A Tale of Tyranny and Oppression

News:

In a statement on Friday, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said there were about 1500 Pakistanis currently in Sudan, adding that the Pakistani embassy was in contact with them and providing them with all possible support. The Prime Minister added that due to the danger involved in getting to the airport, Pakistan was having difficulty evacuating its citizens. (Source: Dawn)

Comment:

The story of Sudan is not any different from other Muslim countries, which consist of power struggles, greed, and occupation for the sake of getting hold of the resources of the land, while using the excuses of freedom from oppression or military rule and giving them a dream of democracy. On the same pattern as other colonies, Sudan gained independence from the Anglo-Egyptian co-rule in 1956, and since then stayed under the 30-year reign of President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, following months of nationwide protests, which ended with the military forcing him out in April 2019. Since then, the country was being pushed towards democracy and the economist and former international civil servant Abdalla Hamdouk al-Kinani was selected to serve as prime minister of a civilian-led transitional government which was to have guided the country to credible democratic elections in late 2022. In October 2021, the Sudanese military organized a takeover that ousted Prime Minister Hamdouk and his government and replaced civilian members of the Sovereign Council (Sudan’s collective Head of State) with individuals selected by the military. Hamdouk was briefly reinstated in November 2021 but resigned in January 2022. In this current mayhem, the civilian death toll from the fighting rose to more than 400, with more than 3,500 injured, according to the World Health Organization. The real toll is probably much higher, officials say.

After 1956, what we see in Sudan is a weakening of people and a strengthening of the elite, especially those who were connected to the military Generals, who are fighting for their own power and killing their own people. At the heart of the clashes are two men: Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who until recently were allies. Together they toppled the government and then the struggle of who will subordinate who started. Any kind of shift in power would jeopardize their substantial economic hold, and perhaps their personal freedom as well. As both sides have thousands of followers, the conflict seems to be heading towards a prolonged conflict that has devastated other countries in the Middle East and Africa, from Lebanon and Syria to Libya and Ethiopia. K'ab bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (saw) said,

«ما ذئبان جائعان أرسلا في غنم بأفسد لها من حرص المرء على المال والشرف، لدينه»

“Two hungry wolves sent in the midst of a flock of sheep are no more destructive to them than a man's greed for wealth and fame is to his Deen.” [At- Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih]. Riyad as-Salihin 484

The solution for this and all other problems faced by the Ummah and the rest of the world lies in the establishment of a single Khilafah state. As the Muslim Ummah has been living without its shield for the last 100 years, many have forgotten where real power and assets lie for a Muslim ruler. It is taking care of the affairs of the Muslim Ummah that gives a commander power even though he himself misses a meal. It’s the craving to be a martyr that makes you a General not donning a uniform with badges while hiding behind civilians’ dead bodies. This taking care of the Ummah is not defined by the lines drawn by the colonialists but by following the ahkaam of Allah (swt).

We have the example of Hazrat Umar (ra); when the envoy of the Byzantine emperor came to Madina, he expected that the Caliph would be living in a heavily guarded palace. The envoy found no palace and no guard. He found the Caliph sitting in the mosque in the company of ordinary people. With this simple life, Umar inspired awe and terror among his people and his foes alike. The awe and fear that Umar commanded were because of his high moral character, people feared him because he feared Allah. Umar was an embodiment of the virtues of Islam. Allah (swt) has blessed Sudan with immense treasures, like gold, petroleum, the Nile River, chromium, iron ore, livestock, etc. It is strategically placed just beneath the Muslim heartland. It was quite recently split by the imperialist powers, who created a separate South Sudan out of it. That has degenerated into chaos, and now the imperialists through their agents are making sure that Sudan suffers the same fate. Under the Khilafah State, Sudan will be an integral part because it is populated by a Muslim people, but will also be an important part in geostrategic terms, being the launching pad into Sub-Saharan Africa, especially the eastern coastlands that abut it. Narrated Thawban; the Prophet (saw) said:

«يُوشِكُ الأُمَمُ أَنْ تَدَاعَى عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا تَدَاعَى الأَكَلَةُ إِلَى قَصْعَتِهَا»‏.‏ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ وَمِنْ قِلَّةٍ نَحْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ قَالَ: «بَلْ أَنْتُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ كَثِيرٌ وَلَكِنَّكُمْ غُثَاءٌ كَغُثَاءِ السَّيْلِ وَلَيَنْزِعَنَّ اللَّهُ مِنْ صُدُورِ عَدُوِّكُمُ الْمَهَابَةَ مِنْكُمْ وَلَيَقْذِفَنَّ اللَّهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمُ الْوَهَنَ»‏.‏ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا الْوَهَنُ قَالَ: «حُبُّ الدُّنْيَا وَكَرَاهِيَةُ الْمَوْتِ»‏

“The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish. Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and last enervation into your hearts. Someone asked: What is wahn (enervation). Messenger of Allah (saw): He replied: Love of the world and dislike of death. [Sunan Abi Dawud 4297]

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and all the other Muslim rulers should know that evacuating Pakistani nationals from Sudan will not free them from their responsibilities of saving the whole Ummah and the resources of the Ummah, as both are an ammanah of Allah (swt). We, as the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad and as the servants of Allah (swt), must understand that love for this world means avoidance of the Day of Resurrection and dislike for death can be the knowledge of one’s own doings. Every breath we take is a responsibility as well as an opportunity for us to gain Allah’s pleasure and perform according to His commands and by doing that only we will become what we claim to be Muslims.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Ikhlaq Jehan