Press Release
100 YEARS WITHOUT KHILAFAH

Today, 3^rd March 2024, marks 100 years since the formal destruction of the Khilafah (Caliphate) in 1924 of the Gregorian calendar. It has been 100 years where the Ummah has been living without the comprehensive rulings of Islam in all aspects of our lives, a matter clearly obligated in the Islamic texts.  Allah (swt) says:

[إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ لِلّهِ]

“Verily Judgement rests with none but Allah” [6:58], and:

[فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىَ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيمًا]

“But no! By your Lord, they will never be (true) believers until they accept you (O Prophet) as the judge in their disputes, and find no resistance within themselves against your decision and submit wholeheartedly” [4:65].

It has been 100 years where the Ummah has been without her ‘shield’ as described by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) where he (saw) said: «إِنَّمَا الْإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ»“Verily the Imam (khalifah) is but a shield from behind which the people fight and by which they protect themselves.” [Sahih Muslim]

It has been 100 years without true unification of the Muslims, a matter emphasised the very moment the Prophet (saw) formed the first Islamic state in Medina where he wrote in the covenant:«وَإِنّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بَعْضُهُمْ مَوَالِي بَعْضٍ دُونَ النّاسِ»“the believers are brothers to one another to the exclusion of all other people (of the world).” And «وَإِنّ سِلْمَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَاحِدَةٌ، لَا يُسَالَمُ مُؤْمِنٌ دُونَ مُؤْمِنٍ فِي قِتَالٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ إلّا عَلَى سَوَاءٍ وَعَدْلٍ بَيْنَهُمْ» “the peace of the believers shall be one. If there be any war in the way of God, no believer shall be under any peace (with the enemy) to the exclusion of other believers, unless it (this peace) be the same and equally binding on all.”And where Allah (swt) says:

[وَالَّذينَ كَفَرُواْ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاء بَعْضٍ إِلاَّ تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُن فِتْنَةٌ فِي الأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ]

“As for the disbelievers, they are guardians of one another. And unless you (believers) act likewise, there will be great oppression and corruption in the land” [8:73].

It has been 100 years since the Ummah had, looking after her affairs, a sincere shepherd/caretaker looking over her through the guidance of the Islamic texts. The Prophet (saw) said: «كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَمَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ؛ فَالْإِمَامُ رَاعٍ وَمَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ...»“Every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader of people is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects…”[Bukhari, Muslim]

Thus, the result of this upon the Ummah has been calamity after calamity. Our lands were invaded, our loved ones murdered, our selves forced out of our homes, our devout ulama who uphold the truth persecuted, our riches plundered, and our sacred sites desecrated.  Examples of these need no introduction whether it be the escalation of tragedies of the Uyghur Muslims by China in East Turkistan, the Rohingya Muslims of Burma, the invasion and destruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, or the tragedies of Kashmir and India. Now before our very eyes, in Gaza and Palestine, we witness the full impact of losing this shield. The colonial West and its barbaric Zionist creation have unleashed atrocities one could not have imagined possible if they were not occurring before our eyes. Purposely killing innocent women and children, bombing hospitals, murdering journalists, destroying places of worship and if that was not barbaric enough, they cut humanitarian aid to slowly starve the people to death to make them submit to the colonial hegemony of the West and her allies. All the while the rulers in the Muslim world, without exception, audaciously and proudly announce to the Ummah that they are with the West and its Zionist creation, by suppressing any support of Palestine, fortifying the borders, giving aid to the Zionist state, and promising the Zionist entity that they would accept the existence of the occupation if the Zionists were to agree to a Two-State solution.  Words are at a loss to adequately describe this most treacherous and oppressive state of affairs the Ummah is in.

It is not only the Muslims who have suffered, the Communist and Capitalist Liberal ideologies that have dominated since the absence of Islam have wreaked havoc upon the earth due to the injustices of man’s rule. This can be seen in the misery that has overcome the vast majority of the world’s population resulting from the destructive wars, major economic imbalances and injustices, disregard for the environment, the breakdown of the family structure, and the weathering of upright and righteous human behaviour.  Indeed, Allah (swt) spoke the truth when He said:

[ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ]

“Corruption has spread on the land and the sea in consequence of what people’s hands have wrought…” [30:41].

Is it then not time that the noble Ummah doubles her efforts to re-establish the righteous Khilafah, the glad tidings of which have been relayed to us by the Prophet (saw):«ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةً عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ... ثُمَّ سَكَتَ»“and then there will be Khilafah upon the Prophetic method’ and then he remained silent.”[Ahmad]

The Khilafah that will bring security and safety to the believers on the back of those who believed and worked righteous deeds: Allah (swt) says:

[وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا]

“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will certainly make them successors(leaders) in the land, as He did with those before them; and will surely establish for them their Deen which He has chosen for them; and will indeed change their fear into security…” [24:55].

The Muslim will then not have anything to fear when travelling through the Earth as Islam will be victorious: وَاللَّهِ لَيُتِمَّنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ حَتَّى يَسِيرَ الرَّاكِبُ مِنْ صَنْعَاءَ إِلَى حَضْرَمَوْتَ، لاَ يَخَافُ إِلاَّ اللَّه»«“…By Allah, this religion (i.e. Islam) will prevail till a traveller from Sana (in Yemen) to Hadrarmaut will fear none but Allah…”[Bukhari]

The Obligation is a matter well established by all the classical ulama. Imam an-Nawawi (ra) says, “They (the scholars) consented that it is an obligation upon the Muslims to appoint a khalifah, and that its obligation is by revelation, not reason” and Imam al-Ghazali (ra) said: “the obligation of appointing an imam is from the necessities of the shari’a that simply cannot be left, so know this –  If the Imamah becomes void so too would the delegation (of authority). The judges would dissolve and join the ranks of the people. Proper legal disposal of rights with respect of life, blood, honour and wealth would be prevented, and application of the shari’a would end in all these important matters.”

Hizb ut Tahrir warmly invites you, O noble Muslims, towards this great work. We invite you to learn more about this great obligation.  We invite you to seize the opportunity to carry out a task not asked of this Ummah since the time of the Prophet (saw) and his noble sahabah (ra) – The task of establishing Allah’s(swt) Deen in the lands!  Then we will return with grace, after our obedience to Him (swt), towards His (swt) Pleasure.

[فَانقَلَبُواْ بِنِعْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَّمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ وَاتَّبَعُواْ رِضْوَانَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَظِيمٍ]

“And they returned with Allah’s blessings without being touched by evil: for they had been striving for Allah’s pleasure (ridwaan), and Allah is limitless in His great bounty.” [3:174]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Australia