Nineteenth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1443 A. H.
Jihad in the Cause of Allah for Establishing Faith and for Obtaining Freedom from Injustice and Transgression
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 Gazwa of Badr, which took us to the context of the Jihad of the Messenger (PBUH&F) and his fulfillment of Allah's commands and to the context of the attention Jihad received in the Holy Quran (Allah's revelations about Jihad) and in the movement of the Messenger (PBUH&F), we spoke about Jihad in the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him) as a necessity essential for the wellbeing of our life and affairs. As we mentioned, it is not an additional burden that can lead to unnecessary problems. On the contrary, it is a means that Allah (Glory be to Him) has given us to effectively face life-related problems, as well as the threats and challenges that we face in the circumstances and reality of our life.
In addition, Jihad in the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him) is of the key obligations in Islam. It is not one of these deeds described as recommended, encouraged, or voluntary deeds, which are up to the person whether to do them or not—such deeds that are not of the key faith-based commitments. Jihad is not like recommended and encouraged deeds, which the person may do to gain reward or may not do with no sin on him/her.
Jihad in the cause of Allah is one of the most important religious obligations and one of the key faith-based commitments that Allah imposed on believers except for those whom Allah (Glory be to Him) has exempted in the Quran, mentioning them and their exemption. However, others must do what they are commanded and respond to Him (the Almighty). The Holy Quran has extensively stressed this since Jihad has received more attention than any other obligation in the Holy Quran. Indeed, Allah has mentioned Jihad more than Salat, fasting, Hajj, and Zakat—even more than all of them combined. Jihad received a great deal of attention in the Holy Quran.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {‘The believers fight in the cause of Allah’}. He has made Jihad one of the characteristics they must attain. This is how they should be because it is part of their faith-related commitments and responsibilities: {‘The believers fight in the cause of Allah, whereas the disbelievers fight in the cause of Taghout. So fight against the Auliya of Shaytan. Indeed, Shaytan's schemes are ever weak’}. Allah says, {‘Allah has indeed purchased from the believers their lives and wealth in exchange for Jannah. They fight in the cause of Allah and kill or are killed. This is a true promise binding on Him in the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran. And whose promise is truer than Allah’s? So rejoice in the exchange you have made with Him. That is the ultimate triumph’}. Who are the ones meant here? They are the believers, since they are the ones who have sold their souls and wealth for the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him).
The relationship of faith with Allah can reach a very high level where one sells him/herself to Allah. Although Allah is the Possessor of the soul, He has opened this door for His intimate Auliya. Indeed, it is, as Imam Ali said, ‘One of Jannah's doors that Allah has opened for His intimate Auliya.’ Allah is surly the Possessor of every human soul and everything in the heavens and earth: the righteous and the sinful, the believer and the disbeliever, and all human souls and all creatures—He is the Possessor of everything. Even so, He has allowed the righteous servants to sell themselves to Him in a deal, the deal of Jihad in His cause, for He says in another verse, {‘And of mankind is he who sells himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah’}. So you can invest your sacrifice in the cause of Allah so that it becomes a deal between you and Him, through which you gain great reward and substantial bounty: {‘Allah has indeed purchased from the believers their lives and wealth in exchange for Jannah’}. Your reward will be this great and infinite bounty: delightful life and eternal happiness.
Unfortunately, in reality, many people do sell themselves and attitudes by fighting, killing others, or getting themselves killed for materialistic desires, interests, ambitions, and temptations offered from here or there, from some entities that go against the truth. A person who fights for such entities is a loser even if s/he was given this whole world as a reward, for s/he has provoked Allah's anger, served falsehood, supported the tyrants, oppressors, criminals, and aggressors, and committed a great sin in consequence of supporting them in their injustice and participating in their injustice, tyranny, aggression, and criminality, as well as in consequence of clearing the path for their falsehood to prevail. As a result, s/he will bear heavy burdens that cause his/her eternal damnation and loss (May Allah forbid).
Quite the contrary, with Allah (Glory be to Him), you provide what basically belongs to Him so that you, in return, gain the great reward which He has promised and that you secure your happy future forever: {‘They fight in the cause of Allah and kill or are killed’}. This is one of their duties. This is how the believers' relationship is with Allah, and this is the level of their relationship with Him.
