the beginning and end of ramadan

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِوَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ

"Ramadhan is the month in which the Qur’an was revealed, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance and as a criterion (al-Furqan)" [TMQ Al Baqarah: 185]

Unfortunately the reality today is that people begin Ramadhan on different days and have Eid on different days even in one country and one city. We must understand the reasons why people differ on this matter, the arguments they put forward and the hukm shari regarding this matter according to the Islamic evidences.

It is important to understand that the sources of Shariah for us are the Quran & Sunnah fundamentally. Our emotions, public opinion, the view of the majority, norms, customs, etc do not determine the shariah rules. The Prophet (saw) said: "Whoever speaks about the Qur'an without knowledge, then let him prepare for himself his seat in the fire." [Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Nisai & Ibn Jarir]

We need to remember the statement of Ibn Masud (ra): “The Jama’a is Haq (truth) even if it is one person”.

The unification of the day in which the fast begins and the day in which Eid begins for all the Muslims world-wide is a duty which Allah has prescribed upon them and one of the aspects of their unity. Allah (swt) has clearly and specifically determined in the Shari'ah texts the day of fasting and the day of Eid.

Allah (swt) says:

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ وَلَيْسَ الْبِرُّ بِأَنْ تَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهَا وَلَكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَى وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

“They ask you about the crescents. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in the affairs of men and for pilgrimage.” [TMQ 2:189]

فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ

“Whoever witnesses the crescent of the month, he must fast the month." [TMQ 2:185]

Bukhari and Muslim reported on the authority of Abdullah Ibnu Omar (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) mentioned Ramadhan and said: "Do not fast till you see the new moon, and do not break fast till you see it; but if the weather is cloudy complete it (thirty days)."

Muslim also reported on the authority of Abdullah Ibnu Omar (R) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) made mention of Ramadhan and with a gesture of his hand said: "The month is thus and thus. (He then withdrew His thumb at the third time indicating 29). He then said: Fast when you see it, and break your fast when you see it, and if the weather is cloudy do calculate it (the months of Shaban and Shawwal) as thirty days."

Bukhari reported on the authority of Ibnu Omar (R) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "The month consists of 29 nights, so do not fast till you have sighted it (i.e. the new moon), and if the weather were cloudy, then complete it as thirty days."

In the narration of Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "The month of Ramadhan may consist of twenty-nine days. So do not fast until you have sighted it (the new moon) and do not break fast, until you have sighted it (the new moon of Shawwal), and if the sky is cloudy for you, then complete it (thirty days)."

Muslim also reported on the authority of Abdullah Ibnu Omar that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “The month of Ramadhan may consist of twenty-nine days; so when you see the new moon observe fast and when you see (the new moon again at the commencement of the month of Shawwal) then break it, and if the sky is cloudy for you, then calculate it (and complete thirty days)."

These Ahadith are very clear and unequivocal, in them the Messenger of Allah (saw) orders us to fast when the sighting of the new moon of Ramadhan is confirmed, and orders us to break fast when the sighting of the new moon of Shawwal is confirmed; these orders are binding and their violation is a sinful act just like the abandoning of any other duty or the committing of an unlawful act.

The command of fasting and breaking fast is general: "Do not fast till you see it and do not break fast till you see it." - "Do fast when you it is sighted and break fast when it is sighted." The verb ‘Sumu’ ‘Do fast’ is in the plural form includes all Muslims all over the world. Furthermore, the word ‘Ruayateh’ 'sighting' has also come in a general form: "When it is sighted" or "If it is sighted."; this means that it includes any sighting, and it does not merely apply to the person who sights the new moon, nor does it specifically apply only to the people of his own country, for the address which orders the fast and the breaking of the fast is general and comprehensive, as is the address concerning the sighting, therefore, the rule is undoubtedly general.

The command is not for individual Muslims to sight the moon and then begin fasting or to make Eid based upon their personal sighting. Even the Prophet (saw) used to begin fasting when he had not personally seen the moon but a Muslim had reported to him that they had seen it. Ibn Umar (ra) reported, "During the time of the Prophet (saas), the companions went looking for the new crescent. So I told the Prophet (saw) that I saw it. So he fasted and told the companions to fast." [Abu Dawud & Hakim]

Therefore, the command of fasting and of breaking the fast when the new moon is sighted is a command which addresses all Muslims all over the world. So for example if the new moon was sighted in Rabat on Friday night, and was not sighted in Jakarta on Friday night but on Saturday night, the people of lndonesia must act upon the sighting of the new moon in Morocco, they must therefore begin the fast on Friday if the new moon was that of Ramadhan; if they did not fast that day they should compensate for that day because the obligation to fast has been confirmed by the sighting of the new moon by any Muslim anywhere in the world. Also, if the new moon was that of Shawwal, they should break their fast when news about the sighting reaches them even if they did not sight it themselves, for the moment the sighting is confirmed, they must break their fast, and it would be sinful for them to continue fasting.

Therefore, the Shari'ah rule states that if the people of one country sighted the new moon, it would be exactly as if all the Muslims have sighted it as well, therefore they should all fast if it is the new moon of Ramadhan, and they should all break fast if it is the new moon of Shawwal. This is the rule of Allah (swt) according to the Shari'ah texts.

During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (saw), the Muslims used to begin the fast on the same day and break it on the same day despite the fact that they lived in different areas, and this serves as another Shari'ah evidence that the sighting of the new moon in one area obliges all the Muslims to fast together on the same day and break fast together on the same day.

As for the Shub'ha (controversial evidence) of those who claim that the beginning of the fast and the end of the fast i.e. the day of Eid could be different, this can be summarised in two points:

1- The first Shub'ha: They claim that to each people living in one country their sighting, for each people should follow their own times just like the times of prayer; this is why they said: The precept lies in the Matali', i.e. the time of rising (of celestial bodies). In answer to this claim we say the following: The times of prayer are subject to their scheduled times and these are different even in the one region, for the signs which the Shari'ah has specified would occur at different times; as far as fasting is concerned, this difference also applies at the time of Imsak (beginning of fast) at dawn and at the time of Iftar (end of fast) just after sunset, this is so because the text has indicated this difference: Allah (swt) says:

"And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread; Then complete your fast until the night appears" [TMQ 2:187]

The Imsak and the Iftar times differ from one place to another just like the times of prayer, which also differ from place to place, this difference happens in the one single day, however, the beginning of the month of fasting must begin on the same day all over the whole world, and the difference occurs only in the parts of the single day. This is what the texts of the Ahadith have clearly indicated; and this is what is confirmed by the understanding deduced from the Shari'ah rule. The difference in the rise of the new moon between the farthest two points in the world does not exceed twelve hours; and the classical Mujtahids (learned scholars) are excused for not understanding this deduction from the Shari'ah rule, for at the time, they were not in a position to clearly realise the movements of the earth, sun and the new moon. And now that the deduction made from the rule is understood, there are no pretexts or excuses left for those who claim that the difference in the time of rising could exceed one day, let alone those who claim that it could be even a few days. Therefore, the month of fasting begins for the Islamic Ummah all over the world on the same day and the end of the month of fasting and the beginning of Eid also occurs on the same day for all the Islamic Ummah all over the world.

2- The second Shub'ha: The second Shub'ha of those who claim that the beginning of the fast and the break of fast vary, is deduced from the narration reported by Muslim on the authority of Kurayb who reported that Umm-ul-Fadhl Bintu-l-Harith sent him to Mu'awiya in Al-Sham; he said: “I arrived in Al-Sham and did business for her (Umm-ul-Fadhl Bintu-l-Harith). It was there in Al-Sham that the month of Ramadhan commenced. I saw the new moon of Ramadhan on Friday. I then came back to Madina at the end of the month, Abdullah Ibnu Abbas (R) asked me about the new moon of Ramadhan and said: "When did you see it? I said: We saw it on the night of Friday, He said: Did you see it yourself? I said: Yes, and the people also saw it and observed the fast and Mu'awiya also observed the fast; whereupon he said: But we saw it on Saturday night. Some would continue to observe fast till we complete thirty (fasts) or we see it (the new moon of Shawwal). I said: Is the sighting of the moon by Mu'awiya not valid for you? He said: No, this is how the Messenger of Allah (saw) has commanded us."

Those who claim that the beginning of fasting and the break of fast may vary, use this Hadith as evidence; they argue that Ibnu Abbas ignored the sighting of the people of Al-Sham and said at the end of the Hadith: This is how the Messenger of Allah (saw) has commanded us. This indicated that Ibnu Abbas learnt from the Messenger of Allah (saw) that the people of one region are not obliged to act upon the sighting of another region; they also argue that this Hadith serves as a specification and an explanation of the Hadith of the sighting. They therefore claimed that the people of each region are commanded to act upon the sighting of the new moon in their region only and not in other regions, thus the beginning of fast and the beginning of Eid vary from one region to another and according to the times of rising.

The answer to this claim lies in the fact that this report is not a Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (saw) but the Ijtihad of a Sahabi, and the Ijtihad of the Sahabi is not comparable to the Hadith of the Prophet (saw). The fact that Ibnu Abbas (R) did not act upon the sighting of the people of Al-Sham reflects an Ijtihad and it cannot be used as a Shari'ah evidence; and besides, the Ijtihad is always nullified by the general Shari'ah evidence, thus the Hadith must be acted upon ahead of the Ijtihad which has to be abandoned. Furthermore, the Ijtihad of the Sahabi cannot specify the general term of the Hadith. As for the saying of Ibnu Abbas at the end of the report: "This is how the Messenger of Allah (saw) commanded us.", it is not a Hadith but merely the way Ibnu Abbas understood the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (saw) in which he (saw) said: "Fast when you see it and break fast when you see it." This indicates that Ibnu Abbas understood the Hadith as such; though he did not say:This is how the Messenger of Allah (saw) reported it, nor did he say: This is how we learnt it from the Messenger of Allah (saw), but he said: This is how the Messenger of Allah (saw) commanded us.

