Headlines:
- For Real Change, We Must Work for Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood with Hizb ut Tahrir
- Muslims must Sight the Crescent and Celebrate Eid together as One Ummah
- Democracy has Failed to Halt Destructive Currency Devaluation and Import Dependency
For Real Change, We Must Work for Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood with Hizb ut Tahrir
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, who is blamed for introducing the politics of dharna (protest sit-ins) in the country, on 18 June 2018 snubbed party workers protesting outside his Banigala residence against the award of party tickets in some constituencies, telling them categorically that he would never succumb to pressure of their protests. Corruption is so rife in Democracy that it is even affecting the party that claims that it would end corruption. The PTI has demoralized its own workers as they realize that corrupt politicians are being awarded tickets for elections on the grounds that they are electable.
It is upon the Muslims to see beyond the faces of Democracy to Democracy itself as the cause of their disappointment. There will never be a “New Pakistan” or real change through Democracy. Democracy itself is the tool for the corrupt for personal financial gain. Democracy places law making, deciding what is right and wrong, what is Halal and Haraam, in the hands of those elected so they can manipulate laws to secure their personal gains. Democracy also legalizes corruption, through making laws such as the Protection of Economics Reforms Act, the Seventeenth Amendment and the National Reconciliation Ordinance. That is why we have not seen a single clean man from those political and military rulers who have ruled by Democracy, whether Musharraf or Shaukat Aziz, Zardari or Kayani, or Nawaz or Raheel. And this is why we see today that the corrupt swarm around Democracy like flies to filth.
It is upon all Muslims to work with Hizb ut Tahrir for the re-establishment of Islam as a state and constitution. Hizb ut Tahrir began its work for the resumption of Islam as a way of life in 1953. It has presence in every part of the Muslim World, from Morocco to Indonesia. It has prepared a constitution of 191 articles, accompanied with evidences from the Quran and Sunnah. It has a library of books providing a complete blue print of the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood. It has legions of men and women, who have dedicated themselves to carrying Islam as a way of life, bearing all manner of hardship from the current corrupt rulers in the Muslim World. It is capable and fully prepared for ruling and it is our duty to work with it because ruling by Islam in all our affairs is not a choice, but an Obligation from Allah (swt). Allah (swt) has revealed,
وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلاَ مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمْ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلاَلاً مُبِينًا
“It is not befitting for a believing man or woman to have any choice in a matter, when it has been decided upon by Allah and His Messenger.”
[Surah Al-Ahzab 33:36]
Muslims must Sight the Crescent and Celebrate Eid together as One Ummah
The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee disregarded the screening of moon-sighting testimonies from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which triggered a split in the country over observance of Eidul Fitr, according to senior members of the zonal committees. This has been reported by Dawn Newspaper on 20th June 2018. He said that since the central committee did not pay heed to their testimony, people had stopped coming to the zonal committee with claims of having sighted the moon. The moon-sighting controversy was witnessed this year when Eid was celebrated in most parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata a day ahead of the rest of the country. The celebration of two Eids in Pakistan leads to an eruption of social media opinion, with everyone pitching his or her ideas, further dividing the nation on the subject.
The controversy over the sighting of the new crescent of Ramadhan and Eid erupts every year as rules laid out by Islam have not been followed by the current states in the Muslim world. In Islam, the sighting of the crescent is an Ibaadah because Rasul Allah ﷺ ordered Muslims to do it. Abu Hurraiah (ra) narrated that Rasul Allah saaw said, «صُوْمُوْا لِرُؤیَتِہ وَاَفْطِرُوْا لِرُؤْیَتِہ» “Observe fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break (fast) on sighting it (the new moon)” (Bukhari). Sighting of the crescent is Fard and we do not use scientific calculations to establish the Fasting and Eid. Imam al Sarkhasi narrates on the authority of Ibn Abbas (RA), ان الناس اصبحوا یوم الشک علی عھد رسول اللہ ۖ فقدم اعرابی و شھد برؤےة الھلال فقال رسول اللہ ۖ: أتشھد أن لا الہ الا و انی رسول اللہ۔ فقال: نعم۔ فقال صلی اللّٰہ علیہ و سلم: اللّٰہ اکبر یکفی المسلمین احدھم فصام و امر الناس بالصیام “the Muslims did not begin their fast because they had not sighted the moon. Until a man came from outside Madinah and told RasulAllah ﷺ that he had seen the moon. The Prophet ﷺ then said ‘Allahu Akbar one is enough for all Muslims’ He ﷺ then ordered all the Muslims to start fasting.”. This Hadith clarifies that we are not allowed to confine ourselves to a particular regime. In the time of Muhammad ﷺ a man came from outside of Madinah and Rasull Allah ﷺ accepted his witness. So if we adhere to the Islamic rulings on moon sighting than there will be no controversy.