Faith cannot be attained without Jihad in the cause of Allah
In His reply to the nomadic Arabs, Allah (the Almighty) said, {‘The nomadic Arabs say, “We believe.” Say “You have not believed. But say ‘We have submitted’”’}. They wanted faith without Jihad, so Allah said, {‘Only those are believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and have never since doubted, but have striven with their belongings and their persons in the cause of Allah: Such are the sincere ones’}. This context and the use of the exact word ‘Only’—{‘Only those are believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and have never since doubted, but have striven with their belongings and their persons in the cause of Allah: Such are the sincere ones’}—manifest that the sincerity of a person's affiliation to faith and claims of faith depends on the perfection of his/her faith, part of which has to do with performing the great obligation of Jihad along with having care about it as one of his/her religious, faith-based commitments. The bottom of this is that if a person believes that he is a full-faith believer as one of the believers who have gained Allah's promise and obtained the characteristics of the believers but does not want Jihad in the cause of Allah (he lags behind in Jihad in the cause of Allah without an excuse except that he dislikes it; and he shrinks away from it, considers it entirely unworthy of his concerns, supposes he has nothing to do with it, and never thinks of it— he were on strike against Jihad), he is not ever a believer. (He is not a believer at all.) A saying of the prophet (PBUH&F) states,‘He who dies without having fought in the cause of Allah or without having thought of doing so, will die with one characteristic of Nifaq in him.’
True faith cannot be proven unless one attaches great importance to Jihad for the sake of Allah, considers it an obligation and part of his religious and faith-based commitments, and seeks to do it as much as possible. If he enjoys circumstances suitable for performing Jihad, among Jihad-doing people or ummah, (then) his responsibility is greater and the sin of denying, abandoning, or evading Jihad is a grave sin. A person commits a very serious crime when he neglects Jihad after Allah has created the perfect conditions for Jihad. One of the greatest and most substantial blessings related to Jihad is to find yourself among a nation or an ummah of Jihad where people take great care of this obligation and cooperate in that and in carrying out Jihad—they are actually performing it. This is a real opportunity for you to achieve faith perfection.
Some conditions are extremely difficult when you find yourself in an environment, country, or nation where no step has been made into this direction that makes your faith perfect. As a result, responsibility for that falls on all people due to their shortcoming and negligence. The matter of performing Jihad even gets difficult for them to start. Indeed, to begin to move is often difficult.
However, once the right conditions are created and people have started to move and cross the barriers (which usually are huge at the beginning) in an environment and reality which enjoy an atmosphere of Jihad in the cause of Allah where moving with the soul and wealth in the cause of Allah has become a common thing in all fields and in a way where efforts are joined, this is a very great blessing, a blessing for having faith perfection. But, at the same time, it is a responsibility that leads to greater sin when people show lack of response, fall into a state of negligence and carelessness, or shrink from their responsibilities. That is because Muslims, all people of the Ummah, are required to pay effort regardless of the existing conditions.
As we said yesterday, history proves that all major calamities the Ummah experienced took place when the Ummah neglected this obligation and that all stages in which the Ummah experienced might, strength, sovereignty, and active presence within human society, took place when it turned back to this obligation, particularly at the time of the Messenger (PBUH&F). The current circumstances of the Ummah are not at all simple or ordinary so that such circumstances may be looked at or designated as a case that does not require Jihad in the cause of Allah. On the contrary, the magnitude of the challenges and threats and what the Ummah is facing today do make it necessary for the Ummah to move with a spirit of faith and Jihad.
Trusting Allah's promise of victory is proof of a perfect faith
Faith has all that you need to perform this obligation. That is why Jihad in cause of Allah (Glory be to Him) and faith are of an integral relationship to each other, for Jihad in the cause of Allah is based mainly on the principle of placing trust in Allah (Glory be to Him): To strive in the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him) and respond comprehensively to Him, you should have trust in Him and rely on Him. So what does hold people back from striving in the cause of Allah and stop them from showing a complete response to Him? That is because their lack of trust in what Allah has promised: victory, authority, support, and aid.
the magnitude of fears and anxiety experienced by a lot of people in the Ummah that caused them to fall into a state of desperation! Some of them do feel desperation at the Ummah's ability to achieve victory, change its reality, and rise to the level required for facing challenges and threats, in spite of the existence of much evidence that proves otherwise and leaves the Ummah no room for denial because it has taken place in reality:
- The victory achieved by Hezbollah over the Israeli enemy in Lebanon. They achieved more than one victory: the victory in 2000 and the one in 2006—these were comprehensive victories and were very significant! In addition to that, there were other victories from time to time seen in raids, attacks, and special operations. This leaves the Ummah with no excuse.
- Also, the victories achieved by the mujahidin in Gaza, which also leave the Ummah with no excuse.
- There are victories in other battlefields where some of the people of the Ummah take the right position that pleases Allah, facing enemies, challenges, and threats.
- The victory of our Yemeni people—over the past seven years, the enemies of the Yemeni people moved, under the auspices of the kafirin and with the direct implementation of the munafiqin, to launch the biggest aggression the world has seen in this period, but that aggression resulted into nothing but steadfastness and was met with resistance, with many and many losses, and with the failure of its main goals and plans, through which they wanted to achieve decisive and complete results.
- Other examples can be seen here and there, including in Iraq, Syria, and many other places.