Imam Al-Shawkani explained the Hadith as follows, he wrote in his book entitled Nayl-ul Awtar the following: "I realise that the evidence is derived from the report of Ibnu Abbas and not from his Ijtihad (exertion) which people understood as such, and what is referred in his saying: "This is how the Messenger of Allah (saw) commanded us.", is his saying (i.e. Ibnu Abbas): So we are still fasting until we complete thirty days; and the command of the Messenger of Allah (saw) lies in the Hadith extracted by the two Sheikhs (i.e. Bukhari and Muslim) among others with the following wording: "Do not fast till you see the new moon and do not break fast till you see the new moon, and if the sky were cloudy, then complete it as thirty days." And this does not specifically apply for the people of one region to the exclusion of others but to all the Muslims." [Nayl ul- Awtar, volume 4, page 268]

Therefore, what Kurayb has reported does not qualify as a Hadith, but remains as it is, i.e. an opinion of Ibnu Abbas; it does not qualify as evidence and cannot be used as such; it also cannot be used to specify the general term of a Hadith, i.e. the general evidence. Therefore the Shub'ha is nullified and its use as evidence is incorrect.

As these two Shub'has are no longer valid there remains no other Shub'ha, and only the evidence derived from the real meaning of the texts would stand, which implies that all the Muslims are commanded to fast when the new moon is sighted anywhere in the world as indicated by the clear-cut meaning of the Hadith of Allah's Messenger (saw) : "Do fast when it is sighted."

And all the Muslims are commanded to break fast when the sighting of the new moon is confirmed in any part of the world, and to make that day their Eid day as clearly indicated in the Hadith of Allah's Messenger (saw): "Do break fast when it is sighted."

Many of the classical scholars have stated this view, Imam Kasanee of the Hanafi Madhab said in his book Bada as-Sana’i that following other than one sighting for the whole Ummah is Bid’a (innovation). This indicates how weak he felt that the other Ijtihad is. Imam Juzairi said in Fiqh al Madhahib al Arba’a (The Fiqh of the four schools of thought) Volume 1 gives two views of the Hanafi’s regarding this: 1) The sighting of the moon by any Muslim should be accepted whether slave, free, man or woman without inquiring whether they are just or not, 2) The justness should be verified by a Qadi.

Ibn Taymiyyah concluded: "To summarize: a person who learns about the sighting of the moon in good time to be able to utilise it for fasting, for ending his fast, or for sacrifice, he must definitely do so. The texts [of Islam] and the reports about the Salaf point to this. To limit this to a certain distance or country would contradict both the reason and the Shar` (Islamic law)." [Al-Fatawa, volume 5, page 111]

Some people may argue what if the news reaches us late that the moon has been sighted. This has also been answered in the ahadith.

The famous Hanafi scholar Imam Sarkhasi (died 483 A.H.) in Al-Mabsoot quotes the narration from Abu Dawud (2333, 2334) that the Muslims did not begin fasting since they did not see the moon. Then a man, from out of Madinah, came and told the Prophet (saaw) that he had seen it (the moon). The Prophet (saaw) asked him if he was a Muslim to which the man answered in the affirmative. The Prophet (saaw) then said: “Allahu-Akbar! one is enough for all Muslims” The Prophet (saaw) fasted and asked the people to stop eating and start fasting. [Al-Mabsout by Imam Sarkhasi; 3-52]

It is also reported in a Saheeh hadith: Abu ‘Umayr ibn Anas reported from his paternal uncles among the Ansaar who said: “It was cloudy and we could not see the new moon of Shawwaal, so we started the day fasting, then a caravan came at the end of the day and told the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that they had seen the new moon of Shawwaal the day before, so he told the people to stop fasting, and they went out to pray the Eid prayer the next day.” [Reported by the five. It is sahih; al-Irwaa’, 3/102, Abu Dawud 1153]

Even more comtemporary scholars like the founding and well known scholars of the Deobandi and Barelvi movements of the Indian subcontinent have clearly stated this as the correct view in their Fatawa. It is unfortunate that today many who claim to follow them ignore following this hukm.

The co-founder of Dar al-Uloom Deoband, Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi said: “If the people of Calcutta sighted the moon in Friday, whereas it was sighted in Makkah on Thursday itself, but the people of Calcutta did not know of it (the sighting on Thursday); then whenever they come to know of this, it will be obligatory for them to celebrate eid with the people of Makkah and make up (Qada’) for the first fasting.” [Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi, Sharh Tirmizi (Explanation of Tirmizi), Kaukab un Durri, pg 336 Urdu edition].

“Wherever the sighting is confirmed, however far off it may be, even if it were to be thousands of miles; the people of this place will have to abide by that.” [Fatawa Dar ul Uloom Deoband, Vol. 6 page 380, Urdu edition]

“Question: There has been some dispute in Amritsar etc. regarding sighting of moon for Ramdhan and Eid ul fitr. So should we the residents of Mandla (CP), which is located very far off, follow that sighting or not?
Answer: In the maslak of Hanafiyyah, there is no consideration of Ikhtilaf al Matale’ (difference in sighting); the sighting of the people of east is binding upon the people of the west and vice versa. This is also demanded by the hadith (soomoo li ru iyatihi we aftaroo li ru iyatihi) “Fast when it is sighted and stop fasting when it is sighted”, because the address ‘soomoo’ and ‘aftaroo’ is ‘aam (general) and for everyone. In conclusion, when sighting is confirmed in whichever place, everyone is supposed to start his fast and break it in accordance with it, i.e when the sighting is confirmed.” [Fatawa Dar ul Uloom Deoband, Vol 6 page 385 & 386, Urdu edition]

“Irrespective of how far the news of sighting came from, it is to be relied upon. For instance if the people of Burma did not sight the moon, and a person from Bombay testifies to them of having sighted the moon; it will be incumbent upon the people of Burma to make up for the (first) fasting i.e. Qada’.” [Mufti Kifayat ullah, Ta’leem ul Islam, vol. 4, section sighting of moon: Urdu edition]

“When the moon is sighted in one place it is not just for that region but for the entire world.” [Maulana Amjad Ali, Bahar e Sharee’at, Vol 2 page 108, Urdu edition]

The founder of the Barlevi's said: “In the correct and authentic mazhab of our Imams, with regard to the sighting of moon for Ramdhan and eid, distance of the place of sighting is of no consideration. The sighting of the east is binding upon west and vice versa i.e. the sighting of west is similarly binding on east.” [Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan, Fatawa Rizwi; Vol 4 page 568, Urdu edition]

Using calculations

It is worth mentioning here that the astrological calculations used to determine in advance when the month of Ramadhan starts and ends do not serve as a substitute for the actual sighting, for the texts mentioned the "sighting"; there is however no harm in using the calculations to help determine the appropriate time to start monitoring the new moon. As for the governments who use these calculations instead of the sighting, their actions contradict the clear texts, and therefore their actions are unlawful and the Muslims are forbidden from relying on their announcements.

All the Ahadith connected to the sighting of the moon contain the word “ru’yatehe” which is derived from the word “ra’a”. People who support the idea of calculating the birth of the moon for Ramadan misuse the word “ra’a”. While the word ra’a could mean knowledge, it is not correct to apply this meaning here because of the following reasons:

1. Ra’a, when referring to a single object, means to visualize that object through the eye, i.e. he saw the moon. However, if ra’a refers to two objects, it could mean to know, i.e. he knew the correct opinion.

2. If ra’a is used in reference to a tangible object, it means to visualize the object through the eye. However, if it is used to present an idea or an abstract thing, then it could mean knowledge. Thus, since the Ahadith refer to the moon, which is a tangible object, ra’a here means to visualize sight.

Umar (ra) reported that the Prophet (saaw) said: (in translation): “We are ummiyah (unlettered) people, we neither write nor calculate. The month is this way and that, sometimes 29 days and sometimes 30.”

Those who calculate say that the command in this Hadith, i.e. to sight the moon, is accompanied by a reason (illah) which justifies the command. This justification being that the Ummah was unlettered (“We neither write nor calculate”). The ruling in terms of its validity goes only as far as its justification. If the Ummah has emerged from its “unlettered state” and is able to write and calculate, it becomes essential to rely on calculation alone. However, this argument is incorrect due to the following:

1. The description of the Ummah in this Hadith, “Ummiyah”, does not imply an illah (legal reason). “Ummiyah” could mean “Arab”. [TMQ 62:2]. “We neither naktub (write) nor nahsib (calculate)...” “Nahsib” in the Hadith carries several meanings such as: we do not use astronomical calculations to determine the legal Shari’i beginning and end of the month; nor do we practice astrology, etc. “Nahsib” does not mean general calculations because Muslims are commanded by the Shar’iah to follow the laws of Zakah, inheritance etc. which do involve extensive calculations.

The claim that the Hadith describes the condition of the Ummah at the time of the Prophet (saaw) is false. Further, the claim that this condition serves as an illah is also preposterous.

