-
Islamize the Military, Militarize the Muslims
There are deliberate policies in place to limit the development of warrior ethics within Muslim populations. At the same time, those who enter the military in Muslim countries are often deliberately “deIslamized,” or selected from among the least religious segments of society.
Some of the ways the non-Islamic character of the military is enforced is by ensuring that recruits do not pray, and don’t have any marks of prayer on their bodies, such as callouses on the ankles, knees, or forehead. They are also prohibited from wearing beards in most countries, and sent to socialize and train with British, Americans, and other polytheists so that they become comfortable with them and view them as allies.
This process is completed by incorporating many rituals from Christian militaries, including wearing specific garments, ceremonies honoring national flags, and salutes. The origin of the salute, where a soldier raises has hand to his head in the presence of a superior officer, for example, is distinctly Christian, and goes back to the days when European knights would remove their helmets in the presence of their lord. Removing the hat is specifically recommended by the Bible as a
characteristic of worship for men.We have a situation where the Islam is de-militarized, and the military is de-Islamized. This makes religion a domain of the weak, and kufr a domain of the strong. To counter this, we have to revive the warrior tradition of Islam, and counter elements of polytheist culture that have influenced militaries in Muslim lands. In short, Islamize militaries, and
militarize Muslims. There are a few sincere Muslims within the militaries of Muslim majority countries, and one of the best ways to remedy this problem is to communicate with them and explain these realities. For example, raising awareness that national symbols are the result of foreign influence and contain elements derived from other religions. It’s also important to raise awareness that when times get tough, kafir “allies” will turn their back on the Muslims in favor of their own.
Reminders of the martial aspects of the sunnah, the obligation to stand against the many attacks on the religion happening around the world, and generally increasing mental and physical preparation are a few of the ways that we can re-militarize the Muslims. Because of the intentional programs to demilitarize practicing Muslims, efforts to cultivate martial spirit among Muslims must be decentralized and take place through small scale social networks. Where possible they might need to be disguised as foreign sports like football or parkour. -
The Best Methodology for Dawah
When the Prophet ﷺ first sent out emissaries for da’wah, it was with the aim of finding a base from which to propagate Islam. When he sought tribes willing to enter Islam and host the community of the believers, he required that they pledge allegiance to him and make him the political and religious leader. The exact wording of the pledge
asked from the Ansar, radhi Allahu anhum, was as follows:حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، وَقَالَ اللَّيْثُ، حَدَّثَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو إِدْرِيسَ الْخَوْلاَنِيُّ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عُبَادَةَ بْنَ الصَّامِتِ، يَقُولُ قَالَ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَنَحْنُ فِي مَجْلِسٍ “ تُبَايِعُونِي عَلَى أَنْ لاَ تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا، وَلاَ تَسْرِقُوا، وَلاَ تَزْنُوا، وَلاَ تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلاَدَكُمْ، وَلاَ تَأْتُوا بِبُهْتَانٍ تَفْتَرُونَهُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَرْجُلِكُمْ وَلاَ تَعْصُوا فِي مَعْرُوفٍ، فَمَنْ وَفَى مِنْكُمْ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَمَنْ أَصَابَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا فَعُوقِبَ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَهْوَ كَفَّارَةٌ لَهُ، وَمَنْ أَصَابَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا فَسَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ فَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ إِنْ شَاءَ عَاقَبَهُ وَإِنْ شَاءَ عَفَا عَنْهُ ”، فَبَايَعْنَاهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ.
“Swear allegiance to me that you will not to join anything in worship along with Allah, steal, commit illegal sexual intercourse, kill your children, accuse an innocent person (to spread such an accusation among people), or be disobedient (when ordered) to do a good deed.” The Prophet ﷺ added “Whoever among you fulfills his pledge will be rewarded by Allah. And whoever indulges in any one of them (except the ascription of partners to Allah) and gets the punishment in this world, that punishment will be an expiation for that sin. And if one indulges in any of them, and Allah conceals his sin, it is up to Him to forgive or punish him (in the Hereafter).”
Sahih Bukhari, 18عن عبادة بن الصامت رضي الله عنه قال: بَايَعْنَا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على السَّمع والطَّاعَة في العُسْر واليُسْر، والمَنْشَطِ والمَكْرَه، وعلَى أَثَرَةٍ عَلَينا، وعلى أَن لاَ نُنَازِعَ الأَمْر أَهْلَه إِلاَّ أَن تَرَوْا كُفْراً بَوَاحاً عِندَكُم مِن الله تَعَالى فِيه بُرهَان، وعلى أن نقول بالحقِّ أينَما كُنَّا، لا نخافُ فِي الله لَوْمَةَ لاَئِمٍ.
‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit reported: “We pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to listen and obey in hardship and in ease, in pleasure and displeasure, even if someone is wrongly favored over us, not to dispute the rule of those in authority, that we should speak the truth wherever we are and not fear those who blame us regarding Allah.”
Sahih Bukhari, 6873So it’s very clear that seeking political authority was part of the early process of calling to Islam.
Once this base of authority was established, da’wah was conducted by sending emissaries to political leaders and inviting them to Islam with clear conditions; that they would establish salah, pay zakat, and submit to sharia. This illustrates that Islam is, by its nature, a dominant religion.
