President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the Eid of the AK Party’s administration through video conference. Erdoğan: “The turning back of the Hagia Sophia again into a mosque increased the rejoice of the Eid, yet I would also like to point out that I find some of the discussions initiated to overshadow the reopening of Hagia Sophia to be malevolent. (Agencies)

Comment:

Before starting we must express that Erdoğan means with “some of the discussions” the Khilafah (Caliphate) and with “malevolent” those who desire the Khilafah. Regarding a published magazine with the title “Khilafah” right after the opening of Hagia Sophia, AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik’s delivered a statement saying that “republic is like the apple of our eye”. The chairman of the National Movement Party Devlet Bahçeli stated on the controversy of the Khilafah discussions: “Khilafah discussions will damage the integrity of Turkey”. As we will all remember, Erdoğan said once, regarding the Caliphate: “we do not have an issue like Khilafah”.

Everyone is saying – or has said – something about the Caliphate back and forth…

Well, what are we saying, what are we supposed to say? How should Muslims look at the Caliphate?

The rhetoric and actions of the Muslim must be in accordance with the consent of our Lord. In other words, they have to suit the rules of Islam. What a Muslim should claim, what he should stand for or what he should do is not the conjuncture, but the Shariah. Therefore, desiring the Caliphate is not being evil minded.

So Mr. Erdoğan, making the Caliphate a current issue on the agenda is “evil minded”, is that so? Desiring for the Caliphate that we have inherited from our prophet is “evil minded”, is that so?

Yet, making the Caliphate a current issue is one of the principles of Islam.

The real malevolence is to make the Muslim people love secularism who actually love Islam and the provisions of Allah. Being evil minded is to say that the Republic will be everlasting while Muslims yearn for the Caliphate. Far from it! It is like saying that you are looking after democracy which claims to be better in legislating a regulation/law than Allah (swt). Again, real malevolence is to abuse Muslims at every turn by means of Islamic emotions. In short, those who are malevolence are not the Muslims who want to revolve to Khilafah by rejecting democracy and republic but you.

Once again we saw that the Ummah is in one valley, the rulers are in another…

I want to remind the words of Rasulallah (peace be upon him) to my beloved brothers who are accused of malevolence by the rulers but are seeking the Khilafah, which will implement the regulations of Allah (swt): «أَلَا إِنَّ الْكِتَابَ وَالسُّلْطَانَ سَيَفْتَرِقَانِ  فَلَا تُفَارِقُوا الْكِتَابَ… مَوْتٌ فِي طَاعَةِ اللهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ حَيَاةٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ اللهِ»“Behold, the day will come when the book (Quran) and the sultan state/rulers will be separated from each other. And know that to die in obedience to Allah is better than a life of disobedience to Allah.” (Taberani, es-Sagir, 2/42)

The evidence of the assumption of the Caliphate is known. There are many statements of scholars regarding the assumption of the Caliphate. However, I would like to share the word of Imam Ibn Taymiyyah in order to shed light on the matter. He said: “it is Wajib to know that the authority of the Caliphate, which rules over the people, is one of the greatest obligations of religion. In fact, there is no religious establishment without it. This view at the same time; is the view of the Salaf such as Ibn Iyad, Ahmad bin Hanbel and others.”

Since the caliphate is of the rules of the Shari’ah, especially the scholars of today should be able to speak and should speak about the Caliphate on the method of Prophet.

Especially when the caliphate is being discussed in Turkey … especially when the Hearts are expressing the desire for the Caliphate…

Oh theologians, preachers, scholars and opinion leaders! Injustice, unrest and insecurity have surrounded our lives as a result of the democratic secular system, and will you not continue to study Justice only from the history books, and will you not talk about the Caliphate State as the enforcer of justice, and its necessity?

Are you not going to speak about the caliphate as the crowning of the fardh (duties), as the Salafist scholars have called it, when it is now the time? Will you not say that it is the promise of Allah and the Glad Tidings of His Messenger (peace be upon him)?

Or will you continue to hide the truth while taking the conjuncture into account?

We don’t know about you, but we spoke about the Caliphate yesterday, we speak about it today, and we will continue to speak about it tomorrow. Just like the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: «ولَا نَقُولُ إلَّا ما يَرْضَى رَبُّنَا» “We will not say anything other than our lord will be consent of.” (Bukhari)

 

Abdullah İmamoğlu