2. Further, even if this “condition” is considered an illah (reason), Qiyas on this issue is invalid. Firstly, there can be no Qiyas in Ibadaat (ritual worships). Secondly, it contradicts the definite meaning in texts of the numerous Ahadith which clearly illustrate that the “sabab” (cause) for fasting is the sighting of the moon (like the setting of the sun is the sabab for maghrib prayers).

Therefore, it is quite clear that the arguments presented to “justify” the beginning of Ramadan through the use of calculations are invalid and haram. The only way to determine the arrival of Ramadan is through sighting the moon.

In the Tafseer of Al-Qurtabi, Ibn Nafi'e (ra) reported that Imam Malik bin Anas (ra) said: "If you see an Imam who does not begin and end fasting by way of sighting, but begins fasting by calculation, he should not be followed in prayer or emulated." The renowned scholar Ibn Al'Arabi said, "Some of our people erred when they reported that Imam Shaf'i relied on calculations." Ibn Al-'Arabi commented, "The report is baseless and falsehood." [Tafseer Al-Qurtabi]

What about the majority?

Today some people argue that we must follow what the majority are practicing, they attempt to misquote Islamic texts about “Holding on to the Jama’a” and they misinterpret these to mean the ‘Jumhoor’ ‘majority’. Islam has obliged sticking to the jama'ah of Muslims under an Imam (Khalifah) not to the majority.

Al-Bukhari narrated about Bisr ibn Obaydellah al-Hadhrami that he heard Abu Idrees al-Khoolani say that he heard Huthaifah ibn al-Yaman saying: "The people used to ask the Prophet of Allah (saw) about the good and I used to ask him about the bad in fear that it might catch me. So I said: O Prophet of Allah! We were in times of jahilliyah and mischief then Allah brought us this good, so is there any mischief after this good? He (saw) said: Yes. I said: Will there be any good after that mischief? He said: Yes, and it has smoke. I said: What is its smoke? He said: (Some) people guide without any guidance, you recognise some (from them) and deny some. I said: Will there be a mischief after that good? He said: Yes, (some) people who invite at the doors of hell, whoever accepted their invitation they throw him in it (hell). I said: O Prophet of Allah, describe them to us. He said: They are of our own skin (of our people) and talk our language. I said: What do you order me to do if that (matter) caught me? He said: Adhere to the jama'ah of Muslims and their Imam. I said: What if the Muslims have no jama'ah nor an Imam? He said: Then you abandon all those groups, even if you have to grab with your teeth the trunk of a tree till death comes to you as such."

This hadith is clear in its expression that the Prophet (saw) orders Muslims to adhere to the jama'ah of Muslims and to adhere to their Imam, and to leave those who invite people to the doors of hell. When the questioner asked him that in case the Muslims have no Imam and no jama'ah what he has to do in regard with those who call at the doors of hell, the Prophet (saw) ordered him to abandon these groups, not to disassociate himself from the Muslims nor to abstain from the action for establishing an Imam. So his order is clear, disassociate yourself from all those groups, and he emphasised the dissociation of those groups even to the extent that his isolation from them would make him clench to the trunk of a tree until death comes to him. It means adhere to your deen by staying away from the misleading callers who are at the doors of hell. In this hadith there is no excuse or permission (for anybody) to abandon the work for establishing a Khaleefah, it is, rather, confined to the command of adhering to the deen and abandoning the callers at the doors of hell, and the sin will remain on him if he does not work to establish a Khaleefah. So he is ordered to abandon the misleading groups in order to save his deen from the callers of the misguidance, even if he had to clench to the trunk of a tree, but not to distance himself from the Muslim community and abandon the work for establishing the laws of the deen and establishing an Imam for Muslims.

The concept of following the majority rather than following Islam is not based on evidence from the Quran and Sunnah and contradicts many evidences about enjoining the good and forbidding the evil even in the face of hardship, the Prophet (saw) said: "The master of martyrs (sayyid al-shuhada) is Hamza, and a man who stands up to a tyrant ruler and gives him nasiha (advice). And so the ruler kills him"

The disease of Nationalism has affected us

Why is it people follow only the sighting in their nation, who has created the borders between these nations? The Kuffar. Why is it that in Delhi people will follow the sighting in any other part of India but not of Pakistan when it is geographically closer than many parts within India itself like Kerala or Tamil Nadu. In Pakistan people will not follow the sighting of Bangladesh but before 1971 when it was East Pakistan they would, why?

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “He is not one of us who calls for ‘asabiyyah, (nationalism) or who fights for ‘asabiyyah or who dies for ‘asabiyyah.” [Abu Dawud]

O Muslims! When you hear that a Muslim country, any country, no matter how near or how far, declares that it has been confirmed according to the lawful way that the new moon of Ramadhan has been sighted, you must begin your fast, and you are forbidden to wait for the ruler or the Mufti in your part of the world to give you permission to fast, and when you hear that a Muslim country, no matter how near or how far, has declared that the sighting of the moon of Shawwal has been confirmed, by relying on the method recognised by Shari'ah, you must break your fast and celebrate the Eid, you are forbidden from waiting for the ruler's or the Mufti's permission to celebrate Eid. You fast and you break fast by the command of Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw), not by the command of those disbelieving mischievous rulers, and not by the command of those Muftis who are more anxious to please the rulers rather than to please Allah (swt). . Mu'az narrated: I said: O Messenger of Allah. What do you think if we had leaders who do not follow your Sunnah and do not adopt your order; in what do you order regarding their affair? The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: There is no obedience to the one who does not obey Allah 'azza wa jall.'

Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah: that “The Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade fasting on two days, the day of al-Adha and the day of al-Fitr”.

MeNguRai BeNaNg KuSuT kOrUPsi

Semarak pemberantasan korupsi oleh KPK akhir-akhir ini ternyata belum mampu menghilangkan rasa malu dan dosa para koruptor.Para koruptor tak punya rasa malu dan dosa bahkan mengumbar pesona bak selebriti dengan kerah putihnya tatkala memenuhi panggilan KPK atau menjalani proses pengadilan.Mungkin,oleh karena itu,ada ide untuk mewajibkan para koruptor mengenakan baju napi dan borgol khusus bagi para koruptor agar membuat mereka malu dan jera.Persoalannya,apakah upaya teknis ini efektif ini untuk benar-benar membuat mereka malu,takut dan jera?
Baju dan borgol khusus bagi para koruptor hanya tinggal simbol belaka jika tak dibarengi dengan penegakkan hukum berupa sanksi pidana yang seberat-beratnya.
Ternyata memang demikian adanya.Gebrakan pemberantasan korupsi oleh KPK belum merambah ranah penegakkan hukum dan sanksi terhadap penjahat kemanusiaan ini.Rata-rata para hakim hanya memvonis koruptor dengan vonis penjara dibawah 4,5 tahun bahkan membebaskan mereka.Padahal mereka layak divonis seumur hidup bahkan mungkin saja hukuman mati.
Akibat korupsi mereka,kemiskinan sistemik merajalela di negeri ini.Alhasil,'war on corruption' hanya terasa selama proses penyelidikan tapi harus dipeti-eskan tatkala hakim telah ketok palu tanpa memberikan keadilan bagi rakyat.

INDONESIA,SURGA PARA KORUPTOR
Banyak surbey yang telah dilakukan terkait dengan tingkat korupsi di Indonesia.Berdasarkan:
1.Survey nasional yang dilakukan oleh 'partnership for governance reform',ditemukan bahwa hampir separuh(48%)pejabat pemerintah menerima pembayaran tak resmi (media indonesia,19/11/2001).
2.Survey internasional yang dilakukan oleh 'political and economic risk consultancy(PERC)yang bermarkas di Hongkong,Indonesia telah ditempatkan sebagai negara terkorup se-asia,lalu disusul India dan Vietnam(Teten Masduki,'korupsi dan reformasi 'good governance'~kompas,15/04/2002).
Sementara,di tingkat dunia,Indonesia menempati ranking 10 besar negara terkorup.Tak heran,Indonesia menjadi populer ke mancanegara bukan karena prestasinya tapi karena raport merah korupsi nya.Hingga ada wacana umum ditengah masyarakat bahwa:
1.Indonesia adalah surganya para koruptor
2.Korupsi bukan lagi kriminalitas luar biasa tapi budaya yang mengakar kemana-mana dan dilakukan berjamaah tanpa rasa malu dan dosa.
Dosa jika dilakukan terus menerus akan mencabut rasa malu dan dosa dalam diri pelakunya termasuk para koruptor.Yang ada dalam benak mereka adalah konspirasi untuk menyelamatkan diri mereka dari jeratan hukum.
Realita ini diperparah dengan solusi hukum pemerintah dan aparat penegak hukum yang selalu kompromistis dengan koruptor berkapital besar.Akibatnya,upaya memberantas korupsi=mengurai benang kusut yang tak berujung solusi tapi justru menambah masalah baru.Keadilan hukum bisa diperjual belikan dengan rupiah/dolar seperti barang dagangan di pasar.