Empirical experiences do provide clear, reality-based evidence and reassure people to trust the promises of Allah (Glory be to Him). That is, when they strive in the cause of Allah and completely respond to Allah, He will grant them His victory and be with them. When Allah says, {‘Allah is truly with those who are patient’}, {‘Allah is with those who are muttaqin’}, Allah provides a great promise that reassures every believer. That is because a person cannot be a real believer if s/he does not trust and believe in Allah's promise, which s/he can find in the Holy Quran clear and straightforward: {‘O you who have attained faith, if you support Allah, He will support you and strengthen your foothold’}. Is this not a clear, straightforward promise from Allah (Glory be to Him) of victory? S/he can read Allah's saying, {‘And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might’}. It is a certain-to-be-fulfilled promise with a sufficient form of assurance. And s/he can read His saying, {‘For it is Our duty to help the believers’}.This is a commitment made by Allah (Glory be to Him) and represents a sufficient divine guarantee for any person who trusts Allah (Glory be to Him).
So how can we call the one who does not trust Allah a believer? A believer who believes in Allah but does not trust Him, how can a person be like this?! In fact, this is what makes many people of our Islamic Ummah walk away from this responsibility, from fully responding to Allah (Glory be to Him), and from performing this great obligation . That is due to their lack of trust in Him (the Almighty).
For that, we notice how Allah has made Jihad and faith interrelated, for Jihad reflects your trust in Allah (Glory be to Him). The biggest reason that can cause you to turn from this responsibility and from performing this obligation may be your lack of trust in Allah (Glory be to Him). Therefore, He (the Almighty) says, {‘Only those are believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and have never since doubted’}: They never fall into doubt, because they have believed and become sure and certain, so they never doubt Allah's promise and threat, nor the right position that they have taken for the sake of Allah (Glory be to Him). Indeed, they are the people of certainty and trust, and they fully trust Allah (Glory be to Him) and firmly believe in His promise of reward and warning of punishment.
Of the most important motives for performing Jihad to those
who believe in Allah's promise
Another aspect also related to faith and the aspect of faith—in addition to having trust in Allah and depending on Him—is the desire for what Allah has, the love for Him, and the hope for having what He has promised. What He has promised for those who strive in His cause is highly desirable. It is normal for a person who has trust and believes to look forward . That is because s/he desires what is even much less than that. Allah has promised Jannah to them: {‘in exchange for Jannah.’} Moreover, He confirms it to the extent of saying, {‘This is a true promise binding on Him in the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran.’} He promises Jannah to them and presents this promise in an amazing and emphasizing way. He has promised so in His various books (His Divine Scriptures):{‘in the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran’}—by Musa, Isa, and Muhammad (Peace be upon them). Allah uses all affirmation terms to emphasize this matter, and He presents it as an absolute guarantee. Is there a person who does not want Jannah!? For those who trust, believe, and are certain and sure, can they not accept this guarantee or trust it ? Can they not be reassured with it, or depend on it? Therefore, this matter affects the human's conscience and his/her deep feelings.
When a person ponders over his/her attitude towards that , what is the thing that might discourage him/her, that might affect him/her negatively, and that might make him/her run away from an obligation whose gain is like that? On top of that, it leads to immediate gains in the worldly life itself: {‘victory from Allah and a near conquest’}—we will come to speak about that. In addition to all of that, great reward, might, dignity, goodness, extensive divine care, guidance, and many other things that Allah (Glory be to Him) has promised. This should give people a great motive and aspiration.
In addition, that gives a proof of how proud one is of his/her religious and faith-based affiliation when s/he pays effort in the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him). Moreover, who are they whom you are going to stand up to? They are the criminals, aggressors, evil ones, tyrants, oppressors, and corrupters. They are the ones who constitute evil to human society and are always in a position of aggression, injustice, and arrogance, and they target this Ummah in its morals, principles, sanctities, and religion, besides focusing on dominating the Ummah, its capabilities, its treasures, and its wealth. What they are doing is injustice to this Ummah and people; they afflict people with severe torment. Therefore, when a person remains faithful to his/her identity of faith—some of the enemies' efforts focus on obliterating this identity of faith and targeting this deeply rooted affiliation to faith—in its real and pure form, it annoys them, so they move to target it. In such a state, the believer, out of his/her pride of faith and its value and out of the dignity and transcendence s/he enjoys deep in his/her soul, finds him/herself attracted : S/he thinks of such obligations that Allah has commanded us to do as great obligations, sacred obligations, and important obligations that represent a source of honour for the person and that, at the same time, benefit society and are required to protect it from evil.
The importance of Jihad, its impact, and its necessity to perfect and establish religion—it is impossible for religion to be established in the reality of the Ummah (so that it can become independent and free from any subordination to its enemies and live according to its religious, faith-based affiliation) without Jihad. That is surely because the enemies try their best to prevent that.
