Press Release
The Shield Lost in Rajab: The Loss We Mourn, The Promise We Hold

The month of Rajab arrives, its sacredness etched in our hearts as a time for spiritual ascent and divine proximity. Yet, within this very sanctity lies a deep historical wound. For it was in Rajab of the year 1342 AH, 1924 CE, that the last unifying political institution of the Islamic Ummah: the Uthmani Khilafah (Ottoman Caliphate) was formally abolished. This was not merely the end of an empire; it was the shattering of the junnah (جُنَّة), the protective shield, that had for centuries symbolised the collective defence, dignity, and unity of the Muslim world.

Allah (swt) commands in the Noble Quran, [وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا] “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.” [TMQ Surah Aali Imran:103]. With the destruction of the Khilafah, that rope was severed. The unified political entity was fragmented into weak, controllable pieces; nation-states carved by colonialist powers. The Prophet (saw) foretold,

«يُوشِكُ الأُمَمُ أَنْ تَدَاعَى عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا تَدَاعَى الأَكَلَةُ إِلَى قَصْعَتِهَا» “The nations are about to invite one another against you as diners invite one another to a dish...” (Sunan Abi Dawud). The Ummah was left exposed, its heartlands and resources laid bare for occupation, looting, and control.

Since that fateful Rajab, the tragedies have been unrelenting, each a testament to the void left by our absent shield. The First Qibla, al-Masjid al-Aqsa, fell under continuous occupation, its sanctity violated by an artificially implanted colonialist project, the Jewish entity. Our lands were pierced into competing statelets, their borders drawn to weaken, not to empower. Muslim wealth fuels foreign interests, and Muslim armies are too often weaponised against their own people. From the genocide in Bosnia, to the decades of warfare framed as ‘counter-terrorism’, and most urgently, to the live-streamed genocide in Gaza, this has been a century of oppression, displacement, and bloodshed. The warning of the Noble Qur’an manifests, [وَلَا تَنَـٰزَعُوا۟ فَتَفْشَلُوا۟ وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ] “And do not dispute and thus lose courage and then your strength would depart.” [TMQ Surah Al-Anfaal: 46].

Our disunity has been our greatest weakness. This condition is not our destiny. The profound suffering of Gaza and all oppressed Muslims must serve not as a source of despair, but as the ultimate driver to reclaim our collective shield. Every attack underscores a timeless truth articulated by Allah’s Messenger (saw), «إِنَّمَا الْإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ» “Indeed, the Imam is a shield (junnah جُنَّة); you fight behind him and you are protected by him” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim).

Without this just leadership, this Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood, there is no true protection for the Ummah’s sanctities, wealth, territory, or blood. We are not without hope or promise.

The Prophet (saw) gave glad tidings,

«ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكًا جَبْرِيَّةً، فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ، ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةٍ»

“Then there will be an oppressive rule, and it remains as long as Allah (swt) wishes, and then He (swt) will end it when He (swt) wishes to end it, then there will be the Khilafah on the Method of Prophethood.” [Musnad Ahmad].

This is the glad tidings of our Prophet (saw) and our direction. Furthermore, Allah (swt) says,

[وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ...]

“Allah has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth...” [TMQ Surah An-Nur:55]. Therefore, let this Rajab be a turning point in our awareness. Let our grief be transformed into purposeful action, seeking knowledge, nurturing unity, and working sincerely for the revival that is our right and our promise. The only path to dignified salvation from the cycles of oppression is the re-establishment of that just shield, under which the weak are protected, justice is administered, and the Ummah stands as one. The shield must be restored.

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Pakistan