Twentieth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1444 A.H.
Our major responsibility towards the threats posed by our enemies
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.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
In the blessed month of Ramadan, the month of strengthening Taqwa, which Allah (Glory be to Him) describes in the Holy Quran, saying, {'O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you (as it was for those before you) so that you may become muttaqin '}, an important and fundamental aspect of Taqwa is related to our responsibilities as Muslims towards the threat our enemies pose to us in our religion, worldly affairs, and the Hereafter. As it is necessary for us to embody Taqwa in our worship (such as performing Salat, fasting, purifying ourselves, and performing Hajj for those who are able), as well as in our dealings with one another in various aspects of life, an essential aspect of Taqwa is related to this responsibility: our responsibility towards the threat our enemies pose to our religion and worldly affairs—such a threat is an all-encompassing threat.
In the month of Ramadan—the month of seeking guidance through the Quran, the month that witnessed the first revelation of the Quran and enjoys an atmosphere that increases one's chance of benefiting more from the Quran, being guided by the Quran, and strengthening his connection to the Holy Quran—it is crucial and among the benefits of seeking guidance to shift from a limited and subjective perspective and assessment of many matters to seeking guidance through the Holy Quran, viewing them through the Holy Quran, instead of a personal, subjective, and limited perspective. This is one of the benefits of seeking guidance through the Holy Quran, as Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Indeed, there have come to you insights from your Lord. So whoever chooses to see, it is for their own good. But whoever chooses to be blind, it is to their own loss'}. Let us strive to gain insight from the Quran and to view matters and assess them through its teachings so that we can have the right insight about them. When we view things through the Quran, we see them for what they truly are: There is a hadith that says: 'In it is news for what happened before you, and information about what comes after you, and judgement for what happens between you.' We should return to the Holy Quran and embark on our journey through it, as Imam Ali (PBUH) said about the Quran, 'With the Book of Allah, you gain insight," meaning that you can view matters through its guidance.
And perhaps one of the things that has harmed Arabs in particular and Muslims in general is their limited perspective, lack of awareness, and failure to focus on significant issues and seek guidance through the Holy Quran regarding them. They have become disconnected from the Holy Quran in their perception, assessment, and dealing with these issues, and this has had a significant impact on them.
{'Be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves'}: What does it mean in this context?
In the command of Taqwa in the Holy Quran, one verse has mentioned this command in a distinctive and unparalleled manner compared to other verses and contexts in the Holy Quran: Allah (the Blessed and Exalted) addresses us, the believers, the Muslims, in every era and generation, saying, {'O believers, be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves, and do not die except as Muslims'}.
In the rest of the contexts in the Holy Quran, when Allah commands or prohibits something and uses the command of Taqwa before or after that thing to draw attention to the importance of the subject, He often says, {'Be mindful of Allah!'} In many instances, He commands, {'Be mindful of Allah!'} However, in this particular instance, He uses this important phrase that draws attention to the significance of the subject: {'Be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves.'} This draws our attention to the significance of the subject, its great danger, and the danger of neglecting it. He in other situations and with other subjects says, {'Be mindful of Allah!'}—that is, do not neglect that command or exceed the prohibition. But in this matter, He says, {'in the way He deserves'}—meaning the highest and most elevated level of Taqwa, the highest level of attentiveness and caution so not to neglect this matter, this particular subject. Because it is an extremely important matter, what is this matter? And what is the context in which this command is mentioned?
This is mentioned in the context of His saying, {'O believers! If you were to yield to a group of those who were given the Scripture, they would turn you back from belief to disbelief. How can you disbelieve when Allah's revelations are recited to you and His Messenger is in your midst?'}. And He continues in this vein, warning, alerting, and guiding towards what protects against that; and He then says, {'O believers, be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves, and do not die except as Muslims'}. This is to clarify the significance of this matter and its extreme seriousness.
This is an important matter from the beginning. The verse strongly warns Muslims against obeying their enemies from the People of the Book. If they obey them, the inevitable consequence is apostasy from the divine religion, from Islam, its principles, values, teachings, guidance, and light. At the same time, this verse reveals the nature of what those enemies seek in targeting the Ummah and their methods of achieving that goal.
