pakistani governments havebeen readying their people in order to come to alasting peaceful solution regarding the Kashmirissue. To this end the rulers of Pakistan have

undertaken an elab-orate campaign thathas involved con-vincing thePakistani peoplethat they can nolonger afford thefinancial cost of

war in Kashmir, obtaining damning statements ofMujahideen groups from government ulema andthe removal of specific ayat from educational syl-labi. They have even furthered the promotion ofIndian culture through various cable channels toconvince the Ummah of their shared heritagewith Hindu mushrikeen, through the coining ofterms such as the "Indus Valley Civilisation".

However Musharraf faced an obstacle. His politi-cal opponents and more importantly the interna-tional opinion was that he is not yet a legitimateleader having taken power via a coup d'etat, asevidenced by Pakistan's suspension from theCommonwealth and pressure from other coun-tries like Britain to implement democracy in the'Islamic Republic' of Pakistan. Thus in order togain legitimacy for the India-Pakistan summitMusharraf assumed the position of President. Thiswould allow him greater success in the abandon-ment of Jihad; the selling of the Muslim land tothe mushrikeen and the betrayal of every Muslimwho once thought this man valued the blood spiltby the mujahideen in Kashmir. This from a manonce hailed as a hero for his fighting in the regionhe now goes to give away. From the viewpoint of

General, Chief Executive,President Musharraf

those who care about the pleasure of Allah (swt),the taking of the Presidency by Musharraf is butanother move in a twisted effort to capitulatewhere Allah (swt) forbade capitulation. It is worthtaking note that those most pleased with this turnof events were the far right Hindu Nationalist BJPruling party in India who stated that they wouldlay down for Musharraf a welcome fitting for ahead of state.

Let us examine some of the first words issued byPakistan's latest President:

"In my entire career I have never done anythingfor myself. God has been kind and continues to bekind to me. I bow my head before Him for all thebounties he has showered on me. I will bow inmore humility as I rise"

Allah (swt), the Supreme, whom you claim hum-bleness before has obligated the liberation of alloccupied Islamic lands.

The Pakistani Interior Minister was more blatantwhen he said:

"It will not be permitted for anyone to bear armswhether they are affiliated to any mujahid or reli-gious group. And it will not be allowed to forcepeople to give donations and buy weapons in thename of Jihad." He then added, "There is no Jihadexisting in Kashmir or Pakistan".

Statements such as these demonstrate that thePakistani government do not care for the com-mand of Allah (swt) and also took part in the prim-ing of the people of Pakistan for the summit,paving the way for peace by alienating those whoyearn for the liberation of Kashmir at the hands ofthe army of the Islamic Khilafah.

It is the case that until now the position ofPresident was little more than a figurehead for theRepublic of Pakistan, mostly used in ceremonies.This has changed now with Musharraf seeking toutilise the position on the world arena. Pakistanhas been forced through international pressure toat least state that it wishes to return to democrat-ic rule and the Supreme Court had declaredOctober 2002 as the time for the next generalelections. It is also widely known that Musharrafafter returning the country to democracy soughtthe position of President rather than merely fad-ing into history; in fact he stated as much. Thismove was brought forward for the summit;Musharraf intends to stay and be much more thana figurehead for ceremonies.

Will the Muslims of the world stand and watch asanother of their rulers discards Allah's (swt)Shari'ah and makes peace with Allah's (swt)enemy? Musharraf can declare himself ChiefExecutive, President or even Emperor of a prehis -toric Indus Valley civilisation. The only declarationthe Ummah of Muhammad (saw) are interested inis the declaration of the Amir ul-Mumineen, theKhalifah of the Muslims.

Baber Qureshi

“Become Muslim and be saved. If not,accept protection from us and pay the

Jizya. If not, I shall come against you withmen who love death as you love

to drink wine”Khalid ibn al-Walid (ra) - letter

to the Persians 633 CE

“We should meet...I would certainlylike to meet him (Vajpayee)”President Pervaiz Musharraf -

(Times of India) 2001 CE

First he was

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how it "would be a gross violation of the princi-ple of self determination and of the peoplesrights." This report is barely mentioned in stan-dard history. The British were given a mandateto militarily crush the revolt that ensued withconsiderable brutality after the Munich agree-ment in 1938.

Later years see the Muslims of the region stillrejecting to recognise Israel, which has nowbecome natural to the West (Israel's existence).They cannot accept responsibility for crimescommitted by Europeans against the Jews.Perhaps a more appropriate response from aself-righteous moralising US should be to imple-ment the project in New York or Massachusetts.Can we imagine the reaction from the indige-nous population; would there be chants of ter-rorism and indiscriminate cluster bombing ofcivilians? Many claim to find the uncompromis-ing attitude of the Muslims in Palestine, indeedthe world over, to be unacceptable since theyare receiving a territorial compromise. This mayhave legitimacy in some eyes, but surely it is nothard to understand why the indigenous popula-tion cannot accept such a resolution. If some-one were to take over your house and then offeryou a few rooms in a fair compromise, youmight not be overwhelmed by his generosity,even if he were homeless, destitute and perse-cuted.

Implementation of the plan was adopted by theAmerican Zionist Movement in 1942 (the'Biltmore Program').2 The creation of a Jewishstate in Palestine became the official goal of theZionist Movement. Prior to this, some form ofparity between Jewish and Muslim populationwas looked at.

In 1947 the General Assembly of the UN recom-mended the partition of Palestine into Israel anda Palestinian state. This was accepted by themajority of Zionists but not Begin's terroristarmy (The Irgun Tsvai Leumi) and LEHI (TheStern Group). UN resolutions were consideredto be non-binding as is the case today. In fact,Israel holds the world record for the rejection ofUN resolutions.

Civil strife broke out understandably with vio-lence on both sides. As usual though, it is therecord of Muslim violence that remains in thepopular consciousness. This is far from the truestory, so this article will highlight some stylesand means adopted by the then terrorist Zionistorganisations.

On December 18th 1947 the Palmach, the kib-butz based strike force of the Haganah (thedefence force of the Jewish settlement inPalestine and precursor to the IDF of today), car-ried out an attack on the village of Khissas,killing 10 Muslims, including one woman andfour children.3 In April 1948 the Deir-YassinMassacre occurred at the hands of Irgun-LEHIand was reported enthusiastically by the terror-ist commander Menachem Begin, who tookpride in the operation that left some 250

right' at best, a claim that the Muslim inhabi-tants can never accept. Current events shouldnever be viewed in isolation of the past, and thewider picture needs to be determined beforeany solution can be proposed.

It is well known, and indeed common sense,that the Muslim inhabitants of this region wereoverwhelmingly opposed to a Jewish state or toa large-scale Jewish immigration leading to dis -possession from their land. "They had neverbeen consulted at any level in the preparation ofEuropean plans for the disposal of their home-land and felt in no way bound peaceably toaccept their implementation".1 This attitude hasconsistently been described as 'anti-Semitism' inthe US, where Lord Balfour's position is widelyaccepted. Lord Balfour (author of the BalfourDeclaration, 1917) committed Britain to 'facili-tate' the "establishment in Palestine of a nation-al home for the Jewish people." He also saidlater that, "the four great powers are committedto Zionism, and Zionism be it right or wrong,good or bad, is rooted in age-long tradition, inpresent needs, in future hopes, of far profounderimport than the desire and prejudices of the700,000 Arabs who now inhabit that ancientland."

Clearly, the creation of Israel was planned andpurposeful; yet, no serious objection to it hasbeen given credibility. The existence of opposi-tion is no secret. President Wilson's King-CraneCommission in 1919 sates, "the Zionists lookedforward to a practically complete dispossessionof the present non-Jewish inhabitants ofPalestine." He stressed how nine-tenths of thepopulation was completely against this plan and

with theaggressive opposition surrounding it, has con-sistently been in the headlines for some time.The images portrayed show how the state ofIsrael and its Jewish inhabitants are literallyunder siege from all sides. This, along with spe-cific historical aspects, provides a basis for thecurrent actions of Israel as the world looks on.This article will attempt to establish a widerperspective to the problem and offer an alter-native analysis to the Arab-Israeli conflict; it alsoaims to offer a solution that is consistent andcomprehensive.

Israel has enjoyed immunity from serious criti -cal analysis, especially from the US, for sometime. True history has been distorted. Israel isdepicted as guided by unique high moral prin-ciples surrounded by barbarians whose sole aimis to murder innocents and to deny them theirrightful home. On August 5th 1982, ThomasFriedman reported 'indiscriminate' bombings ofWest Beirut by Israel. The editors deleted theword 'indiscriminate' as inconsistent with theapproved image of their Israeli ally. Ben Gurion,in a speech reported by Flapan, "Zionism andthe Palestinians (pp 141-2)" from 1938 said, "inour argument abroad we minimise the Arabopposition to us," but he urged, "let us notignore the truth amongst ourselves." The truthwas that, "politically we are the aggressor andthey defend themselves … the country is theirsbecause they inhabit it and we want to comeand settle down here, and in their view we wantto take away from them their country, while weare still outside."

This conflict has been depicted as 'right against

Israel: Crimeor Justice

Israel and its struggle

"The four great powers are committed toZionism, and Zionism be it right orwrong, good or bad, is rooted in age-long tradition, in present needs, infuture hopes, of far profounder import than the desire and prejudices of the 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit that ancient land."