AKAR PERSOALAN KORUPSI
Gaji rendah kerap dituding sebagai biang kerok korupsi di Indonesia.Namun,argumen ini terbantahkan oleh studi bank dunia.Deon Filmer(bank dunia) dan David L.Lindauer (wellesley college) dalam world bank working paper No 2226/2001 yang berjudul 'does indonesia have a low pay civil service?' menunjukkan bahwa rata-rata penghasilan pengawai negeri 42% lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan pegawai swasta (media indonesia,02/06/2001).
Jika bukan gaji rendah,lantas apa penyebab korupsi?
Pertama : mental bobrok aparat
menurut www.transparansi.or.id,terdapat banyak karakter buruk dalam diri koruptor diantaranya sifat tamak,moral yang kurang dan gaya hidup hedonis-konsumtif.Yang terparah,tidak adanya iman islam dalam tubuh aparat karena dengan iman islam dan kesadaran bahwa korupsi itu haram inilah yang akan menjadi self control bagi para penjabat untuk tidak berbuat korup.
Kedua : sistem politik,hukum dan pemerintahan yang lemah
kelemahan sistem politik,hukum dan pemerintahan ini yang membuka peluang besar bagi semua orang-dari tingkat elit hingga rakyat-untuk berbuat korup.Peraturan perundang-undangan yang dibuat oleh DPR justru mempermulus tindak korupsi karena hanya menguntungkan kroni penguasa,kualitas peraturan kurang,kurang sosialisasi peraturan,sanksi terlalu ringan,dan inkonsistensi penerapan sanksi yang pandang bulu dan diskriminatif,serta evaluasi dan revisi peraturan undang-undang yang lemah (www.transparansi.or.id).
Menurut sekjen KPK,M.Syamsa Ardi Sasmita,mayoritas kasus korupsi yang ditangani KPK adalah mengusut kepala daerah.Salah satu penyebabnya adalah mahalnya political cost untuk mencalonkan diri dalam pilkada.Begitu mahalnya,hingga membuat para bupati,gubernur,walikota,DPR,menteri bahkan presiden untuk berfikir bagaimana mengembalikan modal yang telah mereka keluarkan untuk dana kampanye selama proses pilkada atau pemilu.Alhasil,sistem seperti ini sangat kondusif bagi tindakan korupsi.

SOLUSI ISLAM TUNTASKAN KORUPSI
'Mencegah lebih baik daripada mengobati' selain 'menanggulanginya ketika persoalan sudah terjadi.Prinsip inilah yang dimiliki islam untuk menuntaskan persoalan apapun termasuk korupsi.
Solusi islam terkait dengan korupsi ada dua,yakni pencegahan dan penanggulangan.

PENCEGAHAN KORUPSI
Untuk mencegah korupsi,islam menetapkan:
1.pemberian gaji layak
Para pejabat/birokrat/pegawai tetaplah manusia biasa yang memiliki kewajiban menafkahi keluarganya.Agar mereka bekerja dengan tenang dan tak tergoda berbuat korup,mereka harus diberikan gaji,tunjangan dan fasilitas lain yang layak.Rasulullah SAW bersabda,'siapapun yang menjadi pegawai kami,hendaklah mengambil seorang istri.Jika dia tidak memiliki pelayan,hendaklah mengambil seorang pelayan.Jika tidak memiliki tempat tinggal,hendaklah mengambil rumah'(HR Abu Dawud)
2.Larangan menerima hadiah
Dalam islam,status pejabat negara atau pegawai negeri adalah ajir(pekerja).Musta'jir(majikan)nya adalah negara yang diwakili oleh kepala negara dalam hal ini khalifah,hukkam(penguasa selain khalifah seperti wali/gubernur,dan amil) dan orang-orang yang diberi otoritas oleh mereka.Oleh karena itu,hak dan kewajiban kedua belah pihak telah diatur dalam dalam akad ijarah.Pegawai negeri dan pejabat negara yang tak termasuk dalam kategori hukkam menerima ujrah/gaji atas pekerjaan yang telah dilakukannya.Pendapatan diluar ujrah yang telah disepakati kedua belah pihak-termasuk hadiah-adalah pendapatan yang diharamkan.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda,'siapa saja yang kami(negara)beri tugas untuk melakukan suatu pekerjaan dan kepadanya telah kami berikan rizki/gaji,maka apa yang diambilnya selain dari itu(gaji0adalah ghulul(kecurangan/korupsi)'(HR Abu Dawud).
Suap dan hadiah akan berpengaruh buruk pada mental aparat.Mereka bekerja dengan tidak wajar.Di bidang peradilan,hukum ditegakkan dengan tidak adil dan cenderung memenangkan pihak yang mampu memberikan suap atau hadiah.
3.perhitungan kekayaan
Untuk mencegah tindakan korup,perhitungan kekayaan para pejabat harus dilakukan di awal dan akhir jabatannya.Jika ada kenaikan jumlah harta yang tidak wajar,pihak bersangkutan harus membuktikan bahwa kekayaannya diperoleh dari sumber yang halal.Inilah yang selalu dilakukan oleh khalifah Umar Bin Khaththab ketika beliau mengangkat pejabat nehara seperti wali/gubernur atau amil.
Seperti ketika beliau mengangkat Abu Hurairah Ra sebagai wali/gubernur.Abu Hurairah kala itu menabung banyak harta dari sumber-sumber yang halal.Mendapatkan informasi itu,amirul mu'minin sefera memanggil sang gubernur ke ibukota daulah khilafah,Madinah.Setibanya di sana,khalifah berkata kepada gubernur,'Hai musuh Allah dan kitabNya!bukankah engkau telah mencuri harta Allah?'
Gubernur Abu Hurairah menjawab,'amirul mu'minin.aku bukanlah musuh Allah dan bukan pula musuh kitabNya,Aku justru musuh siapa saja yang memusuhi keduanya.Aku bukanlah pencuri harta Allah'.
Khalifah lalu bertanya,'lalu dari mana engkau mengumpulkan harta sebesar 10.000 dirham itu?'
Gubernur menjawab,'dari untaku yang berkembang pesat dan dari sejumlah pemberian yang berturut-turut datangnya'.
Khalifah berkata,'serahkan hartamu itu kepada baitul maal kamu muslim'.
Kemudian Abu Hurairah menyerahkan hartanya kepada khalifah lalu mengangkat kedua tangannya ke langit seraya berkat lirih,'yaa Allah,ampunilah amirul mu'minin'.
Riwayat diatas menjelaskan tiga hal:
Pertama : harta negara dalam kekhilafahan islam pada dasarnya adalah harta Allah yang diamanahkan kepada pejabat negara untuk dijaga dan tidak diambil dengan tidak hak.Tindakan mengambil harta Allah/negara adalah tindakan korupsi.Oleh khalifah Umar,tindakan korupsi diibaratkan dengan mencuri harta Allah untuk lebih menegaskan keharamannya.
Kedua : pejabat negara yang korup dicap oleh khalifah Umar sebagai musuh Allah dan musuh kitabNya.Sebab,mereka tak lagi menghiraukan larangan Allah dalam Qs ali imran:161:'siapa saja yang berbuat curang,maka pada hari kiamat dia akan datang membawa apa yang dikhianatkannya itu'.
Ketiga : khalifah sebagai kepala negara harus menjaga mental aparatnya agar tidak tergoda untuk bertindak korup.Salah satu upayanya adalah dengan melakukan pencegahan korupsi seperti yang dijelaskan diatas.Jika khalifah menemukan kelebihan harta pejabatnya yang tak wajar,maka negara boleh/berhak untuk menyitanya atau membagi dua,setengahnya lagi diserahkan kepada baitul maal.
4.Penyederhanaan birokrasi
'selama bisa dipersulit,mengapa tidak dipersulit?'.Prinsip birokrasi inilah yang selama ini kita rasakan dalam mendapatkan service/pelayanan pemerintah.Padahal birokrasi yang berbelit-belit dan tak transparan akan membuka peluang terjadinya korupsi.Demikian pula dengan prosedur yang diskriminatif misalnya ketika KPK akan memeriksa pejabat negara setingkat menteri dan anggota DPR,harus seijin kepala negara.Akibatnya,tak jarang jika korupsi menyentuh lapisan elit,penyelidikan berhenti.Dalam islam,aturan semacam ini tak dikenal.Rasul bersabda,'sesungguhnya celakalah umat sebelum kalian.Karena jika orang mulia mereka mencuri,mereka membiarkannya.Jika orang lemah mencuri,mereka menerapkan hukum atasnya'(HR At Tirmidzi).
5.Keteladanan pemimpin
Khalifah Umar Bin Abdul Azis pernah mematikan lampu fasilitas negara di ruang kerjanya ketika menerima anaknya.Hal itu beliau lakukan karena anaknya hendak mengadukan urusan pribadi yang tak berhubungan dengan urusan negara.
6.Kontrol masyarakat
Masyarakat berperan sebagai kontrol sosial yang tergantung pada penerapan sistem kehidupan yang mengatur urusan mereka.Masyarakat hedonis bermental instan akan cenderung menempuh jalan pintas dalam berurusan dengan aparatur negara.Sebaliknya masyarakat yang mulia dan kritis akan turut mengawasi jalannya pemerintahan dan menolak aparat yang mengajaknya menyumpan.Pada masa kekhilafah Umar Bin Khaththab,seorang sahabat pernah pemprotes khalifah yang kedapatan memakai pakaian dari kain Yaman.Sahabat itu menduga khalifah mengambil bagian kain Yaman yang lebih banyak dibandingkan dengan yang diterima oleh para sahabat lainnya.Sebab,pikirnya,karena badan khalifah besar,tak mungkin khalifah memakai pakaian dari dari bahan kain Yaman itu dengan ukuran 2X lipat dibandingkan dengan yang dibagikan kepada para sahabat lainnya.Mendengar protesnya,khalifah Umar memanggil anaknya,Abdullah Bin Umar,untuk menjelaskan duduk perkaranya.Abdullah menjelaskan,bahwa kain bagian dirinya sengaja ia berikan kepada ayahnya karena ukuran badan ayahnya yang besar sehingga membutuhkan bahan pakaian 2X lipat.

