Eighteenth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1443 A. H.
Jihad for the Sake of Allah Is a Must for Leading an Upright Life!
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.
O Allah, confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.
In the context of the Great Ghazwa of Badr, the Day of Furqan , we spoke yesterday about how Quraish took the lead in the war against the Messenger (PBUH&F), against Islam, and against Muslims. That was an extension to the hostile activity it stuck to during the period that the Prophet (PBUH&F) stayed in Makkah since the beginning of the Mission till the Hijrah .
After that, Quraish sought to take a leading role in launching war against the Messenger, Islam, and Muslims at the military level, taking advantage of its alliances and influence among the various Arab tribes due to its location in Makkah and its role in managing the affairs of Hajj as well as its control over the Kaaba and the symbolic importance it gained in return. They used to present themselves in a position of religious symbolism, showing interest in taking care of the pilgrims, the Kaaba, and the management of the affairs of Hajj. That was a source of pride to them: Allah tells about them in the Holy Quran, {‘It is not for the Mushrikin to maintain the mosques of Allah witnessing against themselves with disbelief. Those are the ones whose deeds have gone to waste; and in the Fire they shall remain forever’}. Allah said about them when they were taking advantage of their control over Makkah and the Holy Kaaba and presenting themselves as the guardians of Makkah, the Kaaba, and Hajj affairs, {‘Yet why should Allah not punish them when they bar others from the Inviolable Mosque, though they are not its guardians? Rather its guardians are none except the muttaqun’}. They were taking advantage of their control and presenting it as guardianship to exert their influence and exploitation. Therefore, all their policies and methods that were related to managing the affairs of Hajj, the Kaaba, and Makkah were based on exploitation, the political exploitation, and the exploitation of influence among the Arabs at the time. They used all of that to wage war against the Prophet (PBUH&F), the Muslims, and Islam.
The Prophet's movement to stand up to Quraish in spite of all challenges
The effort the Prophet (PBUH&F), as well as those Muslims mobilized by the Prophet, paid was effective and active in a way that took into consideration the great importance that matter enjoyed in religion and in reality as well. Allah repeatedly instructed the Prophet in the Holy Quran to encourage him to pay serious and greatly active effort: Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {‘For it was your Lord who made you venture from your home’}. It was Allah (Glory be to Him) Who commanded and instructed the Prophet (PBUH&F) to move out, so it was not a personal position, opinion, or assessment according to a personal view! It was about faith since Allah (Glory be to Him) gave His commands and instructions. As a result, the Prophet, with his great faith, spared no effort despite what he faced of the various challenges.
On the one hand, the enemies were standing ready with all their military and material capabilities and with their manpower and weaponry, as well as their influence in the region. On the other hand, the munafiqun and those with a sickness in their hearts worked hard on discouraging people within Muslim society, discouraging them from responding to the Messenger and moving with him. Indeed, they used to spread despair among people, discourage them, and spread fear and doubt among them about the right position: {‘When the munafiqun and those in whose hearts is sickness saying, “These people's religion has deceived them.” But whoever places his trust in Allah—then indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Wise’}.
Furthermore, in addition to the capabilities of the enemies, the state of discouragement existed among some of the believers, even of those who responded but were still experiencing some fear, hesitation, and stress and kept arguing: {‘Indeed, a group of the believers disliked it’}—those who moved but were still reluctant and not convinced to move. But that was not because that was not right, for the truth was clear: {‘And argued with you about the truth after it had been made clear.’} The reason was that they were preoccupied with fear to the degree that affected their decisions and perspective, badly reflecting on them to a great extent.
Jihad was one of the most prominent priorities of the Prophet
The Messenger of Allah moved , leading to the break out of the Ghazwa of Badr, which marked the beginning of a comprehensive conflict. Prior to the Ghazwa of Badr, some saraya took place, starting in the seventh month after the Hijrah when the Prophet (PBUH&F) began sending military groups. This first sariyya moved in the seventh month of the first year after the Hijrah: the sariyya of Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib. Then, saraya and ghazwat continued. The enemies and threats were met with serious efforts, and the Prophet (PBUH&F) continued to pay very active efforts. No year passed since the Hijrah without the Muslims carrying out saraya and military activities aimed at confronting all threats surrounding them within Arab society and outside that society like the Romans and others.