الِإسلام يعلو ولا يعلى عليه
“Islam dominates, and is not dominated over.”
Al Bayhaqi, 5/106-108It didn’t matter if those receiving the da’wah were more powerful in worldly terms; all were called to submit to Allah and His religion. This is distinct from Christianity, which for a long time was propagated in secret through underground preaching, without the aim of achieving authority over the land. Christianity initially spread mainly among the poor masses, whereas Islamic da’wah was often addressed to rulers, nobles, and tribal leaders.
Da’wah requires energy and resources, and it is an attempt to enjoin the good and forbid the evil to save the people from divine punishment by bringing them out of the darkness and into the light. If a person calls with honesty and completeness to the true religion of Islam, without omitting or adding anything, they will face the same kind of opposition today that was faced by the Prophet ﷺ during his lifetime. The ones doing the inviting will face boycotts, imprisonment, torture, and death until they are exiled and forced to seek refuge in a society supportive of the call to tawheed.
This opposition doesn’t justify a “Meccan phase” approach to da’wah; it’s simply a permanent characteristic of the relationship between authentic Islam and kufr. We can emulate the Prophet’s ﷺ methodology of calling to Islam, but we cannot emulate the content of the message that he delivered, because the process of revelation was still underway during his lifetime, so we must convey the legal injunctions such as the hudud punishments and the obligation of jihad,
as well as fundamental beliefs.Authentically calling to Islam completely in this way eventually necessitates hijra. Even those preachers from the Muslim lands who call to Islam openly, without fearing the blame or opposition, are frequently banned from entry to the lands of the kuffar. Our da’wah now, as in the time of the Prophet ﷺ should be concerned with establishing a base of political authority where Islam is correctly and authentically implemented, and where there is no other religion, ideology, or system of law dominant over the Muslims. This will then be the base from which da’wah can be conducted according to the Prophetic methodology.
This is of great importance now, as in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, because the Muslims are in need of shelter and protection, and are facing severe torment and persecution in many areas. Conducting da’wah correctly requires correct belief, and compassion for the believers is a part of correct belief. The Prophet ﷺ said:لا تدخلوا الجنة حتى تؤمنوا ولا تؤمنوا حتى تحابوا
“You will not enter Paradise until you have faith and you will not have faith until you love each other.”
Sunan at-Tirmidhi, 2510Islam is not just a set of beliefs; it is a lived reality, and da’wah must be an invitation to this reality. If this reality is absent, what is it that we are inviting the people to? Should it really be a priority to spend our limited time and energy inviting mushrikeen to join a community whose masajid are being destroyed, whose madrasas are having their curricula manipulated, and whose sermons are distorted by governments that are waging war against Allah?
The absolute priority must be establishing and supporting Islamic political authority capable of providing support and refuge to the Muslims. This authority is part of the religion itself, and without it, there is no Islam to invite to.This is not to say that other forms of da’wah have no value or should be abandoned; rather, we should do whatever is in our ability. However, da’wah from a position of strength is orders of magnitude more effective than da’wah from a position of weakness. The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ spent 13 years preaching without political authority, and a total of 72 muhajireen accepted Islam and migrated to Medina, but after 10 years in Medina, he ﷺ marched on Mecca with an army of 10,000 Muslims.
These were the results of the preaching of the best of creation ﷺ, who had the most sublime character and who was honored as a noble among his people. He ﷺ was preaching to his own family and tribe, and still, such was the difficulty of the call. His da’wah became vastly more effective through political authority and jihad for the sake of Allah. This perspective can help us to understand why jihad for the sake of Allah is an act of worship unlike any other in Islam.عَنْ أَبِی ذَرٍّ، أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ نَبِيَّ اللہِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَىُّ الْعَمَلِ خَيْرٌ قَالَ إِيمَانٌ بِاللهِ وَجِهَادٌ فِىْ سَبِيْلِ اللهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ
Abu Dharr related that he asked the Prophet ﷺ about what deed is best. The Prophet ﷺ said “Belief in Allah and jihad in the path of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime.”
Sunan an-Nisai, 3129Jihad establishes, preserves, and expands dar al Islam, which acts as a beacon and an amplifier for the call to tawheed and justice. Thus, striving in the path of Allah and supporting and calling others to support the mujahidin is part of authentic da’wah to Islam, and this is the da’wah that carries the same trials that the da’wah of the Prophet ﷺ carried. It is for this da’wah that you will face insults, boycotts, imprisonment, torture, exile, and death, just as the best generation, radhi Allahu anhum, did.
This is an honored path, and it is the path of the awliya and anbiya and shuhada. Those who walk it are few and blessed. Trials are a confirmation of the correctness of the path, and Allah does not burden a soul with more than it can bear. -
The Benefits of Salam
وَسِیقَ ٱلَّذِینَ ٱتَّقَوۡا۟ رَبَّهُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡجَنَّةِ زُمَرًاۖ حَتَّىٰۤ إِذَا جَاۤءُوهَا وَفُتِحَتۡ أَبۡوَ ٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ خَزَنَتُهَا سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَیۡكُمۡ طِبۡتُمۡ فَٱدۡخُلُوهَا خَـٰلِدِینَ
And those who were mindful of their Lord will be led to Paradise in ˹successive˺ groups. When they arrive at its ˹already˺ open gates, its keepers will say, “Peace be upon you! You have done well, so come in, to stay forever.”
