A recent American convert to Islam just went on hajj and observed (and was not impressed with) the behaviour of some of the Muslim rulers or ‘official dignitaries’ attending the Hajj. When they want to perform tawaf, some of their entourages have to be shielded from the rest of us. And during the Hajj period there is usually some picture of some Eid banquet or gathering of the Saudi rulers hosting the official delegations from various Muslim countries. Together, these representatives control so much wealth and human capital of our ummah, yet during this unique gathering of Hajj, they refuse to address the many acute problems facing our ummah.

Comment:

As the hujjaj come from every corner of the world to perform Hajj, Muslim governments from across the world usually also send official representatives to do likewise. They come from lands blighted by poverty, disease, war in Syria, occupation of Palestine, educational backwardness and all sorts of other problems affecting the Muslim lands. They also come from the lands which are blessed with huge natural resources, human capital and an Ummah that believes in the great Deen of Islam. Surely, all that is needed is for such representatives to sit together during the unique occasion of Hajj, look to our great Islam and derive solutions from it for the multitude of issues facing us, then return home helping one another to practically apply Islam’s solutions to these problems! However, their meetings are usually mere photo opportunities.

Their unified armies can retake Palestine in a flash and can overcome Bashar Al-Assad’s forces and end the slaughter there. The wealth in the Gulf countries could quickly help alleviate poverty in Africa and Asia. Likewise, the human capital of Egypt and the trained professionals from Pakistan can quickly help to bolster the educational, scientific and other aspects of life in the Gulf, and their combined efforts and resources could launch global dawah projects and initiatives to present Islamic solutions to an eager global audience, engage in cultural dawah exchanges with friendly countries and a host of other initiatives. Key to any of this happening is having one Islamic leadership with one focus and which applies and derives solutions from the Islamic Shariah. Such a unified vision is what occurred during the time of the Prophet ﷺ and the Khulafah after him. Instead, the over fifty so called leaders over this ummah today – each with his/her agenda – are a source of division, disaster and humiliation since they do not apply the Islamic Khilafah system that Allah ordered nor do they really care for this ummah.

The Prophet ﷺ showed us how to perform the pillars of hajj: how to stand at Arafah seeking Allah’s Mercy and Forgiveness; how to do the tawaf al-ifadah and many other details that most hujajj are familiar with. However, a sunnah that is forgotten is that the Prophet ﷺ and the Khulafah after him used the Hajj – a unique gathering of our Ummah where all areas are represented – to meet the delegations from the various parts of the Islamic world, listen to their complaints and problems and put forward solutions to the problems people faced. Umar (ra), when he was Khalifah, used to require the governors (walis) of the provinces of the Islamic state to assemble at Makkah during the Hajj, and then any person could raise complaints against them with regards to how the governors looked after the people’s affairs or whether they solved their daily problems.

Today, the so called rulers have established a new sunnah, which is to be bystanders watching the problems facing our Ummah or to call upon the U.N. or foreign powers to solve the problems in Syria or Kashmir etc. – whilst the real solution and capability to apply them lies with them in the Muslim world. Hajj reminds us that a lack of one unified leadership – the Khilafah Rashidah upon the method of the Prophethood – is a fundamental reason for many of the problems facing our Ummah today.

May Allah سبحانه وتعالى, bless this Ummah soon with a sincere Khalifah ruling over the re-established Khilafah Rashidah state who then mobilises the wealth, resources and talents of the Ummah to apply the Islamic solutions to our problems and lead the Ummah to offer these solutions to the whole of mankind. May we work together towards this noble duty.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ

“O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet.”

(Surah Muhammad 47:7)

Taji Mustafa

Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Britain