Linking the Idea to Its Advocates Is the Path to Radical Change
It is no secret to those working sincerely for the revival of the Islamic Ummah through Islam the state to which the Ummah has come, with nations preying upon it as diners prey upon a bowl of food. Nor is it hidden from observers the clarity with which the Ummah perceives its reality and knows the cause of its tragedies and pains, which has become known to it, confined to the infidel colonizer, the treacherous rulers, and the regimes installed by the infidel colonizer upon their necks to abuse them, plunder their resources, and prevent them from breaking free from his domination by establishing their Caliphate according to the method of Prophethood.
Therefore, many preachers and influencers have emerged in the Ummah on social media, telling them about the source of the disease and the root of the calamity. They have gained many followers because they address people's pains, which is a kind of soothing and consoling the Ummah for the affliction that has befallen it. However, they did not provide people with the correct solution that would bring them out of their misery, and limited the presentation of the Caliphate as the civilizational alternative that would improve their condition and restore their dignity.
The shortcoming of these preachers and influencers lies in their failure to link their awareness and the awareness of the Ummah of its reality and the source of its disease - represented by the rulers and regimes - to the solution that must be worked for. They also did not highlight that changing the situation for the better is the responsibility of the Ummah alone, and that the situation will not change by itself or be the task of others, or even a group of them, as long as sufficiency has not been achieved in those who have taken it upon themselves to change the situation for the better.
But the biggest shortcoming that these preachers have fallen into is that, despite their knowledge that political Islam, represented by working to establish the Rightly-Guided Caliphate according to the method of Prophethood, is the work that absolves them and the Muslims of the duty of implementing God's law on earth, they did not explain that this work alone is capable of bringing the Ummah out of its current state and changing its situation to the desired one. And despite their knowledge that the only party that works for this goal is Hizb ut-Tahrir, they did not work with it, even though that is more obligatory for them than for other ordinary people. Rather, they preferred to work alone, away from working for this goal and this project with the group that is manifest by God's permission. In fact, most of them saw that the party should not be mentioned as the leader of this work, let alone calling people to work with it, even though it represents their lifeboat. This is only because they wanted to continue working within the lines allowed by those regimes that they dream of getting rid of, so they chose the principle of safety at the expense of the safety of the principle and victory for it and its delivery to the seat of power.
Awareness of the reality of the Ummah and what has befallen it, and standing at the level of awareness, requires only one action to deliver the principle to the seat of power, which is linking the solution to its advocates. What the Ummah lacks now is working with Hizb ut-Tahrir, rallying around it, and handing over its leadership to it until it and the Ummah become one unit and one body. Therefore, the efforts of preachers and workers in Hizb ut-Tahrir must be focused on linking the solution to the party in a strong way, so that the party - with its flesh and bones - can lead the Ummah to carry out the process of change and complete the last remaining step, which is overthrowing the regimes and establishing the Second Rightly-Guided Caliphate according to the method of Prophethood in its place.
The meaning of the necessity of linking the solution to the party and to the political figures in it can be summarized in the following points:
1. Highlighting the practical aspect of the idea of the solution and linking it to its advocates: The party believes that the idea does not become alive and strong unless it is linked to individuals or political groups who carry it seriously and sacrifice for it. When the idea of change is attributed to men known for their purity, integrity, uprightness, and courage, the idea becomes more powerful and attractive, unlike if it remains just an idea without a sincere carrier for it, where it remains a philosophical theory in the minds of some people or in the pages of books. This is what the master of creation Muhammad ﷺ was like, as he showed himself and called for his idea openly day and night without hiding, even after Quraish rejected him and inflicted harm on him and his companions, his clear, explicit, and direct approach did not change.
2. Transforming the idea from a state of calling for it to real work with it: The party believes that the idea of ruling by Islam is not an idea to talk about on platforms or on social media only, but it is a project for implementation on the ground. Therefore, the idea must be linked to real political leaders, such as the party that works to transform it into a tangible political reality, and to its youth known for their affiliation with it. The party and the carrier of the call do not shy away from asking for the leadership of the Ummah and ruling for the party in its name and form. This is also from the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, to the extent that he ﷺ did not accept division or participation in leadership and rule between him and Quraish.
3. Protecting the idea from distortion and containment: If the idea remains abstract or unknown to the carrier, it is easy for the regimes or opponents to adopt it formally and then empty it of its content. Something like this happened with the Islamic State organization and its alleged declaration of the Caliphate. But if the idea is attached to its original advocates, it has become clear to people who represents it and who empties it of its content, so loyalty to the idea remains linked to its real, sincere carriers.
4. Creating public opinion based on public awareness: This is based on the principled leadership known to the people. The party believes that public opinion is not created on the basis of public awareness except by linking the idea to those who carry it and represent it politically. People do not move behind ideas in a vacuum, but rather rally around men or political entities in which these ideas are embodied and call for them.
5. Distinguishing the principled carrier of the idea from the opportunist: One of the benefits of this linkage is that it exposes those who try to ride the wave of the idea of change for their own interests or to serve the projects of other regimes. Therefore, it must be clear to people that this idea is linked to the party and its youth, so they are not deceived by false alternatives.
Individual work, or work that is not linked to its advocates from those working to establish the Caliphate and the party that brings them together, is legally permissible; because the regimes realize that these efforts do not pose an existential threat to them, and no matter how intense and numerous they become, they will not lead to achieving the goal of change. No matter how great the number of followers and lovers of those who tell people about their tragedies, these numbers will not bring the call to the seat of power. If the preachers become preoccupied with rejoicing in the numbers and the vast crowds following them, these followers will soon abandon them when they are asked to undertake the political and legal work that brings the call to the seat of power, and their situation will change from media enthusiasm to apathy when facing the demand for responsibility and real work. They are like those whom God Almighty said about them: ﴿The thirsty one thinks it is water, until when he comes to it, he finds it nothing.﴾.
Accordingly, the party believes that linking its idea to it and its real carriers makes it an influential, practical, and protected idea from distortion, and linked to its conscious political leadership. This is the way to achieve it in reality, unlike ideas hanging in the air or kidnapped by hostile, ignorant, or misleading forces. Therefore, all the actions taken by the sincere, including the carriers of the call, must be of known origin, chapter, and source, in accordance with God's saying: ﴿Say, "This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah, and I am not of those who associate others with Him."﴾.
Written by Bilal Al-Muhajir for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir
Bilal Al-Muhajir - Wilayah Pakistan