PENANGGULANGAN KORUPSI
Untuk menanggulangi korupsi,islam butuh dua cara:
1.memberlakukan hukuman/sanksi setimpal
2.mengangkat para aparat hukum yang adil,tegas,dan berwibawa atas dasar ketakwaan kepada Allah SWT
Secara naluri,orang akan takut menerima resiko yang tak sebanding dengan apa yang diperolehnya.Resiko dalam bentuk sanksi berfungsi sebagai pencegah.Dalam islam,koruptor dikenai sanksi ta'zir.Dalam hal ini,hakim bisa mencari bentuk sanksi yang paling efektif bagi kasus korupsi itu,misalnya berupa tasyhiir(pewartaan),penyitaan harta,pemecatan,hukuman kurungan,kerja paksa hingga hukuman mati.Selain itu,aparat hukum yang adil,tegas,dan berwibawa atas dasar iman pada Allah juga penting bagi tegaknya hukum.Khalifah Umar Bin Khaththab,misalnya,tidak segan-segan menyita seekor unta gemuk milik putranya,Abdullah Bin Umar,karena kedapatan digembalakan di padang rumput milik baitul maal.Tindakan Abdullah dianggap khalifah Umar sebagai bentuk penyalahgunaan fasilitas negara.
Dalam kasus korupsi (alm) Soeharto atau para koruptor kakap negeri ini,tindakan hukum jelas harus dilakukan.Diantaranya dengan menyita semua kekayaan dirinya dan keluarganya yang telah dibuktikan oleh pengadilan sebagai hasil korupsi.Dalam hal ini,alasan kemanusiaan tak berlaku.Persoalannya,pemberlakuan hukum yang adil ini tak mungkin bisa diterapkan jika aparat dan penegak hukumnya tak memiliki kriteria hamba Allah yang taat dan amanah,dan hukum yang diberlakukan adalah hukum sekuler yang dibuat berdasarkan tawar menawar/kompromi banyak kepentingan,baik dilembaga legislatif,eksekutif maupun yudikatif.

Oleh karena itu,jika kita ingin mengurai benang kusut korupsi di Indonesia,maka kita harus:
1.mengangkat aparat hukum yang bertakwa dan amanah
2.Memberlakukan hukum yang bersumber dari pencipta dan pengatur manusia,yakni Allah SWT dan tak lain hukum yang di maksud adalah hukum/syariah Islam

maha benar Allah dengan firmanNya;
'apakah hukum jahiliyah yang mereka kehendaki.Siapakah yang lebih baik hukumnya daripada Allah bagi orang-orang yang yakin?'(Qs al Ma'idah:50)

Indonesia: HT warns US against interfering in RI`s internal affairs

Antara News

- Tens of members of the Islamic organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) staged a rally outside the US embassy here on Saturday asking Washington not to meddle in Indonesia`s domestic affairs.

The demonstrators unfurled banners reading "HTI Rejects US Intervention in Papua" and "Prevent the Nation`s Disintegration".

In their orations, the HTI members demanded the US government stop interfering in Indonesia`s internal affairs.

The rally came after 40 US Congressmen had written to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono demanding the "immediate and unconditional" release of two sympathizers of the outlawed separatist OPM (Free Papua Organization), Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage.

Karma and Pakage were sentenced to 15 years and 10 years imprisonment respectively in May 2005 for hoisting the "Bintang Kejora" (Morning Star) flag of OPM in Abepura, Papua, on December 1, 2004.

"The letter is concrete evidence that the US not merely intevenes in Indonesia`s internal affairs but also supports OPM. The letter has no meaning except that the US really supports OPM and wants Papua to secede from Indonesia. They are trying to disintegrate us. We cannot let this happen," HTI Chief Farid Wajdi said.

Therefore, he said, the HTI would call on the president to turn down the US Congressmen`s request and continue to imprison the two OPM sympathizers.

"The government must reject any kind of intervention. Don`t pay attention to the US Congress` letter," Sodik Ramadhan, the rally`s coordinator, said.

He said HTI was also planning to meet with the defense, information and foreign affairs commission of the House of Representatives (DPR) to convey the organization`s call for the country to ignore the letter.

Foreign Minister Hasan Wirajuda said in Bengkulu province on Saturday he would soon reply to the US Congress` letter.

"We will reply to the letter as soon as possible. In essence, we wiil ask the US government to respect the legal decision in our country," he said after inaugurating two elementary school buildings here.

Analysis: why the Russia-Georgia conflict matters to the West

The Times

Richard Beeston, Foreign Editor

It would be a serious mistake for the international community to regard the dramatic escalation of violence in Georgia as just another flare-up in the Caucasus.

The names of the flashpoints may be unfamiliar, the territory remote and the dispute parochial, but the battle underway will have major repercussions well beyond this volatile region.

The outcome of this struggle will determine the course of Russia's future relations with its neighbours, will shape President Medvedev's presidency, could alter the relationship between the Kremlin and the West and decide the fate of future energy supplies from the Caspian basin.

Quite what triggered the Georgian offensive, on the day that the world was supposed to gather in peace for the start of the Beijing Olympics, is not yet clear.

But it is known that a major confrontation has been building up. Indeed, British intelligence earlier this year predicted that a war in the Caucasus was probable in the near future.

Part of the responsibility must lie with President Mikheil Saakashvili. The US-educated politician has rightly been praised for turning around his country's dire economy, for transforming his former Soviet-style army into a modern Western force and for standing up to the Kremlin's intimidation.

Georgia has for the best part of two decades been saddled with breakaway regions in Abhazia and South Ossetia, both supported by Russia as part of the Kremlin's strategy to weaken Tblisi's authority.

Nevertheless, seeking to reintegrate the separatist provinces by force is a risky, some would say reckless, move that threatens to trigger an all out war between Russia and Georgia.

On paper, the small Georgian military is no match for the might of the Russian armed forces. But Mr Saakashvili has calculated that his friends in the West, notably America and Britain, will protect him against an all out Russian attack.

Anyone who has visited Baghdad's Green Zone will be surprised to discover Georgian troops providing security. They are part of a force of some 2,000 soldiers serving in Iraq. Their presence has helped forge a strong alliance with the Bush Administration, which provides Georgia with military aid and diplomatic support.

The Georgian leader may have calculated that he needed to make his move now against the breakaway region while Mr Bush is still in office. It is unlikely that his successor would be as supportive as the current administration.

Russia must also shoulder responsibility for the current crisis. Under President Putin, the Kremlin stepped up its support for Georgia's breakaway regions offering its inhabitants Russian citizenship and arming separatist forces while pretending to be playing the role of honest broker.

The Kremlin also attempted to break Georgian resolve by deporting Georgian citizens from Russia, imposing an air and land blockade and banning the import of Georgian goods.

It had been hoped that the election earlier this year of President Medvedev might signal an easing of tensions between the two neighbours. It seems more likely that, thanks to Mr Putin's continued influence as Prime Minister and the sinister role played by hardliners in the military, Mr Medvedev may instead find himself embroiled in an all out war.

The West, in particular America, has also stoked the regional fire. At the Nato summit in Bucharest earlier this year it pressed for Georgia and Ukraine's membership of the alliance. The move was blocked by the Europeans, but Nato did give a commitment to offer the two countries membership at a later date. That move was seen in Moscow as a direct challenge to its dominance in what it calls the "near abroad", the former Soviet republics.

Since then, Russia has made it clear in word and deed that it will do anything to prevent Nato's expansion on its western and southern flanks.

America and Britain are particularly closely involved in providing military assistance to the Georgians in the form of arms and training. The support is aimed at encouraging the rise of Georgia as an independent, sovereign state. But the help is also partly a means of protecting the oil pipeline across Georgia that carries crude from the Caspian to the Black Sea, the only export route that bypasses Russia's stranglehold on energy exports from the region.

For all these reasons, the stakes in this mini war could not be higher.

If Georgia succeeds in reimposing its sovereignty over South Ossetia in the face of Russian opposition, it will be a huge setback to Russia's influence in the region. It could also embolden other former Soviet republics, like Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, who are also seeking to break out of Moscow's grip.

A defeat for the Georgians could well signal the end of Mr Saakashvili and set back severely Georgia's efforts to establish itself as a modern Western-looking democracy.

Either way, the conflict risks further undermining already strained relations between Russia and the West and encouraging those on both sides who would like to see a return to Cold War suspicion and rivalry.

Analysis: energy pipeline that supplies West threatened by war Georgia conflict

The Times

Robin Pagnamenta

The conflict that has erupted in the Caucasus has set alarm bells ringing because of Georgia's pivotal role in the global energy market.

Georgia has no significant oil or gas reserves of its own but it is a key transit point for oil from the Caspian and central Asia destined for Europe and the US.

Crucially, it is the only practical route from this increasingly important producer region that avoids both Russia and Iran.

The 1,770km (1,100 miles) Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which entered service only last year, pumps up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from Baku in Azerbaijan to Yumurtalik, Turkey, where it is loaded on to supertankers for delivery to Europe and the US. Around 249km of the route passes through Georgia, with parts running only 55km from South Ossetia.

The security of the BTC pipeline, depicted in the James Bond film The World is Not Enough, has been a primary concern since before its construction.

The first major attack on the pipeline took place only last week - not in Georgia but in Turkey where part of it was destroyed by PKK separatist rebels.