Lord Balfour

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defenceless Muslims slaughtered, includingmore than 100 women and children. Only threelines were recorded in the official governmentaccounts. By May 1948, 300,000 Muslims hadbeen displaced from land assigned to them.Personal testimonies show how the majority ofJews favoured eliminating (or murdering) allwho stood in their way, including women andchildren, and they did just that. Begin praised hiskillers for their humanity, for "acting in a way noother fighting force had ever done." The Irguncommand sent a message internally of congratu-lations on the "wonderful operation of con-quest," saying, "as in Deir-Yassin, so everywhere… Oh Lord, Oh Lord, you have chosen us forconquest." The terrorist organisations were wellequipped and prepared by the West and had ahuge advantage on the civilian Muslim popula-tion they targeted. By May 1948 they had man-aged to capture a large part of land assigned tothe Muslims. In the 1948 massacres, 700,000Muslims fled or were expelled from their landwhile the world watched on.

For many years it was claimed that the Muslimsfled on orders from their Arab leaders. The basisfor this argument, to hide the reality, was under-mined by Erskine Childers in 1961 who showedthat Arab leaders tried to prevent the flight,encouraged by Israeli terror, and psychologicalwarfare, sometimes direct expulsion wasemployed.4 Additional thousands of Muslim citi-zens in Israel were expelled from the Galileeregion in 1956. Hundreds of thousands morefled, or were expelled, from the conquered ter-ritories after the war in 1967. In a detailedanalysis W.W. Harris estimates that of a pre-warpopulation of 1.4 million, around 430,000 lefttheir homes from June to December in 1967(most of them in June). High population losseswere as a result of "a legacy of assorted fears."For example, in the vicinity of Qibya, Israeliforces commanded by Ariel Sharon had con-ducted a major massacre in 1953. Ariel Sharonwarned the Muslims "the Palestinians shouldnot forget 1948".5

As for the argument of Israel exists now, so wecannot remove it and it should be protected, letus examine this. The manner in which allegedNazi war criminals are pursued to the ends ofthe earth does not seem to suggest the samerule applies when it comes to crimes againstJews. We just have to look at the way in whichnews is reported. For example, recently Israelonce again broke previously agreed resolutionsunder the Oslo accord during which a four-month-old child was murdered. The worldaccepts it was in self-defence! Do we notremember the television pictures of MohammadDurrah, a young Muslim boy murdered in coldblood in front of the cameras for the world towitness? It seems Ariel Sharon's apology is suffi-cient, while Iraq was bombed into the stoneage. When Israeli's are victims, Ariel Sharondescribes it as a heinous crime for which 'they'will have to pay. Bombing raids on civilian tar-gets ensues. This is the real crime here. It is clearthe Jews have worth, but the blood, land, hon-

our and dignity of Muslims is worthless.

Israel has committed atrocity after atrocity asthe world and the surrounding puppet regimeswatch on. Indeed, Muslim rulers try again andagain to initiate peace as surrogates to largerpowers and solely for foreign interests. Forexample, King Abdullah of Jordan was killed in1951 by a 19-year-old Palestinian boy. This actionwas criticised and became a commonly citedproof that Muslims will not tolerate a 'moderate'leadership that will accept the existence ofIsrael. It has to be said, today we have the sameleaderships continuously attempting to recog-nise Israel through the current peace initiative.Look to Hosni Mubarrak and his consistent run-ning around; look to the PLO and the plans of aseparate state for Palestinians. Is this not theplan for which organisations such as the PLOwere formed i.e. the recognition of Israel? Theplan to create a homeland for Jews in Palestineis an age-old plan and today's reality has to beseen in this light. All the activity and solutionsbeing given exposure are to achieve the ulti -mate crime of legitimising the terrorist state ofIsrael.

The Solution

The Islamic view of life is established in thebelief of Allah (swt) as being the Creator. Thepurpose of life means the worshipping of thisCreator by following his (swt) revelation, andthe after-life holds for man Judgment on hisactions via heaven or hellfire. This is somethingthe Jews left a long time ago.

As for the claim of anti-Semitism, if there is anyopposition to Israel then Allah (swt) answers:

"Say, 'Rather we follow the religion ofAbraham, who was a man of pure faith(Hanif) and was not of the associators'" [TMQAl-Baqarah: 135].

Tabarsi explains 'hanif' as the one who inclinesaway from false religions towards true faith. So,it should be clear from this, that Israel is anti-Semitic; for their policies and actions havemoved away from the true faith and deen ofAllah (swt). As stated above, this is not new forthe Jews.

Allah (swt) reminds us time again how heblessed the Jews, He (swt) says:

"Then we split the sea for you and drowned thepeople of Pharaoh while you looked on" [TMQAl-Baqarah: 50].

Tabari relates how Allah (swt) saved them, whenMoses (as) reached the Red Sea he gave it thename of 'Abu Khalid', he hit it with the staff, and

it split into two huge walls of water. Then theJews entered as the sea was split into 12 paths,one for each tribe.6 When Pharoah reached thesea his horse was frightened, but Gibreel (as)appeared before it on a mare (on heat).Pharaoh's horse advanced, and his army fol-lowed. Michaeel (as) appeared behind the armyto drive them on and the water closed in onthem before the Jews.7

Allah (swt) punished the Jews when He (swt)asked them to enter Jerusalem through the gatecalled 'hittah' (the gate of the dome inJerusalem toward which Moses (as) prayed 8)and prostrate, but they defied Allah (swt) and aplague was sent as punishment, killing twentyfour thousand of them.9 This incident is relatedto us in Ayah 58 in Surah Al-Baqarah as a lessonto Muslims not to follow their path.

At-Tabari relates how when Allah (swt) took theProphet Ezekiel (as) from the Jews, misdeedsmultiplied, they broke the covenant with Allah(swt) and begun worshipping idols. One ofthese idols was named 'Baal' (Ibn Ishaq alsoreports this). Allah (swt) mentions this incidentin Surah 37 in verses 123-126. When thisoccurred Allah (swt) sent Elijah (Ilyas) to remindthem, but they refused and called his way a delu-sion. Due to their rejection, Allah (swt) withheldthe rain for three years as a punishment andreminder. Elijah (as) reminded them of theircovenant and how their worship of 'Baal' wasindeed delusion.

It seems the Jews have never ceased to angertheir Lord, and after so many blessings and mir-acles, they still continue to defy the covenantthey made in the Torah to obey their Lord. Inthis light, the Israeli idol (state) is not so sur-prising to the Muslims who have been entrustedwith the final message from Allah (swt). What issurprising is that we are making the same mis-takes by not implementing Islam and conveyingit the way we should. We are making the samemistake by living by the law of man and follow-ing today's idols in terms of our current rulersand regimes.

What enabled the world superpowers to rallyround and victimise the Ummah of Muhammad(saw) is the fact that they have a nation, sys-tems, and indeed a way of life. Their rulers arebound by their way of life that they implement,and convey. They have systems that enable themto protect their way of life. On the other hand,there is the current Ummah of Muhammad(saw) that has abandoned their way of life in therealm of life. They have allowed their system tocrumble into nothingness, and as such, withoutthe system of Islam i.e. the Islamic Khilafah sys-tem, we have left ourselves vulnerable to thewhims and desires of other states such as theUS, Britain and Israel. We have lost the shield ofprotection the Prophet Muhammad (saw)described when he (saw) said, "The Imam is ashield from behind which you fight and frombehind which you are protected." Today we seemany Muslim countries, but all of them are sur-

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retrieve his sword, and upon his return sev-ered the man's head from his body.

The Muslims began saying that 'Umar hadkilled a Muslim, until Allah (swt) revealedthis Ayah stating the righteousness of theaction of 'Umar, by His (swt) saying that noman may have any Iman until you accept theProphet's (saw) judgement. Thus, 'Umar inhis capacity as a Judge in the Islamic Stateexecuted that man as a punishment for hisapostasy.

The Hadith and its Qaraa'in(Shari'i indications) pointing tothe decisive obligation

1) The Ayah was sent down condoning'Umar's (ra) action; thus we can see aQareenah (Shari'i indication) here that theman apostatised, otherwise it would havebeen Haram to kill him (killing being sanc -tioned by the state for apostasy). This is aQareenah here that the Iman mentioned inthe Ayah is referring to Iman in the oppositemeaning to Kufr, not simply an emphaticIman (meaning Taqwa or piety) as is in othertexts. This is a decisive Qareenah.

2) The silence of the Prophet (saw) towardthe action of 'Umar (ra), which would ordi-narily have been Haram is another decisiveQareenah.

3) These two lead us to the conclusion thatruling by what Allah (swt) has revealed is amatter of Iman, and anyone who rejects itwith knowledge is a Murtad (apostate).(Surah Ma'idah Verses 44-5 and 47)

A Condition for Iman

rogates to their Western masters, none of themare established as the Khilafah. Without theKhilafah, Islam does not exist as a way of life andso Allah's (swt) rules are not implemented, Islamis not conveyed, and the Muslims and Islam arenot protected.