Islam places great importance upon Muslim unity. Ramadhan and the two Eids are those occasions when this unity should be manifested globally. However, instead of a manifestation of unity, a manifestation of disunity prevails. This is due to the current rulers over Muslims, who are hoisted over our necks by the Kafir colonialists, who fear the unity of Muslims. The current regimes in the Muslim world work tirelessly to divide Muslims on the basis of nationalism and have made this issue of new moon sighting a national issue rather than an Islamic issue. This problem can only be eliminated once for all when Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood is established. The Khilafah will unify all Muslims lands and follow the commands of Islam on the crescent sighting. So Muslims must strive to re-establish the Khilafah and then the manifestation of Muslim unity will be apparent in every issue of life. Allah (swt) said,
وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلاَ تَنَازَعُواْ فَتَفْشَلُواْ وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ وَٱصْبِرُوۤاْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّابِرِينَ
“And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be patient. Surely, Allah is with those who are As-Sabirin”
[Surah Al-Anfal:46]
Democracy has Failed to Halt Destructive Currency Devaluation and Import Dependency
On 19 June 2018, the dollar rose to Rs.124.50 in the open market while in the interbank market, the dollar appreciated by 46 paisas against the rupee, touching an intraday high of Rs122.75 before closing at Rs 121.85. The central bank has so far not issued any directives to the exchange companies to control this depreciation of the rupee. The representative organizations of currency dealers said they were not contacted by the State Bank while it had been a norm to hold meetings with currency dealers for controlling the open market rate. With this, the caretaker government has indicated that the exchange rate would be market-based and it would not manage it artificially by depleting the foreign reserve.
The devaluation of the country’s currency is generally adopted to encourage foreigners to import goods produced locally, as their price becomes lower for them. The government does so to reduce the trade deficit by increasing increase the exports. However, if the local economy does not produce sufficient goods for export, then the devaluation of its currency, would cause loss due to more expensive imports. Ali Asghar Poonawala, a senior financial analyst at AKD Securities, has said, “Even so, a weak rupee is likely to have a limited impact on curtailing the twin deficits, particularly when our economy continues to rely on consumption-oriented growth (total consumption expenditure accounted for 82pc of GDP growth in FY2018) as key necessities for sustaining this growth (energy, edible oils, plastics, vehicles and parts) are imported and undergo an obvious rise as well.”
The regime has submitted to the IMF conditionality to let the Rupee fall even though the economy will suffer. It has neglected the necessary innovation, technology and heavy industry infrastructure to strengthen industry, thereby reducing the dependence on imports and increase the quality of exports. All that devaluation will do is increase the import bill, increase inflation, raise the cost of credit, widen the trade gap, slow down growth and force more external borrowings.
Capitalist measures taken by the successive governments have failed, whether devaluation of currency or increasing interest rate, privatization of energy and mineral resources and increasing universal taxation. Pakistan under the Khilafah will have strong currency based on real wealth of gold and silver which will allow it to be stable and stop devaluation. As for the import dependent economy, Khilafah state will have a focus on heavy industry as industry will have a military focus in the Khilafah (Caliphate) state. Allah (swt),
وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَمِنْ رِبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَآخَرِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِنْ شَيْءٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لاَ تُظْلَمُونَ
“And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allah.”
[Surah Al-Anfaal 8:60]