This is why Jihad is the criterion of one's true affiliation to faith
What the enemies of the Ummah from kafirin and munafiqin, who are on their side, seek is to make sure that Ummah remains in a state of submission to its enemies and to their policies, plans, dictates, and whatever they want to impose on the Ummah with the aim of subjecting the Ummah to evil, harm, and corruption and securing their interests. Therefore, the enemies try to impose it on the Ummah to become what shapes the policies, the positions, and all matters that govern its affairs in all fields of life: the political field, economic field, social field, etc. This is how they work.
When the Ummah sincerely seeks real independence (the kind of independence that prevents any subordination to its enemies, puts an end to its subordination to the enemies, and makes it turn from that subordination) and follows the revelations of Allah (follows the guidance and the truth provided by Allah, takes its Prophet as its role model, holds tight to the Holy Quran, and governs the march of its life and its positions based on it), this is the root of the main problem bothering kafirin at all times: the kafirin of this period of time (notably the Americans, Israelis, and whoever stands by them) and those of the past. Jihad in the cause of Allah is required because the Ummah is faced with war when seeking independence.
Therefore, Jihad in the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him), along with the affiliation to faith, is the criterion for measuring how sincere a person is in his/her affiliation to faith. That is because all those affiliated to Islam claim that they are of the believers and of those who have attained faith and that they walk in the path of faith. However, Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘Do you think that you will be left while Allah has not yet made evident those among you who strive and do not take other than Allah, His Messenger, and the believers as intimates?’}. That means you have to pass a test to prove that you are sincere in your affiliation to faith through Jihad and Wala'. Indeed, your Jihad and Wala' can be the criterion for proving your credibility, along with the necessity of paying attention to the other religious obligations and faith-based commitments—but the commitment to Jihad and Wala' is a must.
{‘Those among you who strive and do not take other than Allah, His Messenger, and the believers as intimates’}—that is because the one who takes the enemies of Allah as Auliya (s/he turns away from Allah, His Messenger, and the believers in his/her Wala' and takes the kafirin and the munafiqin as Auliya) is considered as one of the munafiqin as his/her Wala' lies with them. Therefore, stepping out of this faith-based circle in Wala' and neglecting this responsibility (performing Jihad in the cause of Allah in all its fields) expose the person and make it clear that s/he is not sincere in his/her affiliation to faith.
Allah says, {‘And We will surely test you until We make evident those mujahidin among you and those who are patient, and We will test your affairs’}. Events, themselves, which the reality of this life present and bring forwards, test you on your position, which is an essential part of your religion. When you seek to separate between the position you adopt and your affiliation to faith, religious affiliation, or relationship with Allah and build it on the basis of your state of mind that is affected by either your fears or your desires and whims, this indicates that you are too far away from faithful affiliation (the true form of affiliation).
{‘And We will surely test you until We make evident those mujahidin among you and those who are patient’}: It refers to those who keep striving, for the phrase, itself, indicates continuity in Jihad. It does not mean striving for a particular period of time! So you cannot stop and say, ‘I have discharged my duty and done what I had to do; now I do not have any duty, commitment, or anything at all.’ That way, you neglect Jihad without any of the excuses that Allah mentions in the Holy Quran. {‘And the patient’}—it refers to those who continue to be patient in the face of various challenges.
This is a criterion for faith that Allah (Glory be to Him) made useful for the individual to use with him/herself and for people to use with one another, since some people may think of some other people as believers and righteous ones who represent faith in its highest form and give the perfect example for others to follow—they are seen as a role model in their way of faith. However, they might be of those who completely turn their back on Jihad in the cause of Allah and the right position and completely ignore that! According to Allah's criterion, the criterion of truth, they are not believers or a good model for faith. One should be careful, avoid following them, and leave them at that state they are satisfied with. S/he should seek faith perfection, for this is what s/he needs.
On the Day of Resurrection, it is the Holy Quran (Allah's revelations and words) that will become a proof against him/her: {‘ “Were My revelations not recited to you, but you used to deny them?”’}. S/he will not be protected by this person or that one s/he used to look up to as a worshipper, an ascetic, a believer, or a righteous person, even though such a person did not take a position against the enemies of Allah nor was ready to say even a word against them—s/he, instead, took great care not to utter even half a word or anything else to express a position against Allah's enemies and completely ignored that. Such an issue is of serious consequences on the person.
Some people tend to choose his/her own role model according to his/her personal preferences, seeking a flexible role model that is believed to keep him/her away from trouble and never push him/her into what is difficult. Some people think that Jihad in the cause of Allah is a difficult and complicated matter. However, the right criterion is that one Allah made for revealing the reality of His servants: who completely responds to Allah, who is truly obedient, who really trusts his/her Lord, who has transcended in his/her faith-based relationship to the highest level and become ready to sacrifice him/herself in the cause of Allah, and who, on the other hand, responds in a limited way and without crossing any line that goes beyond his/her fears and exposes him/her to dangers, difficulties, or challenges—it is a very narrowed-margin response.