This subject is extremely important, but many people do not want to pay attention to it at all. It is one of the subjects that have been completely neglected by many in their circle of interest. The paradox in this matter is very strange, between His command, {'Be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves'}, which requires the highest levels of Taqwa, utmost attention, vigilance, and caution, and the lack of interest in this matter altogether, the unwillingness to hear anything about it, and the failure to pay attention to it under any circumstances. In other words, there is a tendency towards completely marginalizing this matter, this subject, this danger, and this threat, not discussing it, not paying attention to it, and not caring about it. This is a serious matter for humans because Allah will hold us accountable on the Day of Resurrection based on what He commanded us in His book and guided us to in His book. He will present His verses as evidence against us: {' "Were My revelations not recited to you"'}.
Therefore, no matter how much a person ignores such important matters in the Quran, in the commands of Allah, and in His instructions—as they indeed have great importance and impact in reality, in the reality of life—ignoring them does not benefit him. It does not absolve him from the consequences of negligence, disregard, and responsibility towards it. Rather, this will put him in serious trouble on the day he meets Allah (the Almighty) as well as in this life.
The People of the Book and their tremendous danger to our religion and worldly affairs!
The verse clearly identified the tremendous threat, a threat to the religion of this Ummah, and consequently to its worldly affairs, future, and Hereafter. It specified the source of that threat as the People of the Book and indicated that this threat is a real one, and they are indeed seeking to make it a reality in their targeting of the Ummah.
The People of the Book (the Jews and those associated with them from the Christians) have emerged throughout history, since the time of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F), as major enemies of the Muslims. They engaged directly in several wars with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F). Even in those wars waged by others against the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) and against Islam and the Muslims, they contributed with their plots, schemes, and incitement. They played roles in inciting, instigating, contributing, mobilizing, and conspiring in various wars. However, they were defeated because the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) acted based on the guidance, directives, and instructions of Allah in countering their conspiracies. They then regained influence in certain stages. In our contemporary history and particularly in the last three centuries, the significant threat posed by the Zionist Jewish lobby has become evident due to the flaws that take place in the reality of Muslims.
They show cooperation among themselves against Muslims, despite the old disputes and problems among them. However, this is how they become when it comes to Muslims: They cooperate and conspire together, as Allah (Glory be to Him) stated in the Holy Quran, {'O believers! Take neither Jews nor Christians as guardians—they are guardians of each other. Whoever does so will be counted as one of them. Surely Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people'}. They collaborate and have historically emerged in many stages. The conflict with them and their targeting of Muslims has continued throughout history, in all past stages and generations. They have clearly emerged as primary and dangerous enemies of Muslims.
A great and considerable portion in the Holy Quran speaks about their animosity and danger to Muslims: in Surah Al-Baqarah, in Surah Ali 'Imran, in Surah An-Nisa, extensively in Surah Al-Ma'idah, in Surah At-Tawbah, and in several surahs and so many verses of the Holy Quran. Indeed, the evidence of reality, events, incidents, and facts that have occurred throughout history and in our current era correspond to what is stated in the Holy Quran.
In its discourse about them, the Holy Quran provides an accurate diagnosis and a realistic assessment of them. It is important to be aware of this in order to understand how to protect ourselves from their threat, both in our religion and worldly affairs. That is because this is what Taqwa entails: safeguarding ourselves from their threat and the danger that arises from neglecting this matter as a matter that entails accountability before Allah, the Almighty.
Unfortunately, this aspect does not get enough attention from most Muslims despite the nature of the events and conflicts that draw attention and sometimes force people to interact. However, such interaction remains momentary and temporary in the face of a highly disturbing incident, such as a specific crime, a horrific occupation of an entire country in the Islamic world, or extremely heinous crimes that forcefully demand attention. Indeed, people react to them with little anger, interaction, empathy, and moral and emotional solidarity with the Muslims who suffer from such actions; then people cool off, forget, and turn a blind eye to the issue! They do not engage in continuous and practical efforts, within a systematic framework, to actively work towards changing the reality and achieving preventive measures that protect the Ummah from such danger and harm. And this is the problem!
In the reality of our enemies, enmity towards us is a basic, very important matter to them, which is present in all their priorities, researches, studies, and informative activities through which they study the reality of the Ummah. It is also present in their plans and in their programmes, as well as in their practical activities as a basic matter and in the policies they draw to target this Ummah. They pay great attention to this matter, as if they were the ones Allah addresses in His saying, {'Be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves,'} as if it were them who were awakened by this to be mindful, careful, serious, cautious, and mindful of this Ummah and to be vigilant and wary to the utmost and in a constant state of mobilization and alertness towards it. This is so as if the Holy Quran were not speaking to us to do that and as if Allah did not command us to do that or made it part of our faith-based obligations and our basic religious responsibilities. This is really unfortunate and weird!