39:73The importance of the greeting of “salam” is often underestimated. As with many of the miraculous blessings we are graced with, we can easily forget its value. The value of salam is such that it is directly connected to mutual love among the believers, which is connected to faith:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : والذي نفسي بيده لا تدخلوا الجنة حتى تؤمنوا ولا تؤمنوا حتى تحابوا أولا أدلكم على شيء إذا فعلتموه تحاببتم: أفشوا السلام بينكم
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is! You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you shall not believe until you love one another. May I inform you of something, if you do, you love each other. Promote greeting of peace amongst yourselves (by saying As-salamu ‘alaikum to one another)”.
Riyadh as Salihin, 378Although it is a simple and routine action, it is at the same time a supplication for several things. First, “as-Salam” is one of the names of Allah, subhanahu wa t’ala. This means we are literally asking that the Lord of all Creation be with the one for whom the supplication is made. It is also a supplication for spiritual tranquility, which is one of the meanings of salam. When a person has a strong connection with their Lord, they will not fear, because they understand that everything is completely in the control of the Most Merciful and Most Generous Creator. This leads to an emotional and mental tranquility. It is also a supplication for physical safety of the one receiving it, which is yet another dimension of the word’s meaning.
The greeting itself is thus a powerful form of community service.وعن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنهما أن رجلا سأل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أي الإسلام خير؟ قال: “تطعم الطعام، وتقرأ السلام على من عرفت ومن لم تعرف”
Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported that a man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “Which act in Islam is the best?” He ﷺ replied, “To give food, and to greet everyone, whether you know or you do not.”
Riyadh as Salihin 844The greeting is also a means of purifying sins, both of the one who greets and the one who is greeted.
عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنِ الْيَمَانِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا لَقِيَ الْمُؤْمِنَ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ وَأَخَذَ بِيَدِهِ فَصَافَحَهُ تَنَاثَرَتْ خَطَايَاهُمَا كَمَا يَتَنَاثَرُ وَرَقُ الشَّجَرِ
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily, when the believer meets another believer, greets him with peace, and shakes his hand, the sins of them both will shed like leaves falling from a tree.”
al-Muʻjam al-Awsaṭ, 253The reward of simply pronouncing the salam was defined by the Prophet ﷺ.
عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ حُنَيْفٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ قَالَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ كُتِبَ لَهُ عَشْرُ حَسَنَاتٍ وَمَنْ قَالَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ كُتِبَ لَهُ عِشْرُونَ حَسَنَةً وَمَنْ قَالَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ كُتِبَ لَهُ ثَلَاثُونَ حَسَنَةً
Sahl ibn Hunayf reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever greets with peace, ten goods are recorded for him. Whoever greets with peace and the mercy of Allah, twenty good deeds are recorded for him. Whoever greets with peace, the mercy of Allah, and his blessings, thirty good deeds are recorded for him.”
al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr, 5563The Prophet ﷺ was not stingy with bringing this benefit to others, nor was he shy about accepting the bounty of Allah. He used to repeat the greeting multiple times:
وعن أنس رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، كان إذا تكلم بكلمة أعادها ثلاثًا حتى تفهم عنه، وإذا أتى على قوم فسلم عليهم سلم عليهم ثلاثًا
Anas radhi Allahu anhu reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to repeat his words thrice so that the meaning thereof would be fully understood, and whenever he came upon a gathering of people, he would greet them. He would repeat Salam thrice.
Riyadh as Salihin, 852The value of the greeting of salam is such that the Prophet ﷺ told us to repeat the greeting even during a single meeting with a Muslim brother who leaves our line of sight for a moment.
وعنه عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: “إذا لقي أحدكم أخاه، فليسلم عليه، فإن حالت بينهما شجرة، أو جدار، أو حجر، ثم لقيه، فليسلم عليه”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When one of you meets a brother (in Faith) he should greet him. Then if a tree or a wall or a stone intervenes between them and then he meets him again, he should greet him.”
Riyadh as Salihin, 860He disliked returning the salam when he was not in a state of wudhu, because salam is one of the names of Allah, subhanahu wa t’ala.
حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُسَافِرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يَحْيَى الْبُرُلُّسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ بْنُ شُرَيْحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ الْهَادِ، أَنَّ نَافِعًا، حَدَّثَهُ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ أَقْبَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنَ الْغَائِطِ فَلَقِيَهُ رَجُلٌ عِنْدَ بِئْرِ جَمَلٍ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى أَقْبَلَ عَلَى الْحَائِطِ فَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى الْحَائِطِ ثُمَّ مَسَحَ وَجْهَهُ وَيَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ رَدَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى الرَّجُلِ السَّلاَمَ .
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came from the privy. A man met him near Bir Jamal and saluted him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not return the salutation until he came to a wall and placed his hands on the wall and wiped his face and hands; he then returned the man’s salutation.