The necessity of Jihad for protecting and taking care of people
One of the most important things related to Jihad is that it is the profitable, useful, correct, possible, and realistic means to prevent the evil of enemies, criminals, corrupters, authoritarian tyrants from the kafirin, munafiqin, and disobedient ones. Jihad in the cause of Allah is very necessary to achieve this; Allah has basically prescribed Jihad for the protection and wellbeing of His servants since He is Self-Sufficient. So when we speak about the importance of Jihad, that does not mean that Allah is in need of us or our Jihad: It is not a strategy to protect Allah, for He is the Supreme Master over His servants, the Guardian over all, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the King of the heavens and earth, the Almighty Whom no one can defeat, and the All-Powerful. Allah has made Jihad a means for us. Whom do we strive against? We strive against the evil doers whose evil is poured upon us; the criminals who commit crimes against us; the tyrants, the authoritarian people, and the corrupters whose corruption, injustice, tyranny, and crime target us. Therefore, Jihad is a means by which we gain strength, invulnerability, and might.
The problem of the Ummah is that it has neglected Jihad for a long period of time. This has made it weak to the point that made things more difficult. Nevertheless, when crossing the line and seeking to carry out the responsibility, the Ummah will find in that what helps it to rise and gain strength. The reality has proven this. Have mujahidin in Palestine not got stronger because of Jihad? Has Hezbollah not got stronger due to Jihad? Has the Islamic Republic of Iran not got stronger and reached an advanced position in might and strength because of Jihad? Has Jihad not made mujahidin in Iraq stronger? Here in Yemen, have we not got stronger because of Jihad? Throughout history, in the early days of Islam, and in the movement of the Messenger (PBUH&F), the perfect example and role model, did the Muslims not become stronger by Jihad? They had been in a state of weakness, oppression, subjugation: Allah says about them, {‘Indeed, Allah made you victorious at Badr when you were weak’}. Muslims were in a state of subjugation, oppression, and humiliation, but Allah granted them victory and power through Jihad. So their strength continued to get greater and greater until they became the most powerful nation in the world at the time. They were the nation before which the armies of the great states and the huge empires that existed then collapsed, only because of Jihad.
The magnitude of the challenges and very intensive hostility the Prophet (PBUH&F) faced in the Arab surroundings—the Arabs were known at the time for their great ferocity in fight. Indeed, they were very aggressive in fight at the Age of Ignorance: They might brutally fight one another for the simplest possible reason! So they, backed by the wickedness of the Jews, moved and made an alliance with the Jews against the Prophet (PBUH&F) and Muslims, who were few at the time with modest means and suffered harsh conditions but kept moving with whatever available in their hands and seeking all means for victory. However, the way the Prophet (PBUH&F) moved and his intensive and active efforts that, as we said yesterday, started in the seventh month after the Hijrah—he kept sending saraya for fighting, scouting, and military purposes. He also led major ghazwat in an intensive way that saw no stop even for one year. Indeed, every year and most months did not pass without saraya being sent to this place or that one. He also carried out pre-emptive attacks and was able to bring down and foil many conspiracies; he made intensive efforts to mobilize and encourage the Muslims, as he never ignored Jihad or considered it something that should never be raised or spoken about in the Friday sermon or in any occasion. Allah said to him, {‘O Prophet, Motivate the believers to fight’}; and He also said, {‘So fight in the cause of Allah .You are accountable for none but yourself. And motivate the believers ’}. Therefore, he continued to urge and encourage them to strive in the cause of Allah, and he, at the practical level, continued to mobilize them to participate in saraya and ghazwat in an intensive way. Even until the minute of his last breath, the Prophet, while suffering the illness that led to his death, was preparing a military force to counter the Romans. Even during those moments, the Prophet concluded his life with preparing, getting people ready, and pushing towards that military expedition, the expedition of Osama—unfortunately, that expedition did not move, and he died before that expedition could move!
Anyway, this is what makes this matter very important: pushing away the evil of enemies and granting victory in the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him). The enemies pay efforts with great hostility and great interest. It is unfortunate that the enemies of Muslims are more hard-working and serious than Muslims, though they are in the position of aggression against Muslims. They pay serious efforts with great interest and are active in plotting all kinds of conspiracies to target the Ummah in all fields. With regards to this, Allah says, {‘So perhaps Allah will curb the disbelievers’ might’}—{‘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’}: Moving in the path of Allah and responding to Him are key factors for obtaining His help, support, and victory over enemies.