Such active efforts were a translation of Allah's instructions and a practical response to them: Allah (Glory be to Him) says to His Prophet (PBUH&F), {‘So fight in the cause of Allah . You are accountable for none but yourself. And motivate the believers , so perhaps Allah will curb the disbelievers’ might. And Allah is far superior in might and in punishment’}. He used to receive such instructions: {‘O Prophet, urge the believers on to combat’}. So he continued to actively move and make preparations, as well as sending saraya and then carrying out major ghazwat. That was a prominent activity that fell within the priorities of the Prophet and his main practical activities. So it was top on the list of his actions and priorities and was given much attention, effort, and time by him day and night—he was active in following up such activities.
Therefore, during a short period (from the first year of the Hijrah to the eighth year), major changes and quantum leaps took place and several moves were taken against various enemies: the direct wars with Arabs; the wars that were against the alliance between the Arab mushrikin and the Jews; the clashes, battles, and wars carried out against the Jews and their malice and hatred; the great war against the Romans in the Battle of Mutah; and the big move to confront them in the Battle of Tabuk.
Thus, this is how the Prophet's Jihad-based activities and actions were as he kept striving in the cause of Allah, making preparations, and encouraging the believers. So that was at the heart of his priorities and works and came high on the list of his clear and essential priorities. He (PBUH&F) was the master of mujahidin; no one was equal to him in his care, efforts, activeness, seriousness, contribution, and effectiveness. He is the best in his seriousness, encouraging efforts, supervision, endeavour, and preparation.
{‘So fight in the cause of Allah’}: This is what Allah ordered the Prophet; lots of verses of the Holy Quran spoke about Jihad as the most outstanding obligation that received such attention. Indeed, no other obligation received much attention like Jihad in the Holy Quran. In his activities and priorities, the Prophet paid attention to this obligation equal to the attention it received in the Holy Quran. So the attention this obligation enjoyed in the practical reality of the Prophet was equal to the attention it enjoyed in the Holy Quran. That is because he was acting according to the Holy Quran; he was guided by it and guided others with it. He followed what was in it; and his movement was in accordance with Allah's commands.
Through Prophet Muhammad's movement and his great efforts that had marvelous results and caused enormous changes that led to the Conquest of Makkah and the great developments that followed, and through the Holy Quran and the many instructions and much attention it devoted to Jihad and the enemies of the Ummah (how to stand up to them, the fields of conflict with them, their great enmity towards the Ummah, and their negative efforts targeting the Ummah), we can clearly see and realize through all that much attention and how the prophet was the importance of the obligation of Jihad in the cause of Allah. first through following the example of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&F), for he is the best role model: Allah told us that in the verses of Jihad in Surat Al-Ahzab, {‘Indeed in the messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often’}. So, for a person who commits himself/herself to a religious state with which s/he gives no attention at all to Jihad as a matter of priority concern to him/her (s/he pays no attention to it and does not prepare for it, enjoin believers to it, or talk about it as a religious obligation or about its importance), how big will the gap be between him/her and the Prophet, our exemplary model? How wide will the gap be between him/her and the Holy Quran when s/he adopts this deviated and responsibility-neglecting way?!
Jihad is a must for leading an upright life!
In its great focus on Jihad, the Holy Quran covered many aspects related to Jihad in a comprehensive way. On the top of what the Holy Quran highlights about Jihad is that it is a basic need for people and believers and that it is a must in their reality: Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘And were it not for Allah repelling some people by means of others, the earth would indeed become corrupted, but Allah is Gracious to all realms’}.
We, as humans, should never think that our reality would be stable, calm, and free from injustice, corruption, and wrongdoing if it were not for the destructive impact of Jihad. Indeed, whoever thinks this way, s/he is stupid by all means. In other words, whoever imagines that the typical reality of this life is basically stable, calm, and free from injustice, oppression, and humiliation and that it is only Jihad that disturbs that reality and pushes people into problems and unnecessary troubles, s/he is mistaken. This is not how it works.