Output from the pipeline, which is 30 per cent owned by BP and carries more than 1 per cent of the world's supply, is likely to be on hold for several weeks while the fire is extinguished and the damage repaired.

But the threat of another attack by separatists in Georgia itself is very real.

Only a few days before the Turkish explosion, Georgian separatists threatened to sabotage the pipeline if hostilities continued.

The latest eruption of violence could easily spur fresh attacks. The BTC pipeline, which is buried throughout most of its length to make sabotage more difficult, was a politically highly charged project. It was firmly opposed by Russia, which views the Caucasus as its own sphere of influence and wants central Asian oil to be exported via its own territory.

Russia also backs the South Ossetian and Abkhazian separatists in Georgia and relations between Moscow and Tbilisi have curdled into outright hostility in recent months.

The BTC pipeline, which cost $3 billion to build, is a key plank of US foreign policy because it reduces Western reliance on oil from both the Middle East and Russia.

source :

http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/news-watch/europe/65-europe/3364-analysis-why-the-russia-georgia-conflict-matters-to-the-west

This Rajab is the time to remember the Khilafah's Track Record

On the 87th anniversary of the destruction of the Khilafah Islam is being discussed and debated by the whole world. Some consider it a menace whilst others view it as a religion which has little to say on public life. After removing the concept from the minds of Muslims the Kufaar have been unable to remove it from history. Many of the arguments by those who harbour hatred against the return of the Khilafah are based upon the Khilafah’s track record. Islam produced a tolerant, visionary and advanced society not a brutal, barbaric and bestial dominion like any other? Islam under the Khilafah produced wondrous achievements which are still with us today. This Rajab the ummah should not just mourn the destruction of the Khilafah but also remember that the Khilafah for centuries was an unrivalled power like no other and it has a track record proving this.

Early Arab society

Drunkenness was rife and men would even swim in alcohol. There was always division, never unity as pride led to terrible wars for generations between tribes over insults to ‘family honour’. Superstition was endemic. People would make idols out of dates, pray then devour what they worshipped. In fact, apart from poetry the area was regarded as useless. There was nothing to redeem the region. The Romans and Persians, superpowers of the day, thought there was no point invading even though it would not have been even moderately difficult to do so. There was no progress there but within two centuries the Islamic civilisation had risen to be unsurpassed as the very highest on Earth. The nature of the Islamic ruling system is recognised as a definite matter by historians. The orientalist Bernard Lewis wrote in his book ‘What Went Wrong?’:

“Islam represented the greatest military power on earth…It was the foremost economic power in the world…It had achieved the highest level so far in human history, in the arts and sciences of civilization...Islam in contrast created a world civilization, poly-ethnic, multiracial, international, one might even say intercontinental.”
(Lewis, 2001)

Islamic society

The development of Nanotechnology by the US is considered the cutting edge of scientific research. The US by many standards is considered decades ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to technology. However Muslims were once, by some estimates, over two hundred and fifty years ahead of the rest of the world. A simple example will illustrate this superiority. In the year 976CE, the library of Cordoba in Andalus (Muslim Spain), employed five hundred librarians, scribes, physicians, historians, geographers and copyists, contained over four hundred thousand volumes and was backed by a library catalogue of forty-four volumes each twenty sheets long, arranged by subject and order of acquisition.

In contrast estimates of the largest collection of books in non-Muslim Europe at the time vary between four hundred books and just thirty-six. The spirit of learning in the cities of Andalus, such as Toledo, drew many students but various universities had set up in other Muslim lands during the 7th and 8th centuries. Baghdad and Damascus were renowned globally as centres of learning and the world’s oldest university still in operation is Al-Azhar in Cairo built in 971CE. In contrast the university of Oxford was set up late in the 12th century CE, Cambridge in the 13th and even into the 14th century CE, the library at the University of Paris only had around two thousand books.

For five or so centuries after the birth of Isa (AS) the growth of barbarian hoards had led many centres of civilisation to become insular and defensive pockets in a desperate effort to protect themselves. This of course restricted contact between civilisations and the advancement of humanity fell into relative decline.

Attempts to resurrect the vibrancy of the earlier period were limited indeed but the Muslims changed this. With the Islamic civilisation rising in such a resolute manner in the 8th century the Muslims made the decision to initiate and manage the greatest translation project in history resolving to translate the work of the Ancient Greeks into Arabic to preserve them from being lost forever.

The careful and painstaking archive work took time, effort and co-ordination. An institute named Al-Bait ul-Hikmah (literally ‘The House of Wisdom’) was set up and run in Baghdad for this purpose. All of this was at the behest of the Caliph (or overall ruler of the Islamic world) of time. He also had an observatory built there and died in 833CE. Other rulers such as Al-Mansur ordered plentiful resources to achieve the task. Translation became a state industry and the Muslim scholars succeeded in what is still regarded as a truly incredible feat.

Those who study Islam with a view to attacking it and maligning it argue the Muslim world just translated the works of Ancient Greece and no more. They say the Muslims learnt nothing, did nothing and added nothing but if that were true there would be no change from the Greek work of the 4th century to the Greek work in the 16th when it was all returned to them. However one has to ask what explanation could there be for the following?

Algebra
Paper
Printing
Windmills
The compass & astrolabe
Glass making
Production of cotton
Paper money and cheques
The number 0 (decimals are not possible without it)
Personal hygiene

Islamic Spain

Europe had been embroiled in almost constant wars of horrific brutality. Invading hordes and fleeing refugees swamped the continent. In contrast large sections of the Muslim world especially those parts not on the frontiers were serene and tranquil for hundreds of years. In this atmosphere various cities flourished and the story was the same throughout the rest of the Muslim world.

When the Muslims entered Spain in the early 8th century they found people who lived in stone hovels, dirty places with a central hole in the primitive roof to let out the smoke from the small fire they lived around. The inhabitants of these pits would be consumed by soot, tears streaming down their faces. Eye and respiratory diseases were common.

The Spanish would refuse to wash, believing in a form of spirituality that meant they had to avoid an earthly or materialistic life. The animal furs they wore were handed down from generation to generation. The stench was often overpowering particularly as they lived close together in their airless cells. The Muslims, were used to courtyards, canals and gardens. The great city of Damascus in Syria had over a hundred thousand gardens alone so guided by Islam and a vision of the betterment of humanity the Muslims sought to change this. By the 10th century the Spanish city of Cordoba had two hundred thousand homes, over half a million places of worship, nine hundred public baths and libraries containing hundreds of thousands of volumes. Moreover the streets were paved with stone, cleaned, policed and lighted at night. Conduits bought water to the people’s homes and to the city many squares and gardens. Students from all over Europe descended upon the city to learn from the acknowledged master scholars of the age.

By year 1500CE there were no Muslims left in Spain. The Muslims of Spain were attacked, starved and massacred by El Cid and the resurgent Christian forces. The Spanish Inquisition began and people were tortured and forced to convert to Christianity. Jews and Muslims were cooked alive in ovens for failing to convert although Christopher Columbus still insisted on Muslim navigators. Those suspected of not being a Catholic in Spain by the end of the 15th century were spied upon. It was thought that a predilection for washing might indicate Islamic belief and arrests and torture of those who dared to be clean were common.

The Jews fled to the seat of the Islamic Caliphate in Istanbul to live in what many Jews believe was their Golden Age.

Basra vs. London

European towns, cities and settlements built walls to prevent raids from outlaws and armies but were typically vulnerable at four points; the corners.

If enough pressure was applied at any of these points the wall would collapse and troops could flood through the breach. The Muslims solved this problem by building circular cities. Basra, renowned for its canals and orchards, was also a truly circular city with its major arterial roads forming an axis. Whenever a traveller entered through the city gates for the first time there would be no need to ask directions or follow signs since the axis roads would lead directly to the city centre where guesthouses were situated. The Islamic principle of generally segregating men and women in public life meant it would be unfortunate if travellers stumbled upon the private living quarters of the citizenry especially since this is where Muslim women would inevitably be uncovered without hijaab in their homes. To prevent this and for there to be no invitation for a tourist to accidentally leave the broad, wide public roads on the way to and from the centre the lanes branching off were deliberately narrow and constricted to indicate privacy.

At the very centre of the city was the main mosque (masjid); the heart of Muslim community life and where congregational prayers would take place. Government buildings, the courts and the residence of the Wali (governor) would be built nearby to this so the citizens could access them easily and the city hospital could be seen from distance.

Compare this to a large medieval European town for the first time where there would be little chance of finding the way to anything or anywhere without asking directions. Paris had no pavements till the 13th century and London none till the 14th. Both cities were filthy, dangerous and disorganised with no running water. Citizens would empty their toilet pots out of the windows onto the streets below. It was too dark at night to walk the streets safely. Window tax meant people would live in the dark to save money.

The main hospital in Cairo, Egypt had eight thousand beds with separate wards for fevers, opthalmic work, dysentery and surgery all with segregated spaces for male and female patients in line with Islamic thinking while London was closed in 1349CE. The Thames was overflowing with dead bodies. The graveyards were full. No-one dared enter to sell or deliver food. The people were stuck in a ghost town, waiting to die. The plague had arrived. While Sultan Mohammed celebrated the building of the largest cannon on Earth a few decades later scientific advancement was clearly not a priority in London.

When Great Fire of London ravaged the city in 1666 the people were happy about it. The filth was burnt away and reports tell us the explosion from methane emanating from the collected faeces was both visible and audible from a great distance.