In the face of challenges and threats, the Ummah needs Allah to support it and be with it. If we want Allah to always be with us, grant us victory, and support us against enemies, we should respond to Him in a complete and genuine way that makes us move in His path with faith-based motivation and commitment in reality and seek to make our response a complete response. Thus, He will be with us and grant us victory over our enemies: {‘If you support Allah, He will support you and strengthen your foothold’}.
The necessity to pay intensive Jihad-based efforts to push
away the transgression by the Ummah's enemies
The enemies have deep enmity towards our Ummah, and they are savages and criminals. When they gain control, they strike, oppress, and subjugate the Ummah, violate the sanctities, and care about nothing. Throughout history and till today, this has been proved: enemies' brutality, criminality, tyranny, disrespect for human dignity, violation of sanctities, and habit of using the most heinous crimes and genocide to kill people. In recent history, this can be seen in what Israel is doing, in what America has done in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in what munafiqin who fight by their side are doing, including here in Yemen: killing in a criminal and brutal way, showing great hostility, having no boundaries, violating sanctities, raping women and children, and committing heinous and vicious crimes.
Therefore, their oppression, evil, and criminality should be faced with deterrence that comes through strong Jihad-based movement, by which the Ummah transcends and eventually achieves the great victory and complete deterrence sufficient to stop its enemies. Allah says, {‘They do not observe any bond or treaty with the believers. It is they who are the transgressors’}. So their hatred and criminality get to the point that they do not honour anything between you and them: no agreement, commitment, or anything that you can count on as assurance from them or that you may think they would honour it for some considerations. No! They are used to cross all lines. When it comes to their dealing with the believers and Muslim society, there are no boundaries or redlines as everything is permissible. Our contemporary history has proved that; history in the past also proved that as well: horrifically killing people and violating their rights to life and dignity—massive tragedies happened.
Both contemporary history and past history can tell about major tragedies, catastrophes, atrocities, very heinous crimes of mass murder, heinous crimes against honour and sanctities, major crimes, and acts of oppression in all its forms. It is too horrible! However, the Arabs’ memory is a poor memory that soon forgets, as events escape their memory. In addition, many facts receive no mention in school curricula, in educational activities, or in media. No efforts are made to refresh people's memory so they can remember such events.
{‘How while if they overcome you, they will not observe any bond or treaty with you. They want to please you with (words of) their mouths’}: Sometimes, they do say things that may contain what seems to reassure and please people, but in reality, {‘Their hearts refuse and most of them are Fasiqun ’}. {‘You see many of them rushing into sin and hostility’}: You see observable behaviour, clear policies, and real practices; rush at every available opportunity wherever possible. Therefore, they are totally without scruple: {‘rushing into sin and hostility’}. They need nothing to motivate them . Indeed, they are hostile without being provoked by any big problems. In fact, all they care about is having the right opportunity for that. However, when there is a deterrent, they start to think twice and then stop.
You can recall how the Israeli enemy used to rush into attacking various Arab countries. It used to make some pretexts to initiate some aggressive actions. Now you can see how deterrence has worked out in Lebanon after the foundation of a powerful group of mujahidin that attained faith and kept improving their faith- and Jihad-related effort until they achieved real deterrence. The Israeli enemy now should think one thousand times before taking any action; therefore, that kind of boldness it used to show and rush into has become something of the past, for things have changed. In addition, the situation has changed in Gaza because there are mujahidin there who keep growing in their Jihad. When the Ummah keeps paying efforts, this is essential for gaining more strength and for translating its commitment of faith into action so that Allah comes to its aid.
Jihad represents the strongest motive for building up the
Ummah, its strength, and renaissance
The Holy Quran pays a very great deal of attention to Jihad for the sake of Allah (Glory be to Him), and time cannot help us cover all aspects of Jihad; however, the most important thing we should realize about Jihad is that Jihad is also a key factor for building the Ummah and its strength and for ensuring its rise: Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power and of warhorse garrisons to terrify thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know whom Allah knows. Whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be paid to you in full and you will not be wronged’}. If Muslims had only followed the guidance in this verse, they would not be as weak as they are now, and the Islamic Ummah would be the most powerful, the most immune, and the greatest in might. Therefore, to rise again and to be a powerful ummah, they must do and apply what Allah commands in this verse: to remain aware of the threat and the challenge their enemy represents and to prepare (against the enemy) what they can of power at all levels, such as at the military level (the military power), the economic level, etc. Power and obtaining power in accordance with faith should be a significant title and main goal of their activities and movement.
Unfortunately, the alternative that has prevailed is the state of weakness, collapse, and no action towards obtaining power and all means of power. Of the most important things in Jihad in the cause of Allah is that it represents a motive that pushes one towards obtaining more power. When you are in the battlefield fighting and facing your enemy, you realize the importance of power and its value and the importance of having more and more power—you will have the motive.