We have to learn from the mistakes made byprevious generations and return to the compre-hensive system of Allah (swt). Working to estab-lish the Khilafah is the only real solution to theMiddle East crisis. Currently, any treaty, peacedeal or negotiations are invalid until we havethe Khilafah; this is because the treaties are theresponsibility of our rightful leader, theKhalifah. The Ummah of Muhammad (saw) needto re-establish the Khilafah so that this responsi-bility is carried out. This is a fact known fromIslam by necessity. In essence, Yasser Arafat,Hosni Mubarrak, the Saudi family or any otherregime do not represent Islam or Muslims. Theyrepresent their own interests, and they cannotbe compared to the likes of Abu Bakr (ra) andUmar (ra) who were legitimate rulers thatlooked after the affairs of the Ummah.

Israel, US and Britain should not be dealing withthe rulers of fifty or more weak and defeatednations; they should be dealing with the UnitedUmmah of Muhammad (saw) under the shade ofthe Khilafah system with a sincere MuslimKhalifah at its helm. This time is near, and onlywhen the Khilafah returns, will the blood, land,honour and dignity of Muslims be taken seri-ously.

Only then will the world realise the Crimecalled Israel.

We pray for and work for the return of theKhilafah State and the likes of Salahudin Ayubi.Then, there will be a new era, an era describedeven by the likes of Mier Lau (Rabbi) as theGolden Era for the Jews, under the shade of theIslamic Khilafah. We pray for the system thatgave us rulers the like of Abu Bakr (ra), Umar(ra), Uthman (ra) and Ali (ra), who took theresponsibility of protecting Muslims and non-Muslim citizens of the State, by implementingIslam and conveying it to the world, and not thecowards of today.

Saed Khan

1. Lucas, The Modern History of Israel p1012. Lucas, The Modern History of Israel p1923. Sykes, Crossroads to Israel p3374. Erskine Childers, Spectator May 12, 19615. Al Hamishmar, April 16, 19826. Tabari, II, p507. Related by Abdullah ibn Shaddad8. Mujahid related and Tabarsi, I, p264

also Ibn Kathir, I, p1719. Qurtubi, I, p410-411 and Zamakhshari, I, p283

Ayat Allah (swt)informs those who believe that there is acondition upon their Iman.

"Fa laa wa Rabbika Laa Yu'minoonaHattaa yu'hakkimooka fee maa Shajarabaynahum, thumma laa yajidoo feeanfusihim harajam mimmaa qadayta wayusallimooo tasleemaa."

In the translation of the meaning:

"But no, I swear by your lord (Allah), theywill have no Iman, until they make you, (OProphet) rule between them in whateverthey dispute amongst themselves, and thenthey find no resistance in their souls fromwhat you have decided, instead they sub -mit with absolute submission" [TMQ An-Nisa: 65]

Sabab un-Nazool (occasion ofrevelation)

Ibn Kathir in his Tafseer reports that aMuslim had a dispute with a Jew and so hewent for the judgment to the Prophet (saw).The Prophet (saw) ruled against the Muslimand in favour of the Jew. The Muslim unhap-py with the verdict went to Abu Bakr (ra) fora contrary judgement. Abu Bakr (ra) asked ifhe had been to the Prophet (saw) and hereplied "yes". So Abu Bakr (ra) refused tojudge over the Prophet's (saw) judgement.So then he went to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab(ra). 'Umar (ra) also asked him, if he hadbeen to the Prophet (saw)? He said "Yes, butI want another judgement". 'Umar (ra) toldthe man to wait. He then went home to

Iman (a belief with certainty) is the defining characteristic

of the Muslim for withoutthis he or she would

be a Kafir.

In the following

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verb can mean a mixed group or just men.

The fact that it came in the third person, isbecause the Prophet (saw) is addressedregarding us. So as to say "O Prophet (saw)they have no Iman".

The fact that it came in the present tensemeans that it can include the future, as thepresent tense in Arabic can include thefuture, so as to say, "…They will have noIman unless they do so…"

The fact that it came in the plural is inter-esting, as the original sabab only mentionsone man, the Murtad. This indicates that theAyah is actually talking about all Muslims, asit is in the plural, when it did not need to be.So the meaning is "all of you Muslims don'thave Iman". Thus it came in an 'Aam (gener-al) form, with no exception mentioned. Thusit is Fard upon all of the Muslims.

So, it means, "O Prophet all the Muslims(men and women) will have no Iman(they will have only Kufr) unless ..."

Besides all of this is the Shari'i principle "al-Ibraa bi 'umoom il-Lafdhee wa laa biKhusoos is-Sabab". "The meaning is taken bythe generality of the expressions, and not bythe specificity of the cause (sabab)." Thus,the meaning is taken by the generality of thewording in the texts, and it is not restrictedto that one man.

So we are all addressed by the 'Aam (gener-al) ruling; that we have no Iman, unless weaccept the Hukm of Islam.

2) The words "hattaa yuhakkimooka" .

The verb (fi'l) here came in the third person(al-Ghaai'b) masculine (mudhhakkir) plural(Jama'a) present tense (al-mudharee).Additionally, and most importantly, it camein the transitive form 2 (fa'ala - yufa'ilu).

Thus, it means, "Until they all (men andwomen) MAKE you rule between them".

The difference between Hakama (form 1 -fa'ala), and Hakkama (form 2 - fa'ala - withemphasis on the kaaf), is one of causation.

Hakama means to rule. Hakkama (withemphasis on the kaaf) means to make some -body else rule.

Thus, the meaning here is "O Prophet, allthe Muslims (male and female) will haveno Iman, until they all (male and female)MAKE you rule between them..."

Thus, it is important to note here, that weare not just commanded with a Fard, each

one of us, but rather we are actively com-manded to MAKE the ruler rule by Islam,with deliberate actions. We are commandedto do action in making this happen.

3) fee maa Shajara Bayahum - "in whatev-er they dispute amongst themselves.."

Again, this is emphasising the meaning thatit is all Muslims, as it concerns whatever wemay dispute in between us all. The wordMaa here is Maa al-'Umoom - a general Maa,meaning in whatever and in any matter thatthey dispute. So in all matters we must referto the Prophet's (saw) judgement

4) The address to the Prophet (saw)

The Ayah states "till they make you (OProphet) rule between them."

It is known that any address to the Prophet(saw) is an address to all the Muslims, unlessrestricted.

For example, the Ayah commanding Zakah:"Take Sadaqah from their wealth" is in thesecond person form (al-Haadhir). So is itaddressing the Prophet (saw) only? Is it nolonger Fard to give Zakah to the Khalifah?When those who refused to pay the Zakahargued with Abu Bakr (ra) they argued thatthe obligation of Zakah was only to theProphet (saw) because the Ayah was onlyaddressing him alone. The Sahabah (ra)fought against those who brought this argu -ment and killed some of them. Thus, it isIjma'a as-Sahabah that the command, whenaddressing the Prophet (saw), is a commandintended for all Muslims, unless specified.

So this applies to all of the Muslims. We arecommanded to MAKE all Muslim rulersjudge between us by Islam; otherwise wewould have no Iman (that is, if we knowing-ly go against this).

Conclusion

After the Tafseer of this Ayah, it becomesapparent that all Muslims will have no Imanuntil they make their rulers rule by Islam,and they submit absolutely to the ruling ofIslam. Anyone who knowingly goes againstthis (though not out of ignorance) is a KafirMurtad (apostate), and anyone who neglectsthis is sinful. So come, and work for theKhilafah, as it is a great Fard, and neglectingit is neglecting the biggest prerequisite inIslam; Iman.

Maajid Nawaz

The Ayah and its Qaraa'in(Shari'i indications)

1) Allah (swt) swore an oath upon himself( fa laa wa Rabbika- 'No by your lord…' ).This is supportive Qareenah.

2) Allah (swt) said that they find no resist-ance in their souls to the judgement of theProphet (saw). (thumma laa Yajidoo feeanfusihim- 'and then they find in them-selves no resistance' ) This also is supportiveQareenah.

3) Allah (swt) said that they submit withabsolute submission (wa yusalimootasleemah- 'they submit with absolute sub -mission')

4) These are also Qaraa'in that the Ayah istalking about an obligation, because:

i) It is not obligatory to submit withabsolute submission to a Mandoob (recom-mended act), only to a Fard (obligation) arewe commanded to submit with absolute sub -mission.

ii) Nor is it obligatory to find no resistancein our souls to a Mandoob. So the subjectmatter must be a Fard.

iii) For extra emphasis Allah (swt) swearsupon the greatest thing that He (swt) couldever swear upon, not the stars, not the sun,not the constellations, nor the fig or theolive, like in other Ayat; but no, uponHimself (swt)! The greatest oath to take, andthe only one that is also Halal for theMuslims to take; to swear upon nothing butAllah (swt)!

This all points to the obligation of ruling bywhat Allah (swt) has revealed, and it being amatter of Iman or Kufr - some of theseQaraa'in being definite and some being sup -portive.

Al-Mahkoomoon (thoseaddressed by the Hukm)

Having realised the emphasis of this ayat thequestion arises upon who does this Fardrest?

1) Allah (swt) says:

Laa Yu'minoona.

This is a third person (Ghaa'ib) masculine(Mudhakkir) plural (jam'a) verb (Fi'l) in thepresent tense (al-mudharee). Thus it means,"They all don't have Iman".