The Quran clarifies what protects the Ummah from their injustice and corruption.
In the Holy Quran, Allah (Glory be to Him) has spoken about Shaytan as an enemy, and He has warned us from him, revealed his plans for us, and clarified the ways of protection from him. He has told us, {'Surely Shaytan is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy'}. {'So take him as an enemy'}: Our stance towards him must be based on the fact that he is an enemy, and we should show enmity towards him. Just as he is an enemy who targets us, we have to consider him an enemy, so we guard ourselves against him, be cautious and mindful of him, oppose him, and take a stance against him as an enemy. The same should go with the matter of our enmity towards the Jews and the Christians. In the vast expanse of the Holy Quran, Allah warned against them, revealed their danger, and guided us towards what protects the Ummah from the threat they pose to it, which is too horrible to the Ummah, its religion, and its worldly life, and this is mercy from Allah, the Almighty.
{'And Allah desires no injustice to creation'}: This comes in the context of speaking about their danger and the consequences of neglecting this matter, which is a thing that blackens one's face in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.
Blackening of faces in this worldly life results from this shameful negligence that causes calamities, tragedies, humiliation, and degradation to the Ummah. It becomes an ummah that is crushed and subjected to humiliation and degradation by those wicked, contemptible, evil enemies. Indeed, this allows them to humiliate and subjugate the Ummah. And on the Day of Resurrection, faces will become black before Allah (Glory be to Him). It is terribly dangerous that your destiny will be to go to Jahannam (We seek Allah for refuge) as a result of your negligence in what causes the loss of your religion and worldly life—it is an extremely serious issue.
Therefore, Allah says, {'And Allah desires no injustice to creation'}. Because He does not want us to suffer injustice, does not want us to be wronged by Him or anyone else, Allah has guided us to what protects us from their injustice. Since they are the most unjust people—they are the source of injustice, tyranny, crime, and corruption—He has guided us to what protects us from their injustice and has guaranteed that if we follow His guidance, move on the basis of it, accept it, and adhere to it, He will be with us to grant us victory, support and assist us, and drive away a lot of their evil. What else more than this do we want from Him?! He is our Merciful Lord.
What distinguishes what the Holy Quran presents is that it aligns with the truth. When it speaks about them as enemies, speaks about their danger, manifests the danger of carelessness and negligence in this matter, and shows that if we neglect this matter, forget about it, ignore it, and rely on erroneous options based on our inclinations and ignorance about how to deal with this matter—instead of relying on what Allah has guided to—this can defiantly lead to serious consequences for us in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.
Allah (Glory be to Him) does not want us to be subjected to injustice, and what He has put forth is factual realities that cannot but happen. Even if a person tries to think differently or look at them from a different perspective, he will end up adopting an unrealistic perspective—and this is his problem. If you look at them as not posing a threat to us or not being our enemies, think that there is no danger from their side, or believe that these are exaggerations and pointless noises that serve no purpose— 'Let's not bother with such talk. Do not bother us with it'— then your perspective is not in line with the Quran or reality. In fact, the reality aligns perfectly with the Holy Quran. What the Quran presents aligns with the truth (the truth seen witnessed in this life). It is the word of Allah: {'The word of your Lord has been perfected in truth and justice. None can change His words'}. {'None can change His words,'} for they align with the truth in this life.
Why don't you first give yourself the opportunity to pay attention to what Allah has said? Step out of your personal position, your personal ill feelings, and your personal perspective and return to what He said so you can hear it, read it, contemplate on it, and look at the reality through its perspective. In fact, this is what can benefit you, what can save you, what can make you in harmony with the Holy Quran, and what can make you embrace the Holy Quran; at the same time, it is the direction to which the Holy Quran guides. This is what is expected of you as a Muslim and what is required of us as Muslims. We should be like this in dealing with this matter.
Allah (Glory be to Him) is merciful to us when He warns us about our enemies, for what the enemies can inflict is not something that can be taken lightly—it is not something one can underestimate. The suffering that Muslims have endured and continue to endure to this day is immense, at all levels—militarily, economically, and in all aspects of their lives. It is a great ordeal, a terrible suffering. They are killed, and their lives, homelands, honour, and wealth are violated. The machinery of conspiracies continues to grind over their heads without ceasing because they do not strive to stop it, thus inflicting harm upon themselves.