In this time of history, you can notice the blessings of Jihad in the current state of Hezbollah, the mujahidin in Palestine, the Islamic republic of Iran, the mujahidin in Iraq, and the mujahidin around the world, including here in Yemen. When people move to face the challenges and depend on Allah—while taking the right position, having a just cause, and paying effort for Allah's sake—they will feel the pressure of the reality and the nature of the challenges and circumstances, as well as the pain in the battlefield, and will, as a result, work hard with great motive and interest to obtain power, to make power, and to improve and take all means of power. This will be of great importance to them. As for others, they are not aware of the importance of a thing or the need for it because they have no intention to pay attention to the matter or take it as a goal in the first place! Neglecting the obligation of Jihad is one of the main factors that have weakened the Ummah and led the Ummah to this current state in all fields: economic weakness, military weakness, and weakness in all fields, including at the level of civilization and civilization-related renaissance.
Others have moved as if this verse were sent down to them, as if it were revealed to the Americans, to the Europeans, to the Chinese, to the Russians, or to any nation of other nations. as if they were the concerned and addressed ones. So they spare no effort and continue to focus on that. This matter has become of great importance to them, and they always seek to possess more and more of power and increase their strength, which has helped them rise and benefited them in their life. When Muslims neglected this aspect , this has caused them to lose their religion and life and badly affected them: They got weak, defeated, and subjected to humiliation by their enemies.
Therefore, one of Jihad's blessings is that the Ummah moves in response to a great motive: the challenge, the risk, the confrontation, and the need for it to gain more and more strength, even to become incapable of manufacturing and providing arms, war material, and other diverse requirements, and to improve all possible means. This represents a factor for achieving renaissance and strength as the Ummah to build itself, strengthen its reality, and prepare what makes it gain strength in all fields. However, the strength that should be sought first is the strength of faith, the strength of faith! It is the strength of faith and insight that motivate people to move with full confidence to build up their strength.
You can notice that Allah even wants Muslims to have the strength that makes deterrence on their side in the face of His enemies: {‘to terrify thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy’}—this means deterrence in the contemporary language. In other words, this requires you to have strength and manifestations of strength and to build up all strength possible (the military strength comes first in addition to all elements of strength required for standing up to them) to obtain what can be used as a deterrent against your enemies; what makes them think one thousand times before targeting you and feel afraid of facing you; what makes them look at you as a strong nation that is hard to break, control, or humiliate and that can inflict a significant cost and loss upon the enemies; and what makes them think that they could be defeated and never achieve their goals if they went into war with it. Believers should seek to obtain this outcome and should comprehend and realize its importance, value, and its positive impact, as well as the fact that it is what raises the Ummah to the level of overcoming the challenges and difficulties and defeating the enemy.
Ample evidence from contemporary reality
In contemporary history, we can see, for example, a clear, evident, and reality-based example represented in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The West cannot bear more enmity towards this power , and America and Israel consider it the enemy number one in the region since the Islamic Revolution until today. America and Israel intensively provoke against Iran and mobilize and push others to take it as an enemy, but America and Israel do fear, in spite of their great hatred and enmity, to engage in direct war with it , why? That is because they look at it as a force that keeps growing in strength—it worries them to see it getting stronger and stronger.
Another example can be seen in Lebanon and Gaza. Why has the Israeli enemy become more and more afraid every year to engage in war with Hezbollah or the mujahidin in Palestine? That is because they have become stronger in its eyes. The stronger they are, the more afraid the enemy is to face them. Even the coalition of aggression, itself, has become aware that it has put itself in great trouble when it launched war and aggression against our people—it got into trouble! It has become well known that it has got in trouble, but why? That is because it was faced by a Muslim nation that has mujahidin who stand up to it and move in an upward direction towards more strength in this battle. Even, the enemy is now aware that those who are standing up to it are, after every stage, growing in strength.
The stronger the Ummah is, the more the enemies fear to launch war or aggression against it; however, the weaker it is, the bolder the enemy gets. Strength should include everything: military preparation, brotherhood, cooperation, and the strength of the internal situation in terms of cohesion, cooperation, and joined efforts. All the elements of strength that Allah has instructed in the Holy Quran must be worked on, for they are all important and required.
Thus, we notice how important Jihad in the cause of Allah is in all things and all aspects and that it is for the benefit of the Ummah: Allah says, {‘Fighting has been made obligatory upon you, though you dislike it.’} However, when it comes to the personal preferences and wrong views towards this matter, {‘Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you.’} So do not depend on your personal preferences. Instead, look at things realistically. Look at them with insight, and seek the light provided by Allah to see that this is good for you: {‘Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know’}.