Conflict is an integral part of the reality and circumstances of human life. Indeed, conflict does exist in people's life to a great extent, for there are people who are wicked ones, tyrants, criminals, and oppressors. If there is no deterrence for their tyranny, evil, corruption, wrongdoing, and falsehood, that will cause all their evil, criminality, tyranny, corruption, injustice, and wrongdoing to reflect upon the reality of this life, people, and society. If not effectively deterred, they will be able to exercise more injustice and evil and commit more crimes against people, completely ruining the life of people and badly affecting life on the earth. As a result, people will live a worthless life: Their dignity will be destroyed and have no value; their sanctities will not be respected; corruption will spare nothing in this life; and nothing will remain in its right position, no justice, no goodness, no truth, no righteousness. Jihad is a must; it is the only way to stop their crimes, tyranny, and corruption. There always needs to be some to carry out responsibility, those who keep to the right path and move in response to their living conscience, strong faith in Allah (Glory be to Him), values, and their just cause to stand up to injustice, evil, and corruption.
The first thing that we must understand very well is that conflict does exist in reality, as well as the wicked ones, tyrants, and criminals, and that it is not Jihad that adds to the problems and conflicts in the reality of human society. On the contrary, it is part of Allah's religion, which has come to arrange life affairs, not to add more problems or burdens to the reality of this life. Rather, it manages the affairs of this life. In the reality of our life, there are challenges, threats, evil, corruption, and falsehood. However, the Holy Quran provides us with what guides us how to deal with this reality and how to move in a correct and positive way to overcome the threats that exist in the reality of our lives. This is a very important matter, for the bad policies of unjust rulers, oppressive sultans, and dishonest scholars have kept Muslims, in many historical periods, from Jihad in the cause of Allah and led this obligation to be neglected and absent from people's minds and priority concerns, creating a negative view.
The greatest calamities in the history of the Ummah are due
to neglecting the obligation of Jihad!
This gives a very important lesson to our Ummah today: The historical periods during which Jihad in the cause of Allah was neglected, forgotten, abandoned, turned away from, and looked at with a negative view by the Ummah were the most dangerous periods that brought the greatest calamities and disasters upon the Ummah. When the Ummah turned from the obligation of Jihad, it weakened and lost its power, dignity, and active presence in the international arena. That encouraged its enemies to attack it and become greedy to dominate it because they noticed the state of weakness this Ummah was in and how it no longer had the spirit of Jihad and lost its focus on Jihad-related priorities and requirements, such as preparation of forces and readiness to face challenges, confront enemies, and deal with threats. They were all absent.
Anyone who reads the history of this Ummah and pays attention to the periods in which it had suffered major calamities, was attacked by its enemies (by the Mongols, the Crusaders, the Europeans at later periods, etc.) whether in the form of imperialism or crusade campaigns, and to the heavy losses the Ummah had suffered—how many people from the sons of this Ummah were killed? Millions of them were killed senselessly while in a state of complete submission and without taking any firm or strong positions that could have yielded victory and might for the Ummah.
In those periods, when the obligation of Jihad in the cause of Allah had become completely absent from the reality of the Ummah and its interests, awareness, and culture, major calamities took place, leading to the death of millions of Muslims, the occupation of lands, and the violation of Muslims' honour. The Crusaders captured thousands of Muslim women and took them to Europe as abductees; they used to kill Muslims horribly—others did the same thing to Muslims as well. Muslims' honor was violated; lands were occupied; and possessions, wealth, and potentials were looted. Moreover, the life of Muslims had been filled with injustice and oppression, and they suffered a lot. Eventually, they were convinced that it was necessary to move, fight, and revolt, but when? They moved after too heavy losses. That was after the enemy had gained control; after they had been humiliated, oppressed, and aggrieved; and after they had experienced serious losses while in a state of submission.
The major disasters that the Islamic Ummah has gone through throughout history are a result of neglecting the obligation of Jihad and losing its position in the primary priorities of the Ummah and its consciousness as a whole till the current period of time, in which the Ummah is encountering significant, clear challenges. So the Ummah has many commitments in all aspects: humanitarian, moral, faith-based, national, and religious commitments towards that , as in the case with Palestine.
Anyway, the Ummah has had the experience of neglecting this obligation and now knows what the consequences of that are. However, it once had the experience of taking care of this obligation and knew what its benefits and results were. Indeed, this is a matter of fact.
The enemies seeking to build up their strength and turning
their backs to the banner of peace!