The Quran exposed our enemies and revealed their danger. So why don't we turn back to it?
In the context of His discourse about our enemies among the Jews, their danger, and what protects us from their evil and danger, Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Allah knows best who your enemies are. And Allah is sufficient as a Guardian, and He is sufficient as a Helper'}. He is the most Knowledgeable about our enemies, who they are, what is the extent of their danger, what they want, what they strive for, and the correct method to confront the danger of that enemy and to protect ourselves from that enemy. Allah is the most Knowledgeable. So why don't we turn back to His book? Why don't we accept His verses? Why don't we listen to His words? Why don't we heed His guidance? We can hear from Him what He (the Almighty) said to us in His book, and He is the most Knowledgeable about them—He is the All-Knowing.
When you receive a study as an Arab (as an Arab regime, as an Arab leader, king or prince, or as one among the elites or the public), and this study, research, or analysis is about who the enemy is, their level of danger, who the friend is, and so on, it is nothing compared to what comes to us from Allah, the All-Knowing of His servants, the All-Knowing of the innermost thoughts, the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, encompassing everything in knowledge, who knows the treachery of the eyes and what the hearts conceal, the Knower of all things. Some people are influenced by a political analyst or even a specific political figure with certain political thoughts, accepting them as if they hold the absolute truth that falsehood cannot reach them from any direction. They forget and neglect the Holy Quran, while Allah says, {'Allah knows best who your enemies are.'} Despite that, He offers His support, help, and aid if we respond to Him: {'And Allah is sufficient as a Guardian, and He is sufficient as a Helper.'}
The astonishing thing about the reality of Arabs in particular and the Islamic world in general is that people, whether entities, regimes, governments, leaders, or even in the public arena—individuals with one another, tribes with one another, communities with one another, different components (political or sectarian)—easily take one another as enemies and develop enmity towards one another. They act on that basis in practical terms: speaking, expressing, attacking one another, and moving against one another in all available forms, according to the levels of that enmity. They do not adopt silence, sitting still, and inaction, nor do they show no interest in the matter at all. No, some may find the slightest reason to intensify their anger, fury, and emotional outburst, and then act aggressively, expressing, attacking, and speaking out. At the very least, they become irritated and angry with one another and show that through their words and expressions. This may be followed by a loss of communication and create a rift. In some cases, this may lead to more extreme and dangerous positions: cases of conflict, aggression, or similar situations. However, when it comes to important realities and their true enemies, it takes a lot of effort and work to rouse them, motivate them, make them move, and draw their attention, even though this matter has received a great deal of attention in the Holy Quran and is witnessed in reality, such as the daily assaults, daily crimes, ongoing suffering the enemies have planned and exploited the Ummah's reality and internal flaws. It is truly weird!
The first truth emphasized in the Holy Quran is that they are enemies, dangerous enemies who harbour intense malice and enmity towards the Ummah, and that their deep-seated animosity towards the Ummah remains unchanged, regardless of the Ummah's support, love, obedience, or silence towards them.
Is silence the method outlined, guided towards, and encouraged in the Holy Quran? Is this state the kind of state the Quran clarified as effective, beneficial, and protective against the enemies' danger, as well as a means to repel their harm and benefit the Ummah? Does it say, 'O you who believe, remain silent, refrain from speaking and moving against them, and do not say anything?' No, this does not accomplish anything. The same is even true when one does what is more than this: loving them, allowing the emotions of love to stir in your heart and draw you closer to them, even to the point of infatuation, supporting them, endorsing their positions, justifying their actions, aligning with them, or forming alliances and relationships with them—none of that benefits you in any way.
They will continue to treat you as an enemy, harbouring malice and hatred towards you. They hate you, while you love them. They despise you, while you adore them. They hold you in contempt while you exalt them, considering them symbols of civilization, progress, development, democracy, human rights, and so on. They always look at you with disdain and humiliation, and they may not even consider you as a real human being! This is known about them, their perception of others. They do not consider them as real humans but rather as human-shaped creatures, beings created to serve them. That is why when they want to honour you—after they have drained you, taken billions from you, pushed you into enormous problems, and made you fight for their goals and do everything for them, including stirring up turmoil—they may honour you by calling you, with the utmost respect, a milking cow, if not a jenny or a similar thing! This is the level they assign to you! This is after you have surpassed all the members of your Ummah in serving them, providing them with what no one else can dream of. If you had provided the same for your own Ummah, there wouldn't be a single poor person left. You may reach this level (a cow) with such a perspective. They bear malice to this extent.