Today's reality makes it necessary for us to move with
a spirit of Jihad
As the Ummah goes through such circumstances and challenges—our enemies are targeting us in everything, and their war has been going on for a long period and has taken all forms, such as political war, economic war, military war, security-destabilizing war, soft war, which corrupt and mislead people, and all other forms—in our reality of faith, we should be mujahidin in the cause of Allah and carry the spirit of Jihad so that we can stand up to all forms of the enemy's war and obtain all the means of strength and what leads to gaining Allah's victory. Otherwise, people will lose. If the enemy defeats you whether in its soft or real war or in any other kind of war, that will be the result of your shortcoming, your carelessness, and your negligence. When the Ummah falls into a state of negligence (when it neglects its responsibility, lacks enthusiasm, and keeps to show carelessness and to turn a blind eye to the real threats), this leads to serious consequences in this life and the Hereafter.
If a nation, people, or group accepts for itself to submit and surrender to its enemies in this life (not to resist, fight back, or stand firm; to run away from responsibility; not to stand in the way of the enemy; follow what it wants; and let the door open for the enemy to do what it wants), it is a very dangerous situation. No person, nation, people, or society will accept such a situation for itself unless it has become devoid of faith—faith has a great effect on the loftiness of the soul, its dignity, its pride, its honour, its love for good, and its hatred for injustice and corruption—and of human dignity, as well. Such people have no longer had even the normal innate human values of being free and respectful so that they do not accept humiliation, oppression, or subjugation.
Even if some people have no problem with all of this, the danger is beyond that, which is Jahannam (We seek refuge in Allah). If a nation accepts humiliation ( by choosing surrender and submission to the enemies, by accepting humiliation and what the enemies want and what they impose, and by obeying them in what represents disobedience to Allah—Glory be to Him—and can lead to humiliation, disgrace, and loss), the result will certainly be Jahannam! So the result will be humiliation in this life, persecution, oppression, grievance, disgrace, shame, lowliness, corruption, and ignobility; but, above all of that, there will be Jahannam (We seek refuge in Allah): {‘If you do not march forth, He will afflict you with a painful torment and replace you with other people. You are not harming Him in the least. And Allah is Most Capable of everything’}. {‘You are not harming Him in the least’}: You are the ones getting harmed and being in danger. Therefore, the believer who considers him/herself on the path of faith must stand up to , carry the spirit of Jihad against the enemies' conspiracies, and have insight because a main part of the battle with the enemy has to do with insight, with obtaining the proper insight, which is one of the most important weapons we must arm ourselves with and carry in the face of the enemies in order to stand up to them in every field.
Our enemies bear malice against us at the level of faith and religion, and they express their malice at all times and with all means—their malice towards our Quran, our Messenger, our sanctities, and our religious rituals. This is evident in their practices. The West often keeps committing such practices, last of which was the act of burning the Holy Quran in Sweden. What is the reason for that? Why do they seek to burn the Holy Quran, the holiest of sanctities to the Islamic Ummah and for Muslims? It is their grudge, hatred, and intensive enmity towards you, to your religion, to your beliefs, and to what you are proud of. Moreover, it is an enormous provocation to Muslims, as well as scorn, challenge to their dignity, and horrible offence to Muslims.
In addition, how many times has the West offended the Prophet (PBUH&F)? How many times have Muslims found their religious rituals and sanctities under attack? What is happening in Palestine every day? Hardly a day goes by without a violation against the Aqsa Mosque and worshipers. There is who bears malice towards us for our religious affiliation!
If the Ummah gets to a point where it does care about its religion, sanctities, great symbol (the Prophet Muhammad—PBUH&F), and great holy book (the Holy Quran), this makes it, when the enemies realize that, despised, ridiculous, easy to defeat, and worthless. If the Ummah no longer takes its religion and sanctities as a source of pride and does not feel angry even for the sake of what a believer must be proud of, must sanctify, and must glorify—if a person no longer cares about that, nothing will be of importance to such a person, and s/he becomes nothing in this life, an easy target for his/her enemies, and a worthless and ridiculous person. Everything is worthless and of no value to such a person.
In reality, the enemies are eager to have control over this Ummah, its human wealth, its capabilities, its lands, and its geographical location. They want to exploit it and enslave it. Nothing can protect us from all these challenges except carrying the spirit of Jihad and moving in the cause of Allah and according to the way that He has ordained for us so that He grants us victory, assistance, and support.
The Ummah has to speak up against the provocations and violations that take place: It has to protest, to reject, and to show anger. It has at least to speak up. If the Ummah gets to the point where it does not even say a word against what its enemies are doing, this will lead to serious consequences for the Ummah before Allah (Glory be to Him). That is because it represents an awful and terrible state of complete negligence towards responsibility and a state of complete submission, which whets the enemies' appetite for the Ummah and gives them the best opportunity for targeting it and imposing total control over it. That way, it loses its religion and its worldly life.
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.