The houses could be remade and the city re-planned but even as late as the 16th – 17th century there were highwaymen on the roads, pirates on the seas, vermin in the clothing and beds, people were hungry and the bubonic plague still chronic. Wars were endless and married women in England had no right to own property till 1882.

Conclusions

Islam transformed a collection of largely illiterate desert tribes into a unified civilisation with a firm view upon how the world should be. After taking the Arabian peninsula the Muslims engaged both of the nearest superpowers of the day, the Persians and Romans, crushing both and establishing governance according to the principles of Islam. Soon a relatively small number of original companions of the Prophet of Islam had spread the message wide and Islamic rule encompassed lands from Spain in the West to India in the East by 711CE. This could only have been achieved if others had joined in spreading the message to those nearest them. Later a succession of wars with other powers, notably the Crusaders and the Mongols, left the Muslims unable to focus on further expansion for some time. However they eventually pushed deep into Europe at various points occupying what is now known as Moscow, besieging Vienna and plunging into French territory till the white cliffs of Dover were visible across the English Channel.

The Muslims had a long Golden Age where the scholars were many and the discussion was challenging. The rest of the world looked to the Muslims for advancement and learning and there was no doubt in the eyes of historians of the period that the Islamic civilisation led the world for hundreds of years. It is clear we still owe a great debt to the Muslims of this period.

The strength of the Islamic civilisation stemmed from the implementation of Islam and the high level of understanding of the way of life held by many, many individual Muslims. For a number of reasons over the following centuries Muslims began to neglect the factors that lead to their intellectual strength. The Arabic language and the process of ijtihad when combined meant an Islamic view or rule could be derived for any issue at any time. Once these had gone and a widespread desire for learning had faded those who were leaders in their fields of Islamic sciences were often so distant from each other they could not engage and lift each other. Soon the majority of Muslims were only able to imitate not initiate new thought. They were followers, unable to comprehend the depths of Islamic thought and as the Muslim world faced the age of European colonialism there were too few Muslims able to withstand the cultural onslaught. Confronted with a barrage of questions Muslim were left unable to answer or respond. The scholars who had shied away from new ideas and thoughts and no longer masters of ijtihad were left helpless. They could not approach the texts of the shari’ah directly and their answers were increasingly defensive. This led directly to masses of Muslims losing confidence in them and subsequently the Islamic solutions.

The conquest, partition and colonisation of the Muslim world was accompanied by the installation of new educational curricula and a realignment of the founding principles of each of the newly formed principalities. Gone was an adherence to the shari’ah and in was a requirement rule by other means. Soon Muslims were bouncing aimlessly from solution to solution, ideology to ideology. Pan-Arabism, Marxism, Ba’athism (Arab socialism) and a form of secular democracy without the liberalism have all been attempted and found wanting.
Today Muslims have turned full circle and are increasingly calling for Islamic solutions in their lives particularly in governance. The War on Terror is a consequence of ordinary Muslims losing faith in western nations such the US as honest brokers, a rejection of the interference of intergovernmental bodies like the UN and a wholesale denunciation of the Muslim rulers. Today Muslims increasingly look to non-state actors, groups and political parties for answers for the Muslim world especially those who call for a return to, and revival of, the Islamic civilisation in light of the fact that Islam really has done a lot for the world.

Islam track record speaks for itself.

Adnan Khan

87 Years since the Khilafah was Destroyed

On the 28th of Rajab 1342 AH, corresponding to the 3rd March 1924 CE, the Khilafah was destroyed at the hands of the colonial powers with the assistance of collaborators such as Mustafa Kemal. Allah (swt) has obligated us to rule by His Law and ordered us to shield the Ummah with the Khilafah state. As an Ummah, we must strive for the return of the Khilafah using the Prophet’s (saw) method of engaging the thoughts and emotions of Muslims and obtaining nusra (support) from the people of power in the Muslim lands.
This week on the 28th of Rajab, the Ummah will mark the 87th anniversary of the fall of the Khilafah. We should use this anniversary as a reminder of our obligation – as an Ummah – to resume the Islamic way of life through the re-establishment of the Khilafah.

Since the abolishment of the Khilafah in 1342/1924, the Ummah has witnessed a succession of despotic rulers whose sole concern has been to please their Western masters. These dictators, the Assads, Mubaraks, and Musharrafs of this Ummah, are eagerly financed, armed, and supported by the parliaments of North America and Europe to ensure that this Ummah remains under the heel of Western colonialism and imperialism.

Furthermore, only after the fall of the Khilafah did the West plot to implant “a foreign body”, namely Israel, into the Muslim lands. As British Prime Minister Campbell Bannerman noted in 1902, “a foreign body should be planted in the heart of this nation [i.e. the Khilafah] to prevent the convergence of its wings in such a way that it could exhaust its powers in never-ending wars. It could also serve as a springboard for the West to gain its coveted objects”. The creation of Israel only occurred after the Khilafah fell and has been, in fact, just another tool (in addition to the installation of tyrant rulers) of the West in subjecting the Ummah to colonization and oppression.

Lack of Islamic Leadership: The Critical Issue
In this era where the Ummah is in state of subjugation and poverty, sincere members of this Ummah have attempted to identify the root causes of the problem. Some may say the Ummah lacks resources and economic power. However, these are the root causes of the problem; rather they are only symptoms of the larger problem. From a resources perspective, we are well aware that approximately 60% of the world’s energy resources reside in the Muslim lands. Furthermore, if we analyze Pakistan – just one of the 54 “state-lets” that the Ummah was dismembered into – we find that it possesses land area of both France and Britain combined. Pakistan also has the 6th largest population in the world: larger than the combined populations of Russia, Britain and France. The Islamic Lands together contain more than 18 times more oil than the Western countries. Furthermore, uniting the armies of Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Morocco would gather over 3 million soldiers – more than 20 times larger than the American forces in Iraq. As a result, the resources (i.e. wealth of people, minerals, and land mass) are squarely located in the Muslim world. One may ask, if there is an abundance of resources then why do we find the Ummah in economic difficulty? The economic problems are linked to the lack of leadership. The current rulers do not govern this wealth according to the book of Allah (swt). They instead govern it based on the dictates of their American and European masters.

Thus, the real issue is not a want of resources or a troubled economy but a want of Islamic leadership. What we lack is the shield that RasulAllah (saw) prescribed for us to use to protect ourselves. The shield is described in the following hadith:

“Indeed, the Imam (Khaleefah) is a shield, from behind whom you fight and by whom you are protected.” [Muslim]

Allah (swt) has made it an obligation on us to refer solely to the Quran and the Sunnah of His beloved Messenger in matters of ruling, economy, and settling the affairs of the people. As long as we tolerate the rule of the despots all over the Muslim world – who do not rule by what Allah (swt) has revealed – we can only expect our present-day condition to persist. Allah (swt) has revealed:

"And rule between them by that which Allah has revealed and follow not their vain desires, but beware that they may turn you away from some of what Allah has revealed." [TMQ 5:49]

Re-establishing the Khilafah – a comprehensive system of governance, education, courts, and other societal institutions which are based on the Quran and Sunnah in the Muslim lands – is the only way of bringing Islam back into our daily lives, free from the influence and dominance of kufr.

Khilafah: One of the Highest Obligations
The fardiyah (obligation) of Khilafah is well known to the Ummah, but some may consider it a low priority. Allah (swt) has revealed:

"And no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they refer to your judgment in all disputes between them then find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission." [TMQ 4:65]

This means that if we differ on an issue – such as the priority level of the Khilafah – we must refer to the Quran and Sunnah to resolve our disagreement.

By the mercy of Allah (swt), the Shariah has identified certain issues as “vital issues”; i.e. matters of life and death for the Ummah. If such issues are not attended to, then the Ummah’s existence is at stake.

According to the Quran and Sunnah, when a hadith or ayat refers to taking of life, it signifies a vital issue. That is, the life of the human being is sacred and can only be violated under very specific circumstances. On the authority of Ibn Mas’ud who narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

“The blood of a Muslim person who professes that there is no god but Allah and that I am the messenger of Allah is not violable except in three instances: the adulterer, the slayer of another person and the apostate who abandons the group.” [Bukhari]

Islam has made the unity of the Islamic Ummah and the unity of the State as one of the vital issues. This is manifested in two cases: plurality of Khulafaa’ and rebellion against the Islamic State. Muslim reported on the authority of Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-’ Aas that he heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say: “He who pledged his Bay’ ah (oath) to an Imam giving him the clasp of his hand and the fruit of his heart shall obey him as long as he can, and if another comes to dispute with him, you must strike the neck of that man.”

It has also been reported on the authority of Abu Said Al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

“If a Bay’ah has been taken for two Khaleefah’s, kill the latter of them.” [Muslim]

Hence, he (saw) made the unity of the State a vital issue when he prohibited the plurality of the Khulafaa’ and ordered the death penalty for the one who insists (i.e. after being advised against it) on establishing multiple leaders within the Islamic State. It has also been reported on the authority of Arfaja who said: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say:

“He who comes to you while your affair has been united under one man, intending to drive a wedge between you or fragment your group (Jama’ ah), kill him.” [Muslim]

Now that the Islamic State no longer exists, these ahadith indicate the level of priority we must give to ensure that the Islamic State is united. That is, we must understand that the unity of the State and that of the Ummah is a “life and death matter” and therefore we must exert our utmost effort to re-establish the Khilafah using the Prophet’s method, which is solely based on discussion and intellectual interaction.