We can notice how the West, for instance, gives this matter so much attention, just as the rest of the world: to be strong nations, to have military interests, to have all elements of strength, and to be able to protect themselves. They did not stop there, but they have gone so far in their ambitions: how to gain the power necessary for controlling others and limiting possible threats however small these threats might be. Therefore, they have made a considerable progress without the concept of Jihad. They did not even need the title of Jihad or the obligation of Jihad to be part of their religious, faith-based commitments. Indeed, they have spontaneous concerns derived by their human instinct. Beyond that, their ambitions, desires, and whims have increased, and they have developed a tendency to colonialism, so they have interestedly and extensively moved ahead to possess military power, economic power, media power, political influence, and wide-ranging influence. All of that is channeled into what can serve their interests, ambitions, and goals at the expense of our Ummah, and they seek to crush our Ummah, which has become the target of their ambitions. Indeed, our Ummah has become the target of the ambitions of its enemies.
An example of this is the latest events in Ukraine. When war serves America, or America is a party to it, mobilization to that war gets to the highest level: the vicious psychological warfare, enormous propaganda campaigns, incitement, general mobilization, and using all the capacities, powers, capabilities, and all the things that they advise Muslims to keep away from in addressing the Palestinian question. They call upon Muslims to relinquish their own countries, sanctities, rights, and independence—all of that under the title of peace, gentility, and such titles. They advise Muslims to be civilized people who bear no weapon and have no strength. And all these policies aimed at adapting our Ummah for their benefit totally disappear when war is on behalf of America and for securing its interests.
In Europe and in Ukraine, no one advanced such arguments that express the aim of making people easier to control. There is no call for adhering to peace, paying no effort, exercising self-restraint, or laying arms down—the same kind of titles they use when advising Muslims. All of these titles went missing. Instead, the military war is at its utmost, and the military mobilization and incitement have spared no one, even elderly women: They are inciting old women in Ukraine to fight against Russia for the benefit of America. That is because the war serves America. They ignored all things they have kept using in advising Muslims. All things have become permitted: recruiting children, recruiting women—no red lines. Indeed, everything has become a must in the conflict !
The boycott has spared nothing, even sport; their boycott campaign against Russia has included even sport and all other aspects: economic and political boycotts. So even sport has had its share of this boycott, which also targeted all economic activities. They have launched a media, propaganda campaign of incitement in an extensive way, day and night. They have called people and encouraged them from all Europe and from other countries to volunteer to fight. They have no problem in that. Their efforts channeled into this battle and devastating war cannot be greater, with all methods and ways put into use! They ignored all those things they used in addressing Muslims and calling upon them to surrender, hand over their homelands and sanctities, and give up their legitimate rights and so on—but why? In fact, this is normal! However, we, Muslims, have to learn the lesson.
When they wave the banner of peace? And for whom?
Even in our reality as Muslims, notice those who have joined the side of America, of those who allied themselves with America and Israel, as the case with the Emirati regime, the Al Khalifa regime in Bahrain, and the Saudi regime. They have normalized ties with Israel in the name of peace! Their used-to-be-hidden ties and cooperation with the Zionist and Israeli enemy have become public in the name of seeking peace and avoiding war and problems, in the name of seeking peace and stability in the region. However, in reality, how do they deal with others when there are no American or Israeli interests to be sought? Do they follow the same approach of seeking peace and calling for peace even at the expense of everything? Are they willing to sacrifice everything for peace: to sacrifice dignity, religion, moral obligations, sanctities, homelands, and everything for peace? They would do that only when it is in the best interest of America and Israel.
However, when it comes to dealing with others, they are savage and have no interest in peace. They become aggressive to the worst extent and stick to criminality and oppression. They do not seek peace or stability, and they even do not care about that: They support wars, create them, participate in them, and spearhead them. They pay for everything that can stir up strife, fund strife among the Ummah, try to spread evil to the fullest extent possible, and use money, media, and political influence to support that. They move in all directions to achieve that.
That is how they are acting in Yemen. They are aggressive towards everyone who shows hostility towards Israel and stands up to the Israeli threat among the people of Islam in the Arabian region or among the people of our Ummah. They respond in a bad way, and their outlets adopt a bad and hostile approach even towards those mujahidin in Palestine, whom they described as terrorists, boycotted, imposed blockade on, and waged war against at the economic level, media level, and other levels.