The fact that it is in the masculine includeswomen with men, as in Arabic the masculine

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to places that were impractical to travel to by landalone; hence, ship building and navigation had toimprove. All these changes did not just appearhaphazardly but arose as a result of fundamentalconcepts and processes. The Muslims understoodthat Islam came to be applied to the reality, what-ever that reality would be. They understood thatevery action requires a hukm, and when Insaandoes an action he will end up utilising things orobjects. It is Insaan's use of the things and objectsthat required the Muslims to seek the hukm ofAllah (swt). In order for the Muslims to know howto apply Islam to their reality to provide solutionsfor their everyday lives, they needed to under-stand the reality. Countless ayat of the Qur'anappeal to Insaan's mind:

"And He it is Who hath set for you the stars thatye may guide your course by them amid thedarkness of the land and the sea, We havedetailed Our revelations for a people who haveknowledge" [TMQ Al-An'am: 97].

"Say (O Muhammad): Travel in the land and seehow He originated creation" [TMQ Al-'Ankabut:20].

"And He it is Who created the night and the day,and then sun and the moon. They float, each inan orbit" [TMQ Al-Anbiya': 33].

"Then fashioned We the drop a thing that clings,then fashioned We the thing which clings like achewed lump of flesh, then fashioned We thechewed flesh into bones, then clothed the boneswith flesh, and then produced it another cre-ation" [TMQ Al-Mu'minun: 14].

These ayat provoke thought. They would inspirethe Muslims to produce tools and technology thatwas unparalleled during this time. Some examplesof these discoveries are:

· Glass mirrors were used in Islamic Spain in the11th Century. It was not until much later that theVenetians learned of the art of fine glass produc-tion from Syrian artisans.

· Muslim engineers produced a variety ofmechanical clocks, contrary to what is taught inschools today. This knowledge was transmitted toEurope through Latin translations of Islamicbooks on mechanics. These books includeddesigns and illustrations of epi-cycling and seg-mental gears. The books further indicated thatthese clocks were weight driven.

· In 1454, Gutenberg developed the mostsophisticated printing press of the time. However,movable brass type was in use in Islamic Spain100 years prior. Spain is where the West's firstprinting devices were made.

· Ar-Razi, Ibn Sina, al-Kindi, Ibn Rushd, az-Zahrawi, Ibn Zuhr, Ibn Baytar, Ibn al-Jazzar, IbnJuljul, Ibn al-Quff, Ibn an-Nafs, al-Biruni, Ibn Sahland hundreds of other Muslim physicians mas-tered the science of drug therapy for the treat-ment of specific symptoms and diseases. In fact,this concept was entirely their invention. Theword "drug" is derived from Arabic. Their use ofpractical experience and careful observation wasextensive. Muslim physicians were the first to crit-icise ancient medical theories and practices. Ar-Razi devoted an entire book as a critique ofGalen's anatomy. The works of Paracelsus areinsignificant compared to the vast volumes ofmedical writings and original findings accom-plished by the medical giants of Islam.

Ijtihad allowed the Muslims to remain at the fore-front. Soon, however, the doors of ijtihad closed,and with it went the Khilafah's status as the worldleader with regards to issues such as technology.

between theMuslim World and the West is becoming increas-ingly apparent. This disparity takes many forms:economic, technological, military and also thestandard of living via material progress. Duringthe Ottoman period, Muslims were unable to seeIslam's application, and indeed ability to providesolutions, in their ever-changing world. Lookingback to the history of the Khilafah, however, wesee Muslim scholars devising solutions to soci-ety's problems through the process of ijtihad.Ijtihad means exhausting all of ones efforts instudying a problem thoroughly and seeking asolution for it from the sources of Shari'ah. Ijtihadmay only be performed by those qualified to doso. The Muslim scientists carried out research andderived theories that left Europe standing in theirwake. This article aims to show how, through theprocess of ijtihad, the level of material progress asa result of scientific research can take place in thefuture Khilafah State.

Muslim Achievements of the Past

Although Insaan (mankind) has not changed withtime, the society's requirements, and to a lesserextent the individual's requirements, do change.What does change quite rapidly are the toolsInsaan uses to satisfy the basic organic needs andinstincts that are integral to the Nature (Fitra) ofMan. As societies expanded, so did the require-ments for things such as agricultural produce andirrigation. Means of travel had to change to moveMuslims to far off lands as the Khilafah took Islam

A growing disparity

The Effectof Ijtihad onScientificResearch inthe KhilafahState

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Closing the doors of Ijtihad and Decline

By the 4th Century AH ijtihad and the resultinghukms had become well documented amongstthe four main Madhabs (schools of thought).Some scholars were concerned by the fact thatalmost anybody was able to do ijtihad without anychecks or balances. One of the primary factorsthat contributed towards the closing of the doorsof ijtihad was an increasing neglect of the Arabiclanguage. The Arabic language is the medium bywhich revelation becomes accessible, neglectingit, therefore, would result in an inability to derivelaws from the Qur'an and Sunnah. Islam wouldnot be able to be applied without this. As a result,the doors of ijtihad began to close, and the doorsof taqleed (or imitation) opened. At one point, ijti-had became impossible, and as a result new issuesand circumstances were left out without knowingthe Islamic views on them. Without ijtihad theHukm Shari' would not be able to address newproblems. As a result, many Muslims began tobelieve that Islam was becoming outdated. Someactually began to look to the Kufr civilisation foranswers to new issues.

The decline of ijtihad resulted in the developmentof various philosophies concerning the status ofthe Ummah and their adherence to Islam. Somepeople started issuing opinions concerning thenew problems without any daleel or specificmethodology of conducting ijtihad. Others pre -maturely jumped to answers without acquiringthe necessary prerequisites for ijtihad. Theyclaimed that ijtihad should not cease, and that thecurrent situation provided everyone with theopportunity to perform ijtihad.

By closing the doors of ijtihad, the fundamentallink between the sources of Islam (the Qur'an andSunnah), the solutions that are derived and therelationship between the solutions and the belief(Aqeedah), were severed. The Muslims did notunderstand why they were practicing Islam theway it was, and hence they would be unable toargue the benefits of Islam from the basis. Whenconfronted with the Industrial Revolution and thechallenge of democracy and freedom later on inthe eighteenth century, the Ummah did not havethe correct criteria at their disposal to judge whatwas acceptable from the Industrial Revolutionand what was not. Inevitably, we saw the adoptionof Kufr thoughts, such as pluralism, democracyand nationality.

The Renaissance

Whilst the Muslims started to become moredetached from their ideology as a result of thedecline of Arabic and cessation of new ijtihad,Europe experienced radical developments. Achange in their way of thinking occurred thatbroke the stranglehold that the Church and themonarchy had on society. This altered both gov -ernment and the outlook of the individual. Those

whose discoveries contradicted the clergy initiat-ed this change; Galileo was one such scientist.What resulted was a change from scholasticism toscience. Scholasticism, which assumed thatanswers to questions about nature could bededuced from the Bible and philosophical princi-pals, gave way to the modern view of science,where induction from accumulated evidenceunderpinned the original theories. The evidenceproduced by science was so conclusive, that theChurch was forced into a compromise.Secularism, which was to forge the ideology ofCapitalism, was born. Science, coupled with theadoption of the Capitalist ideology, lead to rapidtechnological and material advances such as thesteam engine and electricity. Material progressrose as a direct result of the adoption of a newideology. This same ideology would later be thecatalyst for the division of Muslim land and thedestruction of the Khilafah at the hands of theBritish via Mustafa Kemal. Muslims could onlywatch as Europe began to assert itself on theinternational scene.

How Ijtihad Can Aid ScientificResearch

So far the discussion has been on what theUmmah once was like under the Khilafah in termsof science and technology and how that positionwas lost. It is important to discuss how theUmmah can re-establish that same lofty position.No doubt this can only occur by the Ummahadhering to its ideology. This requires the Arabiclanguage and ijtihad to access the sources of Islamso that solutions emanating from Islam can beextracted. In this day and age where technologicalchange is so rapid, with issues such as cloning andspecifically engineered crops, it is crucial to havean understanding of the Hukm Shari'i.

Those who are qualified to do ijtihad are calledMujtahid. There are three types of Mujtahid. First,there are the Mujtahid Mutlaq. They can carry outijtihad fi'sh-Shar. They have their own Usul al Fiqhto extract Ahkam and are not restricted. Second,there are the Mujtahid Madhab. They can carryout ijtihad fi'l-Madhab. They follow the Usul of theMujtahid Mutlaq of that particular Madhab. Third,there are the Mujtahid who specialize in a specif-ic issue. They can carry out ijtihad fi'l-Masaa'il.

All of these Mujtahid must exhibit certain qualifi-cations. They must be a Muslim male or femalewho has a high level of intellectual competence.They must be knowledgeable about the Arabiclanguage, which enables the comprehension ofthe sources of Islam. They must be knowledgeablein terms of the Qur'an, circumstance of revela-tions, Madani or Makki ayat and ayat ul ahkam.They are required to be knowledgeable withregards to the Sunnah, abrogations and reliabilityof narrators of hadith as well as Usul al Fiqh. Anawareness of the opinions of other mujtahideenon specific issues is also necessary. Finally, theMujtahid must have tahqeequl manat, or compre-

hensive knowledge, of the issue on which ijtihadis being carried out.

It is for this thorough understanding of the realitythat the Mujtahid goes to experts or carries outthe study himself. In many cases scientificresearch will be required. This means using eitherobservational science or experimental science.Scientific research requires the use of empiricalthinking, which should be applied strictly to sci-ence alone. Through this means, by gathering factsone may formulate a hypothesis and then developtheories. This type of thinking is simply a subset ofthe rational way of thinking.