The Return of the Khilafah
The current era of tyrannical rule over the Ummah was prophesized by Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the famous hadith narrated by Imam Ahmed (rh) where: “…there will be dictatorships that will last as long as Allah is willing.” However, the same hadith predicts that (after this tyrannical era): “…then there will be a Khilafah on the way of the Prophethood.”

More importantly, Allah (swt) has promised victory to the Ummah. As Allah (swt) has revealed:

"Allah has promised such of you who believe and do good deeds that He will surely make them to succeed (the present rulers) in the earth even as He caused those before them to succeed (others); and He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and will give in exchange safety after their fear". [TMQ 24:55]

Allah (swt) never fails in His promise. However, this does not give us the excuse to sit back and wait for the Khilafah. Instead we must reflect on the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and follow his method in establishing the Khilafah, which includes culturing, interacting with society, and seeking the nusra (support). As a result, we must culture ourselves as the Sahabah did in Dar-Al-Arqam in order to rid ourselves of the influences of Capitalism and adopt the measures of halal and haram in our decision making. We must also work with the Ummah to convince her that Islam is the sole source of legislation and that Islam alone is sufficient: we do not need the ideas of Karl Marx, Adam Smith, or Barack Obama. Finally, we must work to convince the people of influence in the Muslim lands to give the nusra to Islam – just as the Ansar gave nusra to Islam. Only intellectual means (e.g. discussion, leaflets, conferences, etc) can be used in the struggle to re-establish Khilafah, as RasulAllah (saw) forbade the Sahabah from using armed struggle in establishing the Islamic State. He (saw) also did not participate in the political system of the Quraish: Dar-al Nadwa. Therefore, we are also forbidden from work through the political systems that are currently in place. If our goal is to implement the Deen of Allah (swt), we must take the Quran and Sunnah as a reference point instead our own desires.

May Allah (swt) grant this Ummah victory, so that we may worship Him as He has ordained us to worship.

"And say: Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished away. Lo! Falsehood is ever bound to vanish".
[TMQ 17:81]

Source Members of Hizb ut-Tahrir Canada

Memperingati 87 Tahun Runtuhnya Khilafah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

Jakarta, 28 Rajab 1429 H/ 31 Juli 2008 M

PERNYATAAN

HIZBUT TAHRIR INDONESIA

TENTANG

Memperingati 87 Tahun Runtuhnya Khilafah

Khilafah adalah kepemimpinan umum bagi seluruh kaum muslimin di seluruh dunia untuk menegakkan syariat Islam dan mengemban dakwah ke segenap penjuru dunia. Dalam sejarahnya yang membentang lebih dari 1300 tahun, Khilafah secara praktis telah berhasil menaungi dunia Islam, mampu menyatukan umat Islam seluruh dunia dan menerapkan syariah Islam secara kaffah sedemikian sehingga kerahmatan yang dijanjikan benar-benar dapat diujudkan. Maka, syariah dan Khilafah bagaikan dua sisi mata uang. Tepat sekali ketika Imam Ghazali dalam kitab al-Iqtishad fi al-I’tiqad menggambarkan eratnya hubungan antara syariah dan Khilafah dengan menyatakan, ”al-dinu ussun wa al-shultanu harisun – agama adalah pondasi dan kekuasaan adalah penjaga”. ”Wa ma la ussa lahu fa mahdumun wa ma la harisa lahu fa dha’i – apa saja yang tidak ada pondasinya akan roboh, dan apa saja yang tidak ada penjaganya akan hilang.”

Tapi sayang sekali, payung dunia Islam itu kini telah tiada. Setelah melalui berbagai upaya yang dilakukan selama puluhan tahun, pada tanggal 28 Rajab 87 tahun lalu, Kemal Pasha, politisi keturunan Yahudi dengan dukungan pemerintahan Inggris, secara resmi meng-abolish (menghapuskan) kekhilafahan yang waktu itu berpusat di Turki (khilafah Utsmani). Dengan hancurnya payung dunia Islam itu, umat Islam hidup bagaikan anak ayam kehilangan induk, tak punya rumah pula. Maka, berbagai persoalan, penindasan, penjajahan dan penistaan umat terus berlangsung hingga saat ini. Maka, tak berlebihan kiranya bila para ulama menyebut hancurnya Khilafah sebagai ummul jaraim (induk dari segala kejahatan) karena memang semenjak itu dunia Islam terus didera berbagai krisis. Menyadari arti pentingnya Khilafah dan betapa vitalnya bagi izzul Islam wal muslimin, umat Islam tidak pernah tinggal diam. Maka, sejak masa keruntuhan umat Islam terus berjuang keras untuk menegakkan kembali Khilafah Islam. Dan perjuangan itu tidak pernah berhenti hingga sekarang.

Selama bulan Rajab ini, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia sejumlah agenda yang diselenggarakan semata sebagai medium bagi umat Islam Indonesia untuk mengokohkan komitmen terhadap syariah dan ukhuwah; mengingatkan kembali tentang kewajiban untuk menegakkan syariah dan khilafah. Dalam pandangan Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, problem rakyat, bangsa dan negara ini khususnya, dan umat Islam di seluruh dunia pada umumnya dipicu oleh sistem sekuleristik dan terpecah belahnya umat Islam. Umat Islam akan bisa kembali meraih kemuliaannya bila kepadanya diterapkan syariah dan umat bersatu kembali di bawah kepemimpinan seorang Khalifah. Inilah dua substansi penting dari ide Khilafah, yakni untuk tegaknya syariah dan terwujudnya ukhuwah.

Dalam konteks Indonesia, ide Khilafah sesungguhnya merupakan bentuk perlawanan terhadap penjajahan multidimensi yang nyata-nyata sekarang tengah mencengkeram negeri ini dalam berbagai aspeknya. Hanya melalui kekuatan global, penjajahan global bisa dihadapi secara sepadan. Karena itu pula, perjuangan bagi tegaknya syariah dan Khilafah harus dibaca sebagai bentuk kepedulian yang amat nyata dari Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia dan umat Islam pada umumnya untuk menjaga kemerdekaan hakiki negeri ini atas berbagai bentuk penjajahan yang ada.

Di tengah duka memperingati keruntuhan khilafah, sebagai bentuk kepedulian secara nyata dalam mengatasi krisis multidimensi yang masih terus berlangsung hingga saat ini di, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, menyatakan:

1. Menyerukan kepada seluruh umat Islam, khususnya para pimpinan ormas, orpol, ulama, wakil rakyat, anggota TNI/Polri, wartawan, cendekiawan, para pengusaha, para pekerja serta para pemuda dan mahasiswa untuk secara sungguh-sungguh mengamalkan syariat Islam dan berjuang bagi tegaknya syariah Islam di negeri ini. Serta secara sengaja menempatkan perjuangan penegakan syariah sebagai agenda utamanya. Sesungguhnya mengamalkan syariah dalam kehidupan pribadi dan menerapkannya dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat dan bernegara merupakan kewajiban setiap muslim dan merupakan realisasi dari ibadah kepada Allah SWT.

2. Menyerukan kepada pemerintah dan seluruh rakyat Indonesia untuk segera menghentikan sekularisme dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat dan bernegara serta praktik-praktik kotor dalam pemerintahan baik berupa korupsi, perlindungan terhadap para penjahat (koruptor, penjudi dan sebagainya), penjualan aset strategis negara dan pembiaran beroperasinya perusahaan asing seperti Freeport dan Exxon Mobil untuk mengeruk kekayaan alam Indonesia, penyebaran pornografi di media massa, ekonomi ribawi, dan sebagainya yang semua itu telah terbukti menimbulkan berbagai kerusakan serta kerugian bagi rakyat.

3. Menolak keras setiap upaya pemecahbelahan dan kolonialisasi negeri-negeri muslim serta penggiringan opini internasional yang digalang oleh negara Barat untuk menyudutkan Islam yang diidentikkan dengan terorisme termasuk penghinaan terhadap Nabi Muhammad yang mulia. Sesungguhnya Islam datang untuk membawa rahmat. Justru kolonialisme, imperialisme atau penjajahan dengan segala bentuknya, dimana negara Barat sebagai aktor utamanya, itulah yang selama ini telah membawa kesengsaraan pada bangsa-bangsa di dunia.

4. Menuntut AS segera keluar dari Irak dan menghentikan segala bentuk penindasan atas negeri-negeri Muslim

5. Menyerukan kepada umat Islam untuk bangkit dan bersatu untuk menerapkan syariah, menegakkan kembali Khilafah Islamiyyah ‘ala Minhajin Nubuwwah sebagai jalan satu-satunya untuk menyatukan umat dan menerapkan syariah secara kaffah guna mewujudkan negeri yang adil, makmur, sejahtera, damai dan sentosa serta menjaga setiap jengkal negeri Islam, melawan imperialisme dan mewujudkan kembali izzul Islam wal muslimin. Inilah saatnya Khilafah memimpin Dunia.

“Dan Allah berkuasa terhadap urusan-Nya, tetapi kebanyakan manusia tiada mengetahuinya.” (Q.S. Yusuf [12]: 21)

Jurubicara Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia

Muhammad Ismail Yusanto

Hp: 0811119796 Email: ismaily@telkom.net

Gedung Anakida Lantai 7

Jl. Prof. Soepomo Nomer 27, Jakarta Selatan 12790

Telp / Fax : (62-21) 8353253 Fax. (62-21) 8353254

Email : info@hizbut-tahrir.or.id Website : http://www.hizbut-tahrir.or.id