Sunan Abi Dawud 331The Prophet ﷺ used to greet children, as well as adults, with salam.
عن أنس رضي الله عنه أنه مر على صبيان، فسلم عليهم، وقال: كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يفعله”
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that he passed by some children and greeted them. Then he said:
“Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to do the same.”
Riyadh as Salihin 862The greeting was commanded by the Prophet alongside a number of important duties.
وعن أبي عمارة البراء بن عازب رضي الله عنهما قال: أمرنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بسبع: بعيادة المريض، واتباع الجنائز، وتشميت العاطس، ونصر الضعيف، وعون المظلوم، وإفشاء السلام وإبرار المقسم.
Al-Bara’ bin ‘Azib (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to do seven things: to visit the sick, to follow the funeral (of a dead believer), to invoke the Mercy of Allah upon one who sneezes (i.e., by saying to him: Yarhamuk- Allah), to support the weak, to help the oppressed, to promote the greeting of ‘As-Salamu ‘Alaikum’, and to help those who swear to do something to keep their oaths.
Riyadh as Salihin, 846وعن أبي يوسف عبد الله بن سلام رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: “يا أيها الناس أفشوا السلام، وأطعموا الطعام، وصلوا الأرحام وصلوا والناس نيام، تدخلوا الجنة بسلام”
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, “O people, exchange greetings of peace (i.e., say: As-Salamu ‘Alaikum to one another), feed people, strengthen the ties of kinship, and be in prayer when others are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace.”
Riyad as-Salihin, 848When people consider the advantages of living in a kafir land, they usually mention education, health care, the court system, or other worldly benefits. It seems that they rarely think about the blessings of being surrounded by Muslims. In a kafir country, even a strongly practicing Muslim who prays all of his salah in the masjid will probably give and receive the greeting of salam less than 100 times per day.
In a Muslim country, the salams are exchanged much more frequently. In a kafir country, even when you meet a Muslim in public, if you don’t know them personally, you often won’t know based on their appearance that they are Muslim so that you can give them salam. The tremendous reward of salam is one of many types of reward that are severely reduced or disappear when living among mushrikeen.
The greeting of salam is a simple but powerful way of building community. If we go to a place where this greeting is less prevalent, we weaken our connection to the ummah and deprive ourselves of many blessings. Righteous actions increase faith, and the greeting of salam is a righteous action that increases the love among the believers, and this love is connected to faith.
If we intentionally move from an environment with more greetings of salam to an environment with less greetings of salam, we may very well be taking a loss in our level of faith. Likewise, moving from an environment with less greetings of salam to an environment with more greetings of salam may very well lead to an improvement in the condition of our faith. -
Star Trek Salvation
There’s a saying that goes: “In a mad world, only the mad are sane.” From the perspective of modern civilization, opposition from a traditional worldview appears as a disease, because it hampers the functionality of the modern system.
However, from the perspective of the natural world and the traditional cultures that live in balance with it, the modern system is the disease, and whatever tries to stop it, including fundamentalism, is the cure.
The crux of the matter is space travel and technology. If the modern world system collapses as previous energy intensive, technological civilizations have done, it will be proof that it did not really represent an overall improvement in humanity’s condition.
This would invert the situation. Rather than modern beliefs being superior to traditional beliefs, the traditional beliefs would be vindicated. This is why the humanist perspective depends on the hope of avoiding this inevitable fallout by means of technology, hoping to make up for the resource deficits through new technology and resources from space.
Each previous civilization has recovered from its collapse by accessing a new pool of resources, by expanding. But we are now living in the first truly global civilization, so there is nowhere left to expand except for space. The trouble is that the hierarchy necessary for the development of the infrastructure required to develop space travel technology leads to massive inequality and oppression, which adds a social dimension of collapse. Because humanism is the prevalent ideology in places the United States and Europe, for whom it is the purpose of life, the media and schooling train the masses to ignore the impossibility of continuing this way of life, and instead implant them with hope of salvation from space.
Fundamentalists then become the enemy that would threaten this promise of salvation.
But the reality of the present is enough proof that this promise of the future is false. Far more people are harmed and more damage is done by the psychological angst and material excesses of the modern lifestyle. By comparison, the damage wrought by excesses in religious fundamentalism is mild.
But casting fundamentalists as the enemy plays a very important role. Focusing on an external enemy diverts attention from internal problems that would require very difficult, long term changes to fix. These changes would also require admitting some fault, and giving up some of the illusory moral high ground.
Focusing on the external conflict yields short term, gratifying results, but ignores the underlying cause of the conflict. In fact, it actually worsens the underlying problem.
The simple fact that we will never live in a Star Trek universe. Rather than expanding into the universe in a never ending ascension toward more and more progress, modern civilization is a cancer that has reached the limit of its expansion and is killing its host with its unrestrained growth. -
Baited Traps
The Syrian civil war was remarkable for many reasons, but among them is the sheer number of overlapping intelligence agendas playing out in the context of the war. It’s very hard to accurately assess the influence of these organizations due to their highly secretive nature. We can, however, identify certain dynamics and whose interests they serve, and consider the incentives of certain players to promote certain tendencies.
