[quote]
Originally posted by sciencewali:
There were many khilafat's.
Question WHY DID THEY NOT LAST.
Surely unless this question is addressed what is the point in having a khilafat and tomorrow .....gone.
In order to cure the illness you need to know that the illness was, then eradicate that illness so the patient remains healthy.
(Please don't take offence but that was a really strange analogy, not to add very confusing).
If Hibz-ut-tahrir is another group then we have yet more barriers.
I'm in no group I wear one label and that is trying to have a way of life that is set out by the Quran and the Authentic sunnah of the Prophet sallalaho alahiw wasalam.
I see you not as a member of a group but a member of the ummah and that is enough for me.
[/quote]
“And those who disbelieve are allies to one another. And if you (Muslims) do not do so (become united, Islamic state / Khilafah), there will be Fitnah and oppression on earth, and a great mischief and corruption.” [Al-Anfal: 73]
The Khilafah Was Practically Dead During its Final Stages.
What Difference Would It Have Made Not To Have One?
While the Islamic State, or the Khilafah, was in its prime, it was the guiding light of civilization and the superpower of the world. However, towards its final stages, which began after Napolean’s invasion of Egypt, the Khilafah’s status underwent a precipitous decline. During the latter part of the 19th century until World War I, the Khilafah was but a mere skeleton. Thus, while the official death certificate was issued when Mustafa Kemal abolished the Khilafah in 1924, the real death of the Islamic State happened, according to many historians, during the mid-19th century when the Muslims began to refer to sources other than Islam for rules and regulations. This declined status would naturally lead one to ask the following question: If the Khilafah was weakened to such a degree during its final stages and its international status was so ineffective towards its end, did abolishing the Khilafah truly make a difference?
Even in spite of the Khilafah’s weakened status, abolishing the Khilafah made a tremendous impact upon the Muslim Ummah for two important reasons. First, it is the nature of any state to have periods of decline. Sometimes, a state or a nation may be in such a declined status that it approaches death. This happened even to the United States, when a large region of the nation split away from the central government and formed a renegade state. As a result of this, the United States was engulfed in a civil war which could have collapsed the entire nation had the events shifted the war in a different direction. The impact of the Civil War was so tremendous that, for the next several decades, the US was recuperating from its effects. However, eventually, with time the nation revitalized itself and emerged in the next century as the unparalleled superpower of the world.
Thus, as long as the system remains, be it in a declined or weakened state, the state has a chance to revive itself. There was a time when the Khilafah was in a tremendous state of decline. During this time, large regions of the State were controlled by renegade groups who were threatening to destroy the State. And the Ismailis, who later became the Fatimids and were not even Muslim, established a renegade Khilafah in Egypt that later assisted the Crusades in their invasion. When the Crusade Wars and the occupation of Jerusalem was added later on, the accumulation of these factors threatened to collapse the entire Islamic Ummah. However, the Muslims eventually dismantled the rebellious groups, repelled the renegade Khilafah established by the Fatimids, and emerged again as the superpower of the world. While the Uthmanis were never able to revive the Muslim Ummah to their previous glory, they did manage to maintain the title of superpower for several centuries, to the point that they were able to spread their influence into vast territories in Europe.
Secondly, and most importantly, Muslims must be aware of one fact of life: It is far more difficult to build a new system than to repair an existing system. Had Muslims been aware of this fact, they would not have allowed the destruction of the Khilafah to happen. The reason for this has to do with a fundamental reality of Allah’s creation – there exists no vacuum. While the Islamic State remained, as weak as it was, it occupied a space. When the Islamic State was removed, a vacuum was created, and this vacuum was immediately filled by the Kufr systems imposed upon the Muslims by the West. Therefore, reestablishing the Islamic System now must come at the expense of removing these existing systems, and removing a system is a Herculean task. It is so difficult of a task that, when discussing the idea of changing the system, most people dismiss such an idea as impossible. It is no surprise that the Prophet (saaw) himself spent most of his time as a Messenger of Allah preoccupied with this task. By repairing the existing Khilafah, the Muslims would have saved themselves the agony of struggling with the Kufr systems and their apparatus that Muslims must now undergo in order to reestablish the Islamic State once more.
Thus, the Muslims must realize that the Islamic State is their state and is not something that is imposed upon them. The relationship of the Muslims to the Islamic State is like the relationship of the house to its inhabitants. Even if the structure of the house is damaged by a fire, repairing the house is far easier than having to demolish another house and rebuild the house and its foundation. The Islamic State is supposed to protect the Muslims in the same manner that the house is supposed to shelter its inhabitants and provide them with a place to live. And if the house is threatened or damaged, or it is suffering from a defect, then this puts greater responsibility upon its inhabitants to remedy the problem. Ignoring the problem and losing hope will only cause matters to deteriorate further. Similarly, if the Islamic State is in a state of decline or is not performing its duties, then the responsibility of the Muslims is to work to repair the Islamic State. The situation of Muslims with a weakened Khilafah as opposed to having no Khilafah can be likened to living in a shoddy house as opposed to living in the street. The one who owns a house still has property that he can call his own.
How Would the New Islamic State Survive?
Such a question is pressing in the minds of every Muslim. Given the status of the current world order, which is further entrenched by the hegemonic grip of the United States in the international arena, including the Muslim world, a question may arise: How can a newly-formed Islamic state survive its initial stages in such an environment. Many Muslims have a tendency to magnify the obstacles standing before them and the Islamic State, or they become so overwhelmed by the obstacles that they resign themselves to accepting the Islamic State as something that will never materialize. Others continue to reminisce over previous and current attempts at establishing an Islamic entity – all of which have failed – and come to the conclusion that creating a global Islamic State for the Muslims is a mission impossible.
Such a position is incorrect because the creation of a new state, while difficult, is not impossible. Throughout time, even during the last century, history has witnessed on several occasions the birth of a new state. The most striking recent examples were the Soviet Union and the State of Israel, both of which emerged in the 20th century. The most important elements in the creation of a new state are a favorable climate and an independent political movement that possesses the motivation and a certain level of awareness of its surroundings. The Islamic movement has a source of motivation that no other ideology has, which is Islam itself. The mere fact that Islam is the correct ideology, and that the Promise and Support of Allah is behind the Believers, are sufficient to abolish any doubt that Muslims may harbor regarding the inevitable success of this Deen.
What the Muslims require are a clear understanding of their objectives and the method to achieve these objectives, as well as a sharp political mentality to equip them with the necessary awareness that the new Islamic entity would depend upon to guide it through the task of establishing itself in a hostile environment. Whether the international climate is favorable or not for the creation of a new state, such an issue is subject to debate and is beyond the scope of this article. However, two points should be kept clear. First, the Islamic State not going to be a camel-riding state governed by simple-minded people who will have to depend upon others to sustain themselves. The Islamic State will be a state that is governed by sincere Muslims who possess a crystallized understanding of their Deen and a sharp political mentality which will enable them to carry out their responsibilities to the world. Secondly, the international climate is not a static climate that is fixed and perpetual but is a dynamic environment which is always subject to continuous change. It is a matter of finding the right combination of favorable elements in order to time the birth of the Islamic State to occur at the right moment.
No one is claiming that establishing the Islamic State is an easy task, and maintaining its existence, especially during the initial stages, will be even more difficult. However, like any other project, with serious planning, dedication, and preparation, the Islamic State will become a reality.
Soldiers of Allah
"Only for Allah and to gain His pleasure"
"You are either slave to what made man or u are slave to what man made"