The difference between the two states (the state when you remain silent, surrender to them, love them, interact with them, ally with them, and support them and the state of being vigilant, attentive, cautious, and receptive to the guidance of Allah (the Almighty), believing in His words, believing in what He has said about them, and what He has said about the correct path to protect oneself from their danger)—the difference is that in the first state, you have made it easier for them to control you and push you towards the abyss. Whereas in the state of faith—the state of believing in the words and verses of Allah, accepting His guidance, following His path that He has guided you to, trusting in Him, trusting in His words, trusting in His guidance, and trusting in His instructions—you will be in a state of might and dignity, even if you experience suffering. You will endure suffering while being in a state of dignity and might, and you will be on a path that ultimately achieves complete protection from their evil. This is a very important matter.
The number one enemy and the failure of the policy of appeasement
Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {'You will surely find the most bitter towards the believers to be the Jews'}—they are number one—{'and those who associate others with Allah'}. They (those who associate others with Allah) are number two. So the Jews are the foremost enemies, the foremost enemies in enmity towards believers. Indeed, they are the most intense enemies in enmity towards believers. Today, the Zionist Jewish lobby leads all major conspiracies against Muslims. Even in mobilizing Western countries in their hostile policies against the Islamic Ummah, it plays a fundamental role. It also plays a fundamental role in mobilizing Western countries to support the usurping Zionist entity. This is the truth. They are not just enemies; they are the most intense in their animosity, more intense than anyone else, from any other faction. They are the fiercest in enmity.
Allah says about them, {'Never will the Jews or Christians be pleased with you, until you follow their faith'}. The policy of appeasement (either through intimacy, coalition, obedience, and service providing or through being silent and motionless, neglecting everything they do, and being silent about everything they perform) is really futile and does not satisfy them, nor is it beneficial with them.
He says about them in another important and marvelous verse that establishes proof against people, {'Here you are! You love them but they do not love you'}: Who is addressed by this? It is those who love them, hold a positive impression about them, and whose emotions are moved towards them in affection. {'But they love you not'} means they hate you in spite of your love for them! They despise you, disdain you, and look down on you.
In addition, Allah says about them, {'They would not miss a chance to harm you. Their only desire is to see you suffer'}. They do not hesitate nor neglect to exert all their efforts and do whatever in their capacity in order to provoke problems and flaws in your reality, cause you destruction, and hinder your progress by doing everything that poses problems for you. They also desire what causes you ruin and severe damage as well as doing what entails a difficulty and danger for you. They are eager for it, they care about it, willingly and with a strong desire. They greatly desire what causes you significant and severe harm.
Describing their intense animosity, Allah (the Almighty) says, {'But when they are alone, they bite their fingertips in rage at you'}. It is a state of malice active within their souls, burning in their feelings, not peaceful, not just a mere disliking of the Ummah; rather, it is a flaming state of malice, inflamed in their feelings, to the extent that {'They bite their fingertips in rage at you.'} Their enmity is not hidden, not calm, not stagnant. Their enmity is active, moving them to act in reality against this Ummah. They translate it into action: in their positions, policies, and schemes. For them, it is a practical, real, and ongoing orientation. Meanwhile, the Ummah remains unmindful of them and is not careful. This is an extremely dangerous situation!
One of the things they pay attention to regarding this point (that they are enemies warned against by Allah, and one must beware of their evil) is their efforts to erase this perception among Arabs towards them. This is truly astonishing! Despite everything they do (such as daily killings of the Ummah's sons, killing millions throughout history, and continuous targeting in all fields), despite the extensive focus of the Holy Quran on them, and despite their clear conspiracies that can be understood with minimal contemplation, clear positions in every stage, very clear positions that clearly reveal the state of intense animosity, such as burning copies of the Quran, insulting the Prophet, killing Muslims, conspiracies in all fields, and very clear matters—yet, they are keen that we do not see them as enemies and that we accept everything that comes from them. They want Muslims to accept being trampled under their feet and even kiss their feet. This is very strange. Indeed, it is very strange!
We will conclude with this amount, and we will continue the topic in the coming lecture, Allah willing.
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 virtuous martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory, for You are All-Hearing!
O Allah, accept our fasting, nights of worship, and good deeds. You are All-Hearing!
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.