Knowledge gained through research is generallypublished in a journal. A paper has to be writtenjustifying why the particular piece of research issignificant. This paper will include details of themethods used, a recording of results and observa-tions and then explaining what these resultsmean relative to what is already known. Otherexperts have to review this research. Sciencebecomes knowledge by the publication of theresults. Of course the Mujtahid, or the expert onhis behalf in the Khilafah State, would be doingthe research in order to be able to apply Allah's(swt) hukm to the reality. This process would raisethe level of research being conducted, open newareas of research and increase the level of the dis -coveries that would ultimately help the KhilafahState progress technologically and materially.

These studies lead to an increasing wealth of sci-entific information in the Khilafah. This level ofresearch has a direct link with the new discover-ies and technological spin offs. Developmentssuch as flight, the Internet, cloning, new drugs,fibre optics and Global Positioning Satellites are aresult of research or application of new theories.Like the West, the Khilafah will strive to be on thecutting-edge of technology; however, the motiva-tion behind collecting this knowledge will differfundamentally. The whole purpose for a Muslim tocarry these scientific studies is so that we wouldbe able to worship Allah (swt) in every aspect oflife, whereas the Kuffar are primarily motivated byeconomic reasons. Drug companies and softwarefirms patenting designs so only they can benefit,is a direct result of this corruption. Through theapplication of ijtihad we can see how the KhilafahState can once again begin to assert itself on thescientific front as Allah (swt) has allowed us to doin the past.

Nizam Khan

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Over one hundred years ago, American journalistand poet, Walt Whitman stated:

"I say we had bestlook at our timesand lands search-ingly in the face,like a physiciandiagnosing somedeep disease."

In the year 2001, Noreena Hertz, described by theObserver newspaper as one of the world's lead-ing young thinkers and philosophers, publishedan article in April winning her internationalacclaim entitled - "Why we must stay silent nolonger!" In her essay, she describes the currentstate of affairs with the entire planet dominatedby the corporations and multi-national compa-nies that wield the true influence in the land andcause the oppression of the masses. The true dis -ease that existed and needed diagnosing was theideology of Capitalism itself. If these so-called'thinkers' had truly been physicians treating thesick, they would have been charged and convict-ed of malpractice and gross incompetence longago.

For centuries, the population of these nations,drunk with the success that they perceived theyhad, driven by an unquestioning belief in thefalse principles they had adopted, accepted thestatus quo and pinned their aspirations on thepromises of their politicians that there were bet-ter times to come. For over a thousand years, theWestern nations were amongst the most back-wards in the world. They were a humiliated peo-ple, with no real claim to civilisation and nobelievable aspirations to world domination. Theirinferiority to the state of the Muslims, theKhilafah, and even to the Chinese and Japanesewas manifest. During the renaissance they strivedforward in thought, technology, mathematics andfinally industry. They were intent on relievingthemselves of the subjugation that the Christian,theological states had spawned and then makinga place for themselves overlooking the affairs ofthe world. Their hard work bore fruit. They beganto invade and colonise the lands that Islam hadnot yet reached and later to colonise the Islamiclands themselves, launching campaign after cam-paign against Islam to attempt to separate theQur'an from the Muslims, knowing that this wastheir only recourse to defeat the Khilafah andIslam. As their calculated attacks shed drops ofMuslim blood, they surged forward as a predato-ry animal would with the scent of the kill in theair. So they pursued their objective of worldhegemony until in 1991 the Soviet Union col-lapsed and the oriental philosopher Fukiyamaremarked that we had reached the "end of histo-ry". Finally, there were no more ideological bat-tles left, for capitalism and democracy had con-quered the entire earth and established its domi-nation over it.

Ten years later, the ordinary people living in the

West are waking up and thinking to themselves -what have we done!

The capitalist doctrine indoctrinates its youthwith the idea that life is about maximising thebenefit that as an individual you receive from it,especially in terms of enjoyment and wealth. Theillusion portrayed is that such actions equatewith happiness and tranquillity. Generation aftergeneration have adopted this ethic and so it is nosurprise to find that it dominates every individualaction, every decision, and every policy enactedin such systems. It is easy to understand that sucha doctrine will result in the destruction of thesocial fabric, of families and of the environment.It is easy to predict that such a belief will incitewars and encourage the exploitation of the weakfor the benefit of the strong. The contradictionsand inconsistencies that this creates havebecome so obvious that the general public itselfhas begun to challenge the erroneous conceptsthat it holds and reject those who use them tomanipulate them.

The reality is the old adage, the rich become rich-er and the poor become poorer. As these corpo-rations and multi-national companies increase intheir wealth, they wield their chequebooks atgovernments and society in order to furthersecure their interests. The Western governmentsdo not exist to take care of the affairs of the peo-ple, they exist to take care of the affairs of theirfinancial backers and corporate companies wholiterally hold their nations economies in theirclaws. Over the past twenty years in Germany,corporate taxes have fallen by fifty per cent,although corporate profits have increased byninety per cent. In 1999, the German financeminister, Oskar Lafontaine attempted to increasetaxes on corporate firms. A group of companiesincluding Deutsche Bank, BMW, Daimler-Benzand RWE defeated his attempt threatening tomove investment and factories to other countrieswhose government policies suited them better."It's a question of at least 14,000 jobs," threat-ened Dieter Schweer, a spokesman for RWE, "Ifthe investment position is no longer attractive,we will examine every possibility of switchingour investments abroad." One of the countriessuggested by Daimler-Benz was the United States.Within months Germany had reversed its pro-posal and were planning to reduce corporatetaxes below US levels.

Within months of his bizarre election in theUnited States on a minority of the vote, George WBush, son of the butcher of Iraq, opened up theArctic National Wildlife Refuge to Oil drillers. Healso reneged on the Kyoto treaty, which wasdesigned to reduce carbon dioxide emissions andprotect against global warming on the basis thatit was against US economic interests, especiallyconsidering that they are facing a recession.Politics is run through financial considerationsand the maximisation of profit rather than theopinions of the people. Even the academic insti-tutions in the West, where children are supposedto be educated are not safe from direct interfer-ence. Channel One Network, a television station

"Or (the state of a disbeliever) is like the dark-ness in a vast deep sea, overwhelmed withwaves topped by waves, topped by dark clouds,(layers of) darkness upon darkness: if a manstretches out his hand, he can hardly see it! Andhe for whom Allah has not appointed light, forhim there is no light" [TMQ An-Nur: 40].

of capitalism and democ-racy, with the conflict and injustices it estab-lished, the thinkers in the lands in which the ide-ology had taken hold could see that it had seriousshortcomings. The social and economic oppres-sion that characterised it pushed individuals suchas Marx and Engel to invent the ideology of com-munism, another erroneous creed. Century aftercentury, capitalism was chastised by poets, jour-nalists, philosophers and other Western thinkersalike for its hypocrisy and inconsistencies. Forthe state preached freedom and equality - butenforced restrictive laws and inequalities in prac-tice. In time, the establishment unwillingly had tobend to public opinion, giving women the vote,'ending' black slavery, legalising abortion andhomosexuality, and withdrawing their militarypresence from their colonies only to be replacedby puppet rulers.

AnIdeology

on itsDeath

Bed

Since the onset

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in America, provided 12,000 American schoolswith money and goods in exchange for broad-casting their advertising directly into the class-room. Ironically, Nottingham University in the UKaccepted £3.8 million from British AmericanTobacco to set up a school of corporate socialresponsibility.

In the Republic of Ireland, a referendum wasrecently held on whether Ireland would acceptfurther expansion of the European Union. TheEuropean Union needed a "yes" vote from Irelandto continue with their expansion plans. The Irishpeople voted "no". It is no longer surprising thatthe political commentators simply stated onNewsnight that the European Union wouldeither have to wait until the Irish people areready to "make the right answer", or "fudge" away around the decision.

The electorate of Western nations have little orno power over their governments to affect thedecisions made. The decisions are made inde -pendently of the electorate and then the peopleare urged to vote in order to delude them intothinking that they had some say in the matter. Themedia and politicians are unconcerned withwhether the public have a deep and insightfulunderstanding of the policies and decisionsbeing debated. Rather they are concerned with'voter turnout'. If the people are voting then itmeans that they believe that their vote mattersand so they have faith in the system to solve theirproblems and in parliament to represent them.Hence the government is free to do whatever itwants. The game of letting the ruled participatein their own exploitation is not new. If peopledon't vote then it indicates that the peoplerealise that their voice has no weight in thedemocracy eroding at one of the pillars uponwhich the system rests, destabilising the ideologyand hence the capitalist's hegemony.

People are beginning to realise the truth of thetwisted system in which they live. Evidenceenough is the ever-increasing number of peopleattending anti-globalisation and anti-capitalismrallies at IMF, World Bank and World TradeOrganisation meetings. These are opposed withsignificant deployment of troops in order toobstruct the 'freedom of speech' of these protes-tors - such as at the May Day protests in London,when a small army was deployed - in order tomaintain the economic interests of the nationand of big business. Recently, during Bush's visitto Sweden, there were anti-capitalist demonstra-tions in Gothenburg. A young girl interviewed onthe BBC news exclaimed that she felt she hadabsolutely no say in the decisions taken by hergovernment and unable to cause any kind ofchange. With this in mind, she had decided thatthe only recourse for action was to withdrawfrom society.

