Press Release
To Hamas Delegation Who Visited the Butcher Bashar

«أَلَا وَإِنَّ الإِيمَانَ حِينَ تَقَعُ الْفِتَنُ بِالشَّامِ»
“Verily, Faith when Strife Breaks Out in Ash-Sham”
(Translated)

With great sorrow, we witnessed the arrival of the delegation of Hamas and the Palestinian factions headed by Khalil Al-Hayya on an official visit which is the first after Hamas announced on September 15 that it would restore its relations with the infiltrator Baathist regime and return to the bosom of the criminal Bashar, after a rupture that continued since 2012, when the head of the movement’s political office, Ismail Haniyeh justified the reason for the boycott: "We cannot be on the side of a regime that kills its people, and whoever stands with us in the truth, we would not stand with him in falsehood."

This statement from Haniyeh was at the beginning of the path of criminality of the regime of the tyrant Bashar where he had not yet killed more than two million Muslims in Syria, and his human dogs had not raped thousands of Muslim women in his prisons, nor had he dropped thousands of explosive barrels and destroyed the cities of Syria, and pictures of thousands of people killed under torture were not leaked from a person affiliated with the regime in the name of "Caesar", and other heinous crimes that only human monsters commit in their enmity to Allah, His Messenger and the believers, and their crimes are still continuing.

We wonder what changed that made Hamas change its attitude? And we ask Hamas, as an Islamic movement, what is the Sharia ruling towards this criminal regime that has violated our honor, shed our blood, destroyed our homes and deserted us from our land?

We address you while we are writhing in pain because this was not what we thought of you. Is this how the brotherhood of Islam is?! Is this the right of a Muslim over a Muslim?! The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

«الْمُسْلِمُ ‌أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يُسْلِمُهُ» “The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim, he neither wrongs him nor betrays him.” Narrated by Al-Bukhari, and according to Al-Tirmidhi with an authentic chain of narrators:

«المُسْلِمُ ‌أَخُو المُسْلِمِ، لَا يَخُونُهُ وَلَا يَكْذِبُهُ وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ» “A Muslim is a Muslim’s brother, he does not betray him, he does not lie to him, he does not let him down.” Isn't what you have done of letting down the people of Ash-Sham?!

We do not know how yourselves have chosen to put your hands in the hands of the criminal Bashar, who continues to shed the blood of the people of Ash-Sham, is this what your Islam obligates you to do?!

Dear brothers: The enemies of Islam are working to reintegrate this tyrant in the region in implementation of their criminal policies against Muslims, and you are participating in this crime, and even appeared as if you supported him in his crimes, so how will you meet your Lord with this?!

O our brothers: What is appropriate for the movement striving in the way of Allah is to be a supporter of Allah, His Messenger and the Muslims, and to disavow the enemies of Allah and His Messenger (saw), and what befits the movement striving in the cause of Allah is to be angry for Allah when His sanctities are violated, and the tyrant Bashar did not leave the sanctity of Allah that he didn’t violate, so why do you not become angry for Allah Almighty?!

O our brothers: Your killing is that you mortgaged yourselves to the puppet rulers, so your political decisions became linked to Qatar and Iran, which deceive you with the dirty political money with which they and their masters buy your attitudes. Therefore, you cannot express Islam in an honest way, and you do not have the real will to take the attitudes that Islam dictates. You are sure that the blessed land will not be liberated from the Jews except with the help of the Islamic Ummah and its armies to establish the Khilafah (Caliphate) and march with the Muslim armies to the Quds, liberating and magnifying, so what prevents you from that?! Is it not your dependence on the puppet rulers and their dirty political money?!

O our brothers: The countries of Ash-Sham are one; Bayt al-Maqdis and Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis (its surroundings), and our enemy is one; the Jewish entity and the group of rulers and criminal agents who implement the policies of the enemies of Islam, and your duty is to be hostile to those who are hostile to Allah, His Messenger (saw), and the Muslims.

O our brothers: We love you dearly; therefore, we advise you to fear Allah in the right of His Reverence, and to repent to Him sincerely, and He will forgive your sins, and know that Allah’s victory is not realized except by holding on to His strong rope, and adhering to the Sharia ruling that obligates you to absolve you from the client rulers and their crimes against your Ummah. We invite you to reflect on the words of Allah Almighty:

(وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنْدَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ يَرَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا إِذْ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ أَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعَذَابِ * إِذْ ‌تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا وَرَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الْأَسْبَابُ * وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُوا مِنَّا كَذَلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ حَسَرَاتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ)

“Still there are some who take others as Allah’s equal—they love them as they should love Allah—but the ˹true˺ believers love Allah even more. If only the wrongdoers could see the ˹horrible˺ punishment ˹awaiting them˺, they would certainly realize that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is indeed severe in punishment. ˹Consider the Day˺ when those who misled others will disown their followers—when they face the torment—and the bonds that united them will be cut off. The ˹misled˺ followers will cry, “If only we could have a second chance, we would disown them as they disowned us.” And so Allah will make them remorseful of their misdeeds. And they will never ˹be able to˺ leave the Fire.” [Al-Baqara 2:165-167]. And His saying:

(إِنَّ الَّذِينَ ارْتَدُّوا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْهُدَى الشَّيْطَانُ سَوَّلَ لَهُمْ وَأَمْلَى لَهُمْ * ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لِلَّذِينَ كَرِهُوا مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ سَنُطِيعُكُمْ فِي بَعْضِ الْأَمْرِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِسْرَارَهُمْ * فَكَيْفَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَارَهُمْ * ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اتَّبَعُوا مَا أَسْخَطَ اللَّهَ وَكَرِهُوا رِضْوَانَهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ)

“Indeed, those who relapse ˹into disbelief˺ after ˹true˺ guidance has become clear to them, ˹it is˺ Satan ˹that˺ has tempted them, luring them with false hopes. That is because they said ˹privately˺ to those who ˹also˺ detest what Allah has revealed, “We will obey you in some matters.”1 But Allah ˹fully˺ knows what they are hiding. Then how ˹horrible˺ will it be when the angels take their souls, beating their faces and backs! This is because they follow whatever displeases Allah and hate whatever pleases Him, so He has rendered their deeds void.” [Muhammad 47:25-28].

In conclusion: Our speech may contain some harshness to you, but it is not as harsh as the pain you filled our chests and the hearts of your Ummah’s children, especially the people of Syria, when we saw you shaking hands with the tyrant Bashar and smiling to his face. We have addressed you with what Islam enjoins upon you, and with the verses of Allah and the wisdom that came in the Qur’an, asking Allah Almighty to open your hearts to repentance and turn to Allah Almighty so that you carry Islam with a strong and honest burden, and you will be in the camp of Islam and the Muslims confronting the enemies of Islam and their agents from the rulers of the tyrants. Trust Allah, the Mighty, in Whose Hand is victory alone.

The causes of victory are not in the hands of Qatar, Iran, or the tyrant Bashar. Rather, it is from adopting the means of victory and to reject them and their crimes, and to denounce them and work to change them and remove their abominations. So, believe Allah and he will believe you, and if you do not do so, then give permission for wrath and war from Allah Almighty which you cannot handle them.

Oh Allah, facilitate the paths of guidance for our brothers and open their chests to your obedience and to the support of your religion, and praise be to Allah. All Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

The Central Media Office
of Hizb ut Tahrir