One of the strategies that occurred in Syria, whether deliberately engineered or not, was the presence of a baited trap. The direction that ISIS took during the Syrian civil war had many of the characteristics of an effective trap, whether or not it was actually engineered to be one. The ideology of the group limited its ability to integrate with the local population, which in turn reduced the political backlash of using airstrikes and artillery to conduct outright massacres. The group’s public executions and openly antagonistic attitude toward the “international community” also further gave a free pass for the American military and its allies to kill without restraint.At the same time, an image was projected of an Islamic paradise, with high quality media and soundtrack, and Muslims everywhere were called to come and join. More than just being invited, they were told it was their spiritual obligation to come, and threatened with hellfire for not joining. The ideology is very attractive to the extent of being utopian; a vision of a perfect Islam, free from any compromise, and the promise of a state which defends oppressed Muslims everywhere. This is the “bait.” Tens of thousands of Muslims did answer the call, and were then systematically killed over a period of a few years. Most of the remainder were imprisoned and are now used by journalists, academics and psychologists for research and propaganda purposes.
If we consider who this harms, we can understand who it benefits. For one, it drained significant strength from Shia in the region, who mobilized on a large scale due to the Islamic State’s intense anti-Shia stance. At the same time, it acted as a “pressure release” for thousands of Muslims who otherwise might have opposed the states that they were living in and caused problems, but who could not be easily eliminated in countries with rule of law. Many countries grapple with the problem of what to do with “radicalized” citizens. If they are left free, they could conduct “lone wolf” attacks. If they are imprisoned without cause, it could cause a human rights outcry. If they are imprisoned for any reason, they can spread their ideas to other prisoners, multiplying the problem for these oppressive states. Gathering a large number of them from around the world and massacring them is a dream come true for the custodians of the international system.
An ultra-violent splinter group also has the benefit of diluting the ranks of other Islamic insurgent groups and weakening them. In an ordinary group, there are those who incline towards fighting and those who incline towards political methods. These two tendencies ideally balance each other out— the diplomatic group acts as a check and balance against the more militant side, while the militant side prevents excessive pacifism or compromise.
By causing the defection of more militant members of other Muslim groups, the remaining groups are left in a state where they are more willing to compromise, making them less of a threat and causing them to lose both effectiveness and credibility. At the same time, the more militant groups are also easier to target with conventional military means, because high levels of violence lead to weak political positioning.The end result of this strategy is that the kuffar neutralize the movement. On one side, there are groups which are convinced to abandon jihad by granting concessions within democratic and nationalist systems. On the other hand, there are groups that are strategically and politically much easier to control because of their lack of political strategy and alienation from the broader public.
It’s impossible to say if this dynamic is deliberately engineered or not; however, it certainly exists. In any case, it’s very important to strive to resist this polarization. To achieve this, it’s necessary to cultivate patience in giving and receiving advice, respecting differences of opinion, and for the younger generation to be patient and wait for their turn for leadership.
Even if the leadership makes mistakes, these mistakes will in all likelihood be less severe in harm than the harm of division and internal conflict. Elders may see something that younger generations don’t, and even if they do make a mistake, when the turn comes for the younger generation to take over leadership, they will have more experience and understanding to implement their vision. And Allah is with the patient. -
R9X Missile
The R9X missile is a type of missile-delivered weapon developed for assassinating Muslim leaders from the air. Instead of containing an explosive warhead, it extends blades which dismember the body of the target. It usually strikes moving vehicles, killing the driver and passengers with the force of the blades.
Although the warhead is billed as being “secretive,” it has been broadcast throughout the media. The narrative that goes along with these broadcasts claims that it shows the great efforts by the US military and CIA to try to minimize civilian casualties, since many children have been killed by explosive warheads in the US’s drone assassination program.
This is not necessarily altruistic, though it is sometimes painted as such. First, there is a utility in trying to claim moral superiority, which helps to justify their war efforts. However, it is also an attempt to deal with the fact that killing innocent people in the “war on terror” ends up inspiring many more people to join the war effort against the US.
What’s odd about this narrative is the methods used by the US elsewhere. In Raqqa, Syria, there were an estimated 60,000 artillery strikes on the city by the US-led coalition while it was under the control of ISIS. There is nothing ‘smart,’ ‘precision,’ or ‘surgical’ about artillery strikes in an urban area. 60,000 artillery shells fell on a city of around 200,000 residents, in addition to airstrikes. This completely debunks the narrative of the US somehow caring about reducing civilian casualties. One French artillery officer wrote a letter of bitter criticism, citing exactly the points that the R9X missile is meant to address.
He said that fighting honorably, like men, would result in higher casualties among the French soldiers, but could dramatically reduce the deaths of innocent people. He also complained that by indiscriminately killing so many innocent people, they were showing the local population that they were no better than ISIS. His advice was ignored.
This is because there is very little political will for the “war on terror,” because the West simply does not have the moral high ground. The people of France or America are not willing to tolerate a high death toll among their soldiers, because deep down, France and America don’t really have any good justification for being in Syria. It’s an imperial war fought to preserve wealth and power, and this wealth and power is used, for the most part, to fuel hedonistic, excessive, and detrimental lifestyles. It’s very obvious that the narratives of the war being about freedom and human rights are utterly superficial and false, so there is very limited willingness to die for these ideals.The political leadership chooses to kill innocent Muslims instead and somehow voters are more willing to tolerate these deaths. The R9X is an important part of securing this tolerance, because it helps with a public relations campaign that paints American forces in a positive light. This is the same reason why images of children who are killed by American and European combat operations are never shown in the media. Convincing people to fight honorably is much more difficult than covering up dishonorable actions and deceiving the public about the true nature of the war.