In the recent general election in the UK, only 59per cent of the population voted. The LabourParty was elected with an enormous majority inthe House of Commons, able to pass any legisla-tion it saw fit, commanding just 25 per cent of

the votes from the population. Three out of everyfour people did not vote for the current govern-ment. In the United States recently during theirPresidential election, the turnout was evenlower; 90 million people not bothering to vote -more than the population of Britain andScandinavia put together. In the run up to theBritish elections, the BBC news covered a demon-stration that was occurring in favour of more eth-ical environmental policy. One of the demonstra-tors was interviewed and after exclaiming thatshe was not going to vote, was asked of her opin-ions on voter apathy. She replied, "Apathy is put-ting a cross on a ballot paper then pretendingthat everything is ok."

Regardless of the blaring inadequacies of thedemocratic systems in the West, perpetuallyinane solutions are suggested in order to revivethe people. In the Angel Islington constituency inLondon, the local council offered the people freeentry into a prize draw if they voted, with thechance to win £200. Other councils consideredmaking draws for voters, to cancel their counciltax for the year. Further maniacal suggestionsincluded the installation of ballot booths into fishand chip shops and even compulsory voting. Theyoung are no longer fooled by the claim that theirvote makes a difference. Yet these poor,oppressed people cannot find a way out.

The chasm that exists in the West between theruling elite and the people is widening year byyear. It is not uncommon to find the youth of theWestern nations disenchanted with politics andaware of the corruption and exploitation thatcapitalism spreads all over the world. Further tothis, they are also aware that democracy, the insti-tution that apparently exists so that the peoplethemselves can have a say in how they are gov-erned has no capability to rein in these forces,nationally or internationally. More recently, evenprominent politicians have acknowledged thesetruths. The current mayor of London, KenLivingstone, controversially stated during hiselection campaign that, "Global capitalism haskilled more people than the Nazi's." He wasseverely reprimanded by the political establish-ment in Britain for this statement… politicians inBritain are not supposed to tell the truth.

"The likeness of those who take Auliya otherthan Allah is as the likeness of a spider whobuilds a house, but verily, the frailest of housesis the spider's house, if they but knew" [TMQ Al-Ankabut: 41].

The Islamic Ideology

The deep contradictions that plague the Kufr ide-ologies do not exist in the Islamic State. As allMuslims today are aware, the hukm (legislativelaw) is only for Allah (swt) and it is the responsi-bility of the Khalifah to implement that law, col-

lect the taxes, supply the public services thatAllah (swt) has obliged him to do and establishthe jihad in the path of Allah (swt).

The definition of politics in Islam is to take careof the affairs of the people rather than the affairsof a select group of influential people. Thus wesaw the righteously guided Khulafah living aspart of the Ummah and not separate from her,alert to the problems that the people experi-enced and keen to take care of those problems. Itis narrated that Umar (ra) would cry, in the fearthat if a goat were to trip on a road constructedby the Muslims, and injure itself, then he might beheld accountable for this on the Last Day.

All citizens of the state, be they Muslim or non-Muslim can elect representatives from amongstthemselves to stand in the Majlis al-Ummah(Council of the Ummah) which has no legislativepowers but the ability to put forward the viewsand if necessary complaints of the people, and toaccount the ruler if he rules by Kufr. The Islamicsystem exists to establish in reality what Allah(ra) has revealed; it is free of the contradictionsand discrepancies that exist within capitalismand democracy.

Capitalism is marching on towards the edge of anabyss from which it will never return insha-Allah.When the Khilafah is established, it will providean ideological blow to the Kuffar, and those ofinfluence from amongst them who no longerpossess the vigour, zeal or intelligence to opposeit. Those who propagate capitalism fight with alltheir might to maintain their position in thisworld, with brutality and injustice, but theirstruggle will be in vain as Allah (swt) has prom-ised the believers who do righteous deeds suc-cession in the earth. The Ummah worldwideshould increase its efforts and its work to re-establish the Khilafah, to offer the final push tocapitalism as it tumbles into obscurity and toshow those who have seen through the spider'sweb of corruption and oppression of Kufr sys-tems an alternative and a solution to these prob-lems. When Islam returns to existence insha-Allah, you will find such people flocking toembrace Islam in their crowds and their frail,degenerate system demolished, as happenedbefore when Allah (swt) gave the material sup-port to the Prophet (saw) and the believers whenthey conquered Makkah.

"When comes the (material) Help of Allah andthe Conquest (of Makkah). And you see that thepeople enter Allah's deen in crowds. So glorifythe praises of your Lord, and ask for HisForgiveness. Verily, He is the One who acceptsthe repentance and the forgiveness" [TMQ An-Nasr: 1-3].

Hani Jamal-Udin

the people of Bait-ul-Maqdis security. This wasgiven to the people in the form of the 'UmariTreaty. It stated:

"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, theBeneficent. This is what the slave of Allah,'Umar b.Al-Khattab, the Amir of the believers,has offered the people of Illyaa' of security(and Illyaa' is Al-Quds) granting them Amaan(protection) for their selves, their money, theirchurches, their children, their lowly and theirinnocent, and the remainder of their people.Their churches are not to be taken, nor arethey to be destroyed, nor are they to bedegraded or belittled, neither are their crossesor their money, and they are not to be forcedto change their religion, nor is any one of themto be harmed. No Jews are to live with them inIllyaa' (Yes, oh Muslims, no Jews are to livewith them in Illyaa) and it is required of thepeople of Illyaa' to pay the Jizya, like the peo-ple of the cities. It is also required of them toremove the Romans from the land; and who-ever amongst the people of Illyaa' that wishesto depart with their selves and their moneywith the Romans, leaving their trading goodsand children behind, then their selves, theirtrading goods and their children are secureuntil they reach their destination. Upon whatis in this book is the word of Allah, thecovenant of His Messenger, of the Khulafaa'and of the believers if they (the people ofIllyaa') gave what was required of them ofJizya. The witnesses upon this were Khalid b.Al-Walid, 'Amr b. Al-'Aas, 'Abdul-Rahman b. 'Awfand Mu'awiyah b. Abi Sufyan. Written andpassed on the 15th year (after Hijrah)."

As previously mentioned, the Islamic State isnot a fantasy or figment of the imagination. Itis the truth. It was the reality that the Muslimslived. It is the Hukm Shar'i ordained by Allah(swt) in respect to Bait-ul-Maqdis. It is the

word of Allah (swt) and the covenant of HisMessenger (saw), the covenant of theKhulafah' and the covenant of the believers,which was upheld by the Khulafah' and thebelievers after the period of 'Umar (ra)

Islam looks to the land that is opened to Islamas Muslim land. It must be protected. It is for-bidden to be given away, even if this means thespilling of blood and loss of life for the sake ofprotecting it.

They understood this very well, as did the restof the Muslims after the 'Umari Treaty. Theyprotected the land where the Messenger ofAllah (saw) was taken up to the heavens onthe night of Al-Israa' Wal-Mi'raaj, defending itwith all that they had, never accepting tonegotiate over their land. Even after theCrusaders occupied Bait-ul-Maqdis, not oneMuslim accepted to negotiate with them overit, rather they temporarily stopped fightingphysically, and continued to prepare them-selves until they were capable of liberating it.They succeeded in their task until SalahuddinAl-Ayyubi arrived, liberating Al-Quds from thefilth of the disbelievers.

The disbelievers know this, as they know theHukm of Allah (swt) on Islamic land. Theyknow that Al-Quds is Islamic land and that theMuslims will never give it away. They have notforgotten what the Muslims did to theCrusaders and the hate of their forefathersremains in their hearts. It is no secret that theWest tries to normalise relations with theMuslims and to produce a pretty picture forus. Try as they might, however, they will neverbe able to erase the ayat, or to remove theAhadith, or to destroy the Ahkam Shar'i thatshow us what they truly are.

Translated from "Al-Waie Magazine"

('Amr b. Al-'Aas)(ra) arrived to open the land of Al-Quds, herequested that its people sign a treaty agreeingthat their leader would be the Amir of thebelievers, Khalifah 'Umar b. Al-Khattab (ra).'Ubaydah wrote to 'Umar with this, and thus'Umar prepared his traveling gear to depart forBait-ul-Maqdis (Al-Quds).

'Umar (ra) traveled to Bait-ul-Maqdis with hisservant and only one camel to ride. He tookturns riding the camel until they neared Bait-ul-Maqdis. When it was the servant's turn toride, 'Umar walked. Upon reaching an area thatwas patched with mud and water, 'Umar raisedhis clothing to avoid it, and Abu 'Ubaydah (ra)commented on this, fearing that the people ofAl-Quds might belittle 'Umar. 'Umar repliedwith his famous words: "Oh, Abu 'Ubaydah, wewere once a disgraceful people, and Allahmade us honourable with Islam, thus if wesought honour in anything other than Islam,Allah would disgrace us." This was the reply ofthe one who went to open Bait-ul-Maqdis, toopen it to Islam for the honour of Islam alone.After all, he understood that if were not forIslam, 'Umar would still be in Makkah makingidols out of dates, worshipping these idols,and then eating them when he became hun-gry.

