The opening speech of the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, the eminent Scholar Sheikh Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, may Allah protect him, in the Khilafah Conference held in Istanbul on Tuesday 03/03/2015 CE entitled, “Democratic Presidential Model or Khilafah Rashidah?”
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and upon his family and companions and those who follow him…
Dear Distinguished guests, may Allah bestow upon you the blessing of His obedience, Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuhu
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ
“Allâh has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the land, as He granted it to those before them.”
(an-Noor: 55)
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
«ثُمَّ تَكُونُ جَبْرِيَّةً، فَتَكُونُ مَاُ شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ، ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ»
“Then there will be an oppressive monarchy as long as Allah wills, then he will eliminate it if he so wills. Then a Khilafah on the way of Prophethood will prevail.” (Extracted by Ahmad and Al Tayalsi)
My brothers and sisters, I like to begin with the promise of Allah of Istikhlaf (receiving the power), and the glad tidings of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم of the return of the Khilafah after the oppressive rule that we live under… I begin with hope before the pain that befell the Islamic Ummah for more than ninety years, in 28 Rajab 1342 AH corresponding to March 1924 CE when the colonialists Kuffar led by Britain at the time and their agents from the Arabs and Turks, were able to demolish the Khilafah. This decision was issued in the second session held by the Ankara parliament on Monday the third of March 1924, and the meeting lasted from 3:25pm until 6:45pm and ended with the issuance of this fatal decision to the Ummah; the abolition of the Khilafah… The irony is that the vote for the decision was through a show of hands rather than by a secret ballot! All of this was under an atmosphere charged with fear that makes voting by show of hands, revealing the voters, which is a very dangerous matter! Since that black day and the Islamic Ummah suffers in life and its position among the nations:
After the Muslims were one Ummah, one state, and one Khilafah, the Muslims became torn to over fifty countries or statelets… and after our Constitution was rulings legislated by the Lord of humans, our Constitution is now legislated by humans … and after Muslims opened lands and spread goodness throughout the world and were the leaders of worlds; Muslim lands became reduced from its edges rather from its core! Jews who were marked with humiliation and wretchedness have occupied Palestine, land of Isra’ Wal Mi’raj, not only this, but the rulers of the Muslims recognize the Jewish state and are holding diplomatic relations with them! .. And after the Khaleefah led an army to rescue the oppressed woman who cried, “Wa Mu’tasimah!” He avenged her from those who mistreated her and he opened Amuriyah, which is close to Ankara today, since then Muslim women all over the world are oppressed and their sanctities violated, and none of the rulers in the Muslim countries rescue them. After the countries used to seek support from us, as France did when they asked the Khaleefah Suleiman the Magnificent to help release their captive king, now we resort to the Kaffir colonists to solve our issues …
Thus, dear brothers and sisters, Muslims are surrounded with calamities and tribulations and engulfed by killings before them and behind them; and they are in a dilemma! This is not because of their small number or the lack of supplies, but because their shield has been removed, the Imam, the Khaleefah is a shield fought from behind and is protected by.
«…َإِنَّمَا الإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ…»
“Verily the Imam is but a shield, is fought from behind, and is protected by.”
Bukhari narrated it in his Saheeh, and with the demise of the shield and Protection Muslims became without guardianship and protection, but they are controlled by rulers who do not fear Allah, only interested in their colonialist masters’ benefits, oppressing and controlling people.
وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَنْقَلِبُونَ
“And those who have wronged are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned”
(Ash-Shu’ara: 227)
The Khilafah, my brothers and sisters, is the source of Muslims’ glory and their power, and this is known by the leaders of colonialism, and this is why Curzon said in the British House of Commons when the Khilafah was demolished, “The issue is that Turkey is wiped out and will not have any influence, because we have eliminated its moral force: Khilafah and Islam.” Because they know this, they were not satisfied with the demolition of the Khilafah only, but exert every effort to prevent its return once again, and so they launched a fierce war against those working for its restoration. Therefore they were furious when they heard about the launch of Hizb ut Tahrir sixty years ago, and that the party took the issue of the return of the Khilafah as the Ummah’s vital issue. Therefore they relentlessly fought against it and their agents too with all the evil methods, their arsenal of calumny, arrests, and torture leading to martyrdom and long prison sentences, but they failed and the Hizb remains standing kneeling only to Allah… And finally they fought it; the colonialist Kuffar took advantage of crimes of some Islamic movements, which declared Khilafah not according to the Shariah, and carried out un-Islamic actions of slaughter, burning, vandalism, and destruction …the colonialist Kuffar took advantage of the crimes of these movements, and focused on them, and they ferociously show them on screens, to frighten Muslims that the Khilafah they want perpetrates such heinous crimes, so that people hate the true Khilafah… Nevertheless as they failed with previous methods, they will fail this time too, InshaAllah. People are aware of the legitimate Khilafah, and they can distinguish between it and the alleged Khilafah, the true Khilafah is not unknown. It is a distinctive system demonstrated by the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم followed by the guided Khulafaa after him. The Khilafah is not an empire nor a monarchy, it is not a presidential or parliamentary republic, nor a dictatorship or democracy, not following Allah’s legislation, nor any kind of man-made systems, but it is the Khilafah of Justice, and its rulers are Khulafaa, imams, people fight behind them and are protected by them … It is a Khilafah that protects the blood, safeguards the honour and preserves the wealth, and fulfills contracts of protection for Dhimma and takes the bayah willingly and by choice not by oppression and coercion, people migrate safely to it, they do not flee it in panic …
My dear attending brothers and sisters, O people of sight and insight, O men of understanding, O the ones who feel the pain as a result of the loss of the Khilafah, the shield and protection of Muslims … Remove yourselves of this great sin, and work to resume the Islamic way of life on earth by re-establishing the guided Khilafah state, neglecting it is a great sin, except for those who work for it, the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم says:
»ومن مات وليس في عنقه بيعة مات ميتة جاهلية»
“And whosoever dies without having a Bay’ah upon his neck (i.e. without a system of Bay’ah existing), he dies the death of Jahiliyyah.”
Narrated by Muslim, that is the allegiance of a Khaleefah who is established legally, so move your men and your women and your people to work diligently and honestly and faithfully, to establish the Khilafah, truly it is a great triumph.
In conclusion, I would like to remind you and assure you: I remind you that this city, Uskudar which your conference is being held was the first success of the conquest of Constantinople, and is where the armies that were sent by the Khaleefah from Asia where launched from to the conquest of Constantinople, they camped here and then they departed from its port to the corresponding port on the European side to invade and besiege Constantinople. This was repeated many times until Allah سبحانه وتعالى blessed Sultan Muhammad Al Fatih with this great success as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
»لَتُفْتَحَنَّ الْقُسْطَنْطِينِيَّةُ، فَلَنِعْمَ الْأَمِيرُ أَمِيرُهَا، وَلَنِعْمَ الْجَيْشُ ذَلِكَ الْجَيْشُ»
“You will open Constantinople, its Ameer is the best Ameer, and its army is the best army.” (Narrated by Ahmad). And I assure you that your brethren in Hizb ut Tahrir are firm on the Haq, working hard to achieve Allah Almighty’s promise and the glad tiding of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم of the return of the Khilafah, they do not fear anybody but Allah, and they follow the path of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. And your brothers are nearly reaching the objective with the permission of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, they will be, and you, shaded under the Raya Al ‘Uqab, the banner of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, and so the Khilafah will shine on earth, and spread safety and security and justice in the lands of Islam
وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنْصُرُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ
“And that day the believers will rejoice In the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful”
(Ar-Rum: 4-5)
And the final conclusion, I congratulate you for your conference, may you have the Barakah of Allah, and start in the name of Allah… I ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى that this conference will yield good and blessed fruits bringing glory to Islam and Muslims, and humiliate the colonialist Kuffar.
وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
“And Allah is predominant over His affair, but most of the people do not know”
(Yusuf: 21)
Wa Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuhu
Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al Rashtah
Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir
12/5/1436 AH corresponding to 3/3/2015 CE