One of the most powerful methods of deception is misdirection, which involves focusing on some aspects of a situation, while ignoring others. The heavy media focus on the R9X program certainly falls into this category. This is part of psychological warfare, both in terms of increasing approval for the war among the kuffar, but also in terms of reducing opposition to the war among the Muslims. Muslims should be aware of this aspect of the war. We must be ready and willing to oppose the allies of Satan because of their hostility toward the truth and the people of the truth, and not only because of personal vengeance and anger. We should not wait until our father, mother, brother, or sister is killed in order to take action. If we do, it means that tactics like the development of the R9X will be effective in reducing the size and scope of opposition.
It’s praiseworthy to draw attention to the crimes and abuses of the kuffar, but this should never be our primary reason for fighting. Rather, our main motivation must always be to obey and worship our Lord and establish the supremacy of sharia. The injustice and oppression and innocents being killed every day are only a symptom— the root cause is our failure to establish the law of Allah, subhanahu wa t’ala. -
Nuclear War is Nothing to Fear
References to nuclear weapons are a common excuse brought to justify neglecting the obligation of jihad. This line of argument is absolutely invalid.
Any nuclear strike against Muslims would be a huge blessing on the ummah. No one should be deterred from jihad by the presence of nuclear weapons. The biggest source of our weakness is division, and if the kuffar were stupid enough to launch a nuclear strike, this would have an incredible unifying effect on the ummah.There has been an intense propaganda campaign to convince the general masses of Muslims that the mujahideen are violent, extremists, radical, and so forth. This campaign has been somewhat effective, such that the mujahideen are alienated from the common people in many countries.
After the beheading of a teacher who repeatedly offended his Muslim students, the French government projected offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم onto government buildings. This hateful act of blasphemy resulted in a huge surge of popular anger among Muslims and an incredible display of unity. Muslims of all different backgrounds united in their condemnation of this act. The French government’s disgraceful attitude revealed to many Muslims the evil which many of the kuffar carry in their hearts.یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ بِطَانَةࣰ مِّن دُونِكُمۡ لَا یَأۡلُونَكُمۡ خَبَالࣰا وَدُّوا۟ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ قَدۡ بَدَتِ ٱلۡبَغۡضَاۤءُ مِنۡ أَفۡوَ ٰهِهِمۡ وَمَا تُخۡفِی صُدُورُهُمۡ أَكۡبَرُۚ قَدۡ بَیَّنَّا لَكُمُ ٱلۡءَایَـٰتِۖ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ
O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason.
3:118A nuclear strike would have a unifying effect far more powerful than the incident of the French government’s hateful behavior. It would completely shatter the carefully crafted illusion of human rights that underpins Western hegemony. It would show to all the reality that the kuffar are willing to murder thousands of children and poison and corrupt the earth purely for the sake of power.
They understand this as well, which is why no one actually uses these weapons. There is also huge opposition to the use of nuclear weapons in the West, so any regime that used them would probably fall from power. It would have a divisive effect on the kuffar at least as powerful as its unifying effect on the Muslims. Unity is strength, and division is weakness; thus, a nuclear strike would greatly strengthen the Muslims while weakening the kuffar.
Furthermore, the power of nuclear weapons has been greatly exaggerated. There is no hard evidence that a nuclear war could actually cause a “nuclear winter” capable of eliminating all life on earth.
Russian intelligence officer Sergei Tretyakov stated that the data supporting a “nuclear winter” scenario was faked and spread in the West as part of a KGB disinformation plot. He claimed the first Western scientific article publicizing the theory was published as a result of KGB influence, with the intention of mobilizing popular support in the West against the development of advanced nuclear warheads.
Even a large-scale nuclear war would probably only lower global temperatures by a few degrees for a period of years. It might lead to reduced crop yields for a time, which would result in some famine, but this would impact the northern hemisphere, where the growing season is shorter, much more severely. This would be to the advantage of the Muslims, since most Muslim lands are further south.Exaggerating one’s own power is a standard tactic of war. The largest nuclear bomb ever produced is approximately 3,800 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, but this doesn’t mean that it would do 3,800 times more damage than the Hiroshima bomb. Blast radius does not increase with blast power in a linear fashion. That means the actual fireball resulting from the largest nuclear weapon ever made would be less than 10 times larger than the Hiroshima bomb, even though the blast power is 3,800 times stronger. Eizo Nomura was just 170 meters away from where the atomic bomb in Hiroshima dropped. He was in the basement of a reinforced concrete building, and lived for 37 years after the war before dying at the age of 82.
A number of survivors close to the blast were not even underground, but were in above ground open blast shelters made out of heaped earth. Still, the scale of destruction was devastating, and tens of thousands did die. However, the fact that many did survive, despite having no idea that a nuclear blast was coming, shows that it is possible to prepare for and survive such a blast.