'Umar (ra) was not a Palestinian who wasproud of his nationality, nor an Arab who wasproud of his being Arab, rather he was aMuslim whom Allah (swt) had made hon-ourable with Islam. It was for Allah (swt) alonethat he opened these vast lands and ruled thepeople with truth and justice. This was a statethat united all Muslims, regardless of national-ities or origins.

Once 'Umar b. Al-Khattab (ra) enteredPalestine and opened it to Islam, he offered

The 'UmariTreaty

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When Abu 'Ubaydah

Map of Al Quds (Jerusalem) 1912

Letter to his eminence theShaykh of al-Azhar

Peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you.

I read in one newspaper and heard on radio andtelevision that your eminence is calling theMuslims to visit al-Quds and that you are encour-aging them to make this visit at such a criticalstate of the Palestinian issue.

In my capacity as one of the Arab Christians withwhom Umar al-Farooq (ra) signed a treaty thatJews would not live with them in the holy city ofal-Quds, I have a right to put forward my contri-bution to this subject.

Before I begin the discussion I would like to saythat regarding whether visiting Masjid al-Aqsa andpraying in it is a religious obligation on theMuslims, or if it is from the superogatory prayers(nawaafil), I have no right to oppose this issue andthe matter is left to the Muslim scholars to decide.However, I am looking at this issue from anotherangle; which is to set out the benefit such visitsbring to Israel.

It is well known that under the current circum-stances the necessary measures to visit al-Qudsfor the one who wishes to undertake such is visitis that he needs to present himself at an Israeliembassy and renew the permission to enter. Theembassy has the right to look into his request andto accept or reject his application. If the requestis granted then the visa is stamped with the sealof the aggressor, the state of Israel. It is not herlawful or international right to play such a role,where the visitor must extend his hand and is sub-

servient to the employee whose job it is to givehim the visa even before he reaches the bordersof Israel or enters her airports.

This employee who looks down on Arabs andMuslims with haughtiness and arrogance - I donot think your eminence that you would acceptany Muslim or Coptic Egyptian to be humiliatedin this way.

Then in the end Israel will come to the world andsay that we are a democratic state or that theMuslims come from all parts of the world to visitMasjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem in crowds and withease and comfort. They perform their religiousrites with complete freedom and security. Thenwe would have given Israel the opportunity todistort the facts, something she is trying to donow and convincing the world of.

Finally, I say to my Muslim Arab brethren as Allahhas addressed them in his exalted Book: "Do notbe weak, do not grieve and you shall be tri-umphant." And I say to my Christian Arab brethrenthat we are not entitled to annul the Umari treaty.I extend to you the utmost respect and reverence.

George al-Za'mt

4/2/2001

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The Following is a letterfrom an Arab Christian

George al-Za'mt to Tantawithe Shaykh of Al-Azhar that

appeared in The View ofJordan newspaper

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people were arrestedand eleven police officers injured in violentdemonstrations in the city of Banja Luka onMonday 18 June 2001. Muslims driven out fromthe city in 1993 returned to the town in anattempt to rebuild a historic mosque but werehampered by Serb nationalists.

The Serb protesters fought running battles withpolice in an effort to force Muslims to abandon aceremony to begin reconstruction of the city'smain mosque. All fifteen mosques in Banja Lukaand ninety in the surrounding locality wereblown up during the Bosnian war, when the city'stwenty thousand Muslims were forced to flee fortheir lives.

A first attempt to conduct the ceremony at thesixteenth century Ferhadija mosque was aban-doned after one person was killed and thirtyinjured. The latest ceremony went ahead whilepolice beat back a crowd of seven hundrednationalists using tear gas and water cannon.

At the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, the firstcase for wartime sexual enslavement of Muslimwomen in the town of Foca during the Bosnianwar has been concluded. The case resulted in theconviction of three Bosnian Serbs one of whomraped a girl the same age as his 15-year-old daugh-ter. The sentences ranged from twelve to twentyeight years.

The court heard of the horrendous accounts ofrape and torture when in 1992 Bosnian Serb para-military soldiers overran the town. Muslims wereherded into separate prison camps for men andwomen. Sixteen Muslim women told the courthow the Serb paramilitaries entered the campsselecting women and girls as young as twelve fornightly gang rapes and sexual torture. Some wit-nesses sobbed and others shrieked with rage asthey recalled being raped by up to ten soldiers ata time. However, these three convictions accountfor only the tip of the iceberg. Estimates of thenumber of Muslim rape victims are as high assixty thousand.

We ask ourselves at this time to whom should theMuslims turn for safety, when from the Balkans to

Troublein the

Balkans"So tear down the minarets and mosques,

And kindle the Serbian Yule logs,And lets us paint our Easter eggs,

Observe the two fasts honestly,As for the remainder, do as you like.

I swear to you by the creed of Milos ObilicAnd by the trusty weapons that I carry,Our faiths will be submerged in blood.

The better of the two will rise redeemed.The 'Id can never live in peace with

Christmas Day."

Petar II., Petrovic-Njegos, monk, poet and princeof Montenegro, reigning 1830-1850.

At least sixty-five

Inside of what was Ferhadija Mosque

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Chechnya, from Palestine to Kashmir and fromBurma to the Philippines, Muslims are beingoppressed, 'ethnically cleansed', raped and slaugh-tered. In Bosnia, Muslims appealed to the interna-tional community for help and protection. TheUnited Nations "solution" was an arms embargoaffecting only the Muslims and allowing theirslaughter and rape, a division of their land as wellas the prohibition of return after the war, and a"Safe Haven" called Srebrenica, which the Serbforces were invited to take, resulting in the exe-cution of seven thousand Muslim men. So we turnto Islam. What does Islam have to offer?

We know that the Balkans were not always likethis. For five hundred years the Balkans wereruled by a system other than the Capitalist "NewWorld Order" in which there was little ethnicfighting. It was ruled by a system that protectedthe human race, mind, human dignity, privateproperty, religion and security. It was part of aland ruled over by one man implementing thelaws of the Creator. It was ruled by the just systemof Islam.

When Sultan Selim I, a Khalifah in the UthmaniKhilafah planned to open the land of Serbia,knowing the Serb's fighting strength and ability tocause rebellion, he suggested to the Shaykh-ul-Islam that the Muslim armies should offer theSerbs Islam and if they refused they should bekilled. The Shaykh-ul-Islam replied that this couldnot be done, since the Qur'an states,

"There is no compulsion in religion." [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 256]

When the leader of the Muslims ruled by thatayah the Serbian race was saved. Indeed, Allah(swt) says,

"Verily, it (the Qur'an) is not but a reminder toall the worlds." [TMQ At-Takwir: 27]

Under the light of Islam not only justice wasimplemented but also people turned away from

shirk and came in droves to Islam. Following theopening of Central Bosnia, in one field 13,500families willingly accepted Islam in Bosnia and inthe following year a similar number converted inHerzegovina.

So the answer is Islam. The Islamic system, beingfrom the Creator has the solution to the problemsof different ethnic groups and religions. Upon thepayment of Jizya the dhimmi (non-Muslim livingin the Islamic State) enjoys full citizenship rightsof the Islamic State and is eligible for protection,justice and financial help when needed. Underthe guidance of Islam the non-Muslim communi-ties solved their internal problems by themselvesand although the dhimmi were not required todefend themselves the Muslim armies wereobliged to lay down their lives to protect the citi-zens of the state, whether Muslim or dhimmi.

What of Islam's solution for the problems ofoppression, occupation and injustice experiencedby our brothers and sisters in the Balkans andelsewhere in the Islamic Ummah? The answerfrom our Creator is Jihad to liberate these lands;not for patriotism, nationalism or self-benefit, butto bring them to the light and justice of Islam. Wemust hasten our work to establish our Imam whowill call for this Jihad and resume the call to wor-ship of The Creator. The Messenger of Allah (saw)said, "The Imam is a shield, from behind whichyou fight and defend yourselves." Let us not delay,for our brothers and sisters cannot wait and withAllah (swt) is the greatest reward.

"And why do you not fight in the cause of Allahand for those who being weak are ill-treated.Men, women and children whose cry is "OurLord! Rescue us from this town, whose peopleare oppressors, and raise for us from You onewho will protect; and raise for us from You, onewho will help". [TMQ An-Nisa: 75]

Sulaf Vukusic

Funeral of Kosovan children found in mass grave

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and an inconsistency between his words andactions. Wisdom requires its owner to have con-sistency between his words and actions. This isnot achieved unless Taqwa (fear) of Allah (swt) ispresent, as it is the motivation for the wise personto perform the acts of obedience and to abstainfrom forbidden actions. The wise individualunderstands the verse:

"Most hateful it is with Allah that you say thatwhich you do not do" [TMQ As-Saff: 3].

The wise individual also understands the dire con-sequences in this world and in the next if herejects and ignores Islamic concepts. He under-stands the warning:

"But whosoever turns away from My reminder(Islam), verily, for him is a life of hardship, andWe shall raise him up blind on the Day ofResurrection" [TMQ Ta-Ha: 124].

Refusal in calling to the truth would mean thatthe person is selfish, and selfishness is not associ-ated with the personality of one blessed with wis-dom; for it is the Taqwa of Allah (swt) that pusheshim to carry the message of Islam to the rest ofthe world to rescue mankind from Kufr and fromthe anger and punishment of Allah (swt) in theAkhirah. This also drives him to save himself fromthe grievous punishment in the Akhirah. Howcould one who is wise not wish to win the high-est levels of Paradise and the greatest prize of all:the pleasure of Allah (swt), for if he comprehends

The second quality is the capacity of this thought.The wise person utilises thought in solving allproblems, no matter how complex or numerous.Then, they offer the necessary methods andmeans to implement these solutions in everydaylife.