They showed great hostility! Their hostile efforts are channeled into waging war, financing strife, murdering, and committing the most heinous crimes, as they did in our country. But when it comes to Israel and America, they show nothing but peace and only peace, peace, peace! However, when it comes to the people of their Ummah, what is obvious in their behaviour, media, conspiracies, attitudes, and the money they pay is evil, crime, aggression, and tyranny. They are not in any way close to peace, and they do not value or give importance to peace. They have just made of it a title for subordination in order to stand on the side of the enemies of the Ummah and to conspire against this Ummah and its people.
The greatness of the culture of Jihad & the remarkable example
In the face of these contemporary challenges, which we see that they target us as peoples and as an ummah and target our sanctities—every day there is an incursion into the Aqsa Mosque and an act of aggression against worshipers. Does this not indicate the Israeli enemy's aggressive and hostile nature even towards the religion of Islam, the sanctities of the Islamic religion, and its rituals? Attacks on Salat-performing people in one of the Muslim's sanctities, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, occur on a daily basis. What does that mean?
We are an ummah that lives in a state of conflict and confrontation and there are enemies who are targeting us in everything: in our religion, in our sanctities, in our independence, in our dignity, and in all our affairs. They wage their war against us in the form of various conspiracies in every field. This means that we must act with a spirit of faith and that we must be aware that Allah has commanded Jihad in His cause as a means to protect people and to take care of them. It is part of their religion, which encompasses them with care, arranges their life affairs, and represents a means to protect them from evil. This is what it is.
This awareness-based culture is the culture of the martyr Al-Sammad (May Allah have mercy on him)—today is the anniversary of his martyrdom. He carried this awareness, this spirit of faith, and Jihad. He knew for sure that religion is for the benefit of people, for the care of people, and for their protection from evil. He took for granted that serving his people, defending them, protecting them from evil, standing up to those who attack them, and paying attention to their affairs are part of his religious and faith-based commitments that help him draw near to Allah (Glory be to Him), so he had the spirit of sacrifice and a deep sense of responsibility. He moved from his position of responsibility to sacrifice, not to collect financial assets, personal gains, or spoils, for which he could have used his position in responsibility. From his position of responsibility, he devoted all his effort to sacrificing and giving. He paid every sincere effort to serve the Yemeni people, to defend their dignity, and to stand up to their enemies, who attacked them with no due cause. He remained steadfast, firm, and faithful to these principles and values until he returned to Allah as a happy, pure, honest martyr who was not affected by any impurities in his position of responsibility: no grievances, no greedy ambitions, no financial corruption, or spoils and gains at the expense of his people or of the right of his people. Indeed, he was a notable example in all of that.
When a person sticks to such an awareness-based culture and faith-based spirit, s/he will move seriously, and s/he will consider serving his/her people and defending his/her Ummah, sanctities, and the dignity of his/her people against the evil, tyrants, and the enemies of the Ummah—s/he will see in that what helps him/her draw near to Allah (Glory be to Him). S/he will also see that as part of his/her religious and faith-based commitments. Furthermore, the importance of this matter will become clear to him/her as s/he moves in the right direction; s/he will become aware that it is the right and correct way that leads us to a good result.
In Palestine, for how long have Arabs been negotiating, discussing, and making concessions? Yet they have achieved no result. In Gaza, what has made them achieve results was Jihad. In Lebanon, what led to a great, remarkable result was Jihad in the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him) with insight. Indeed, the enemies realize this fact. That is why they spare no effort to hinder from Jihad either by defaming it, by removing it from the priorities of many people of the Ummah, or by using it for their advantage so that they mobilize takfiri groups. Indeed, they (takfiri groups) are always moving in the name of Jihad to serve America and Israel, in the direction that America wants, and in the battle that it wants! They wave this banner to serve America and Israel. So they raise strife-promoting banners among the Ummah to lay the foundation for takfiri approach and then come up with Jihad. However, in the end, it is all for the sake of America and Israel and in the ranks of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, the cover and the financier! As for those behind them, they are America, Britain, and Israel. These are manifest facts.
That is enough for today.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success in seeking what pleases Him. O Allah (Glory be to You), have mercy on our martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are All-Hearing!
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.