Once it became clear that some nation was intent on using nuclear weapons, the natural response would be to quickly evacuate cities and move to the countryside. They could destroy a lot of buildings and infrastructure, but the overall death toll would be relatively limited after any initial surprise strikes, and it would leave them in a much worse position for the reasons mentioned above.
In short, the threat of nuclear weapons is not really anything to worry about, and even if the Muslims were to make the decision to fight in spite of the presence of these weapons, it’s likely that their use would only accelerate our inevitable victory, which is why it’s quite unlikely that they’d be used at all. Some especially dull kuffar sometimes like to threaten to drop nuclear bombs on Mecca. Surat al-Fil contains a reminder not to be intimidated by these threats. It reminds us that this is not the first time seemingly
powerful armies with terrifying power have threatened to attack the Kaaba. If you don’t think war elephants are terrifying, try looking up a video of an elephant rampage.
Not a single leaf falls in any forest on earth except by Allah’s permission, and the same applies to bombs. These seemingly powerful weapons are a test of our faith to see whether we fear the creation or the Creator. -
Modern Political Understanding in Islamic Education
Islamic education is in dire need of reform because it does not equip Muslims with the ability to understand modern political structures. This has devastating consequences, both from the side of takfir, because Muslims don’t understand the limitations that Muslim leaders face in trying to secure the needs of those under their care and cannot contextualize decisions, but also from the side of establishment scholars who seem to be unaware of how modern institutions contradict Islam and are used by the kuffar to maintain political and economic dominance over Muslim lands and to impose un-Islamic beliefs onto the Muslims.
The solution to this problem is the development of genuinely Islamic educational institutions that are capable of raising Islamic scholars who have both rigorous grounding in Islamic sciences and strong understanding of modern realities.
This is all the more important considering that the kuffar have been waging war and colonizing Muslim countries for centuries, and have gained a lot of experience in this time. From this experience, they have learned ways to work secretly and to manipulate Muslims without us realizing it. The kuffar realized long ago that the key to manipulating the Muslim masses is to manipulate the scholars. In India under the British, for example, the British patronized Islamic educational institutions extensively. Even those institutions that were financed solely by Muslims were still influenced by the legal environment of British India, most notably secular policies.
Although Deoband was very much an anti-colonial project and had many successes in this project it was also affected by the colonial context, much in the same way that some Muslims in the age of the Mu’tazilah were affected by Greek ideas in the process of refuting them. Deoband was formed in the aftermath of a jihadi insurrection against the British in 1274.
One of the ways the British responded to this rebellion was to expand “religious freedom,” which was actually a program of drawing a border which restricted religion to the private sphere, although it expanded some freedoms within that limited domain.
After the British reforms, the colonial government gave up any control over awqaf, but reserved the right to supervise “secular” aspects of religious education, and these aspects of education are areas that could actually threaten British power.
This represented a divergence from the Islamic tradition. Abu Bakr, radhi Allahu anhu, for example, was famed for his knowledge of genealogy and of the tribes of Arabia, which would today be seen as part of history, sociology, and political science.
A’ishah, radhi Allahu anha, was known for her knowledge of medicine in addition to her knowledge of Islamic sciences, although her education took place in the home and not in a formal institute. Later Islamic scholars also studied topics that now would be considered “secular.”
Separating religious and worldly education served to reduce the prestige of religious people and raise the prestige of irreligious servants of the British. Still, this “freedom of religion” afforded some space, and it was in this space that Darul Uloom Deoband was founded.
Deoband was able to use the religious/secular divide to find a space which was covertly political by having an overtly religious (in the sense of being separate from worldly knowledge) appearance.
It must be said, though, that this restriction certainly affected the structure, if not the nature, of the knowledge which the ulema there gained. Based on the kind of curriculum offered there, one can hardly expect graduates to understand the concrete details of how Western intelligence agencies work to influence and shape public opinion among the Muslims, or methods of maintaining neo-colonial economic coercion.
This is normal since many of these processes are deliberately hidden or made to appear as something other than what they are. Islamic education needs both to raise up Muslims capable of understanding these processes, and this can be best accomplished by the same method by which the sahaba, radhi Allahu anhum learned, which is by directly fighting and opposing shirk and the mushrikeen.
No one understands a gazelle better than the hunter who must know what the gazelle likes to eat, when it eats, when it drinks, when it sleeps, etc. so that he can find it. He must also know the sensitivity of its hearing and smelling to approach without being detected.
The process of hunting contains a lot of information and learning. This applies to every field of knowledge. A doctor with 20 years of experience is much more qualified than a doctor fresh out of medical school, though the theoretical basis of their knowledge is the same.
When it comes to the issue of repelling the influence of the kuffar from Muslim lands, fatwa on this matter are much better taken from those who have experience in this field. This doesn’t mean to take from those who lack Islamic learning totally but have fought.
A man who has no medical knowledge but who works as a doctor will cause more harm than benefit, even if he does it for many years. He may learn the techniques well, but he won’t have the understanding to know when to apply them and when not to.