Truth is not what philosophers assume it to be;rather, truth is the thought that agrees with reali-ty. Truth is Islam. Its proof is simply that it agreeswith reality. The existence of Allah (swt), His (swt)Oneness, that the Qur'an is His (swt) word andthat Muhammed (saw) is His (swt) Prophet andMessenger, are all corroborated by this. All thesethoughts agree with reality and can be establishedand understood through enlightened thinking. Asfor the thoughts and ideologies other than Islam,such as Capitalism, Christianity, Judaism andBuddhism, these are all false in that they contra-dict reality.

Understanding truth is not for the sake of truthitself; rather, it is sought so that we may abide byit and to call to it. Not abiding by truth would indi-cate a contradiction in the person's personality

wisdommeans understanding truth for what it truly is.This, however, is an inaccurate description, sinceunderstanding truth is but a fruit of wisdom.Wisdom is related to the existence of a number ofspecific qualities in the thought process of thewise person.

The first quality is the presence of enlightenedthought. This quality enables the wise person tounderstand truth and to reach correct conclu-sions when judging realities. It also enables theindividual to distinguish correctness among a seaof corruption and stray thoughts.

According to philosophers,

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the words of Allah (swt) he would, after all, under-stand that:

"Those who conceal the Clear (Signs) We havesent down, and the Guidance, after we havemade it clear for the People in the Book, onthem shall be Allah's curse, and the curse ofthose entitled to curse." [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 159].

Likewise, the Messenger of Allah (saw) alsoexplained, "Whosoever is asked regarding knowl-edge and withholds it will be bridled on the Dayof Resurrection with a bridle of fire." [Abu-Dawood]. He who is wise does not forget:

"And who is better in speech than he who callsto (the word) of Allah, performs righteous deeds,and says: I am one of the Muslims" [TMQFussilat: 33].

Thus, understanding Islam and implementing it,based on the drive of Taqwa of Allah (swt), willestablish feelings and thoughts of responsibilitytowards mankind. Consequently, this will driveone to carry the da'wa to the whole world.

The fruits of this wisdom are many. It allows oneto measure the calibre of thoughts, to account forconsequences and to master the ability of probinginto the depths of men, societies, countries andgroups. Furthermore, it elevates one's understand-ing of Islam in order to perfect its implementa-tion. It helps one to remove obstacles and achievegoals by constructing effective plans.

Based on this, it is apparent that wisdom isenlightened thought capable of identifying andsolving problems. Its fruits include realisation ofthe existence of Allah (swt), the correctness ofIslam, the importance of implementing and carry-ing Islam and implementing all that is required toestablish Islam.

Wisdom is not granted by Allah (swt) to a Kafir,Fasiq (a corrupt person) or one who sins heed-lessly. The Qur'an confirms this in the following

verses:

"And indeed we bestowed upon Luqman wis-dom, saying: Give thanks to Allah" [TMQLuqman: 12].

"And he, to whom wisdom is granted, hasindeed been granted abundant good" [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 269].

The blessing of wisdom necessitates continuousthanks to Allah (swt). He (swt) is the Most Wise,and His (swt) wisdom is perfect. We are told:

"Perfect wisdom (this Qur'an), but (the preach-ing of) warners benefit them not" [TMQ Al-Qamar: 5].

The word 'wisdom' has appeared in the Book ofAllah (swt) with various meanings. In the follow-ing verse, the word wisdom refers toProphethood:

"And Dawud slew Jalut (Goliath): and Allahgave him the kingdom and wisdom and taughthim whatever (else) He willed" [TMQ Al-Baqarah:251].

In this next verse, however, wisdom is usedregarding the learning of Islam through the

Qur'an and Sunnah:

"And teach them the Book and the wisdom"[TMQ Al-Baqarah: 129].

The Qur'an also uses the word wisdom to meanproofs that lead to belief in Islam:

"Invite (all of mankind) to the way of your Lord,with wisdom and beautiful preaching" [TMQAn-Nahl: 125].

While the definition of wisdom can vary, itsimportance is immeasurable.

Oh Allah (swt), bring Your victory upon us, andbring Your victory through us. Hasten the re-estab-lishment of the Khilafah State. Oh Allah (swt), weseek refuge in You from the Kuffar, their agentsand their spies. Oh Allah (swt), we ask You tocome down with Your punishment upon theirnecks and we seek refuge in You from their evils.

Abu Abdullah, Palestine

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Please address your letters and questionsto the Editorial Team, at the addressgiven on page 4 of the magazine.

LONDONSaturdays after dhuhr (Brothers in main hall)(Sisters upstairs)(Sundays after dhuhr in Arabic)Central Regents Park Masjid146 Park Road, London

There are many other events taking place aroundUK, Europe, Australia and America. Pleasecontact circles@khilafah.com for details.

Events Diary

ment of the Agni missile advanced version, with arange of 2000 to 5000 kilometres, to cover thewhole of China. Former Defence Minister GeorgeFernandez said, "After nuclear explosion China isour number one enemy".

BJP government has invited Musharraf to solveKashmir problem. Musharraf has agreed to cometo the Taj Mahal city of Agra, India in the month ofJuly 2001

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said "Do not seekenlightenment by the fire of the mushrikeen".

When BJP was in opposition they claimed thatwhen they will come in power they will solve theKashmir problem in a few days but after threeyears they have still not solved it.

Kashmir is 50-year-old problem between Indiaand Pakistan and more than 50,000 of our Muslimbrothers have been killed by Indian government.Kashmir has become very hot issue in this conti-nent - various Muslim groups are working for lib-eration of Kashmir. Through solution of Kashmir,India wants to calm the activity of Islamic groupsin this region, gain vote of Indian Muslims andshow the world a peace loving country.

India wants Iranian gas but it comes through thePakistani soil, so without friendship of Pakistan itnot possible. The Indian government spent mil-lions of dollar for its military in Kashmir and alsoface his military anger because many of her sol-diers were killed - it has become necessity of Indiato leave Kashmir. On the other hand, we have wit-nessed Pakistan's freeze on military expenditure.

But before she leaves Kashmir, India wants todivide Kashmir into three parts; Laddakh, JammuKashmir and Azad Kashmir; as well as creating

conflict among all Kashmir groups.

In future then it seems that the US will deploy itsmilitary in Kashmir by UN and watch Afghanistan,Central Asia, and help Chinese Xinyiang Muslimsagainst China and also support the Tibet libera-tion movement. They will use Musharraf againstIslamic groups in Pakistan and increase US mili-tary power in this region with the help of twocats - India and Pakistan. This is in accordancewith the Hindi proverb: "Do Billi eyk Bandar" (twocats and a monkey).

Kashmir is not a property of Pakistan and India -it is the property of the whole Muslim Ummah.

Allah (swt) says in the Noble Qur'an:

"So rule between them by what Allah hasrevealed and not follow their whims and desiresaway from the truth which came to you" [TMQAl-Ma'idah:48]

"And whosoever does not judge according towhatever Allah has revealed such are the disbe-lievers"[TMQ Al-Ma'idah: 44]

We pray to Allah (swt) that he gifts us with theIslamic Khilafah Rashidah soon. Aameen.

T. KhanMadhya PradeshIndia

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The following letter was kindlyreceived from a reader in India

I am a regular reader of Khilafah magazine fromIndia; I would like to thank the hard workingbrothers and sisters who contribute to distribut-ing this magazine throughout the world. May Allah(swt) reward the Muslims for their efforts.

As all the Muslims should be aware, the need forre-establishing the Islamic Khilafah is the greatestneed of the time, and rightly termed as the vitalissue for Islam. However, in order for the Ummahto re-establish the Islamic Khilafah state, therestand many obstacles that need to be destroyedand exposed. The greatest of these obstacles is theplans of the disbelieving colonialists and theiragent rulers throughout the world. It is upon thisthat I would like to write this letter.

Recently there has been much hype and talk with-in the Indian subcontinent about the invitation ofIndian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee toPakistan's Chief Executive, and now PresidentGeneral Pervaiz Musharraf.

I would mention the following points regardingthis event:

After BJP came to power in India the political doc -trine started to slowly change and shift its alle-giance. Now it seems that the BJP India govern-ment under the leadership of Vajpayee has adopt-ed a US policy instead of the 50-year-old UK poli-cy.

And according to US policy he does not want tobreak his 50-year-old relation with Pakistan -therefore US unites India and Pakistan on Kashmirissue and uses India against China - this is veryclear now. India is concentrating on the develop -

Umayr ibn Sa'd al-Ansari (ra), a companion of the Messenger ofAllah (saw), addressed the people and said, "O People! Islam is a mightyfortress and a sturdy gate. The fortress of Islam is justice and its gate is truth.If you destroy the fortress and demolish the gate you would undermine thedefences of this religion…Islam will remain strong as long as the Sultan[authority] is strong. The strength of the Sultan neither comes from floggingwith the whip, nor killing with the sword but from ruling with justice andholding fast to the truth."

The Mighty Fortress

Two Cats, One Monkey('Do Billi, Eyk Bandar')