Amongst the Ummah today, there will exist a man who has the ability to reverse the state of affairs prevalent in the Muslim Ummah, indeed the world, and literally transform the current status quo radically and comprehensively. This man would be a military man, perhaps belonging to the powerful army of Turkey, Egypt or Pakistan. Further he will no doubt be a senior officer, most probably in the army, who has earned the respect and support from his contemporaries in the course of his military career.

This man would currently be deeply troubled. He would be witnessing the endless streams of torment and death being rained down upon the Muslim Ummah around him, of the images of the vulnerable of this Ummah left desolate, battered and tormented, crying out for a saviour to protect them. In particular it maybe the young children, orphaned and left at the mercy of unknowns, in whose faces he may well see the faces of his own children, which disturb him at quiet moments of his day. He would consistently be in fear that on the Day of Judgement he would indeed have to answer to these screams and calls of anguish.

He will realise that this plight the Ummah faces is solely down to the absence of its ‘shield’ for the last 91 years, where the unified political leadership of Islam has been absent after the abolishment of the Uthmani Khilafah shortly after its defeat in World War 1. But according to the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, he would know that it is the Khaleefah alone that has the designated responsibility and authority in Islam to look after the defenceless of this Ummah:

«إِنَّمَا الإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ فَإِنْ أَمَرَ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَعَدَلَ كَانَ لَهُ بِذَلِكَ أَجْرٌ وَإِنْ يَأْمُرْ بِغَيْرِهِ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهُ»

“Only the Imam is a shield, behind whom you fight and you protect yourself with, so if he orders by taqwa and is just then he has reward for that, and if he orders by other than that then it is against himself.” (Muslim)

Thus he would recognise the absolute urgency to reappoint the Khaleefah, who in the absence of parents and other male relatives, by default becomes the Wali (guardian) for both the young children and defenceless women of this Ummah.

Despite the seemingly enormity of the task and the tragedy the Muslim world has been sunk into, he would nevertheless be quietly confident that the situation is ripe to be turned around, with great opportunities to be availed and that the enemies of Islam, despite their deafening barks, can indeed be confronted.

He would know this because he would have experienced the help of Allah سبحانه وتعالى his personal life and would feel that he has been prepared for the decisive role he is set to undertake.

He would have come to know the verses Allah سبحانه وتعالى has revealed in the Quran as not just mere words but actual physical reality which without fail manifests itself in life’s unfolding events. He will look back at his life’s critical phases, and in particular reflect on those moments when he was at a complete loss confronted with a tremendous difficultly and yet help had come to him from sources he did not expect, resolving the issue at hand in ways he would not have imagined.

He would have indeed pondered over what led to this assistance coming undoubtedly from Allah سبحانه وتعالى. In doing so he would have established that there is indeed a pattern to life’s events where one gets tested, often severely – but with focussing the mind on trusting in Allah سبحانه وتعالى alone, believing and being patient for His promised but yet to be delivered help and all the whilst striving to solve the problem with the best of one’s capability – Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى help is indeed always near and decisive.

Such milestones in his life would have grown his Imaan (faith) immensely, drawing him closer to His Lord, making him ever more conscious of his obligations towards his Creator and the steps that he needs to undertake to fulfil these.

He would have reflected on his Muslim military predecessors, particularly from the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself and the men around him ﷺ who came to his ﷺ support, who stood by him ﷺ and in his ﷺ cause against great odds, yet remained unwavering in their feat of defeating the enemy.

Perhaps he would see reflections of Khalid Bin Al Waleed (ra) in himself, the mighty sword of Allah سبحانه وتعالى that was unleashed against the opponents of Islam, whose physical military reputation in the battlefield was only to be matched by his strategic military mind. Maybe he would sense today a similar opportunity in the unification of the numerous Muslim lands to what Khalid (ra) sensed in early 7^th century Arabia – as the fledgling Islamic state slowly gained strength, arousing the military attention of the then behemoth powers of Byzantium and Persia around it, Khalid (ra) saw the potential in confronting these states through the unification of the Arab tribes in the peninsula and developing unique military tactics to do so.

Indeed he would know that if he takes this step forward, swathes of similar minded men would rush to join him, both from near and afar, from armies he would not yet have even met. Indeed these men would have been waiting for someone to raise the right banner and lead them in their burning ambitions.

In the end what will make him take the decisive step will be none other than the words of Allah سبحانه وتعالى that will fill his mind and grip his very purpose of existence, for he would come to appreciate that the strength and capabilities that he has gathered, and indeed his very life, could cease to exist at any moment and that return to His Creator, like every other soul, he must;

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسۡلِمُون

“You who have iman! Have taqwa of Allah with the taqwa due to Him and do not die except as Muslims.”

(3:102)

He would know his moment of acting needs to draw near, and he may have indeed seen signs and indications, some unique and personal to him, even the smallest and subtlest, that demonstrate to him that the moment is nigh, upon which he must act without any further unnecessary delay.

In the words of Khalid bin Al Waleed (ra), the waiting with the patience of a cat would be over, and the moment has come to leap like a lion. That the time has arrived to end the suffering of the Ummah, to see the end of the dominance of Kufr over Haqq (Truth), to see the return of light amongst this darkness – by giving the nussrah (military material support) to the sincere and able in order to re-establish the Islamic Khilafah state upon the method of the Prophethood, re-appointing the Khaleefah in the process, on the back of the vast public opinion existing across the length and breadth of the Muslim world calling out for this.

And with this step he will take his place in history and most of all earn the pleasure of his Lord Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

لَّا تَجِدُ قَوۡمً۬ا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأَخِرِ يُوَآدُّونَ مَنۡ حَآدَّ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥ وَلَوۡ ڪَانُوٓاْ ءَابَآءَهُمۡ أَوۡ أَبۡنَآءَهُمۡ أَوۡ إِخۡوَٲنَهُمۡ أَوۡ عَشِيرَتَہُمۡ‌ۚ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ ڪَتَبَ فِى قُلُوبِہِمُ ٱلۡإِيمَـٰنَ وَأَيَّدَهُم بِرُوحٍ۬ مِّنۡهُ‌ۖ وَيُدۡخِلُهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتٍ۬ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِہَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا‌ۚ رَضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡہُمۡ وَرَضُواْ عَنۡهُ‌ۚ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ حِزۡبُ ٱللَّهِ‌ۚ أَلَآ إِنَّ حِزۡبَ ٱللَّهِ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ

“You will not find people who have iman in Allah and the Last Day having love for anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger, though they be their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their clan. Allah has inscribed iman upon such people’s hearts and will reinforce them with a Ruh from Him and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. Such people are the party of Allah. Truly it is the party of Allah who are successful.”

(58:22)

Asif Salahuddin