This brings us back to the extremes – those who excel in action but lack theory, and fall into shedding inviolable blood and other mistakes, and we have those who excel in theory but lack in action, and are unable to apply their knowledge to the present reality and end up defending institutions and governments that are ultimately detrimental to Islam and the Muslims. Attempts to bridge this gap are very worthy of praise; one such example is Abu Zaid al Kuwaiti, rahimullah, leaving his job as a professor in Kuwait to support the mujahideen in Afghanistan. Another example is Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, hafizahu Allah, attempting to initiate dialogue with mainstream Pakistani scholars. These efforts must be in both directions, as we need those who are strong in action and strong in theory working together.
Education must reflect this, and the Pakistani madrasas deserve praise for this, as they acted as a recruiting ground for the struggle in Afghanistan. Functional education is a pipeline to action, and the method of the sahaba, radhi Allahu anhum, was to implement knowledge immediately. If you can support an institution involved in this kind of education, it’s great, but if not you can start by yourself. Small good actions lead to bigger good actions, just as small evil actions lead to bigger evil actions.
-
Nationalism: A Poor Substitute for Slavery
If you look at the timeline of the illegalization of slavery, you’ll find that it roughly paralleled the rise of nationalism. Citizenship is actually a form of bondage, but fealty to lords anointed by the clergy was replaced by fealty to nations sanctified by “the people.” This “sanctification” or blessing must come not only from the people of the country itself, but also from the “international community.”
There are many ways to view this system; as a legal paradigm, a form of identity, or a political system. One neglected but important way of looking at it, however, is as a method of organizing labor.
Under the feudal system, serfs were tied to their lords and had limited choices about the kind of work they did and where they could live. This was considered a sacred bond of obedience, so that obeying your lord was a part of obeying God. The labor of the peasants helped provide for the knights, who were meant to defend the homeland and the faith.
Peasants were tied to the land, and in many places there were prohibitions on them traveling to the domains of other lords to work. If they did, they could be arrested and returned to the lands of their original lords. Still, when conditions got bad enough, many peasants would flee and try to live and work elsewhere.
This is actually very similar to the modern system. The nation has the option to deny anyone a passport and forbid them from traveling, but when conditions get bad enough, many people will travel illegally and try to work in other countries anyway. Some get arrested and sent back to their lords.
In most modern low income countries, you can find a majority of the people would like to leave and work in other countries because of low wages, corruption, oppression and other reasons. They are forced to work in whatever jobs they can find locally. There is limited opportunities for migrant labor, but migrant laborers often have restricted rights and no real opportunities to permanently settle in another country.
There are parallels to slavery here too. In American slavery, for example, when a black slave adapted to white culture and became especially pleasing to the whites, whether as an entertainer, a servant, or by learning to think, speak, and act like them, they could become “house slaves.” House slaves had better living conditions, including better, food, clothing, and housing than field slaves, and were often hated by field slaves.
In the modern world, people from low status nations can emigrate and live in high status nations, and enjoy more luxuries, but only if they are pleasing enough to the high status lords. Usually being accepted to move to a high status country requires adopting the thinking, speaking, and behavior of the people of those countries.
For example, it’s almost unheard of for someone to go to a visa interview at the US embassy wearing traditional clothing. Usually people put a lot of effort into speaking English, wear American style clothing, and strive to exhibit acceptance or at least submission to American values to get a visa. If they don’t do these things, they will usually be denied a visa. Getting a visa also usually requires proving that they can be useful to America, usually through money or educational attainment.
I’ve also personally witnessed people from low income countries who went to America and became citizens return to their home countries, behave arrogantly with people because of their new status, and be hated for it, just as house slaves were hated by the field slaves.
Feudalism, American slavery, and nationalism are all systems of organizing labor. All of these systems control and restrict where people can live and what kind of work they can do.
Viewing the modern system in this way can help to understand why it is so important that Muslims revive slavery as a system of organizing labor. As slavery was eliminated in Muslim countries, nationalism moved into to fill the regulatory and economic gap. Nationalism’s similarity to feudalism should also make it clear that it is very much rooted in the Western Christian legal tradition. It was imposed almost exclusively by Christians, and the system as a whole is designed to serve the interests of the people of Western Christianity (ie. ethnic Western Europeans).
Slavery completely upsets this system, for many reasons. It completely changes the type of productive ventures which are popular, because many kinds of labor which require equipment manufactured by industries dominated by Europeans can be carried out by slaves instead. For example, irrigating agricultural land can be done by slaves rather than water pumps. The land can be tilled and produce harvested by slaves rather than imported machines. The trade in slaves itself is very lucrative, providing more opportunities for income.
Furthermore, importing slaves can also increase overall birth rates and the numbers of Muslims, allowing for more human labor power under a single family head. This allows for concentration of capital and economy of scale similar to what is achieved under mechanized models of labor organization, without the need for labor colonies as with the development of European mechanization.
Classical economic analysis views human power productive systems as less efficient since more workers produce less output. This analysis does not take into account, however, that the distribution of resources is much better. Even slaves receive food and housing as their share of the labor, and many more people are employed in a single enterprise. This reduces the cost of military and police forces, since more equitable distribution reduces the pressure to immigrate and the levels of crime within a society. It also does not take into account the detrimental mental and physical effects of unemployment.
Ya Ummati 